I was recently sent a fascinating story by David Howell about his relatives the ‘Torpey Girls’. He has kindly allowed me to share part of their story with you. It was researched by himself and Bosco Ryan, my cousin and his cousin Ed O’Dea.
The story begins with John Torpey from Ballyvouden, Kilteely, Co. Limerick Ireland. His father was also John Torpey and his mother was Bridget Frawley. John Torpey married Catherine Callanan (also Callaghan), born circa 1809, most likely between 1830 and 1832. There is a record of three female children born to this couple ‘The Torpey Girls’. Honora was born 11th January 1833, Catherine was born 30th January 1835, and Ellen was born on 13th December 1836. There is no record of what became of John, he possibly died during the ‘Great Famine’. When the three daughters were old enough they had to emigrate. Their mother Catherine did not travel to Australia with her daughters and it is likely she followed them later, she died at the home of her daughter Honora on 15th October 1876 aged 67 years.
Honora and Ellen, left Liverpool on the “Star of the South”, and arrived in Melbourne on 5th August 1857. They went to work for their cousin Ellen Buckley who lived in Madeline St., North Melbourne, Victoria. Catherine travelled to Melbourne on the “Hotspur” later that year from Southampton, arriving in Melbourne on 12th October 1857.
Honora Torpey — married Dennis Clancy, in St Patricks Cathedral Melbourne Victoria on 16th October 1869 when she was aged thirty-six years. Denis was born in 1828 in Ballytrasna, Pallasgrean Ireland, and was also native to the local area around Kilteely. This couple had no family and Honora died at the age of forty-five on 13th June 1878. Her husband Denis died in December 1901. Denis and Honora are buried alongside Honora’s mother Catherine Torpey in Melbourne General Cemetery. The gravestone was erected by Kate O’Brien nee Clancy.
Grave of Honora & Denis CLANCY – Melbourne General Cemetery.
Ellen Torpey — married Matthew Alexander Guelpa on 27 May 1869. The marriage took place on the goldfields at the Catholic Presbytery, The Reefs. At the time of their marriage, Ellen’s occupation is given as a spinster with her husband’s occupation as Blacksmith. Matthew Guelpa arrived in Australia on 5th February 1860 on the ship “Vorwarts” from Hamburg, Germany. He is thought to have been a Swiss national. He died at age forty-five years on 1st January 1877. According to the Melbourne Argus of 2 January 1877, Matthew died as a result of throwing himself down a mine shaft Ellen and Matthew had five children.
John Alexander born February 1870 died as an infant on 21st February 1871. Romeo Laurence was born in 1875 at Stawell Victoria, he died as an infant 1876 in Stawell.
Charles Albert was born in 1871 at Stawell, Victoria. He married Margaret Ellen Walsh in 1902 in Victoria. Charles died in 1908 in Pitfield Plains, Victoria and his wife Margaret died in 1958 in Ballarat, Victoria
Catherine Louisa was born in 1873 at Pleasant Creek Victoria, Catherine died unmarried on 31st July 1971 in South Melbourne.
Matthew Alexander was born on 26th July 1877 at Pleasant Creek Victoria. He married Florence Emily Bell in 1914 in Collie, Western Australia. Matthew died on 31st August 1942. No children are recorded in this family.
Catherine Torpey — married Valentine Surridge in St Patricks Cathedral Melbourne on 17 April 1865 when she was thirty years old. Valentine Surridge was Anglican and came from Rainham, Essex, England but his marriage certificate indicates he was from Ireland. This was his second marriage as his first wife Catherine Lewis, who was a rector’s daughter from Essex, had passed away on 4th September 1864 and was buried in Geelong New Cemetery. Only one of the four children from his first marriage, Thomas Owen born 1843, survived into adulthood. He moved to Australia with his father and he died in New South Wales in 1905. Catherine and Valentine settled around Pleasant Creek Victoria, (subsequently renamed as Stawell) where Valentine was involved in gold mining along with cattle breeding and selling.
