The following pages are an account of the lives of my Dad's Irish ancestors who came to Australia in the mid 1800s.
In my searchable blog I have included more stories.
© Kerryn Taylor from 2012 ongoing
In my searchable blog I have included more stories.
© Kerryn Taylor from 2012 ongoing
I am thrilled that this website is now being archived by Pandora.
PANDORA, Australia's Web Archive, is a growing collection of Australian online publications, established initially by the National Library of Australia in 1996, and now built in collaboration with nine other Australian libraries and cultural collecting organisations.
PANDORA, Australia's Web Archive, is a growing collection of Australian online publications, established initially by the National Library of Australia in 1996, and now built in collaboration with nine other Australian libraries and cultural collecting organisations.
Old Photo of the Cross Keys Hotel, Firebrace Street (now Pascoe Vale Road)
North Essendon.
This photo is in the Coburg Historical Society Collection
North Essendon.
This photo is in the Coburg Historical Society Collection
handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/101979
This site is continually being added to as I find more information.
North Essendon was formerly known as Hawstead and was in the Parish of Doutta Galla, County of Bourke.
Lenore Frost has been incredibly helpful to me over the years.
She has written an interesting and detailed account of the history of the area at her website
Time Travellers in Essendon, Flemington and the Keilor Plains.
Bob Chalmers from the Essendon Historical Society very kindly made some enquiries about the title history of the Cross Keys Hotel site and John Morgan's ownership.
It seems that John Morgan purchased the block of land from Crown Grantee, William Jones, on the 10th of October 1859 for ₤81.
Then John Morgan apparently sold the land to a John Calvert on May 29th 1860 and it was later conveyed to William Bergin in 1862. John Morgan was first recorded as licensee in 1871 so I'm not sure what, if any, buildings were on the land before that. Perhaps a house?
Nor have I found out when the Morgan family bought back the land.
Finding Folio and volume numbers for the original land titles is proving elusive. None are listed on the Wills of the Morgan family even though the Hotel was left to surviving family members.
In Alice Morgan's will she listed her Real Estate as
" All that piece of land having a frontage of 2 chains 23 links to Firebrace Street North Essendon by a depth of 3 chains 75 links upon which is erected the Cross Keys Hotel."
Disbursements in the will to local businesses were:
A.E. Hulls, Baker, Essendon
W.McK. Gordon, Ironmonger, Essendon
J. Peerless, Draper, Moonee Ponds
Harvey Bruce, Chemist, Essendon
John Daly, undertaker
A.E. Young, Valuator
Hatchett & Co. Grocers
G.H. Elliott Cordials
Hogan Mooney & Co Spirits
McCracken's City Brewery
J. Harris Wood
Dr. Thomson
Millar Cigars & Co
J. Knowles, Grave decorator
Williams - cutting inscription on headstone
M. Mornane Law costs and costs of probate
A descendant of William Bergin has told me that the Bergins lived next door to the Cross Keys Hotel for 40 years and her great grandmother, Catherine Bergin married a James Power and they lived in a house on the corner, where the car park is today, until around 1907.
The surnames Bergin and Power crop up in the families history with a Nicholas Bergin (son of William) witnessing Michael Kelly's Will in 1898 and a Fred Power witnessed John Morgan's Will which was written in 1879.
On a visit to the existing Cross Keys Hotel in Essendon in about 2005, I was told by the then owner that they thought the old Hotel actually stood on the opposite corner where the Strathmore railway station is now.
I didn't think this was the case though because when I checked the old map on the website of the State Library Victoria it shows the name Jones on the same section of land as the Hotel currently stands.
Ray Gibb, a local historian, confirmed that it was not the Cross Keys Hotel on the opposite corner but another hotel. Read his journal here.
Ray says "The owner of the Cross Keys was right about an old hotel being across Pascoe Vale Road from the Cross Keys. It was on the site of Melfort Avenue, the block at Hawstead granted to John Haslett. Ellen Haslitt, National Hotel, Moonee Ponds. Granted.
(P.6, Argus, 16-4-1856.)
