52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Week 18: Close Up

This weeks 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge is Close Up. The suggestions for writing this one were to write about an ancestor who lived closed to where you live now or where you grew up; an ancestor that you have a portrait of; an ancestor who you have more information about and you feel like you know them "close up." This has proven hard for me. The ancestors I more information about, I have already written about or intend to write about in future weeks. I am living in Queensland, well-removed from my ancestors - dad's family is in England. While the majority of mum's is in Western Australia with her ancestors arriving to New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia. I have lived here since I was 10 years old but have no ancestral connection to the area I grew up. Then it came to me - I could write about an ancestral home of my children that was near to where I grew up.

Week 18 - Close Up

Rockmount

Rockmount is a grand old home situated at 607 Ipswich Road, Annerley just 7km from the Brisbane city centre. It is just 1.4km up the road from where I lived growing up in Brisbane and I would regularly pass this home on the bus. As an adult working in the city, and then the suburbs I would pass this home almost daily and regularly admired it. Little was I to know that in years to come I would have a tenuous link to this grand old lady. Rockmount, one of Brisbane's original homes, was built in 1862 and was situated as a halfway house between Yatala and the Port of Brisbane for horse cargo carriers.¹ Situated across the road from the Chardon's Corner Hotel made it a perfect stopping spot as the men enjoyed a beer whilst the women remained on the verandah of the home having tea.¹

My Connection

C.1930s Rockmount, Annerley, Amy May McNeilly — *C.1930 "Rockmount", Annerley, Amy May McNeilly*^b

As I have previously mentioned I have been doing genealogy in one form or another for over 25 years. I had no connections in Brisbane as we had moved here as children. My family ties are in Western Australia and England. Whilst enjoyable researching in libraries and family history societies it was sad that I couldn't physically visit these places. The rapid growth of the internet made it a much more rewarding task when I could "virtually" see these places. However, prior to the internet I decided I wanted to research somewhere closer to home so I could visit the places. I decided to start researching my children's paternal family. Imagine my excitement when my father-in-law told me that his grandparents and mother had lived in Rockmount! My kids are descended from a family that lived there!

Hugh and Amelia McNeilly

Hugh McNeilly was born on 24 June 1868 Dalry, Ayrshire, Scotland to Hugh McNeilly and Elizabeth Reid.² I am unsure when he arrived in Australia but it is sometime between the 1881 Scotland Census and when he married Amelia Elizabeth Trueman in Brisbane, Queensland in 1895.^3,⁴ Amelia was born in 1876 in Queensland to Alfred Alexander Trueman and Maria Elizabeth Hummer.⁵ Hugh and Amelia had eight children - Ivena May, Ellen Elizabeth, Amy May (my children's great-grandmother) born 26 May 1898, Wallace Hugh, Bruce Herbert, Violet Grace, Hector Alfred, and Jean Elsie.

C.1920s Rockmount, Annerley, Hugh McNeilly — *C.1920's Hugh McNeilly at "Rockmount", Annerley*^d

They lived in various places during their marriage in the suburbs of Annerley and Coorparoo with Hugh working as a pork butcher.^6,⁷In the 1919 (and many subsequent) Electoral Rolls had them living at "Rockmount", Ipswich Road, Annerley, with Hugh working as a pig buyer.^⁸The family was still living there when Amy, my children's great-grandmother was married in 1929.⁹ Amy had attended Yeronga State School from 1904, a school I attended myself in the 1980's.¹⁰

Death

1948 Balmoral Cemetery, Hugh and Amelia McNeilly Headstone^f

1948 Balmoral Cemetery, Hugh and Amelia McNeilly Grave^e

Amelia died on 12 January 1938 and was buried at Balmoral Cemetery on 13 January 1938.^11,¹² Hugh died 10 years later in 1948 and was buried alongside his beloved wife on 1 July 1948.^13,¹⁴

Is there a an old home in your family history that has special significance? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Bibliography

