Ali Sheridan

10. Alice Christina Sheridan

Above: The birth certificate of Alice "Ali" Sheridan, tenth and final child born to Nicholas Sheridan and Bridget McGrath.

Alice Christina Sheridan was born on April 9, 1884, at Carisbrook, Victoria, the youngest of ten children born to Nicholas Sheridan and Bridget McGrath. She was only a baby when her parents made the move from Carisbrook to yarrawonga, and so grew up in the small town on the Murray River.
Poor "Ali", as she was known, was quite cross-eyed, as can be seen from the photograph above. She was also of a very highly-strung nature, and never married, spending her early adult years living with her parents in Yarrawonga, and then after their deaths residing with her sister Rose Annie Marshall and her family in Baxter.
Ali was once engaged to be married, but for reasons long forgotten the engagement ended and she never again formed a romantic attachment with a man. Her nephew Bill Marshall wrote of her:-
" Alice had a certain talent for music and in our childhood days she used to play us to sleep on the violin, or her little accordian. She was of a highly nervous temperament, and lived on a pension for many years because of that. She used to pay frequent visits to her dear friend at the Yarrawonga Convent, Sister Mary Cathleen.
Alice met a tragic end when a close friend of ours at Baxter hit her with his car on July 10, 1958. She died immediately, and we buried her at Frankston with Mum and dad, in their grave. Alice lived with Kathleen and me for eight years after our marriage, until her tragic death."

My father also remembers visits from his Aunty Ali and her sister Mary Hampton from Yarrawonga when he was a child. The sisters would catch the little train from Yarrawonga to Tungamah and spend the day with their sister-in-law, Bridget Bourke Sheridan, who lived with the family of her son Patrick 'Bob' Sheridan in Barr Street, Tungamah. Dad remembers sharing meals with his great-aunts around the big Sheridan family table, and how Ali would devise a series of distractions for her sister Mary so she could pilfer morsels of food from her plate whilst she was looking away.

Nick Sheridan's Gallipoli post card

Nicholas Sheridan, member of the Yarrawonga Rifle Club.

9. Nicholas Henry Sheridan

Above: Nicholas Sheridan's birth certificate. Note that he was officially named Nicholas FRANCIS, but known always as Nicholas HENRY.

Above: This photo of Nicholas Henry Sheridan was sent to his sister Rose Annie Marshall on April 29, 1917.

Nicholas Henry Sheridan was born on February 27, 1882, at Carisbrook, the seventh son and ninth child born to Nicholas Sheridan and Bridget McGrath. Only a small child when his family moved to Yarrawonga, all of Nicholas's education was conducted at the Sisters of Mercy Convent. After his schooling was completed, Nick was apprenticed as a sawyer at a local sawmill for 7 years. Nicholas then moved to NSW where he became a telegraph linesman.
One year later he joined the 4th Battalion in Kensington, NSW, on September 20, 1914. He fought at Gallipoli, and was in the firing line until he fell very ill with severe diarrhoea and other health issues which eventually led to him being transported back to Australia, where he was discharged in June of 1916.

Like his brother Tom, Nick sent post cards from abroad to his nieces back in Yarrawonga...one such card was written to nine year old Bridget Sheridan, daughter of his brother Paddy. It was written on March 9, 1915, in Egypt, and reads as follows:
" Mena Camp, Cairo. A card for little Bridge, she was a good girl for sending me a card for my birthday. Peter, Hughie and me are all well, trusting you are all the same. We were sorry to hear of your grandfather's death, may his soul R.I.P., also Mother and Father and Jack. Goodbye and God bless you all. From Uncle Nick XXXXXXXXXX"

A post card showing a scene from Gallipoli and sent in the years just after the War was sent by Nick to his brother Paddy in Berrigan. Written in pencil, it reads:
" Dear Brother, This is the real picture of the landing Place of the Australian and New Zealand troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula, April 25, 1915. The point that you can see out in the water was where the Turks had barbed wire entanglements in the water 6 feet high and land mines so were were lucky in not striking that place for our landing. From N.H.S."

After the War, Nicholas Sheridan continued to work in the Post Office system until his health began to fail due to the family curse, tuberculosis. He retired to become a patient in the Lady Davidson Home at Turramurra, near Sydney. During this time he was almost completely bedridden.
Bill Marshall, Nick's nephew,wrote the following about his Uncle:
" His was a very different nature from his brother Peter's, and we Marshall kids found him a bit grumpy when he came over from Sydney every year for his annual holidays. Late in his life he developed an attachment to a very nice girl in Sydney, but his failing health due to tuberculosis prevented him from marrying her."

Nicholas Henry Sheridan died in the Caulfield Military Hospital on October 1, 1940, aged 58 years. He was buried in the Frankston Cemetery with his brother Peter and sisters Rose Annie Marshall and Alice Sheridan.


 

T.F Sheridan

Above: Fallen Soldiers Monument, Yarrawonga

Above: Teresa Emma Sheridan, wife of Thomas Francis Sheridan, and their son, John.

