The new Duck Holes School

The plan above shows the Duck Holes Hotel on the Lancefield Rd, to the right of the image. The "New school house" (written upside down on the plan) is on the other side of the Duck Holes Creek, to the left of the hotel.  VPRS 61/P0/1848.

Duck Holes was a tiny settlement on the Lancefield Rd in the Parish of Monegeetta in Victoria. The growing number of children needing an education prompted locals to set up a Church of England School. In 1861 they wrote to the Denominational Schools Board seeking a salary for the teacher. At this time the school was already being conducted in a private home, but a new school house would be completed within two to three weeks. The application included a list of students and a drawing of the school and surrounds (shown above), as required. The teacher salary was granted. Bob Mackay, a friend of mine, was doing a trawl through the Denominational Schools Board correspondence at PROV, and as was his usual practice, ran his eye over the list of pupils - and spotted a surname he recalled as being of interest to me - Hitchman.

Denominational Schools Board, Inwards Registered Correspondence, VPRS 61/P0/ 1848.  Application for funding for a teachers' salary, 1 July 1861.

Among the 54 children listed were James Hitchman, 9 and Catherine Hitchman, 7, both C of E. (So the flirtation with the Catholic Church had come to an end, apparently.) Their ages were somewhat inflated, perhaps deliberately. James would have been 8, and Catherine 5. After our last sighting of the Hitchmans, the baptism of Catherine in March 1856, which may have been in Coburg, or more likely Donnybrook, the family had moved on to Duck Holes, which is on the Lancefield Rd, on the way to Romsey. It is now known as Monegeetta. This is north west of Donnybrook, and well off their usual haunt along the old Sydney Road. The next sighting of the Hitchmans after Duck Holes was Wangaratta where Ann Hitchman was born circa 1862-63, according to her death registration in NSW in 1868. In 1875 the Postmaster General started a program to re-name what he considered inappropriate names of post offices around Victoria, considering they were instituted by 'rowdy diggers'. He wanted them replaced with indigenous names, and so the startling Duck Holes Post Office was renamed Monegatta, and later Monegeetta North. The school likewise changed its name, but the Duck Holes Hotel stuck it out and retained the name which amused the settlers. 

The 1859 Duck Holes Hotel, 2015. The farmer on whose land the hotel stands covered the hotel in corrugated iron some years ago for the safety of his children.  Courtesy of Margaret Fleming.

There is not a lot left now at Monegeetta, the former Duck Holes. Miraculously the Duck Holes Hotel built in 1859, has survived to this day, though no longer operating. I think we would be safe in saying that James Hitchman senior had a cooling ale on his way home from work and 'never ever ever got rollin' drunk'.  (Probably).

Duck Holes Rd crossing Duck Holes Creek in 2015.  Courtesy of Margaret Fleming.

The Duck Holes Hotel was built in 1859, but the earliest known licence was from  1862. The school, established as a Church of England Denominational School, first applied for government funding for a teachers' salary in July 1861, but it was already operating in a private house by that time.  The application, made by the Rev John B Stair of Broadmeadows,  explained that a 30 X 15 feet  schoolroom was in the course of construction.   The hotel and the nearby school became the central point for community activity.

Duck Holes Hotel, Argus 11 Apr 1868

The name Duck Holes was given to the area owing to the ducks attracted to the crabholes and ponds which formed the Duck Holes Creek. 

When the government defunded Denominational Schools in 1863, forcing many of them to close, schools that were more than two miles from an existing government school continued on as Common Schools. Duck Holes School survived because the nearest school was Bolinda, four miles away.  Duck Holes then acquired the number 201.  It was later renamed Monegeetta North.

Margaret Fleming (who supplied photos and information about Duck Holes) and I met as volunteers at the Royal Historical Society of Victoria some 160 years after our great grandfathers went to school together at Duck Holes. 

Sources:

Pioneer brothers: Henry and John Muller: their heritage and descendants, 1715 -2015, by Margaret Fleming and Marie Dickson, 2015.  

PROV:  VPRS 61/P0/1848.