Sam Merrifield's Annals of Essendon had an entry circa 1888 about a fellow called Robinson who apparently had just bought the hotel and was advertising some sort of race (bike?) to promote his hotel which he must have renamed as the Melfort.
Map of Essendon and Hawstead at State Library of Victoria
Title: Township and suburban allotments at Essendon & Hawstead in the Parish of Doutta Galla, County of Bourke [cartographic material] / lithographed at the Public Lands Office, Melbourne ; Oct 8th 1858 T. Ham, Lith.
The area highlighted below is the land on which the original Cross Keys Hotel stood and the current newer building stands today.
This site is continually being added to as I find more information.
North Essendon was formerly known as Hawstead and was in the Parish of Doutta Galla, County of Bourke.
Lenore Frost has been incredibly helpful to me over the years.
She has written an interesting and detailed account of the history of the area at her website
Time Travellers in Essendon, Flemington and the Keilor Plains.
Bob Chalmers from the Essendon Historical Society very kindly made some enquiries about the title history of the Cross Keys Hotel site and John Morgan's ownership.
It seems that John Morgan purchased the block of land from Crown Grantee, William Jones, on the 10th of October 1859 for ₤81.
Then John Morgan apparently sold the land to a John Calvert on May 29th 1860 and it was later conveyed to William Bergin in 1862. John Morgan was first recorded as licensee in 1871 so I'm not sure what, if any, buildings were on the land before that. Perhaps a house?
Nor have I found out when the Morgan family bought back the land.
Finding Folio and volume numbers for the original land titles is proving elusive. None are listed on the Wills of the Morgan family even though the Hotel was left to surviving family members.
In Alice Morgan's will she listed her Real Estate as
" All that piece of land having a frontage of 2 chains 23 links to Firebrace Street North Essendon by a depth of 3 chains 75 links upon which is erected the Cross Keys Hotel."
Disbursements in the will to local businesses were:
A.E. Hulls, Baker, Essendon
W.McK. Gordon, Ironmonger, Essendon
J. Peerless, Draper, Moonee Ponds
Harvey Bruce, Chemist, Essendon
John Daly, undertaker
A.E. Young, Valuator
Hatchett & Co. Grocers
G.H. Elliott Cordials
Hogan Mooney & Co Spirits
McCracken's City Brewery
J. Harris Wood
Dr. Thomson
Millar Cigars & Co
J. Knowles, Grave decorator
Williams - cutting inscription on headstone
M. Mornane Law costs and costs of probate
A descendant of William Bergin has told me that the Bergins lived next door to the Cross Keys Hotel for 40 years and her great grandmother, Catherine Bergin married a James Power and they lived in a house on the corner, where the car park is today, until around 1907.
The surnames Bergin and Power crop up in the families history with a Nicholas Bergin (son of William) witnessing Michael Kelly's Will in 1898 and a Fred Power witnessed John Morgan's Will which was written in 1879.
On a visit to the existing Cross Keys Hotel in Essendon in about 2005, I was told by the then owner that they thought the old Hotel actually stood on the opposite corner where the Strathmore railway station is now.
I didn't think this was the case though because when I checked the old map on the website of the State Library Victoria it shows the name Jones on the same section of land as the Hotel currently stands.
Ray Gibb, a local historian, confirmed that it was not the Cross Keys Hotel on the opposite corner but another hotel. Read his journal here.
Ray says "The owner of the Cross Keys was right about an old hotel being across Pascoe Vale Road from the Cross Keys. It was on the site of Melfort Avenue, the block at Hawstead granted to John Haslett. Ellen Haslitt, National Hotel, Moonee Ponds. Granted.
(P.6, Argus, 16-4-1856.)
Sam Merrifield's Annals of Essendon had an entry circa 1888 about a fellow called Robinson who apparently had just bought the hotel and was advertising some sort of race (bike?) to promote his hotel which he must have renamed as the Melfort.
Map of Essendon and Hawstead at State Library of Victoria
Title: Township and suburban allotments at Essendon & Hawstead in the Parish of Doutta Galla, County of Bourke [cartographic material] / lithographed at the Public Lands Office, Melbourne ; Oct 8th 1858 T. Ham, Lith.
The area highlighted below is the land on which the original Cross Keys Hotel stood and the current newer building stands today.