Catherine Surridge nee Torpey with husband Valentine Surridge and son Charles John
Valentine passed away at Stawell on 12 January 1878. Catherine is recorded in The Advocate published on 10 June 1878, p.21 amongst others as being able to apply for a section of 330 acres at Joel Joel, Pleasant Creek, Stawell, Victoria. This is most likely the block she held in her name listed in the Victoria Government Gazette: No 108 dated Friday 4th November 1879. The licence number was 3735, and the cost was eight pounds five shillings to be paid half yearly. Catherine’s son Charles John applied for a conditional lease on 300 acres of land in Dora Dora on the upper Murray River in New South Wales in March 1898 and received this lease in April 1898. Catherine passed away in Dora Dora on 31st December 1916.
Valentine and Catherine had five children:
Charles John Surridge — born 1866 in Sutherlands Creek, Victoria, Charles married Bessie Ganner. Charles died on 25th November 1953 at Holbrook NSW. This couple had no children.
Henry ‘Harry’ Albert Surridge — born 30 January 1868, Joel Joel, Pleasant Creek, Victoria, and died 11th September 1919 at Collie, Western Australia. He joined the Australian Imperial force in January 1915. Previously he had worked for over six years as a policeman, his trade was then recorded as a miner. He gave his age as 34 years old when enlisting even though he was 47 years old. He was unmarried. In June 1916 he was wounded in action in France and was discharged in May 1917. He is buried in the only First World War grave in Collie Cemetery. On his discharge from the army, he was granted a half pension by the Australian Government.
Collie Cemetery WA – Photo Find a Grave
Catherine Christine Surridge was born 24th December 1869. She died on 13 January 1958; she is buried in the Field of Mars Cemetery in Sydney NSW. Catherine is known to have been a shearers cook. For a large part of her life she lived with her sister Maria and brother-in-law Hampton Howell. Catherine never married.
William Valentine Surridge, was born 29th April 1872 at Pleasant Creek Stawell Victoria and died 5 May 1902 at Coolgardie Western Australia. Transcript from his death certificate:
SURRIDGE William Valentine — 29yrs, d 5 May 1902, at Coolgardie Hospital, Occ: Miner, Father: Valentine Surridge (Farmer), Mother: Catherine TORPEY, Single, Born: Stawell VIC, In NSW 14yrs, In VIC 13yrs, In WA 2yrs, Reg 46/1902 Coolgardie, Buried Coolgardie Cemetery.
Maria Ellen Surridge was born 5th October 1874, she married Hampton Henry Howell in January 1908 and died in April 1954 in New South Wales.
The author’s Grandparents: – A COOLGARDIE WEDDING. HOWELL— SURRIDGE. On Wednesday last, at St. Andrew’s Church. Coolgardie, Archdeacon Mc Clements joined for better or worse two well-known and esteemed Kurrawang residents, Miss Maria Ellen Surridge and Mr. Hampton Howell. The bride is the sister of Mr. Harry Surridge for years past well and is favorably known as a foreman for the Kurrawang Woodline.
Coolgardie Miner 9 January 1908, page 2 – HOWELL—SURRIDGE.
A wedding of much interest to Kurrawang folk was quietly celebrated in Coolgardie yesterday afternoon at St., Andrew’s Church, Lefroy street, when Miss Surridge, sister of Mr. Surridge, the well-known foreman on the Kurrawang line, was married to Mr. Hampton H. Howells, a native of South Australia, and also an old resident of Kurrawang, where for years he was a storekeeper, he has since been engaged as timekeeper, bank official, etc. at Kurrawang. Archdeacon McClements was the officiating clergyman, and the bride who was very tastily attired in a dress of cream voile and wore the usual wreath and veil was given away by her brother, while Mrs. Walter Lamin, of Kurrawang, who wore a costly dress of brown silk was the bridesmaid.
Mr. Fergie Reid acted as best man, and several friends of the happy couple were present. After the ceremony, the breakfast was taken at the United Club Hotel, where the usual toasts were honored. The newly-wedded couple were the recipients of many messages of congratulations, as well as a number of valuable presents. Mr. and Mrs. Howell left by the evening’s express for Perth en route for the Eastern States, where their honeymoon will be spent. Mrs. Howell’s travelling dress was a particularly well-fitting one of blue cashmere, with a picture hat to match. A number of friends were at the station to see them off.