Above: Thomas Sheridan's only daughter, Alison Sheridan. Father and daughter never met, as Alison was born in April 1916 after her father had left Australia to serve in France. He was killed in action at Fromelles only three month's after her birth.

This photo was held for years by the family of Jock Marshall, whose mother Rose Annie was Tom Sheridan's sister. It is identified as being "Uncle Tom Sheridan", but appears to me to be dissimilar to Tom as he appears in other photos. He is wearing the uniform of the Yarrawonga Fire Brigade, similar to that worn by his brother John Sheridan in a photo posted in a previous blog entry.

This photo is seemingly of Tom Sheridan in civilian clothes, and on the reverse of the photograph are the photographer's instructions to crop it into a bust portrait, and add a captain's uniform of the 29th Battalion. Tom's description was also noted-dark hair and eyes and a fresh complexion- so obviously Paddy Sheridan, of Barooga Street, Berrigan, was commissioning a memorial portrait to commemorate his fallen brother.

Thomas Francis Sheridan

More postcards from Tom...

Postcards from Tom Sheridan WW1

8. Thomas Francis Sheridan

Above: The birth certificate of Thomas Francis "Tom" Sheridan, the eighth child of Nicholas Sheridan and Bridget McGrath.

Thomas Francis Sheridan (above) was born at Carisbrook on May 22, 1880, the eighth child and sixth son born to Nicholas Sheridan and Bridget McGrath. Tom was educated at the Convent of Mercy Catholic School, Yarrawonga, after his family moved to the town in the mid-1880s.
In 1902, aged 22, Tom joined the Royal Australian Artillery at Queenscliff. Five years later he was transferred to Queensland after a promotion to Sergeant.
On June 30,1908,at the Church of Sacred Heart, Highgate Hill, Perth, Thomas Sheridan married Teresa Emma Warren. Their first child John Sheridan was born two years later on June 16, 1910,in Perth. John married Daisie Waterson, and had one child -John Alexander Sheridan. John Snr was a carpenter, and died at Heidleberg Repatriation Hospital c.1982, aged 72.

Two more sons followed, both of whom died young. Thomas Alfred Sheridan was born prematurely in August of 1912,at 225 Inkerman Street, St. Kilda, and survived just 54 hours. He died on August 22, 1912, and was buried in the Spring Vale Cemetery.His father Thomas Sheridan registered his son's death, and gave his occupation as a military instructor.

On the 11th of May, 1914,Teresa Sheridan went into premature labour with her third child, again with tragic results. William Sheridan lived for only one and a half hours,his cause of death being recorded as 'prematurity and heart failure'. Teresa had gone into the Carlton Women's Hospital to give birth to William, but sadly not even their expertise could save him.
Daughter Allison was born two years later on April 5, 1916.

"BIRTHS: SHERIDAN: On the 5th April at 34 Greville Street, Prahran, the wife of Lieutenant T.F. Sheridan, of the 8th Brigade, on active service abroad, a daughter."
-from The Argus, Saturday, April 8, 1916.

Allison Sheridan never met her father...conceived just prior to Tom’s departure overseas, she was born three months before his death on the battlefields of France. As an elderly woman, Allison wrote to me of the loss of her father:
" Wars do a lot of damage in people's lives. I'm not bitter over the loss of my dad. I felt it when I was at school, and envied the other children with fathers."
Allison was born in her family home at 34 Greville Street, Prahran. She worked as a straw hat machinist from 1932-1937, up until she married her husband Robert Gerard Fenner, on September 9, 1937. Robert was a boiler-maker in the Newport Workshops for 35 years until his death from cancer in 1957, aged 56. Allison and Robert Fenner had two children- Helen Frances and Raymond Francis.

The following newspaper article appeared in the Queenscliff newspaper, date unknown:

" Thomas Francis Sheridan joined the Royal Australian Artillery at Queenscliff in 1902. In 1907 he was transferred to Queensland. After seven months in that state, he qualified for the rank of Staff-Sergeant Major A & I Staff. At the inauguration of compulsory training he was transferred as Staff-Sergeant Major to the 49th (Prahran) Infantry and worked in the formation of this new regiment.
At the outbreak of War he offered his services to go overseas, but his services were retained by the Defence Department.
In August of 1915, he was one of eight specially selected from the A & I Staff for service abroad, an opportunity of which he availed himself, and was appointed Lieutenant in the 8th Brigade. He embarked on November 10, 1915, on the troopship "Ascanius". He saw several months service in Egypt then was sent to France where he was promoted to captain in June, 1916.

While leading his Company over "No Man's land" in an attack at 'Fleurbaix', he was severely wounded, but succeeded in getting into the enemy's trench. With a small party he pushed on to capture a 'strong point', but no member of the party returned."

Thomas Francis Sheridan died on July 20, 1916, fighting for his country on France's bloody battlefields, aged 36 years.

