Carre records

Nicholas Henry Peter Carre was born on 13th July 1831, the fourth child of Helier Henry Carre and Martha Mahie, at Les Fries farm, Castel, Guernsey.  At time of 1841 English Census Nicholas lived with his parents and family at Fries, Castel, Guernsey, age 9 years. At the 1851 census, he was living at the same location, age 19, unmarried, employed on his father's 14 acre freehold farm.

Guernsey is in the English Channel just off the coast of France, one of two self governing possessions of the British Crown. The other is Jersey, together they are called the Channel Islands. Many Channel Islanders are strongly Protestant Christians, tracing their ancestry to a group called Huguenots who fled France during the 1600's and 1700's due to Catholic persecution. The population of Guernsey today is about 64,000.  

In the Toowoomba Chronicle in 1917 (which I cannot find), an Australian descendant of Nicholas was believed to have suggesting Nicholas had quarreled with his father and vowed not to return home until he struck it rich, suggesting his aim was to join the Australian goldrushes. A reference on the "Find a Grave" website stated Nicholas sailed to Australia with his friend Thomas Brehant, arriving in Adelaide SA per the Adeona 1853. Thomas was witness to his marriage to Elizabeth Wayman, and died in the area in 1864, aged 32. It is reasonable to assume Nicholas began prospecting for gold on arrival in the Bendigo area settling at Hepburn Springs. 

Hepburn began as a farming village around 1838. Gold was discovered in a nearby creek bed in December 1851 and thus began another rush. Gold was obtained by panning in Spring Creek, by sinking, tunneling and crushing rock. By 1859 gold at that site became rather scarce, and mining moved to other spots in the district. By that time, shops, a police station, hotel, etc had been established. 

On 12 Sept 1859, Nicholas, aged 28, married Elizabeth Wayman at The Old Racecourse, Hepburn Springs. On his marriage certificate he was recorded as a Miner, of Shepherds Flat, Wesleyan Religion. Elizabeth was a dressmaker, aged 17 also of Shepherd's Flat, six km north of Hepburn Springs.

Elizabeth Wayman was born in Hobart, the daughter of John Wayman (miner) and Catherine Nairn. Catherine, from Inverness, was a 29 year old house servant convicted of sheep stealing and sentenced to seven years transportation to Van Dieman's Land in 1839. 

John Wayman was born in Oxfordshire in 1812, and transported to Van Dieman's Land in 1833, aged 21, occupation was recorded as "crime". He and Catherine married in 1840, when both had presumably completed their sentences. he was 28 and she was 37. Their first child, Elizabeth, was born in 1841 or 1842 in Hobart. At some stage the family moved to Shepherd's Flat, Victoria, where John became a miner and Elizabeth took up dressmaking.

Elizabeth and Nicholas remained in the area. The Creswick and Clunes Advertiser newspaper on 28/3/1864 included the name of Nicholas H Carre in an advertisement for a Mining Prospectus, and the same paper on 14/6/1865, 16/6/1865 and 19/6/1865 carried a notice of Land Application for Nicholas H P Carre of Bullarook, Victoria. 

During that time, Nicholas and Elizabeth had eleven children, all born in the general area: Nicholas Edward, 1860-1937 and Elizabeth 1862-1931 both at Hepburn Springs, Mary 1864-1933 at Creswick, John H. 1866-1889 at Rocky Lead, Louise 1868-1873 at Creswick, William 1870--1872 at Barkstead, Emily 1873-1873 at Mt Prospect, William 1874-1874 at Bullarook, Fredrick 1879-1967 and Sarah Rachel 1881-1953 at Shepherd's Flat.  

In Nicholas' will, dated Feb 1903, he is a miner at Franklinford, Vic. The electoral rolls of 1905 listed four Carre names at Franklinford; Elizabeth (home duties) and Nicholas Peter (miner aged 74) with two children, Nicholas Edward (miner aged 45) and Sarah Rachel (sewing mistress aged 24). Sarah married in 1912 in Chatswood, NSW. 

Nicholas died 1906 Franklinford aged 75 in 1906, and is buried in the Presbyterian section of Franklinford cemetery. 

Elizabeth died, age 75 on 25 Feb 1917 in Stroud, NSW and is buried in Stroud Cemetery, Anglican section.

Note: Much information for this and following sections comes from Alan Skidmore, a family history researcher who kindly provided this and other files

Robert Lochtie Philip I was born on 3rd Sept 1825 on Bankhead Farm, Aberdour, Fife, Scotland, the third child (second son) of Robert Philip and Margaret Lochtie. The village of Aberdour is about 30 minutes north from Edinburgh across the Forth Bridge. There is today a BnB named Bankhead Farm a few minutes from Aberdour, it may have been the family home. Robert's mother and father and all his siblings were born in Aberdour. 

