My great great grandmother, Margaret Guidera (1827-1906) was from Ardfinnan, Co. Tipperary. She emigrated to South Australia in 1849 with her sister and brother. I enjoyed reading about the life of Catherine Slevin. Thank you
References
Catherine Slevin was born on 12 April, 1846, to John Slevin and Margaret Kennedy, at Kilnafinch, Toomevara, Tipperary. The sponsors were James Slevin and Mary Quirke, most likely her uncle and aunt.
Catherine had 8 siblings, a number of whom died in infancy. Margaret, Andrew, Thomas, Mary and John appear to have survived childhood.
In 1867, Catherine followed in the footsteps of her elder sister Margaret and emigrated to Australia on the White Star. In 1871, Catherine married Michael Gilmartin in Colac, Victoria. He was also from Tipperary, and both their fathers were described as farmers.
Catherine and Michael lived the remainder of their lives in Colac, where Catherine's sister Margaret, now Hurley, had also settled, as had Michael's two sisters and their families. Catherine and Michael had 8 children; Thomas (d), Johanna, John, Michael, Mary, Kate, Thomas, and Andrew.
It seems that Catherine's cousin, Jeremiah Slaven, born to the aunt and uncle above, also emigrated to Victoria, via New Zealand, and possibly some of his brothers also.
Michael and Catherine prospered, buying a substantial amount of land in Liger and Moore St, and Michael supplied milk to the town. They rented out a number of properties, carted wood, grew potatoes, and Michael worked for the local council. Michael was part of a committee that organised the first Catholic Church in Colac. In later years, Catherine was unable to leave the house due to a heart condition. Reportedly her granddaughter did her daily errands, which always included buying Catherine a boston bun and a nip of brandy.
Catherine died in 1923 aged 76. She has many descendants in Australia and Gilmartin St, Colac, is named after the couple.
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Apr 1846 | |
| Date of Death | 1st Apr 1923 | |
| Mother (First Name/s and Maiden) | Margaret Kennedy | |
Comments
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Bernadette
Sunday 18th November 2018 08:32PM -
My GGG Grand Father and Mother were James Slevin and Margaret Quirk. My GG Grand Father was Jerimiah Slevin who immigrated to Australia via New Zealand. In the process he changed his surname from Slevin to Slaven. I am very curious as to why he would have done this. Any assistance or information would be greatly appreciated.
Mark S
Tuesday 14th January 2020 03:49AM -
Hi Mark,
Nice to meet a relative. The Australian records for Catherine Slevin show a wide variety of spellings; Slevin, Slavin, Slaven and even Sullivan. Most likely our ancestors were not highly literate and when they told an official their surname, it was without a preferred spelling and was simply written down with whatever spelling the official thought best. It means we need to search all variations when looking for records! Cheers Jess.
Jess Miller
Tuesday 14th January 2020 04:01AM -
Many thanks for those kind words Bernadette! Warm regards, Jess
Jess Miller
Tuesday 14th January 2020 04:02AM -
Hi Jess,
Thank you for your response, I suppose that would make us some kind of distant cousins.
I only recently learnt about my heritage through playing around on Ancestory. It would appear that my ancestors were centered at Kilnafinch. I will be visiting the UK later this year and intend a visit to Toomevara and the local area. I am sure it will be a fascinating journey.
Mark S
Tuesday 14th January 2020 06:59AM -
Hi Mark, that sounds very exciting, I have messaged you on Ancestry re your trip. Cheers Jess
Jess Miller
Tuesday 14th January 2020 09:22AM