Tom Sheridan has always seemed to me to have been a kind, compassionate man. I have several postcards sent by him in the Middle East to his young nieces back home in Australia that depict a soldier who bothered to sit down amongst all of the horror and carnage of war to pen a few words to the little girls of his brother Paddy. One of them reads:
"My Dear Bridget,I received your very nice letter also the pretty birthday card that you sent me which I received yesterday. I thank you very much for your thoughtfulness in thinking of me over here. With fondest love from Uncle Tom XXX 30. 5. 1916"...written just a month and a half before his death.

Following is the information given on the AIF Project website
( http://www.aif.adfa.edu.au) regarding Thomas Sheridan:

Thomas Francis SHERIDAN

Place of birth: Carisbrook, Maryborough, Victoria
Religion: Roman Catholic
Occupation: Soldier
Address: 34 Greville Street, Prahran, Victoria
Marital status: Married
Age at embarkation: 35
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 148 lbs
Next of kin Wife: Mrs Teresa Emma Sheridan, 34 Greville Street, Prahran, Victoria
Previous military service: Served in the Royal Australian Garrison Artillery (5.5 years, still serving); Instructional Staff (8 years, Staff Sergeant Major)
Enlistment date: 28 August 1914
Rank on enlistment: Lieutenant
Unit name: 29th Battalion, A Company
AWM Embarkation Roll number: 23/46/1
Embarkation details: Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A11 Ascanius on 10 November 1915
Rank from Nominal Roll: Captain
Unit from Nominal Roll: 29th Battalion
Fate: Killed in Action 20 July 1916
Place of burial: No known grave
Commemoration details V.C. Corner (Panel No 1), Australian Cemetery, Fromelles, France
Panel number, Roll of Honour,
Australian War Memorial 116
Miscellaneous information from cemetery records:
Parents: Nicholas and Bridget SHERIDAN;
Wife: Teresa SHERIDAN, 26 Mason Street, South Yarra.
Native of Carisbrook
Other details War service:
Egypt, Western Front

Embarked Melbourne, 10 November 1915; disembarked Suez, 7 December 1915.

Promoted Captain, Moascar, 1 June 1916.

Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 16 June 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 23 June 1916.

Posted missing in action, 19/20 July 1916.

Placed on Seconded List, 20 July 1916.

Struck off strength of 29th Bn, 20 October 1916.

Court of Enquiry, held in the field, 23 August 1917, pronounced fate as 'Killed in Action, 20 July 1916'.



The circumstances of Tom Sheridan's death- like all the instances of the men who were killed in the appalling carnage inflicted upon Australian troops in the Battle of Fromelles- were heartbreaking. The Files of the Red Cross, as made available on the wonderful Australian War memorial website, fill in the gaps of what happened to Tom by providing statements by eyewitnesses who were amongst the last to see Tom alive. The family of Tom had written to the Red Cross asking for assistance in determining what had happened to him. Because his body was not retrieved by Australian forces, there was no record of his burial, and rumours started to circulate back in Australia that he was not dead at all, but missing in action and probably a Prisoner of War held by the Germans.

Following are statements contained in the Red Cross File concerning Thomas Sheridan's investigation:

Statement, 2035 Pte H.R. FLEMING (?), 29th Battalion (patient, No 2 General Hospital [Palais]): August 1916: 'At Laventie about midnight of the 19th Aug. I saw the Captain sitting in the first line German trench. He was wounded. We were attacking the German lines and took two lines and were driven back to our trenches. I heard nothing more of him.'

Statement: Pte W.A. Tait, 1254, 29th Australian I.F, 1st London General Hospital, Camberwell, London. Home address Croydon, Australia.
"August 1916. Informant states: "I knew captain Sheridan, he was missing July 19/16, not August as stated. he was seen wounded at Fromelles, but did not return."
Eye Witness: No


Statement, 2166 Pte J.G. WILSON, D Company, 29th Bn (patient, 3rd Western General Hospital, Ninian Park, Cardiff, Wales. Home address: 3 Collins Street, Geelong West, Victoria.), 5 December 1916: 'Captain Sheridan was killed by bullet wound in the chest. I saw him fall, near the German wire entanglements at Flerimel (sic), on the Levantie Front.'

Statement, 193 Pte J.W. BONNICK, 29th Bn (patient, 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth, England. Home address: Horseferry Road, Westminster), 7 December 1916: 'Informant says that Capt. Sheridan was in the German trench when the order came to retire. The artillery fire from the enemy's guns was too heavy for our men to hold the trench and Informant thinks Capt. Sheridan from the position he was in would not be able to get out. This was at Fromelles.'

Statement, 2157 Sapper W.I. WILKINSON, D Company, 29th Bn (patient, Harbourne Hall VAD Hospital, Birmingham, England. Home address: Sydney Street, Kilmore, Victoria), 16 March 1917: 'I knew Capt. Sheridan, he was badly wounded in No Mans (sic) Land, near Fromelles July 19-20th, 1916. He never came back, and even had he fallen into the enemy's hands wounded, and survived, something would have been heard of him before now.'

