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Extracts
from Notes by Rachel Rose Freeman TYLER
{On Her side of the Family}
Betty Lesley (nee Witts) Tyler- Born Wyong
13.7.1912, Married John Freeman Tyler- August 1942 at the Anglican
Church, Mosman (it may be called St. Clement's).
The Tyler Family, originally from England,
were early settlers and pastoralists in South
Australia. Large holdings
in the more remote areas. John William Tyler was one of the early Squatting
Kings of NNE of Port Augusta. He is understood to have been the first South
Australian pastoralist to import machinery from United States of
America
for boring for water. He visited California
to see the plant at work and order machinery. By means of this he
secured good water supplies on most of his stations, thus providing
an almost incalculable asset wherever water was struck.
John's parents were: Mother- Mabel (nee Freeman) Tyler.
(The Freeman in my Dad's and his children's names, was after Stephen
Freeman, a very early Surveyor in the colony of NSW) My Dad's Father was
named John C. S. Tyler also (unsure of middle name, also mother's middle
name). John C. S. Tyler (Sen') helped form the constabulary in Fiji,
where My Dad was born on 10.12.1907. His mother died of TB when he
was only 3 years old and he was sent to his mothers sister Maud (nee
Freeman) Morrice Who at this time was a Widow- at Moss Vale. She had
2 daughters older than Dad named Miriam and Sylvia.
Stephen John Tyler born 21/Aug/1943- married Robin Ramsay 8/Oct
/1966 in Moss Vale NSW
Their Children:
Benjamin Myles TYLER
b. 30/Oct/1971 in Bowral NSW
Samuel Ian TYLER (Known as Samuel Ian Carroll)
b. 1/Dec/1976 in Bowral NSW
Stephen re-married: to Sandra Gai Taylor- born
19/Aug/1947 on the 15/March/1980
Elisabeth Lesley Freeman Tyler- born 18.3.1945 and died of
meningitis four months later. She was Buried Besides Her Grand Mother Mabel
Kate, in the Old
Berrima
Cemetery,
Later Grandfather was Buried on the other side of his "Dear Wife"
as he requested
Rachel Rose Freeman (nee Tyler)
Morse born 11.9.1946- married Christopher Michael Morse 6 Sep 1969-
His mother- Nancy Joan (nee Quartly) Morse- 2.2.1916. Chris' father,
Henry Tourle Morse 14.8.1914
Our children:
Simon
John Morse- born Bowral 17.3 1972. Married Shelli (nee Butcher) on 21.4.2001
Peter Michael Morse born Bowral 22.4.1976
Katherine Heather Morse born Gunnedah 24.12.1980
I
had heard many times that the de Witt Family were French Huguenots (A
French Calvinist of the 16th or 17th centuries), and that Grandfather’s
family dropped the “de” from de Witt in England,
and sailed to Australia
from Yorkshire UK.
Aunty Nan thought that Cornelius de Witt Family was part of our
ancestors
I also Asked Aunty Nan and Mum
about their history when they were here together- and wrote it
down
Recollections
of the life and family of Mabel Kate Witts (nee Herring)
Mabel Kate was the eldest child of Lesley
and Kate Herring.
She remembered her little brother Guy as
a dear little toddler with beautiful auburn hair, playing on the beach with
her, before his death from teething.
She lived at “Rondebosc” Hunters Hill and then at “Sheen” Beecroft a
little bush town. For her education, she had Governesses. As she grew into
her twenties, she lived apart from the family in the converted Groom’s quarters
above the stables, with her maid Ivy. She and Ivy were firm friends and
spent a lot of time together, going for walks etc. She was rather a spoilt
daughter (only one) grown up and did not always see eye to eye with her
father
She went on a sea voyage with an elderly lady, Mrs Harrison, no
doubt a friend of the family, stopping off at the New Hebridies, where she
met Maurice Miles Witts and a friendship was formed.
She stayed with Rev. Dr McKenzie and family, a medical missionary,
for some time until returning to Australia
to organise her marriage. She returned to the New Hebridies for there
Wedding performed by Rev Dr. McKenzie. Early in their marriage, their first
baby was still born (a daughter). Dr McKenzie was away at Synod at the
island of Tanna, so Maurice had to assist his wife as best he could, but
was unable to start her breathing, it was a terrible blow for them.