On 14 Dec 1852, aged 27, he married Janet Donald in Eastwood, Renfrewshire, now a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland,. She died in 1857, after they had been married five years. In November of the same year Robert sailed from Liverpool to the colony of Victoria, arriving in Melbourne on the John Barbour, 4 Dec 1857. 

It was possibly the death of Janet and the lure of gold in the colony of Victoria that lured Robert to the Mt Franklin area, where gold had been discovered in 1852. On 23 July, 1859, aged 34, Robert married Eleanor Agnes Gough at Mt Franklin, Victoria. 

Eleanor Agnes Gough was born in 1834 in Dublin, Ireland, daughter of John Theophilus Gough and Julia O'Connor. John was probably a musician. John and Julia may not have migrated to Australia with Eleanor. She may well be the Miss GOUGH, 25, who arrived on the 'Commodore Perry' in 1857

Robert and Eleanor had five children, Johanna, born 1859, Margaret Lochtie, born 1862 in Hepburn, Robert lochtie II born 1863 in Franklinford, Vic, Eleanor Kate, born 1865 in Daylesford, Vic, and Sarah Elizabeth, born 1969, Mt Franklin, Vic. These places are all in the same mining area.

Robert died 26 Dec 1868 at Mt Franklin.and Eleanor died on 25 Dec 1878 at Ararat. 

One contributor to the Rootschat internet forum said "She seems to have been well-educated judging by her penmanship and literacy in the many letters she wrote to the Government (trying to hold onto her land) after the sad death of her husband.  Samples of her needlework passed down to her descendants show that she was a skilled needlewoman". 

Another researcher stated "I've been unable to find her death certificate (which would be expected to say how long she had been in Australia) but she may well be the Miss GOUGH, 25, who arrived on the 'Commodore Perry' in 1857.  I can't be absolutely sure but I don't think that her parents came to Australia".

Victoran Goldfields. Robert and Eleanor married at Mt Franklin. Their descendants stayed in this area. Locations such as Franklinford, Shepherd's Flat, Hepburn Springs, Dry Diggings reappear in births, deaths and marriages of the family. These locations are all in the Daylesford-Hepburn area, about 120 km north-west of Melbourne and mid way between Bendigo and Ballarat, cities well-known in the history of the Victorian goldfields.. Between 1851 and 1861, the Victorian colony's total population grew from 75,000 to 500,000. It has been estimated that over 80% stayed in the colony, and many became farmers in the goldfields area. The Carre, Wayman, Phillip and Gough descendants were part of this trend. 

Sarah Philip was the fifth and youngest child of Robert and Eleanor Philip. She had three sisters and one brother. She was born in 1869 at Mt Franklin, Daylesford, in the Victorian goldfields.  When she was born Robert was 44 and Eleanor was 39.

Sarah’s siblings were

·     Johanna was born in 1859, I could find no record of when she died.

·     Margaret Lochtie was born in 1862, at Hepburn, Vic. She married John William Edmunds (Vic BDM) in 1885 and she died on 22 Jan 1912 in Sydney, aged 50.

·     Robert Lochtie was born in 1863 in Franklinford, Vic. owned property in Glenlyon near Daylesford and leased a farm in Franklinford.
Robert made a will at Daylesford, Vic., dated 21 Nov 1917 (he died 25 Nov, age 54), in which he calls himself a farmer of Franklinford near Daylesford. 

·     Eleanor Kate was born in 1865 in Daylesford, Vic. She married John Blaney in 1889 in Victoria (Vic BDM), and died in 1889, aged 70.

Nicholas Edward Carre was born 23 Nov 1860 at Hepburn Springs, in the Victorian goldfields, the eldest of 11 children of Nicholas Henry (miner, aged 29 at his birth) and Elizabeth (then aged 18). All evidence indicated his family remained in the same area until his father’s death in 1906.

Sarah and Nicholas must have known each other while living in the Daylesford area. Her family moved to NSW, to Pipeclay Creek near Pambula, where gold had been discovered. They married on 5th May 1891 at the Philip family residence, Pipeclay Creek, Pambula NSW, according to the rites of the Wesleyan Church. Nicholas was a 30-year-old farmer, Sarah aged 22 had domestic duties as her occupation. There is no record of Nicholas’ family living in the Pambula area.

Nicholas and Sarah had three daughters, all born in NSW,

   Elizabeth (Lil) Agnes, born in Seven Hills on 24 Feb 1982
Margaret (May) Mary, born in Seven Hills on 17 May 1894
Hilda Ruth, born at Port Macquarie in 1899.

Nicholas was listed as a labourer of Baulkham Hills when Lil was born in 1892.

Some time later the family moved back to the Daylseford area in Victoria. May's daughter Edith remembers her mother telling her that as a young person, she (May) attended C of E in Daylesford Vic. Her mother Sarah was Methodist. 

Then on 13 March 1905, Sarah died back in Franklinford, Vic. of Phthisis exhaustion (tuberculosis). She was aged 36. Her death certificate states she lived 24 years in Vic. And 12 in NSW. She was aged 22 when she married Nicholas Carre,

Sarah is buried at Franklinford Cemetery, with a family headstone for herself, her brother Robert (died 1917) and sister-in-law Isabel (died 1939) and their daughter Lucy (died 1914).