Statement, 752 Pte M, ANDERSON, 29th Bn (patient, No 11 Stationary Hospital, Rouen), 27 March 1917: 'Informant states that he was told by Pte. Clinton pf B Co. that he had seen Capt. Sheridan lying wounded in the German trenches at Fleurbaix on July 19th. These trenches were not occupied by us.'

Statement: 543 A.H GROVES, 29th Battalion, A.I.F, Dartford, March 12, 1917.
"Cpt. T.F. Sheridan, Missing 19.7.16. Refer to Cpt. Caldwell Smith (Adjutant) who will tell you he was killed and that his body probably fell into the enemy's hands. This was at Fleurbaix."

Statement: 638, Sergt. C.A. TAYLOR, B Coy, No. 6 General, Rouen. March 27, 1917.
" Capt. Sheridan was in A Coy. At Fromelles, on this date, he was 2nd in Command to Capt. Mortimer who was O.C. A Coy. We are all certain that they are both killed. The last I saw of them, they were together with a strong firing party. If they had been taken prisoners, we should have heard, as some Sergeants were taken and have sent a list of Prisoners of War."

Statement: Pte J. LOCKE, 2194, No. 20 General. "I know that one of the men in the battalion has heard from Australia from Capt. Sheridan's people stating that he is a P/W. He had been wounded, but was progressing satisfactorily. I do not know the name of the man who received the letter."

Thomas Frances Sheridan was certified as having been killed in action on the 19-20th July, 1916 by A.I.F Headquarters on 12 September, 1917.

One of the statements given by Sergeant C.A Taylor concerning Tom Sheridan's last sightings mentioned that Tom was Second in Command to Captain Mortimer of A Coy, 29th Battalion, and the last Taylor had seen of them, they were together with a strong firing party. I investigated this Captain Mortimer, and what I found was heart-wrenching...he was only 20 years old when he died, and adored by the men whom he commanded.

Captain Kenneth Malcolm Mortimer, 29 Battalion, AIF, was born in 1895, the son of David Horn Mortimer and Florence Mary Mortimer, of Leneva West,near Wodonga, Victoria. Kenneth was educated at the Wangaratta Agricultural High School, Victoria, and at the Royal Military College, Duntroon. He graduated from Duntroon Military College in 1915, and was appointed Lieutenant in AIF 1 July 1915, being posted to the 29 Battalion.He was promoted to Captain on the 20 February 1916. (A brother, David Horn Mortimer, served in the AIF, was severely wounded, but survived.) Kenneth Mortimer was killed in action on 20 July 1916 during the Battle of Fromelles...his age at time of his death was 20 years 9 months.
The statements given by various men during the inquiry into his death reveal how revered Captain Mortimer was by his fellow soldiers...
"Statement: Sergt. Chapman 199, 29th Australians, Northumberland War Hospital, Ward 18, Newcastle.
Informant states that on July 19th at 6 p.m. at Fleurbaix an attack was made and two or three lines of trenches were taken. They were only held till the early morning. The battalion retired then on its original front trench and Captain Mortimer was last seem in the German 2nd line. He had been wounded, and was trying to crawl along.The ground that he would have had to cross to reach our trenches was under very heavy fire, but some men who were wounded with him got back.
One of these men was Sgt. Whitlock A Coy, who on his way back saw Captain Mortimer. Informant cannot say how severe captain Mortimer's wound was as his great idea was to get his men back safely and he would not let anyone stay to help him.
Informant cannot say enough for him; "A fine fellow" he calls him. "You could not meet a nicer man in a day's walk".
he says that he was so much liked by all, and is terribly missed. He had been in the same Coy as a Lieut. and was extremely popular then. Then he was taken away from the Coy for a time and served as a signals Officer, and informant says that the whole Coy was so delighted when he came back to it as O.C." Written 18/10/1916."

Statement: Pte Matthews 1190, Ward 12, Harefield. Re. 29th Battn AIF. Moertimer Capt K.H, and Sheridan Capt T.F. "In the raid of German trenches near Armentiers, 19th July, both of these officers were in the German trenches. I was talking to Captain Sheridan. We were not in the trenches more than half an hour when there was a counter attack and we had to retire. Neither of them came back with us."

Statement: Captain M. Coats, 29th Battn AIF, 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth Common, S.W. Home address 97 Victoria Street, Footscray, Victoria.
Informant states that on the 18th July at Fleurbaix near Armentieres at 6 p.m. the 31st and 32nd Batt. commenced the assault by gaining the enemy's 2nd line. The 29th Batt acted as General reserve and at about 8 p./m. Captain Mortimer's Coy was ordered up to firing line and was in 2nd line of German trenches the greater part of the night. They were bombed and machined gunned on the flanks and rear and some of those who returned said they were ordered to retire by Captain Mortimer who was then seen to move forward evidently with the object of ascertaining whether any other members of his Company had been left in the front trench. He has not been seen since."

