Mary Crean : Short Biography

Mary Crean was born 14 May 1823. Her parents were Daniel Crean and Elizabeth Longfield. She lived in Douglas street, Cork until her marriage to Hugh Kelly in 1840 in The Diocese of Cork and Ross. They had three children but only Elizabeth Kelly survived. After Hugh died in 1853, Mary followed her sister Elizabeth to Australia. There she married John Hide. They had five children and made a living as cook and labourer in Western New South Wales. Returning from a pastoral lease in 1865, the family became lost and all of the children died. Mary and John were rescued only by luck. The next year John Hide was employed as a ship cook and drowned. Mary married a third time to James Hill. She worked as a baker in Majorca in Victoria.