Their Second Daughter Helen Kate was also born in the new
Hebridies, Mabel once asked a native chief if he had ever eaten “man” and
gazing at plump little Helen in Mabel’s arms replied “Yes, plenty man”! A
rather disconcerting thing to be told.
Maurice had a coconut plantation and we are told coconuts bear after
7 years. The plantation was just becoming of commercial value when Mabel in
particular and Maurice to a lesser extent, found the recurring Malaria so
severe, that they had to leave the New Hebridies and return to Australia.
In those days there was little help medically for malaria. Mabel returned
to Australia
with Helen in the ship “Lakemba”.
The cargo on the ship listed badly to one
side in the stormy seas, and they only just limped
in to Sydney
Harbour.
Maurice returned to Australia
later on, although he was unable to sell the plantation for very much. With
very little behind him, he bought a dairy farm at Wyong, where Betty and
Nancy were born. It was while here that Betty aged only 2 years had her
tonsils removed on the kitchen table by an old doctor cousin of Mabel’s ...
She lived to tell the tale. Unfortunately her tonsils grew back and were
removed permanently later on. Maurice had a nice horse called Comet (after
Haley’s Comet) Who he rode and put in the sulky.
It was after Mabel’s fathers’ death, that she was advised by doctors
to live in a cooler climate, to stimulate her children’s ailing appetites.
The dairy was sold and ‘Willow Grange’ at Moss Vale, a rambling but
charming home of some size set on 8 acres, was bought, (Both Maurice and
Mabel resided here until there deaths).
The little girls Helen, Betty aged 6 and Nancy remember seeing
soldiers on the trains returning home from the 1st world war and
them wearing masks to prevent contact with the Killer influenza epidemic
which wiped out more people than had been killed in the war. They were
called by their dad to the gate at ‘ Willow Grange’ to see German
“Prisoners of War” marching from Berrima Goal to Moss Vale railway station,
on their first leg home to Germany-
after the end of the “World War One”.
Mabel was a very home-loving and family orientated, and lived a
quite life occasionally visiting her brothers at Batlow (who were all
orchardists there after trying orcharding at Beecroft and cousins at Sydney,
when she caught up with old friends from Beecroft days. Cousin Hilder
Dampney (nee Henning) (Mabel’s mother was a tucker, whose sister had
married Baldolf Henning) and was one of these friends married to Gerald
Dampney. Mabel told her daughters of all the interesting history of close
and extended family, that the Dampneys could trace their ancestry to William
the Conqueror.
Mabel was a Christian, particularly as she grew older and had
fine moral values and was ‘old fashioned’ for her time. A very loving
mother and a ministering angle to her children when sick, she was however a
dominant personality and tried to live her daughter’s lives. Examples such
as not allowing her daughters to sit exams. (Betty would have received the
English prize in her final year at Sceggs Moss Vale, if allowed) She did
not want or allow them to train for careers etc.
Mabel loved animals and had beloved dogs, and in her childhood
had her own creamy pony named Daisy. The girls had ponies, dogs and cats
whom they loved dearly. Ponies named Blackberry, Dolly, and Bally. Cats
named Even so, Longfellow and of course Nip, Aunty Nan’s beloved Sydney
silky. Mabel drove a pony carriage, seldom letting her husband drive and
later a Buick car, obtaining her drivers licence in her early 60’s. She
would not allow Maurice to have an outside job or drive the car, even
though he obtained a drivers licence. However she was very kind to
neighbours in need and those who were ill. She was very brave facing her
untimely death from cancer, making arrangements herself with the
undertaker.
Her very real faith, which she shared with her family, was an
inspiration to all whose lives she touched. During this time of illness Nancy, her
youngest daughter and still unmarried, cared and nursed her mother
selflessly, as well as being of great comfort to her old
father.
Maurice Myles Witts (Mabel Kate’s Husband)
Maurice was the 13th surviving
child (12 sons, 2 daughters to Sara (nee Tivvy) and Alfred Edward Witts.
They were pioneers in the Monaro district, living at the sheep property
“Rosemount” at Ando via Cooma. He attended school 7 miles away for his
young schooling (primary) and like his brothers, attended Sydney Grammar
School, where in his final year, he attained deputy Dux overall, and won
the maths prize. His two sisters became Red Cross nurses in “World War
One”.
