The Owens family

"Gwen aged 2 years and 1 month, Emily 4 months."

Perhaps the death of her first baby was the impetus for the return to Australia.

The unassisted inwards passenger lists show Mrs H Owens, aged 31, arriving in Melbourne on the ship Narrung in November  1904.  Trove newspapers report the Narrung had arrived from Cape Town. There is no sign of Hugh, but it occurs to me he might have worked his passage as a ship's carpenter, though it was a short enough trip to bother.


On 17 May 1905, Emily and Hugh had a little girl called Gwendoline Louise, born at 492 Lygon St, Carlton.  Whether that was a small hospital or a residence I don't know at this stage, but when Emily gave the information on 14 June 1905 for the registration, she gave her address as 28 Laurie St, Northcote.

The children whose births I have been able to discover are:

Alfred George Henry Owens, bp 24 April 1904, Potchefstroom, South Africa
Gwendoline Louise Owens, b 17 May 1905, Carlton, Victoria
Emily Elizabeth Owens b 1907, Leichardt, NSW
Winifred Frances Owens, b 1909, Balmain, NSW
Jack Henry Owens, b 1912, Balmain South, NSW

By 1930 the family was living at 9 Parsons St, Rozelle, where Hugh was working as a carpenter, Winifred as a typiste, and Emily junior as a milliner.  When Jack was listed, his occupation was electrician.  Gwen appears to have married in Victoria and lived there.

Emily Frances Owens died in 1945, registered at Rozelle, and Hugh Owens in 1947, registered at Balmain.    Hugh's parents were recorded as Hugh and Elizabeth.