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I am searching for any possible extended family connections for my great great grandmother, Ellen Besa O'Sullivan. She emigrated to Australia sometime around 1856, marrying Julius Gustav Nenke, a Tinsmith, in 1857. They lived at Greenock in the Barossa Valley in South Australia.   Her father was Patrick O'Sullivan, and she had a brother, Michael, also in Australia.  She died in 1896.                                   

 I have a baptism record of an Ellen O'Sullivan of Boherbue, born 1835, with father as Patrick, mother Catherine White, and a sister, Julie born 1837, but I have no real connecting evidence that she is the one, as there are quite a few Ellen O'Sullivans born around that time near Mallow.

I am hoping that her second given name, Besa, (as per her marriage certificate) might possibly help in connecting her somewhere.    I also have a photo available.  

Hoping someone may have some knowledge of her,

Jo-ann Hoare.                

 

Saturday 22nd Mar 2014, 09:43AM

Message Board Replies

    • Hi Jo-Ann
    •  
    • Ellen Besa Catherine O'Sullivan
    •  
    • Birth:  14 Jun 1835 - Cork, Ireland
    • Marriage:  1857 - Tanunda, South Australia, Australia
    • Death:  23 Sep 1896 - Greenock, South Australia, Australia
    • Parents:  Patrick OSullivan, Catherine White
    • Spouse:  Gustav Robert Julius Nenke

     

     

    Brendan

    www.researchireland.com

    BrendanJoseph

    Saturday 22nd Mar 2014, 12:59PM
  • Hello Brendan, Thank you so much for your reply confirming Ellen's details. I have not been able as yet to identify which ship she came out to Australia on, and I have long wondered if there might be any traces of the family living around Boherbue prior to emmigration, or extended family connections who remained there. Might her name Besa be a common Cork first name or surname in use at that time or traditional in another part of Ireland perhaps?  With the pattern of family names, might it be traditionally from Ellen's father or mother?

    Cheers, Jo-ann.

    Saturday 22nd Mar 2014, 11:23PM
  • Hello Ann,

     

    Besa is short for Elizabeth

     

    Brendan

    BrendanJoseph

    Sunday 23rd Mar 2014, 09:51AM
  • Hi Jo-ann,

    Ellen is my great great grand mother. Your details agree with the information I have from the South Australia BDM index and her marriage certificate. She died in Greenock, South Australia. Ellen and Julius had 11 children, 5 of whom survived infancy.

    I would be interested in a copy of the photo.

    Regards

    Peter

    Monday 2nd Mar 2015, 05:31AM
  • Hi
    Have you seen the attached articles from Trove?

    Bunyip (Gawler, SA : 1863 - 1954), Friday 20 May 1938, page 4
    NationalA .Romance Out of the Past
    'The Leader,' Angaston, has a
    pretty jstory concerning a Greenock
    couple, told by the son, Mr. P. J.
    Nenke. He, was caught making a new
    tank to replace the old galvanised one
    made over 68 ago, and which
    has just gone out of commission. 'He
    told this story- of his father:-  
    Father often spoke about the tank,
    how he had driven to Gawler with his
    horse and cart, to get the iron, only
    to find that it was oval instead of
    circular. Back it went to be re-rolled.
    Iron in those days carried about three
    times the coating of that in use today.
    Pointing to the house roof, he said the
    iron had been in position for about 
    80 years, and did not yet leak any
    where. Known as Scotch iron, it had
    a thick rough coat of spelter.
    His father started as a tinsmith at
    Tanunda, then decided to go to Greenock. 
    During the day he was a mason's laborer for the erection of his
    new home at Greenock. At night he
    walked to Tanunda, worked as a tin
    smith till the early hours, and then,
    after a brief spell, walked back to
    Greenock for another day's work. He
    was a walking champion. Often, with
    measured stride, he would walk to
    Gawler and return with about 1 cwt.
    of tinsmith's requisiteson
    hisshould er. ('The Bunyip' had reminiscences
    recently of Pastor Dost of Rosedale
    doing a similar performance). Mr.
    Nenke senr. came from Germany but
    was not long in the new country be
    fore he met a charming Irish girl.
    Miss Ellen O'Sullivan, who knew
    nothing of German, whilst he was lost
    in the English tongue. Deep affection
    easily overcame the obstacle, and be
    fore long they were married. In the
    new home they made themselves understand 
    by signs while the little lady
    taught her husband her language, and
    with equal avidity learnt his. She was
    for she said it
    very happy over
    it,
    too, for she said it
    opened up for her a new world of
    literature. Till her declining years
    she subscribed to a journal with a
    German 'Beilage' (supplement).

    Thu 12 May 1938 
    Page 4 
    Pioneer Romance Found No Bar in Languages

    Kerstin

    Maggie

    Wednesday 28th Aug 2024, 10:45PM

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