Below is a wonderful description of the area from an article in the Australasian newspaper in 1898
- JOHN MORGAN would have been about 40 years old when he first held the license for the Hotel in 1871
- After John's death in 1880, his wife, MARGARET (ALICE) KELLY who was known as Alice, held the license until her death in 1904. In 1880 she would have been around 46 years old.
- The license then passed to her son JOHN FELIX MORGAN then aged 34. John tragically drowned in a water tank at the hotel in 1907.
- The Hotel then passed to his wife MARGARET MORGAN NEE O'MEARA. Margaret was licensee in 1917 when she was prosecuted for opening the Hotel door in prohibited hours. Margaret died in 1937.
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A transcription of an article in the Argus newspaper on 5th Feb 1929 states that the Hotel was to be demolished.
The actual newspaper copy is quite hard to read so I have trancribed it below.
A transcription of an article in the Argus newspaper on 5th Feb 1929 states that the Hotel was to be demolished.
The actual newspaper copy is quite hard to read so I have trancribed it below.
"An old landmark, the Cross Keys Hotel at North Essendon, has been demolished. This hotel was the first built North of Melbourne and was owned by the Morgan family for more than 70 years. It stood on the old Sydney road, which was one of the busiest roads in the days of the gold fever.The diggers passing to and from the gold fields spent their money freely and buckets were used as tills and safes. There being no local banking facilities in those days, great difficulties were experienced in finding any safe place in which to keep the cash until the gold escort came to transfer it to the bank in town. Bushrangers threatened to raid the hotel but it was known that John Morgan was well armed and a straight shot and no raid was ever made. Today the Cross Keys is the property of the Misses Raynor who have had a modern residential hotel erected on the site of the historic old Inn".
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Cross Keys: A common sign in Christian heraldry, referring to St. Peter, to whom Jesus said: "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven". The papal arms show crossed keys. Click here for more information on Cross Keys coat of arms of the Holy See.
THANK YOU
Huge thanks to Margaret and Ray Goodwin who provided me with so much material to get me started.
In December 2011 Brigid Simpson contacted me after reading here about our common ancestors.
John Morgan and Alice Kelly were also her great great grandparents.
Thanks to Brigid's contact and the help of her sister Mary I can now put faces to many of the names here. You can read that letter here.
Probably only something another family historian would relate to but I was moved to tears when I first saw the photo of our great great grandmother.
Thank you Brigid and Mary.
In 2018 my daughter gave me the wonderful early 60th birthday present of a trip to New Zealand. I stayed for a night with Brigid and Mary's brother Stuart Lavin.
Thanks Stu and Alison for your hospitality, trips around family stomping grounds and further amazing photos.
In December 2013 I was so very saddened to receive news that Brigid was losing the battle against melanoma. Brigid died on the 7th of January 2014. Her husband Paul has kindly allowed me to publish a memorial to this beautiful lady.
See that tribute here. R.I.P Brigid Simpson.
My genealogy research has been fascinating and turned up quite a few surprises.
Click here to read my blog posts.
Huge thanks to Margaret and Ray Goodwin who provided me with so much material to get me started.
In December 2011 Brigid Simpson contacted me after reading here about our common ancestors.
John Morgan and Alice Kelly were also her great great grandparents.
Thanks to Brigid's contact and the help of her sister Mary I can now put faces to many of the names here. You can read that letter here.
Probably only something another family historian would relate to but I was moved to tears when I first saw the photo of our great great grandmother.
Thank you Brigid and Mary.
In 2018 my daughter gave me the wonderful early 60th birthday present of a trip to New Zealand. I stayed for a night with Brigid and Mary's brother Stuart Lavin.
Thanks Stu and Alison for your hospitality, trips around family stomping grounds and further amazing photos.
In December 2013 I was so very saddened to receive news that Brigid was losing the battle against melanoma. Brigid died on the 7th of January 2014. Her husband Paul has kindly allowed me to publish a memorial to this beautiful lady.
See that tribute here. R.I.P Brigid Simpson.
My genealogy research has been fascinating and turned up quite a few surprises.
Click here to read my blog posts.