Nicholas was listed as a miner at Franklinford at the 1905 census. He returned to Sydney after Sarah’s death. His Victorian miner’s licence expired in 1909. On 18th January 1911 he married Hilda S Luke, in the Granville Methodist Church. Hilda was 27 and Nicholas was 50. Hilda was born in Parramatta on 5 July 1883.

Hilda died at Chatswood just over a year after their wedding, on 23 March 1912. The Sydney Morning Herald of 25 March carried funeral notices for Hilda, from Nicholas and from Hilda’s brother Herbert James Luke, to “leave her late residence at Gordon Road Pymble THIS DAY (MONDAY) at 2 pm for Methodist Cemetery Gore Hill”.

When daughter Margaret was married in 1924, Nicholas was a contractor living in Wahroonga.

Nicholas died 1 Aug 1937, and was buried at Macquarie Park Cemetery, Sydney, in section A, row 9. The inscription states "Our father", Methodist. The probate notice for his estate describes him as a retired landscape gardener. Probate of 675 pounds was divided between three daughters 1/5 each and Mrs. T E Jones, 2/5 share.  

A letter from Harold Bunny, Nicholas' son-in-law to his sister-in-law, May Costa, explains the identity of Mrs Jones, She was Nicholas' housekeeper. She paid many of his bills and Harold suspected that she did very well out of her work for Nicholas. Harold was upset that Mrs Jones fared better reom Nicholas' estate than did his daughters.

May was born in  Seven Hills, NSW on 17 Mat 1894, the second of three girls to Nicholas and Sarah Carre. Her two sisters were Elizabeth Agnes (Lil) born 1892 in Seven Hills and Hilda Ruth, born 1899 in Port Macquarie, NSW.  They were now living a long way from their family in the Victorian goldfields. 

The family moved back to the Daylseford (Vic.) area some time between 1899 and 1905. As narrated to her daughter, Edith, May said she went to church as young person to C of E in Daylesford Vic. Her mother, Sarah was Methodist. 

The family moved back to Sydneyafter Sarah died. Shortly before her marriage to Nicholas Costa, May had a job as head waitress at Central Railway Station. She was not living at home, she  boarded with a Mrs Curry in Derwent St Glebe. Edith doesn't know how she met Nicholas.

Nicholas and May were married on 24 Jan 1924 in the Presbyterian Church 226 West St Petersham. The marriage certificate states that Margaret Mary Carre was a spinster and a waitress of Sydney City, daughter of Nicholas Edward Carre of Wahroonga, NSW a Contractor. Nicholas was recorded as an Engineer, of Petersham, NSW.

They settled in to a 2 bedroom house in 254 Stacey St. Bankstown, now part of the A6 cross city route, near to Rose, widow of Nicholas' brother. Rose lived in North Terrace near Bankstown Railway Station.

Edith Catherine was born in Sydney on 24 Aug 1924. About 1927. A significant event was a visit from a Mr Way from the nearby Bankstown Church of Christ, inviting families to attend and send children to Sunday School. Edith was sent to Sunday School when she was aged three. Nicholas and May attended special church services.

Ernest Roy was born on 13 Dec 1927 at Stacey St. About 1936, the Costa family moved to a new house at 30 Baringa Road Earlwood. Pamela was born on 26 Dec 1938 at Earlwood. Edith attended Earlwood Church of Christ, where she was later to meet Walter.

Edith trained to be a secretary, including shorthand and typing and took up a secretarial job in Sydney till she was married. Edith married Walter James Caspersonn on 1 May 1946 and the newlyweds moved to Wagga. Edith and Walter came for holidays to 30 Baringa Road with their children, and many evenings were held playing the card game 500., May, Roy, Edith and Walter would play, Pam would sit and knit. Some years, Roy would drive his mother and sister to Wagga for a holiday. As May aged, she developed dementia. Pam, in particular, was there to support her. May died at home on 5th May 1964, aged 69. One unusual memory was of May hiding jewellery in curtain hems, afraid of being robbed.

Roy trained as an engineer and was employed by Duly and Hansford, who specialised in making automative tools. He enjoyed snow skiing and was a member of a ski lodge in the Thredbo area. He met Judy Keyworth through this interest and on 9 Sept 1972 they were married at St Phillip's Church York St Sydney. Roy and Judy moved away from Baringa Road to set up their home. Roy died of cancer on 22 Jan 1976 at age 48.

Pam worked at Kenard Bros, a giftware wholesaler in Sydney. After her mother died, she married Stan Stratford, who was a travelling salesman for Kenards. They were married on 3 Aug 1974 in the Congregational Church Earlwood. They bought Roy's share of the house and set up their home there. Pam died on 21 March 1989 from an accidental drowning at the family home.