Sammels.com

Given my mothers lack of knowledge about this side of her family, I have started to trace some information regarding her grandfather John Considine and would appreciate any information that anyone has about him. What I have found out so far is here.

John Considine b.27 May 1863 Modewarre (Geelong) d.13 May 1938 Drouin was the second of the eight children of Patrick Consedine and Hannah Feeney (or Hannah Francis or Hannah Finnie). Spellings of the Consedine surname vary in records from Considine (as it is now) to Consedine (as it is listed on earlier records). John's siblings include Patrick (b.1862 d. 22 December 1907 Geelong), Cornelius b.1866, Kate b.1868, Mary b.1869, Hannah b.1871, Bridget b.1874 and Edward b. 1875.

From his marriage certificate to Annie Quigley in 1893, it shows that he was a widower as of 22 November 1891. There were no living children from this marriage. He is listed as a farmer in Mardan, just south of Mirboo North.

I'm led to believe that John did a fair bit of diverse work in Kalgoorlie-Boulder; from running whippet races, maintaining camel trains, doing water haulage to Coolgardie, being the licensee of a pub and operating a shop that sold provisions and food to miners. There are also apparently records of him working for the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Council as an engineer sometime back in the early 1900's. I'm told that while in WA, John sent Annie home to Victoria to see her family every year. The whole family returned to Victoria when my Edna, my grandmother was nine months old (1911) and his story continues above.

John's parents
John's father, my great great grandfather Patrick Consedine was born around 1826 in Clare, Ireland. His parents were Patrick Considine and Mary Cunagh (I wish the family would choose from a wider range of first names). From the records that I can find, it appears that he migrated to Australia from Ireland about 1852.

Patrick's first marriage in Geelong at the age of 30 (1855) was to Bridget K Gannon (I think this is the spelling as the record is of poor quality) and they had three children: John, Terrence (b.1859 approx) and Mary Ellen. At the time of my great grandfather John's birth in 1863, only Terrence was alive from this marriage. It is not known what happened to his first wife, but given the death of two of his young children, it is possible Bridget died from complications of pregnancy. Terrence is listed as being still alive at the time of Patrick's death in 1897.

In 1862 Patrick Consedine entered into a second marriage with Hannah Feeney in Melbourne, Victoria. Hannah was born in Sligo, Ireland around 1832 and her father was John Feeney, farmer. From the records, it is assumed that Hannah migrated to Australia around 1858. Hannah and Patrick had the eight children listed above and lived most of their life in and around Geelong, Modewarre and Mount Moriac.

Patrick died on 1 June 1897 in "Laketown", Shire of Barrabool at the age of 72. He is buried in the Mount Moriac cemetery. Hannah died on 13 February 1917, listed as residing at Mayers St, Geelong at the age of 85. Hannah is also buried in the Mount Moriac cemetery.

• Does Nothing

As I said above, Des Bennett started some of the family research on the Quigley - Maher side of the family for a reunion in 1983. I have included it as a pdf here.

My maternal great grandmother Annie Quigley was born in Ballarat on 26 June 1873 and was the fourth child of John Quigley (b.1842 Meath, Ireland d.26 May 1908 Yinnar) and Bridget Anne Maher (b.1844 Nenagh, Tipperary, Ireland d.27 June 1930, Yinnar). John married Bridget on 20 April 1869 at Saint Alipius Church, Ballarat in a service led by Father Thomas Scanlon.

Annie's siblings include Mary b.10 February 1869, James b.21 June 1870, Ellen b.10 February 1872, John b. 3 October 1874, Joseph b.3 August 1876, Sarah b.17 May 1878, Patrick b.29 August 1880, Thomas b.31 May 1882, Bridget Delia b.29 March 1884 and Andrew Joseph b.3 April 1886.

Annie spent most of her early childhood in Ballarat, moving to Morwell in 1877. Much of the information regarding their life here is in the family genealogy.

Annie married John Consedine before Father Thomas H. Hurley at the Mirboo North Catholic church on 13 September 1893. Annie's father, John Quigley gave his consent to the marriage and witnesses were James and Ellen Quigley, Annie's eldest siblings. Annie is listed as a housemaid. See above for the details of her life with John.

Annie died in 1946 and is buried in the Drouin cemetery.

• Does Nothing

My grand uncle James Francis Considine was born in Victoria in 1893. On 23 September 1916 he signed up for service with the Australian Imperial Forces. My great grandfather John Considine had prevented him from signing up to the war effort prior to this time. At the outbreak of war in July 1914, John was almost totally blind and heavily reliant on his son for the management of the farm. James was 21 and continued to help out with the farm. Patriotism being what it was at the time, James received a number of white feathers which led to him running away from the farm and going to work as a merchant seaman. During this time he caught small pox and was left on an island to recover. I have no details of what island it was, but when he was picked up he had recovered although his face was badly scarred.

Returning back to the farm to recuperate, John and Annie finally relented and allowed their son to sign up. He joined the 5th Battalion Infantry AIF on 23 September 1916. He shipped out of Melbourne on 20 October 1916 and landed in Plymouth on 9 January 1917. The Australian National Archives records show that he entered hospital on 11 January 1917 and spent "total period 54 days VD" in the Parkhouse Hospital in Bulford. Discharged on 12 March 1917, James remained in England until 4 May 1917 when he transferred out via Folkestone to reinforce the 5th Battalion in Belgium (via Etaples).

James joined the field with the 5th Battalion on 17 May 1917 and this was his first active service. Little more is known from his service record, apart from the fact that he was killed in action on 20 September 1917, just four months after being involved in active service. His record shows that he was "Buried at Nurick [?] Farm, 100 yds E of Glencorse Wood, E of Ypres". Given this timing and location, it is possible he was involved in the Battle of the Menin Road, part of the Third Battle of Ypres. He has his name on the Menin Gate in Belgium (information - pdf) and on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial. After his mothers death in 1946, my relatives found all of the white feathers that James had received among my great grandmothers possessions.

My grand uncle James was not the only Considine-Quigley family member to be killed in action in World War I, my great grand uncle Andrew Joseph Quigley (my grandmother Edna's uncle) was also killed in Belgium. Read more below.

• Does Nothing

As I said above, Des Bennett started some of the family research on the Quigley - Maher side of the family for a reunion in 1983. I have included it as a pdf here.

My great grand uncle Andrew Joseph Quigley (b.3 April 1886 in Morwell, Victoria) was the youngest son of John and Bridget. His service record from the National Archives states that he was unmarried at the time he signed up for service with the 37th Battalion on 13 July 1916. He embarked from Melbourne on 20 October 1916 via Sierra Leone and landed in Plymouth on 9 January 1917. He joined his regiment on the front in France on 31 March 1917 . He suffered an injury digging trenches on 1 June 1917 and was transferred back to England to recover. On 11 November 1917 Andrew shipped back via Rouelles from hospital in England and rejoined his unit at the front on 24 November. His record shows that he was killed in action in the field in Belgium on 30 November 1917 at the age of 31.

Andrew is buried in plot 339 of the Berks Cemetery Extension (Rosenberg Plateau Plots) Ploegsteert, Belgium and has an entry on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial. See also the Find a Grave website for more information on Andrew and this location.

• Does Nothing