1. The Courier Mail, 19 April 2012, 'Slice of Brisbane history in Annerley', http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/slice-of-brisbane-history-in-annerley/news-story/04bebb335ab0585b290416fbbae65c6a?sv=c79c9516c5161a38d703e1d550113df2, Accessed 2 May 2018.
2. Family Search, Indexing Project: C11587-1; System Origin: Scotland-ODM; GS Film No: 6035516, 'Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950,' database, FamilySearch, Hugh Mcneilley, 24 Jun 1868; citing DALRY,AYR,SCOTLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 6,035,516,https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYY9-292 : accessed 10 April 2016.
3. Ancestry.com. 1881 Scotland Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Scotland. 1881 Scotland Census. Reels 1-338. General Register, McNEILLY Hugh, Elizabeth, Hugh, John, James, Maggie, Janet, Parish: Dalry; ED: 5; Page: 29; Line: 7; Roll: cssct1881_183, Accessed, 10 April 2016.
4. Ancestry.com. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, 1895 Reg. No. B017424 P.26429 Queensland, Australia, McNEILLY Hugh and TRUEMAN Amy Amelia, Accessed 10 April 2016.
5. Ancestry.com. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, TRUEMAN Amelia Elizabeth, 1876 Reg. No. B020566, P.14984, Queensland, Australia, Accessed 10 April 2016.
6. Queensland Electoral Roll, 1903 Division: Oxley, Subdivision: Coorparoo, Queensland, p.17, McNEILLY Hugh and Amy.
7. Queensland Electoral Roll, 1905 Division: Oxley, Subdivision: Fairfield, Queensland, p.9, McNEILLY Hugh and Amy.
8. Queensland Electoral Roll, 1919, Division: Oxley, Subdivision: Stephens, Queensland, p.25, McNEILLY Amy, Ellen Elizabeth, Hugh, Ivy May.
9. Marriage Certificate of Amy May McNeilly, 16 March 1929, Certificate No.77, Queensland, Australia, Original in author's possession.
10. 1904 Yeronga State School Admission Register 1871-1973, Ref.2139, Amy McNeilly.
11. Ancestry.com. Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, 1938 Reg. No. B038286 P.1268 Queensland, Australia, Amelia Elizabeth McNeilly.
12. Brisbane City Council, 1938 Balmoral Cemetery, 7-322, https://graves.brisbane.qld.gov.au, Amelia Elizabeth McNeilly.
13. Ancestry.com. Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010, 1948 Reg. No. B017430, P.1513 Queensland, Australia, Hugh McNeilly.
14. Brisbane City Council, 1948 Balmoral Cemetery, 7-323, https://graves.brisbane.qld.gov.au, Hugh McNeilly.

Image Credits

a. 'Rockmount', Image Courtesy of realestate.com, Accessed 28 May 2007.
b. C.1930 'Rockmount', Annerley, Amy May McNeilly, Original in author's possession.
c. C.1920's Hugh and Amelia McNeilly at "Rockmount", Annerley, Original in author's possession.
d. C.1920's Hugh McNeilly at "Rockmount", Annerley, Original in author's possession.
e. Balmoral Cemetery, Hugh and Amelia McNeilly Grave, Original in author's possession.
f. Balmoral Cemetery, Hugh and Amelia McNeilly Headstone, Original in author's possession.

3 Comments

Steph says:

25 October 2023 at 7:26 pm

Hey I’m currently living in the rockmount house, I have some questions for you!!!
I am trying to find the original history of this home, there is something special about it.
We believe maybe the people that built the church across the road built the rockmount house as apparently there were nuns living in the back house.
If you could help me out at all as to who was living here prior to your family, or have any information on where I can find the history of who built this house and who lived here, it would be greatly appreciated!!!

Kevin says:

11 May 2018 at 1:58 am

That’s neat what you found out about this house. I sometimes think about my grandparent’s house on my father side. My mom told me it was originally a beach house that they moved 10 miles inland. My grandmother passed away 37 years ago, but I still pass by there from time to time. One time, the woman who owned the house was having a yard sale. So, I stopped to check it out. I got to talk to the current homeowner and told her about my grandparents. She told me that she remembered my grandmother from the past. She was actually going to move and told me she thought the home was haunted. She mentioned a woman that she said came down the stairs once that looked like my grandmother. Interesting, yet spooky.

1. Megan says:
  
  11 May 2018 at 7:01 am
  
  Hi Kevin
  
  Thank you so much for reading and leaving a comment. How cool that you were able to speak with someone who lives in the house and remembers your grandmother. It would be interesting if you could spend some time in that house and meet the resident ghost! Let me know if you ever have that opportunity!
  
  Regards
  
  Megan

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