Earlier in the year I was contacted by Sue Hartley who is the Great Grandaughter of Thomas Ryan and his wife, Henrietta Ryan nee Kane. Their third child, Mary Daisy Ryan, known as Dais, was her grandmother.
Meekatharra Ryan” or the King of Meekatharra as Tom was known, did much to build the town amenities as he was the first Shire President and had a strong social conscience. Much of the families personal items were left at the station they owned, Killara, near Meekatharra and now owned by the John family. Henrietta fled the place during the war and gave away all of the albums and paintings painted by my grandmother and the family mine records.
Tom Ryan’s homes in Meekatharra.
Sue is keen to find out if the family story of Thomas being made a Papal Knight is true. Can anyone help her to locate any information on this subject?1
Thomas Ryan is feature in the ‘Cycolpedia of Western Australia Vol 2’ available in hard copy and on CD from Gould Books @ http://bit.ly/22ucznu
Sue has sent me the following photographs from her family album which I am sure the readers will enjoy looking at:-
Hillview, Tom Ryans home in Meekatharra, Tom second from right Sue Hartley.
Thomas Ryan (Snr) was a fourth year medical student in Ireland when the news of finding gold in Australia reached him. With a fellow student he decided to follow his rainbow to his pot of gold which he thought awaited him in Australia. His parents never forgave him and he never made his fortune. However, he married, and his son, Thomas, was to succeed where he failed. Thomas was born in Stawall Victoria in 1897. He was to be a highly educated and gifted man, a great sportsman and musician, so much that he was given permission to leave school at age 9 yrs.
He was to later move to Bendigo to start his life time career in mining where he met and married his wife, Henrietta Kane in 1889 and they were to have three daughters, Lillian, Henrietta and Mary Daisy and two sons, Thomas Richard and Jack. Due to ‘Miners Phthisis’ Thomas was to pass away in 1916 at the young age of 46yrs . A full story of the ‘Ryan’ family can be read in the publication featured below:- ‘Meekatharra, ‘End of the Earth’.
Mary Daisy RYAN, third daughter of Tom Ryan
Fenian Mine part owned Tom Ryan from Sue Hartley
Hunting Expedition in the Floods, Meekatharra, Ryan Family
Tom Ryan’s home in Rivervale (front) near the Racecourse ‘Hill 60’!
Hill 60 (rear) from the Swan River.
Commonwealth Hotel, formerly owned by Tom Ryan Meekatharra from Sue Hartley
Note 23 Nov 2023 – I have just been contacted by Tim Jones who sent me the following photographs of before and after on the restoration of Tom Jones grave at Karrakatta. He tells me that the repairs were funded by a generous group of King Tom’s descendants with supervision by one of Ryan’s Great Grandsons, an architect. He also said
Tom Ryan’s Grave at Karrakatta Cemetery Perth WA. Before and after restoration – Photo Tim Jones
“It’s also the official resting place of my grandmother Mary Daisy Hope and uncle Kevan Michael Hope. Unofficially, there’s other family ashes scattered, portions of Mum’s and Aunty Noeline’s ashes. Interestingly, Mary Daisy’s (Mardy) husband’s grave is just up the hill at the Perth War Cemetery. One of only 16 World War 1 graves…also impeccably maintained…with some of Mum’s ashes there too.” Thank you for sharing this with our readers Tim and for permission to use the photograph.
Meekatharra ‘End of the Earth’ by PR Heydon available from Hesperian Press
Moya Sharp
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Moya, that was very enjoyable to read that and see the photos up for all to see. I ought to send you one of his grave site in Karrakatta with the enormous angel made out of Carrara marble form Italy on it. It has four cores taken from the four mines he owned as corner posts. Its quite attractive but the interesting part is the back story. Reads like a bodice ripper. I can send you the newspaper articles about he and his wife, Et’s scandal.
Hi Sue So glad you liked the post, I would love to add a pic of his mermortial and to hear about the ‘scandel’ of course. Many thanks
Hi Sue, Re the Papal knighthood being issued to Thomas question, I presume this issue was relative to his time in Australia rather than in Ireland as he would only have been about 20 years old at the time of leaving Ireland. Can you confirm this as he wouldn’t have lived long enough to get a knighthood.
There are some records around of the issue of these Knighthoods which have a format similar to the UK system but its not complete online. Most of them Thomas would not have been eligible for as they are church/political/entertainment industry appointments but like the UK system, it has provision for lower order awards for community service. Also some suggestion of influence of issue based on exchange of money but nothing concrete that I can find so far.
Just a typo in there, Mary Daisy Ryan was known as Mardy. not Dais.I’ve got a nice photo of his mausoleum at Karrakatta if Sue hasn’t sent one. Thanks for posting, Tim K Jones, another Great Grandchild.
Here’s a link to my Facebook artist page with the grave.
https://www.facebook.com/TimKJonesArt/photos/p.781584015321964/781584015321964/?type=3&theater
He was born in Stawell!!
Thanks Noreen, I have corrected this!
