Jeremiah McCarthy : Short Biography

McCARTHY Jeremiah

Born: County Cork 1825
Marriage certificate gives his age as 38 in January 1863 (DoB 1825) but death certificate states he was 43 when he married Mary HANLON, which would make his DoB 1820. At the Inquest into his death, his son John says he is 60 (1825), however the policeman gives his age as 56 (DoB 1829). The Death certificate (written by registrar) gives his age as 66 (DoB 1819). The manifest of passengers on the “Red Jacket” gives his age as 39 in 1862 (DoB 1823).

Parents: He states that his parents are John McCARTHY (fisherman) and Hannah CRONIN. They have two of the most common surnames in the County.

Christening: 14th June 1838 at the parish church in Inchigeelagh Parish County Cork.

Married: Jeremiah married Mary HANLON on Sunday 25th January 1863 at Kyneton. She gave her age as 22 and was a spinster. They both gave their address as Taradale. Officiating minister was Rev Fr Horatio GEOGHEGAN, the first Catholic priest trained in Melbourne. He was ordained by the nearest bishop, being in Hobart.

Migration: Marriage certificate states that his first wife died in 1855 and death certificate states he had been in the colony of Victoria for 22 years. Estimated year of arrival would be 1863, so his first wife would have died in Ireland. He travelled to Victoria on the “Red Jacket” with children Honora and John, arriving in December 1862. Mary HANLON and her brother Maurice with his twin sister Johanna were on the same ship. Maurice signed as witness on the marriage certificate with Rosanna DAVEY.

Children: The marriage certificate states that he has “3 living and 3 dead” children, but only 2 are on the shipping manifest with him, Honora aged 7 (DoB 1855) and John aged 8 (DoB 1854). If his first wife died in 1855, Honora would be the youngest. His will mentions his older children (John, James, William) living in South Australia and "of full age"; they were in Petersburg, now called Peterborough. John said at the Inquest that he had come from Adelaide to visit his father. Honora is not mentioned in the will, but is on the death certificate two years earlier. The death certificate states his children as being: (1st marriage) Honora 32, John 30, Mary 26, (2nd) James 22, William 20, Catherine 17, Johannah 16, Ellen 11, Patrick 9, Margaret 7, Elizabeth 1. Ellen is called Eliza in the probate documents. Mary is not mentioned anywhere but on the death certificate, and her age of 26 puts her date of birth at 1859, after the death of Jeremiah’s first wife in 1855. In any case, she does not appear in the ship’s manifest as either HANLON or McCARTHY.

Work: An employee of Victorian Railways, Jeremiah (and Mary) managed the crossing gates at Taradale. They also ran the Post Office there, and Katherine (Kate) took that over after her mother's death. Son John was employed by the National Railways and was employed at Peterborough, South Australia, during the construction of the Trans-Australia Railway.

Will: Jeremiah McCARTHY was in possession of freehold land to which he held title at the time of his death, according to the manager of the National Bank of Australasia in Taradale, Mr Ralph CARR, consisting of over 9 acres in Taradale (allotment 3 section 14) valued at 20 pounds. He left this land to his children (Mary HANLON pre-deceased him), eleven being mentioned.

Inquest: Jeremiah had come to Melbourne to meet his son John, who was arriving by train from Adelaide on the night of 26th September 1885. They were to meet at the Spencer Street Railway Hotel and Jeremiah had left that morning to meet him. John said that he missed his father and presumed that he had gone to Taradale without him He had in fact been run over by a horse-drawn cab at 7:25pm, and died later on 28th September (12:45am) in Melbourne Hospital (Gipps Ward) of his injuries.

Burial: Jeremiah was buried at Elphinstone Cemetery on 1st October 1885. The gravestone reads: In memory of Mary wife of Jeremiah McCarthy native of Co. Cork Ireland who died 27th May 1884. Aged 40 years. Also the aforesaid J. McCarthy who died through an accident 28th Sep. 1885. Aged 66.  Also their son Michael aged 18 months. (Mary died giving birth to Elizabeth, who was 1 year old when her father died.)