Trove

Wikipedia:  Monegeetta, Victoria.

Flirting with Catholicism? Hitchman children baptised at St Paul's Catholic Church, Coburg

The above image has a logo on the lower right side for the Victorian Places website, but the photo is no longer on that website. It is now located on St Paul's Catholic Church Parish website

Family legend has it that the first of James Hitchman and Elizabeth Rochester's children were born at Donnybrook, which seems to have been beyond the reach of the Registrar General of Births Deaths and Marriages, so none of them were registered. However, it appears that the first three were baptised into the fold of St Paul's Catholic Church, Coburg. This was a real departure for them, because in most other respects they were members of the Anglican Church - though we do remember they were married in the Free Presbyterian Church in Melbourne in 1853. The question in my mind is whether they were actually active members of that parish, or whether a keen priest on horseback pursued little heathens with a baptismal register in his saddlebag? The fact that there were three baptisms over five years does suggest a bit more intent. All three of them were baptised by Father Charles O'Hea. My grandmother actually told me that her father, James Hitchman junior, had been baptised in a Catholic Church, which she explained away by virtue of the baby being born sickly so they took him to the nearest church, which happened to be Catholic, to have him baptised. However, that doesn't explain the other two baptisms, and now strikes me as more of a cover story to explain perhaps the discovery of a Catholic baptismal certificate in the house (though not by me!) Catholic baptisms don't include the "abode" of the family, but they do include the names of the sponsors, so this might be a means of working out where they were living. For young James, in 1855, the sponsors were James Slater and Mary Pender. For Catherine, in 1856, the sponsors were Michael Kennedy and Mary Ann Campbell. For Elizabeth the sponsors were Bryan Cumming and Alice Cumming.

Thus far I have determined that James Slater had a child born in Yan Yean in 1855, Michael Kennedy had a child born at Donnybrook in 1864 and Mary Ann Campbell lived at Campbellfield. The only thing I can conclude from that is that it doesn't seem as if they were living near Coburg. If they were the same people, which is not certain.

A section of the old Hume Highway showing a warning sign approaching Pretty Sally, from the Kilmore side. This long and dangerous hill was north of Donnybrook. Note the old post and rail fence to the left side of the image. Taken in 1929 by the Country Roads Board, part of the Public Records Office of Victoria Collection, VPRS 17684 P0003.

It may be possible that the families travelled to St Paul's to have their children baptised, but I think the unmade road would tend to discourage people from heading towards Melbourne on a casual basis. A baptism might have been significant enough, though if the priest was willing to come to them, I suspect that would be the best option for them.

Thank you to Maureen Doyle who assisted me with information from the St Paul's Baptismal register.

UPDATE: A useful blog post from the State Library of Victoria reveals that Canvas Town existed from 1852 until a notice that it was to be closed by the end of March 1854. Whether it actually closed on that date is undisclosed for the moment, but certainly it would appear to have been shutdown before James Hitchman's baptism in 1855, so the story about where he was born is shown to be unreliable. 

 

Elizabeth up a Deep Creek

View to the north from Donnybrook Road, Mickleham.  These fields are currently being developed for housing.  Photo:  Lenore Frost 2014.

Elizabeth Rochester was a teenager of 18, in charge of a younger sister, when she stepped off the boat in Melbourne on 19 July 1853.   If they had hoped to stay together, that hope was dashed.  They were employed separately, Susan by Dr Hunter of Brighton and Elizabeth by Mr Livingston of Deep Creek.

Within five months of her arrival, Elizabeth married James Hitchman of Bristol, England, on 21 December 1853.  In a time and place where marriageable women were in short supply, Elizabeth might have chosen someone who had a greater claim to respectability, but realistically, out at Deep Creek her opportunities might have been as restricted as back home in Chipstead. The husband she chose was a time expired convict from Tasmania with an even larger age gap than that of Susan's choice.  Hitchman was aged about 38 to Elizabeth's 18.  It is interesting that both sisters chose much older men, but they presumably valued a more mature man in a strange place in a time of social turmoil.