There was no Thomas Ryan (Snr). His father was Joseph Baker. He was the medical student who came from Ireland following the lure of gold. Tom Ryan’s sister Teresa Baker was my Grandmother, she married Michael.J Healy in Stawell .Tom Ryan changed his name by deed poll prior to moving to Bendigo, marrying and then on to West Aust with his wife Henrietta, 3 daughters, brother- in- law Richard Kane and his brother Will Baker. 2 sons were born in WA.
Yes, you are correct. He was a Baker, The family story goes that he changed his name to his mother’s surname as it gave him better odds in the Stawell gift footraces. I haven’t found evidence of him winning the overall race, however the heats can be interesting as far as laying on of betts are concerned. I believe he did this under his new name, backing himself heavily, won his heat and used the winnings to get to WA.. I have found mention of his father and him in old paper records in Bendigo where he lived in Kangaroo Flat. I was told that Jospeh Baker was a Fenian and fled Ireland, along with his fellow conspirators, when the plot as uncovered The usual situation was the plotters were in cells of no more than six and only one person from each cell communicated with another. The was to avoid all the plotters being found out if someone informed. It makes some sense at the most successful mien was called the Fenian. Thomas Ryan also donated money to the IRBrotherhood, the antecedents of the IRA.When Tom died he left his fortune to his wife, some say the will was changed on his deathbed by the solicitor, Dick Haynes, putative farther of the last son, to exclude all of Tom’s relatives. Henrietta turned the Baker’s off Killara station where they were living, fully expecting Tom would get around to signing the papers over to them. She also refused to allow her son, Jack to own and run the last of the significant possessions, the Commercial Hotel. Jack was so upset he never saw his mother again after her refusal. This story was told to me by my Aunt Deirdre who had travelled up to Meeka with her mother, Dais, and the grandmother. Henrietta lived in the Savoy Hotel in the best suite with her lover, Stevie, who became her much younger husband ( a cougar) and didn’t do a stitch of work for over 20 years. Most of the wealth went on high living and the horse races. Stevie died before her of alcohol related causes.
Hi Susan, Frederic Stephen was my great uncle. I can’t refute your story about him, as my mum never told me anything about his life other than we have photos of him in uniform for WW1. Through Ancestry .com I ‘met’ a Catherine(Kate) Evans who was somehow related to Henrietta. She was 91. When we last wrote several years ago she was telling me of her fond memories of Uncle Stevie, and his warm laugh. That’s nice for me to know. I never met him or my grandfather, his brother, as both passed in 1946. I have a wedding photo of Lily’s wedding in 1913 if you’d like to see it. Catherine sent it to me.
Peta
Hi Peta I would love to see the photo of Lily’s wedding – my email is moyasharp@westnet.com.au
“Thomas was born in Stawall Victoria in 1897” is incorrect, his grave says he died aged 49 years in 1917 so he would have been born circa 1868.
Hi Have just caught up with these posts about my Great Grandfather Tom Ryan (Baker).
I am Miriam Wright, a granddaughter of his eldest Child Lillian Davern nee Ryan. The family historian was Cate Evans & she was a wonderful resource about the family. There are many stories about Tom & Hettie, they certainly had an interesting life. The grave is amazing, the restoration of Tanunda is outstanding.
Kate wrote to me at length as I mention in my comment up above. I loved that you knew and remembered my great uncle Frederick, Stevie as she called him. Sadly she last wrote at length in 2015. I assume seeing she was 91 then that she had passed.
From: Kate Evans
To: ‘peta opie’
Sent: Tuesday, April 7, 2015 1:53 AM
Subject:
Dear Peta,
I hope I’ve attached a picture of Henrietta’s daughter Lil’s wedding. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I placed a piece of see-through paper over the photo numbering the people from left to right, top row first. So they are as follows; 1? 2 my father, Richard Clement Kane, 3 Henrietta, 4? 5 the bride Lily, 6? 7 Uncle Stevie, 8? 9? 10 Dad’s second wife Ethel, 11 Lil’s sister but I’m not sure which one Etty or Mary Daisy 12?13?14 Lil’s other sister either Etty or Mary Daisy, 15,16,17??? The little ones could belong to Etty or Mary Daisy. Henrietta and Tom Ryan had two boys Tom and John. They could well have been numbers 4 and 6 or 8 and 9. I knew Jack very well and loved him to bits when I came west with my parents when aged 3. Jack was born 16th June 1908 while Henrietta went over to Bendigo. I think she was having a bit of trouble with her old man at the time. Jack used to take me to Trouchet’s the Chemist who had the first Milk shake Bar set up in his shop where he sat me on a twirly high stool and bought me what we called “Spiders”, an icecream in a big glass on top of a drink of cola, lemonade or any fizzy drink. He was dad’s favourite nephew so I had to be amused while they talked!
I’ll send this off, hopefully and later today after we’ve had lunch I’ll tell you about aunty Hetty. Cheers, Catherine (Known by most as Kate) my name Catherine Mary caused me many problems which I’ll also explain later.