Statement: Meeking 259, Ward 16, Harefield Hospital: "I saw him in German trenches badly wounded."

Statement: P. Towner 2133; B Coy, No. 11 General,Staples. 24/10/1916. "I saw him in the German lines. He went back from the German front line to their second line. Corp. McGregor of A Coy was the last to see him. He was wounded then. We had to retire and a terrible lot of our fellows were captured."

Statement: Captain Chapman, 29th Battn, AIF. " He led men on the night of the 19th July in the charge and never returned. The date in the Blue Book is wrong. He was seen encouraging men in the German trenches between 1 and 2 a.m., then unwounded but his clothes were very torn; when we retired in the morning at about 3 or 4 a.m. he was missing. The trenches were reoccupied by the Germans."

The last statement comes from a fellow soldier in the 29th Battalion who was captured as a prisoner of war and gave his statement whilst still interned: Private William George Edwards, 2016, 29th Battn, same Contingent, interned at Frankfurt; dated 10/12/1918: " Having read the list of missing, am sorry to say that I seen Captain Mortimer of the 29th Batt., AIF, wounded on the 19th of July, 1916, in the trenches at La Vantie."

As I write this blog, Thomas Sheridan is being investigated as to whether he is one of the unknown soldiers who was buried by the Germans in a mass grave at Fromelles in July 1916. DNA testing is to be carried out on two males, one of whom is descended from Tom's brother Paddy Sheridan, and the other who is Tom's grandson, and two females who are descended from his eldest sister Rose Annie. It would be simply amazing to be able to give Tom Sheridan a final recognised resting place after 94 years lying in an unknown grave.

Some of Peter Sheridan's Service Record WW1

Peter Sheridan's postcard from the Orvieto, 1914.

7. Peter Sheridan

Above: The birth certificate of Peter Sheridan, son of Nicholas Sheridan and Bridget McGrath.

Above: This may be the only photo of Peter Sheridan that we have in our family collection, and even so his identity is only guess work. The photograph is of the Yarrawonga Rifle Club, and the original is held by the Yarrawonga & Mulwala Historical Society. It has been tentatively dated as c. 1902, and a local lady has identified who she thinks the men in the photo may be:-

Back: Richard Pitman, Bob Clarke, Charlie Stewart.
Middle: James McDonald; _____ Sheridan; _____ Cavanagh; _____ Browning
Front: _____ Sheridan; ____ Browning; ______ O’Shea.

That two of the men have been nominated as being Sheridans only narrows things down a little, as of the seven Sheridan boys, at least four were members of the Yarrawonga Rifle Club...my great-grandfather Paddy and his brothers Jack, Nicholas and Peter.
I have a photograph of Nicholas taken during WW1, and I think the Sheridan in the front row may be him. I also have photographs of Paddy and Jack, and the Sheridan in the second row is definitely not either of them. Besides...if the date of 1902 is correct it cannot be Jack Sheridan as he died in 1900. That leaves a guess as Peter Sheridan for the man second from the left in the middle row.

Peter Sheridan was born on December 2, 1877, at Moolort, Victoria, the seventh child and fifth son born to Nicholas Sheridan and Bridget McGrath. He had started school at Carisbrook when his family relocated to Yarrawonga, and the rest of his education was conducted at the local Catholic School.
Peter's occupation was a sawyer prior to his joining the Army in 1914. The following newspaper article appeared in the Argus newspaper on Monday 27 November 1911:-
"STRUCK BY PLANK. Yarrawonga, Saturday. A serious accident happened yesterday to Mr Peter Sheridan at the Redgum Sawmill, about six miles from Mulwala, on the Tocumwal road.Mr C. Abbott was loading planks when one of the skids broke. The plank struck Sheridan on the back, knocking him insensible. He was brought into Yarrawonga. It is feared that Sheridan has sustained internal injuries."

Peter Sheridan joined the 5th battalion A.I.F on September 15, 1914, aged 36, for service in WW1. He embarked at Melbourne for service overseas with the 5th Australian Infantry Battalion per His Majesty's hired transport 'Orvieto' on October 21, 1914. A postcard showing a sketch of the 'Orvieto' ,which I will scan and place in another blog entry, has the following message written on the reverse...
" Mr. P. Sheridan, c/- M. Stickey, Butcher, Berrigan, NSW, Australia.
HMAT Orvieto No. 3.
At Sea 13/11/1914.
Dear Bro. & Sister, Just a few lines to let you know that myself and Hughie are quite well and enjoying good health. trusting that you are all enjoying the same blessing. We are having an enjoyable trip, we are not allowed to write anything about the trip. I will write from England. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas & happy New Year. Nick is well. Peter. Write soon."
(NOTE: Hughie is Peter's step-nephew- the stepson of his sister Rose Annie, and Nick is his brother Nicholas Sheridan.)