The marriage record suggests they met at Deep Creek.  James was a labourer aged about 34 whose 'usual residence' was given as Deep Creek.  Elizabeth was a domestic servant, aged 23 (bit of a fib there) and her 'usual residence' Little Lonsdale Street in Melbourne. She had evidently left her employment at Deep Creek by then. Both James and Elizabeth signed with a mark, casting doubt on the passenger list in which it was suggested that Elizabeth could both read and write.  Most likely she could read a bible.  Writing was an accomplishment not widespread in the working classes of England at the time.

The witnesses also both signed with their mark, Thomas Caufield and Mary Mackay. Neither of those names appear on the passenger list of the Harpley.  Elizabeth and James were married by the Rites and Ceremonies of the Free Church of Scotland  at the Free Church Manse in Swanston Street, Melbourne. Although the minister at this time was William Miller, the ceremony was performed by the Rev Arch Simpson.

Photograph of a drawing of the John Knox Presbyterian Church manse, built for Rev. James Forbes in 1850. It was located in Swanston Street and was a building of eight to ten rooms that later housed some boarders from the John Knox School. Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria Collection, H6695.

It was an unusual choice of religion for their marriage.  Elizabeth had been brought up in the Church of England, and it seems likely that James was also C of E.   The term "Free" in the name of the church did not imply it was free of fees.  It was connected to a schism in the Presbyterian Church.  The purists formed the "Free Church of Scotland".   The John Knox Church, on the corner of Swanston St and Little Lonsdale Street was one of those.

Was it a co-incidence that the day following the wedding a notice appeared in the Argus Missing Friends columns  seeking James Hitchman?

If this should meet the eye of James Hitchman of Keilor, his brother wishes to see him at the Flagstaff Boarding House, King st, Melbourne.
The Argus 22 December 1853. 

One wonders how many times these messages got to the right quarter when the recipients were illiterate and lived out of town?  Whether James Hitchman had ever lived in Keilor is also a mystery.  But was it a co-incidence that ad was placed the day after the wedding?  Had the brother heard something on the grapevine?   All scenarios, both the message being transmitted to James, and the  brother possibly hearing of the marriage, rely on some fairly heavy duty gossiping going on.  Did James ever meet up with his brother in the Flagstaff Boarding House in King Street?

I was very interested in learning more about the Mr Livingston who had employed Elizabeth, and particularly where he lived.  It was was one of the first pieces of family history research I ever did, so perhaps 40 odd years ago I made a beginner's error, and was not able to correct it until fairly recently. That error was assuming that 'Deep Creek' was  the village of 'Bulla Bulla'.   Bulla had indeed been known as Deep Creek in the very early days of settlement. Living in the district, that was well known to me.   BUT (and you all know what I am going to say)  in the early days of settlement, Deep Creek could mean anywhere along the length of the creek (no matter how many miles), and I was not looking far enough afield to find Mr Livingston.  It was only with access to Trove and Ancestry, and a little more experience, and help from a friend that I managed to correct that error.

So forty years ago I could not for the life of me locate a Mr Livingston.  He did not appear in directories, birth, death or marriage indexes, histories of the area, parish maps or any index that I cared to consult.  The lack of a known first name was a problem.  The Mr Livingston conundrum remained in the too hard basket until discussing it a year or so ago with a friend, Christine Laskowski.  Chris commented that there was a Deep Creek in the vicinity of Craigieburn where her ancestors had lived.  The penny dropped with rather a loud clang. It was in fact the same Deep Creek near Craigieburn.  I hadn't been looking far enough. It made sense, because a couple of the Hitchmans' first children were said to have been born at Donnybrook, not too far from Craigieburn.

Trove has become a major resource for family historians, and I went there first.  It took some lengthy searching to locate three relevant items in the papers, which I will discuss in turn, firstly:

Missing since on or about the 25th ultimo Francis Palmer Livingstone, five feet five inches high dark complexion, dark whiskers, stout build, twenty years of age, wore a dark plaid jumper, dark tweed trousers, and white Manila hat. Was riding an iron gray mare, branded H on near shoulder, L on off shoulder, bushy tail, star in forehead Information to Mrs. Livingstone, Oatland's Farm, near the Deep Creek.