The following is the grave of Thomas Hampton Howell aged 7 days, this was the first child of Hampton and Marie, in the Kalgoorlie Cemetery. The plaque was placed by David and his family.
David tells me – My grandfather was a paymaster and store manager for the woodline. My grandmother’s nephew Matthew Guelpa and her brother Henry Albert Surridge also worked on the woodline. He also told me the following story.
“Grandfather also went courting on a camel, although to no avail. He hated camels, I did take him to Taronga Zoo a couple of times, he would walk past the camel area uttering, “They spit.” I asked grandfather if the woman he was courting who lived 10 miles from his camp was grandmother, it was not! He went on to say that there were no problems in riding the camel over to where this lady lived it arose when it was time to return to his camp. He said that he could get this camel down allowing him to hop on, the camel would then not stand, so he would get off and the camel would promptly stand, this would be repeated several times with the end result in my grandfather would have to walk home leading the camel.”
Maria Ellen Surridge – taken in Albury NSW
Conclusion:
Honora, Catherine, and Ellen were in their formative years during the worst part years of the famine. They most likely attended the old Kilteely National School which had been opened in 1835. It is clear from the land records of the time that their father John did not hold a lease on land in Kilteely even though his brother Hugh held a lease on a substantial farm in Ballyvouden having taken over the lease before 1847 from his father. It was likely that John had died young or was a labourer working on the land. These circumstances did not paint a positive future for these young women, and it is likely that their options were very limited as they would be destined for poor marriage arrangements as they were from labouring class.
The three sisters arrived in Melbourne in 1857 at a time the gold rush was commencing in the area. Their mother Catherine was also living in Melbourne with the girls for several years and most likely witnessed all of their marriages, before her death in 1876. We saw that Catherine was the first to marry and married the widower Valentine Surridge in 1865. They had five children together prior to his death in 1879 all under the age of twelve years. We can see that she successfully applied for a land holding of three hundred acres that same year and held this to her death.
Honora and Ellen married in 1869 and it is most likely that Honora knew Denis Clancy from home, as Ballytrasna is only about two miles as the crow flies from Ballyvouden. Unfortunately, Honora’s life was cut short and she died less than ten years after her marriage at the relatively young age of 45 years old. Denis and Honora had no family, Ellen and Matthew had moved to the Goldfields at Stawell prior to their marriage as the gold rush in the area was now in full swing. They had four children under the age of seven at the time of Matthew’s suicide in 1877 and Ellen was pregnant with their fifth child again leaving Ellen in a desperate situation. She appeared to take on the land that her husband owned from around 1867 and it is most likely through this means that she managed to rear her children. She died at age 85 in 1922.
This has been very much a discovery of my Irish ancestry through my great grandmother Catherine Surridge (nee Torpey) and through her mother Catherine Callaghan/Callinan. I am much indebted to Ed and Bosco for suggesting this research. As Bosco stated when we first made contact, “There is a time for everything.” So, our time is now as we have discovered our common DNA which furthered our knowledge of our mutual forebears.
It has been a wonderful collaboration over a great distance which brings home how bravely my great grandmother Catherine Torpey and her two sisters Honora and Ellen (and their mother), came on a one-way trip to a new country hoping for a better life. Catherine and Ellen must have struggled on the gold fields with one husband who was nearly twice Catherine’s age dying and Ellen’s husband committing suicide while she was pregnant along with having a young family.
Now the Torpey/Callaghan line continues in Australia with myself and my two sisters Elinor and Jane along with their families. I am farming and my sons’ John and Mark, though employed elsewhere, are keen to carry on. I look forward to the day that I and my descendants will walk the same fields and do the rounds of St. Patrick’s Well in Ballyvouden where the Torpey’s once farmed.
David Howell, Australia
Moya Sharp
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