Peter fought in the Gallipoli Campaign, as did his brother Nick and Hughie Marshall.He was sent home for ‘6 months change’ after becoming very ill with bronchitis, and discharged the following year due to ‘ bronchitis and bad teeth’. His medical description as given by Dr. Jamieson of Yarrawonga was:" 5 feet 9 inches tall, 11 stone, 35 inch chest, fair teeth."
After the War, Peter Sheridan worked as a fettler with Victorian railways, and later lived in a boarding house in Frankston. He never married, and spent every weekend with his eldest sister, Rose Annie Marshall, and her family at Baxter, which was only five miles away.One of Rose Annie's sons, Bill Marshall, remembered well the weekend visits of his Uncle Peter....
" He was a very kind-natured man, and we used to get on very well with him. He was very fond of his drink of wine, and never saved any money, but Mum used to help him when funds were low, and was a mother to him."

Peter Sheridan died as the result of a badly perforated stomach ulcer in the Prince Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, on December 16, 1941. he was 64 years of age, and was buried in the Frankston Cemetery.

6. James Austin Sheridan

Above: Birth certificate of James Sheridan. The spelling of his middle name appears to be " ALSTON", but future references to him have his middle name as 'AUSTIN".

Above: An obituary published after the death of James Sheridan in New Zealand in 1931.

James Austin Sheridan was born at Moolort, near Carisbrook, on January 31, 1876, the sixth child and fourth son born to Nicholas Sheridan and Bridget McGrath. After completing his education at Yarrawonga Convent School, James worked in Melbourne for a period of time whilst serving his apprenticeship as a compositor with the "Melbourne Age" newspaper. James decided to emigrate to New Zealand, where he was employed in the newspaper trade at Invercargill and Ashburton. In about 1919 he joined the staff of the 'Christchurch Times', and at the time of his death in 1931 was serving in the position of deputy-printer with the paper. On January 30,1908, at Ashburton, New Zealand, James Austin Sheridan married Frances Ethel Brown, and the couple had a family of eight children: Dorothea Bridget Chatham Sheridan: b June 3,1908, at Wellington. Remained a spinster. Worked as a domestic. Died November 22, 1956, at Christchurch.

James Francis Sheridan: born March 25, 1911, at Invercargill, NZ. He was a foundry worker, and never married. Died July 15, 1969, at Christchurch.

Thomas McGrath Sheridan: Born August 5, 1914, at Ashburton. Married Doreen Howard at Christchurch Cathedral on April 24, 1964. Tom worked as a factory foreman. Nicholas Albert Sheridan: born January 7, 1915, at Ashburton. Married Anne Cleghorn in October, 1938, at St. Anne's, Woolston. Nicholas worked as a factory hand and gardener. He and Anne had a daughter, Frances Ethel Sheridan.

Marie Frances Sheridan: born December 10, 1917, at Christchurch. Married Eric Thomas Truesdale on January 2, 1946, at St. Anne's Catholic Church, Christchurch. Had three sons- Eric John; James Thomas and Paul Francis.

Agnes Teresa Sheridan: born December 23, 1919, at Christchurch. Married William Reaby, a market gardener, at Woolston, Christchurch, on January 6, 1941. Agnes was a dressmaker. She had three daughters- Averill; Valerie and Rosalind.

Cathleen Monica Sheridan: born April 1, 1921, at Christchurch. Married William Winter on July 6, 1942. Like her sister Agnes, Catherine was a dressmaker. She had six children- Robert; Beverly; Maurice; Allan; Joy and Desmond.

Patricia Amy Sheridan: born April 24, 1923, Christchurch. Married Philip March on December 21, 1941, in Christchurch. Patricia had seven children- Janet; Philip; Patricia; Thomas; Judith; Elizabeth and Phillippa. James 'Jim' Sheridan died on October 28, 1931, at Addington, New Zealand, aged only 55 years. His life was claimed by the same disease that killed his father and uncle- tuberculosis. James was buried at the Sydenham Cemetery.

NOTE: All of the information about James Sheridan and our New Zealand cousins was kindly supplied to me in a letter written in 1988 by James Sheridan's daughter Marie Truesdale. Her address had been passed to me by Bill Marshall, son of Roseannie Sheridan Marshall, and she was very helpful in providing me with details of her siblings and their families. Part of Marie's letter read as follows:

" I'm sure if Bill Marshall didn't warn you you will have realised by now that I am the worst letter writer you could have contacted. However, I have gathered together as much information as possible but you will see for yourself that the Sheridan name on this branch finishes with my brother Albert(Nicholas Albert). It was we girls that produced all the males.

It was very interesting getting your letter Jen. We really know very little about our Dad and his family, and being young there is very little we remember about him, as he worked at night, arriving home at 2-3 a.m., and he was sleeping when we went to school and was away to work at 6 p.m. again. He really only had Saturdays at home with us. Unfortunately all our early photos we lost when moving house. I remember him as very tall, dark hair and to me very handsome. I am trying to get a photocopy for you from one of my sisters.