Monday 19 March 1855   http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4805607

Was Francis Palmer Livingstone the mysterious 'Mr Livingston'?  I presumed 'Mrs Livingstone' to be his wife and went to the BDM indexes to discover her name, but in one of those confusing results one gets, Francis Palmer Livingstone married 'Mary Livingstone' in 1859, four years after the above advertisement.  So who was Mrs Livingstone?  His mother? Turning to Ancestry family trees,  I found she was probably his sister-in-law, and a good 15 years his senior.

Mary's first husband was Gilbert Livingston, but I could not locate a death record for him. Several Livingston trees said he had died in 1853, but that didn't help to find him in the indexes.   However, one researcher had very kindly put the marriage record of Mary Livingstone and Francis Palmer Livingstone (yes, she went on to marry her brother-in-law after his first wife died) on Ancestry as a supporting document, and in this it was stated that her husband had died in 1853, so presumably this was the source of his death date.  The death occurred at the time civil registration was starting in Victoria, and it was not recorded.  He also didn't turn up in cemetery records and the like.  He may have died outside the colony, but no newspaper notices marked the bereavement.

Secondly, with the help of Ancestry trees, I now knew the names of the children, so was able to recognise one of their daughters in a Trove search - Mary Anne Livingstone, born in Tasmania in 1845, but attending the Bulla Bulla National School in 1855.  

BULLA BULLA NATIONAL SCHOOL.

An examination of the pupils attending the Bulla Bulla National School was held on Thursday, the 13th current, when the following patrons were present :-Rawdon Greene, Esq. (chairman) ; Messrs. Cameron, Murray, Forsyth, Patullo, Brannagan, and Massie (secretary). The Rev. Mr. Chapman, of Broadmeadows, was also present, and assisted at the examination.

[The prizes] were awarded as follows : [among many other prizes]

SECOND CLASS.-READING, SPELLING, &c:

Boys.-1st prize, Arthur Pattison.

2nd [ditto], Andrew Pattison.

Girls.-1st [ditto], Juliet Mackintosh.

2nd [ditto], Mary Ann Livingstone.

WRITING.

Boys.-1st prize, Richard Brannagan.

2nd [ditto], John Fawkner.

Girls.-1st [ditto], Agnes Robertson.

2nd [ditto], Mary A. Livingstone.

3rd [ditto], Mary Massie.

BULLA BULLA NATIONAL SCHOOL. (1855, December 15). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 6. Retrieved October 5, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4825881

Bulla Bulla National School at first glance seemed to take me back to the old village of Bulla, but looking at the three volume history of the Victorian Education Department, Vision and Realisation, a description of the location of the school placed it further north.

Plan of the Parish of Bulla Bulla, 1856.  Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria Collection. http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/117418

According to Vision and Realisation the Bulla Bulla National school was on an acre of land on the south east corner of Section 11 – in the above parish plan - owned by Crown Grantee J Cameron.   Trustees of the school included Patullo, Young and Cameron, all Crown Grantees in the vicinity. Cameron's 640 acres includes 'Warlaby', an historic property at Oaklands Junction, between Oaklands Rd and St John's Rd.  

See this parish map at the State Library of Victoria to get a better idea of the 

distance from the Bulla village to the National School. It was several kilometres 

north of the village.http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/192312.  

Mary Anne Livingston's presence at the Bulla Bulla National School suggests the Livingstone family was within striking distance of the school buildings at the southeast corner of Section 11 in 1855.

Thirdly, Mary Livingstone remained farming in the area after her husband's death for a little while, which we know from evidence she gave at an inquest in 1854. (Thanks to Christine Laskowski for alerting me to this inquest.)