In his childhood days he and his family had their own musical
evenings with each member of the family playing some instruments. Maurice
played the mouth organ. They had their own cricket team and were all tall-
Maurice being 6 feet. His father died before the last baby was born (Charlie)
His mother then had the daunting task of bringing up her large family. She
used to drive a four in hand of horses. The family had very nice courteous
manners- a credit to their mother. Bon Kendall (nee herring) used to Call
Maurice ‘her favourite uncle’ when she visited ‘Willow Grange’ when her
girls were at school at Annesley, Bowral, and was always fond of him as
those who knew him were.
After leaving school, Maurice worked in Fiji
with C.S.R. before enlisting for the Boer War, were he rose to the rank of Captain with the light horse (not called that in the
Boer war). He was their Journalist. He rode a beautiful “Whaler” mare named Ruby, who at the end
of the war was sold to a Boar Farmer!
After the war finished, his position with C.S.R. was no longer
kept open for him, so with his cousins Arthur and Theo Thomas set out for
the New Hebridies where they started a coconut plantation. One cousin
Arthur Thomas died of fever. Life was primitive in those far off days and
the natives not always friendly. Maurice and his cousin Theo had to move
their beds around in their house as often a spear would be thrust through
the walls at night. Later on Maurice had his own plantation.
As time went by on both Mabel and Maurice Had a good relationship
with the natives of the New Hebridies. Mabel had a helper in the house- a
young married woman with her own baby much the same age as Helen. She
carefully copied how Mabel cared for her baby, - bathing, feeding etc and
learned quickly the new ways of her mistress. She was a friend to Mabel who
was often lonely for her old friends and family in Sydney- particularly her
dear mother. Like wise Maurice had native men in his employ whom he got
along well with, I can remember a Presbyterian missionary family- (a
married couple with children) visiting us at ‘Willow Grange’ bringing news
of the old men, back to my Grandfather. One particular man ‘David’ seemed
to have been a good friend sent his regards. Maurice would have been in his
70’s at the time. Maurice never returned to the New Hebridies although he
would have loved to, but instead in his usual unselfish fashion gave what
little money he had to those who needed help.
Maurice used to return to “Rosemount” to help Charlie and family
with the shearing etc. He also visited brother Sam who managed ‘Llanillo’
at Walgett. The family had a holiday cottage at Corimal called “Thalasa”.
Which in Greek means ‘by the sea’, here the family holidayed- sometimes
Maurice alone or Mabel and the girls. Maurice had a house cow, which kept him
tied to the place.
Maurice was a loving father to his girls but did not have an easy
home life as many of his aspirations were vetoed by Mabel. He was very
interested in politics and the old National party wanted him to stand for
pre-selection but Mabel would not allow this. Despite the friction Mabel
and Maurice were “in love” with each other and had ‘good times’ as well as
‘bad’ in the see-saw of married life.
Maurice grew sweeter with age (I can only remember this side
of him) and with his failing sight, was almost blind when he passed away at
the age of 89. He too had a good Christian faith. The Witts family were originally de Witt- French Huguenots
Protestants in a predominately Roman Catholic country- who were persecuted
to the extent that those who could, fled the country.
John de Witt (Old
ancestor of the Witts family) fled to Holland
and practically managed the affairs of Holland
between 1650 and 1672. An account of this time is published in “The Story of
the Nations” by James E. Thorold Rogers, published in 1886. Eventually the
remnants of the family escaped to England
after John and his brother Cornelius were assassinated. From Yorkshire
came the family, who later were pioneers in the Monaro district.
It was from “Cornelius” side where the family connection came from.
Aunty Nan told me this.
When these interesting details came to light, Mabel and Maurice too
perhaps were keen to include “de Witt in their youngest daughter’s name, so
Nancy was
saddled with – Nancy Mabel de Witt Witts -?
The Hassall Family
Eric James- Husband of Nancy Mabel Witts-
was one of the very early families to settle in the Colony of NSW. They
have this Month (May 1989) had their Bi- Centennial Family Re union Held
over 3 days at Camden NSW. Many of the old Hassall; graves can be found at
Cobbity NSW.. Rev Hassall married Rev Samuel Marsden’s daughter, She
started the first Sunday school in NSW. He was known as “The Galloping
Parson” whose parish was so large that he had to gallop to get to different
destinations for the church services! As an example, it was from the parish
of Cobbity that he would take service at Sutton Forest NSW. Many other
clergy and missionaries in following generations have kept the Hassall name
linked with the church. One of Eric’s aunts was a missionary in India
for many years.
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