Agnes, Cath, Patricia and myself are all widows. My brother Tom is permanently in a wheelchair- the result of a stroke. He is in a home and it keeps us busy visiting him. Agnes and I go twice a week to see him.His wife is still working and only sees him on Sundays.

Agnes and Cath's husbands were both on the land, Agnes' growing vegetables and Cath's mainly potatoes and onions for export. Cath and three of her sons have carried on the farm.

Hope you can understand mt writing but I have arthritis and my fingers cramp up after awhile. I am much better when it comes to knitting and sewing and am at my best when baking. I run a luncheon for senior citizens every Friday and do all the baking- cakes, scones, buns, pikelets, savouries and make sandwiches to feed about 100. I charge enough to cover the cost. After lunch we play housie.

Albert and his wife have returned to the beach. They are very keen on fishing so it is handy to be on the spot when the salmon are running.

My youngest sister Patricia does not keep the best of health. She has always been troubled with asthma and has a heart problem. She lost her husband on December 24, 1984 and lives with her daughter not very far away from me, so I see her very often."

Marie seemed like a lovely lady, and I am indebted to her for the preceding information.

Back to The Sheridans...5. Mary Sheridan.

Above: The birth certificate of Mary Sheridan, fifth child and second daughter of Nicholas & Bridget Sheridan.

Mary Sheridan was born in Carisbrook, Victoria, on May 15, 1874, the fifth child and second daughter born to Irish parents Nicholas Sheridan and Bridget McGrath.Mary was born with a physical deformity in her left leg and hip, and her left leg was somewhat shorter than her right. This is obvious in the above photo of the Sheridan family in 1880, where father Nicholas is firmly holding onto 6 year old Mary's arm to support her.

Mary initially went to school in Carisbrook, most likely at the local St Francis Catholic School, although a public school also existed. When her family moved to Yarrawonga in the mid-1880s, Mary and her siblings attended the Sacred Heart Convent of Mercy School.
In the latter part of 1901, when she was 27 years old, Mary Sheridan fell pregnant, and on August 6, 1902,in Yarrawonga, she gave birth to a son named Michael Sheridan. One can only imagine the shock waves this would have sent through the strictly Catholic Sheridan family, and it is to Mary's credit that she kept the child and did not adopt him out.
Nicholas Sheridan died in 1904, and with her sister Alice, Mary cared for her mother Bridget until the latter's death in August 1907. Just months before her mother's death, Mary Sheridan fell pregnant again, and in the Women's Hospital in Carlton on January 12, 1908, she gave birth to her first daughter, Anastasia Sheridan.
As with her first illegitimate child, Michael Sheridan, no father was named on the baby's birth certificate, but six months after her birth Mary Sheridan married shearer Edward Joseph Hampton. The couple were married at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Yarrawonga, on 22 July, 1908, and the witnesses who signed their marriage certificate were Mary's siblings Patrick and Alice Sheridan. Edward was noted as being a 39 year old labourer, the son of farmer Samuel Hampton and Marion Wright. His wife Mary Sheridan was a "Lady", the 34 year old daughter of Nicholas Sheridan and Bridget McGrath, both deceased.
Mary and Edward had a family of five children, and on the birth certificate of each child Anastasia (who was usually known as 'Mary')was named as the eldest sibling. Michael, however,was never named as a sibling, even though he was raised as a Hampton and used that name all of his life.

Mary Sheridan's seven children were as follows:

1. MICHAEL SHERIDAN HAMPTON: b August 6, 1902, Yarrawonga. Died 1985, aged 82. Occupation was a water bailiff. Married at Alexandra in 1926 to Eileen Florence Whyte.
Children : Mary; Alfred James ( 1928-1990); Catherine; Lawrence; Wallace; Alfreda; Edna; Michael; Doris and Barry.

2. ANASTASIA SHERIDAN: b January 12, 1908, Carlton. Father not noted. Raised as a Hampton and acknowledged by Edward Hampton as his own child on other certificates. Was often known as ‘Mary’.
Married Michael Daniel McCarthy in Yarrawonga in 1927, and lived her life at Yarrawonga. In the electoral rolls, for some reason Anastasia and Michael were often shown at different addresses. For example:

1931: Anastasia McCarthy, Orr Street, Yarrawonga, Home duties

Michael Daniel McCarthy, Irvine Pde, Yarrawonga, labourer.

1936 and 1937 as above.

1942: May Anastasia, Telford Street, Yarrawonga, home duties

Michael Daniel McCarthy, Gilmore Street, Yarrawonga, labourer.


1949: May Anastasia, Telford Street, Yarrawonga, home duties.

Michael Daniel, Telford Street, labourer.


1954: May Anastasia McCarthy, Telford Street, Yarrawonga, home duties.

Kevin McCarthy, Telford Street, Yarrawonga, labourer

George Edward McCarthy, Telford Street, labourer.