Mary Livingstone - deceased Robert Smith has been in my employ for last 18 months and he left Flemington yesterday morning driving in  a bullock dray belonging to my brother. I was following in a dray behind and there was another dray in front. I was about ¼ of a mile behind. I saw the two drays ahead til they came over the hill about ½ a mile from this place and on coming over the hill I saw two men looking at something lying in the road and when I got up I found it go be the body of the deceased. He was quite dead. He was lying on his face and there was a great deal of blood on the spot. He was much intoxicated when he left Flemington but during the time he had been in my employ he had not been addicted to the drink. I saw the mark of the wheel of the dray which passed over the shoulders and head. There was above 2 tons on the dray. Mary X Livingstone of the Deep Creek, taken at Travellers Hope, Deep Creek.

 Inquest on SMITH Robert VPRS 24  1854/560  Inquest held at Travellers Hope, Deep Creek

The Travellers Hope Hotel would appear to be the Travellers' Home or the Travellers' Rest Hotel, which was along Bulla Rd, about halfway between 

Parer Rd and Sharp's Rd, Airport West. See Steele Creek and the Lady of the Lake by Christine Laskowski.

Detail from the Parish of Doutta Galla. The Travellers Home was on the 'Main Road' (Bulla Road) in the apex of the triangle of roads between Section 22 C and 22 D. Section 23 is the site of Essendon Airport. Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria Collection. http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/156280

This route along the Bulla or Deep Creek Road is the one Mary Livingston would take to return to a farm near Oaklands Junction.

Returning to 1853, it is possible that James Hitchman was also working on the Livingstone place, or nearby, at least.  We know in the latter part of 1853 they were both working at Deep Creek, so it seems likely.  In 1853 the farms in the Oaklands Junction area were several hundred acres. Employees at this time most likely lived in mud-brick huts or cottages on the farms.  Some settlers owned several sections, so the area was fairly sparsely settled.  Gilbert Livingston's death evidently occurred between his employing Elizabeth in July 1853 and the end of the year, leaving his wife Mary with five young children.

Looking west on Mickleham Road to the open park-like landscape of the old
Shire of Bulla.  Photo:  Lenore Frost, 2014.

 The landscape was considered significant in the  City of Hume: Heritage Study of the Former Shire of Bulla District, 1998, but time will tell whether the landscape will resist the inroads of developers.  The fine farming land just a little north at Mickleham, as shown in the photo above, is already disappearing under concrete and asphalt roads.

"The landscape is significant at the State level as a rare surviving example - at least as pristine as survives anywhere - of Melbourne’s exceptional and much valued “park-like” natural landscape at the time of European settlement. Partly as a consequence of these natural values, the area also acquired some outstanding cultural associations, evidence of which also survives".

In that curious way that we often cross paths our ancestors trod without realising it, my parents leased a block of land for a time a little north of Bulla on Wildwood Rd, near Oaklands Junction.

The block on Wildwood Rd.  Photo:  Lenore Frost, circa 1966.
The cows were called Leisl and Greta, after a couple of the
children in The Sound of Music, released in 1965.

In the next episode, we will look at how Susan and Elizabeth met up again on the goldfields.

PS   While researching this story a couple of years ago I followed what looked like a lead from Trove about a farm at Oakland, Mickleham in 1876. I drove that way to a cemetery tour of the Donnybrook Cemetery in 2014.  It turned out to be not connected, but having spent so much time on it I decided to write it up for Wikinorthia with the view that it might help someone else. You can read it here: Fellows of Oakland Mickleham  It explains why I have photos of Mickleham on hand and not Oaklands Junction!

Update:   The following paragraph is from an unpublished small history, called "History of Bulla, 1966", by Mary Butler.  A copy is located at the State Library of Victoria. No 42 was the number given to the Bulla Bulla National School in later years. While not sourced, the information would have come from a contemporary government report at the State Library.

"The formation of an Education System, however, provided instruction with the erection of three more schools in the Bulla area [Besides the C of E near the creek] School No 42, consisting of two rooms, had at this time fourteen girl students and twenty-one boy students located on Oaklands Road near Warlaby Stud, or "Narbonne". (page 10)