I am descended from Eliza Hickey from Tipperary. It’s unknown how or when Eliza came to Australia, or from which part of Tipperary she came. Her parents are Matthew Hickey and Ellen Condon, farmers. My research of Eliza's story keeps returning to the Earl Grey Scheme, but I cannot prove the link.
Eliza married on 16 September 1854 in St Francis' Church, Melbourne; she signed the register with her mark, and her occupation was ‘servant’. Fr Gerald A Ward conducted the service, of which Bartholomew Hayes and Margaret L were witnesses. Eliza and her husband Pierce Tobin (from Gowran, Kilkenny) travelled to the goldfields after their marriage and remained near Bendigo where they farmed. They had five children. Eliza died aged 74 in 1905.
| Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 1st Jan 1831 | |
| Date of Death | 1st Jan 1905 | |
| Place & Date of Marriage | Fr Gerald A Ward was the founder of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia. | VIEW SOURCE |
| New Type | In 2017, the wonderful Michael Gleeson who grew up in Thurles (an Ancestry DNA connection to my husband), searched Church Records for me: "It is my belief that the Matthew Hickey and Ellen Condon who had the children, Bridget (1835) and William (1838) in Golden are your ancestors. Ballyvada and Cloughleigh are areas in Golden very close to one another and divided by the river Suir. The recording of Church Records did not begin in Golden until 1833. As Matthew and Ellen were married before 1833 it is also likely that they had more children before 1833. Your Eliza was born before 1833. There was a Matthew Hickey married to a Mary Hayes in Golden in 1864. His father was Patrick Hickey. Was Patrick Hickey a brother to your Eliza? There was an Ellen Hickey from Cloughalea (different spelling to Cloughleigh) married a Thomas Brien in Golden in 1871. Her father was Thomas hickey. Was Thomas a brother to your Eliza? I have searched the whole of Ireland records and the Matthew Hickey and the Ellen Condon in Golden are the only married pair EVER recorded. Of course there are records not yet transcribed but I am still of the opinion that the Golden pair are yours. There was an 80 year old Thomas Hickey died in Cloughleigh Golden in 1892. Was he Eliza’s brother? If your Eliza was from Golden, there is no doubt that she was born before 1833. Also remember that Irish people were for the most part illiterate and they also did not accurately keep track of their ages. They were always two to five years older than their stated age." | |