Anastasia Hampton and Michael McCarthy had a large family of eleven children, born in Yarrawonga between about 1927 and c. 1949. They were:

George McCarthy: b c. 1927

Kevin McCarthy b c. 1929

Patricia McCarthy b c. 1930

Mary McCarthy b c. 1931

Michael McCarthy b c. 1934

Ronald McCarthy b c. 1938

Ellen McCarthy b c. 1939

Brian McCarthy b c. 1942

Keith McCarthy b c. 1944

Beverley McCarthy b c. 1946

Margaret McCarthy b c. 1949.

(These ages are only approximate and were taken from their mother’s death certificate)

Michael Daniel McCarthy, son of George William McCarthy and Ellen Cusack, died at Yarrawonga in 1951 aged 51. Anastasia was left widowed with children whose ages ranged from about 24 to 2 years.

Anastasia Sheridan Hampton McCarthy died at Yarrawonga on July 19, 1982, aged 74 years. She was buried in the Yarrawonga Cemetery.

3. MARY AGNES HAMPTON: b Nov 7, 1909, Yarrawonga. Confusingly, Mary Agnes Hampton was known as ‘Agnes’ or ‘Aggie’ rather than ‘Mary’, and her elder sister Anastasia usually went by the name ‘Mary’. Mary Agnes Hampton married Frederick George Lobb in 1931. He was born in Eaglehawk in 1903, the son of James Lobb and Eva Green. Frederick was one of eleven children, and both of his parents died when the younger children were still very young-James Lobb on July 4, 1912, and Eva Lobb on January 13, 1913. Their orphaned children ranged in age from twenty five to nine years.

The details on the marriage certificate of Aggie Hampton and Fred Lobb were as follows:

On August 22, 1931, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Yarrawonga, Frederick George Lobb, bachelor, birthplace Eaglehawk, labourer aged 28 years, present and usual residence Yarrawonga, parents James Lobb, miner, and Eva Green MARRIED Mary Agnes Hampton, spinster,birthplace Yarrawonga, occupation home duties, present and usual residence Yarrawonga, 21 years old, daughter of Edward Hampton, labourer, and Mary Sheridan. Witnesses to the event were Aggie's sister, Anastacia (who signed the certificate "Mrs Mary Anastasia McCarthy") and her husband Michael Daniel Mccarthy.

Frederick Lobb, husband of Aggie Hampton, died in 1966, aged 62. It appears that he and Aggie may have separated if the electoral rolls are anything to go by...in 1942 Frederick appeared in Eaglehawk with his sister Myrtle, working as a miner, then in 1949 and 1954 he was at 129 Mason Street, Newport. Mary Agnes Lobb was living at Piper Street, Yarrawonga, in the electoral rolls of 1942, 1949 and 1954. I have no idea if Fred and Aggie had any children.

4. BRIDGET VERONICA HAMPTON: b August 16, 1912, Yarrawonga. Died March 19, 1913, aged 7 months, of marasmus ( failure to thrive)

5. MARION FRANCES HAMPTON: twin of Bridget. Died March 16, 1917, aged 4 years, of tubercular meningitis & intracranial pressure of three days duration.

6. ALICE TERESA HAMPTON: b 1913, Yarrawonga. Married William Thurley. Died of stomach cancer aged 40 in 1954, at Lynch Street, Yarrawonga. Her death certificate is confusing...where it states:”Issue in order of birth, the names and ages”, the registrar has written “Jean 17; Mary 16; Joan 11 and Margaret 4”. He has then written beside this information “In column 13 Jean 17 years, Mary 16 years should not appear.”Signed October 4, 1954”.

Alice Teresa Hampton Thurley lived in Piper Street, Yarrawonga.

7. EDWARD THOMAS HAMPTON: b April 4, 1918, Yarrawonga. Final child of Mary Sheridan and Edward Hampton. Married Laurel Wymms and had two sons, John Hampton and Edward Hampton. The family lived in Piper Street, Yarrawonga. Edward died on October 18, 2001. His wife Laurel died in 1982.

Mary Sheridan Hampton died February 11,1964, in Beechworth Hospital, aged 90(husband Edward had died in 1943, aged 74) Her children were named as Michael 64; Mary 56; Agnes 54; Bridget and Marion twins dec; Alice dec and Edward 45. Her nephew, Bill Marshall, wrote of his aunt: “ Poor Mary was very brave to raise a family, as she had a diseased hip which, through shortening that leg, caused her to walk with a very bad limp. However, this never caused her to lose her sense of humour.”


I have a real soft spot for my great-great Aunty Mary...she overcame many adversities during her life whilst remaining strong and seeing the bright side of bad situations. I have never seen a photo of her except for the Sheridan group photo when she was just a child. Hopefully one of her descendants may find this blog and provide a copy of a photograph of Mary.

Robert Marshall, great-grandfather of Rose Annie's James Marshall.

Above: Portion of the 1841 Scots census for Dalry showing the family of Robert Marshall and Margaret Allan, his wife.