John Barrett : Short Biography

Comments

John Barrett is also my great, great great grandfather. His daughter, Ellen, is my great great grandmother. She lived in Melbourne, ran a boarding house and died here in1938. My mother said she learnt how to run a boarding house from her mother in London who was in service. I know nothing of them other than they arrived in Adelaide, and died there. My Great great grandma married and left for Melbourne in the late 1800's. They are buried there. 

michelle

Monday 8th March 2021 05:35AM

Bevan, I also believe the reason they emigrated to Australia may be because his tailoring business went broke. They came to adelaide with her parents from london when she was 15 yrs old. She was 79 when she died. They lived in the Salisbury Plains area of Adelaide.  

michelle

Monday 8th March 2021 05:59AM

Hello Michelle

Thanks for your reply to my query concerning John Barrett. Nice to hear from a relative.

When you say that you know nothing of them are you just interested or is your Barrett line part of your research.

Cheers

Beven

Genealogist

Tuesday 9th March 2021 05:57AM

Hi Bevan, they are part of my family history research, I have never gone back furher than them in the line. I know from research that they are buried in Adelaide, but one of  their daughters married and came to live in Melbourne. She had my great grandma who lived across the street from my mum when she was a child. mum told me that her mother would be sent to help her gran do housework in Parkville, to help her grandma run the boarding house. She died in Cheltenham benevolent asylum in 1938. A hard life for her. Also her husband turned out to be no good. No records of where he ended up have been found- he died youngish i think. but my great grandma never wanted to talk about her father. ( He was Irish too i think and had also migrated out to Adelaide) So a bad marriage.

Are you in Australia too? Adelaide?  

Have you found out anything about the Barretts?

Michelle

 

michelle

Tuesday 9th March 2021 11:41AM

Hi Michelle, sad to hear the way Ellen Barrett endered up, they were hard times indeed. It makes you wonder why her brothers and sisters couldn't have possibly helped. My Great Great Grandmother is the eldest sister Mary Jane Barrett who had another very sad ending, her body was found floating in the Yarra River, on Christmas Day 1927 (I have a copy of the Coroners report) her age was listed as 79 years.

Ellen's husband James Waters died in 1924 at Heidelberg, Victoria. His fathers name was William Waters, Ellen and James lived at 189 Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, according to the Australian Electrol Rolls for Parkville in 1919. Yes Michelle I do have a fare amount of information on the Barretts and connections and also a photo (Daguerreotype) of Mary Jane Barrett as a child of maybe 4 or 5 years of age with one of her Grandmothers (One of your 4 x Grandmothers) it is either Mary Ford who is John Barrett's mother or she is Jane Haye's mother, unknown at this stage, the photo was taken in the 1850s according to expert advice.

You are welcome to what records I have. And yes I'm in Australia in Melbourne.

Beven

Genealogist

Wednesday 10th March 2021 05:27AM

Hi Bevan, I have also wondered why Ellen ended up for several years in this benevolent asylum. I think it was due to her health, but I am about to email them and see if they have any archives I could look at. Her family were in the Ascot Vale area, as was she, so I don't know why she didnt go and live with her daughter, (my great grandma). I think maybe she had dementia or something and they couldnt care for her??? I know where they lived in Parkville, but I dont know what happened to James or if he left her because when my mother lived with her grandma as a young girl, she wouldn't talk about her father other than he was a cook on a ship.(My mother thought the bit about the ship was untrue). She would change the subject and say 'you dont want to know about him.'. 

I would love to see your photograph. I live in ******* too, maybe we could briefly meet in the **** (I live in *******) and I could take a photo of the photo? I have no photographs, but i do have one of my great grandma as a young woman. 

Let me know what you think. I wont be offended if you don't want to, I know life is busy. 

michelle.

 

 

michelle

Wednesday 10th March 2021 10:52AM