[Editor: These obituaries were published in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal (Dandenong, Vic.), 24 January 1883. The obituaries are for Weston Phillips, John Lord, and Margaret Edmonds.]
Deaths.
Among those removed from among us by death during the past few days, not the least regretted will be Mr. Weston Phillips. After many vicissitudes and changes in his colonial career, not the least of which was his journey in search of Burke and Wills, the explorers, with the party led by Mr Howitt, he settled down in Dandenong where by his extreme kindness of heart and his disinterestedness in discharge of his duty he won the love and esteem of all with whom he came in contact with. His sudden death by being thrown from a horse, will shock many among us who fondly hoped that at some not far distant date he would return to us, and resume his former position where his many kindly qualities were so markedly felt. His early life was from choice a bushman, and towards its end he returned to the same, and in every sense of the word, died in harness.
Since our last issue another old and respected colonist has passed away, viz., John Lord of Manor House Farm, Bangholme Road, near Dandenong, better known as plain “John Lord”, who died 17th January from heart disease, aged sixty-four years. He was a native of Oldham, England, and kept the Dog and Duck Inn in that town. He came to Melbourne and kept the Young Queen Hotel, Pentridge, a quarter of a century since. He then bought the land at Government auction sale, being part of Wedge’s Station. He has left one son, Mr. Robt. Lord, Druggist, and two daughters, married, all living in Oldham. Their mother Mrs. Lord died 19th December 1872.
Mrs Edmonds was an old resident of Eumemmerring, and though her business did not bring her in contact with many of us, yet those who did know her, respected her many kindly qualities. Her direct manner, her extreme concern for those who were in trouble and her generosity where she thought that such need existed are well known to most of us. Her departure leaves a gap in the ranks of “manly women,” of which the colony of old could boast a goodly number.
Source:
South Bourke & Mornington Journal (Dandenong, Vic.), 24 January 1883, p. 2
Editor’s notes:
The name of the “Mrs Edmonds … of Eumemmerring” referred to in this article, is believed to be Margaret Edmonds. This was determined by checking death notices in newspapers, as well as the official death records.
The Victoria Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages listed three deaths for people with the surname Edmonds in the year 1883 (there were no deaths listed for the similar surname of Edmunds):
1) Ivy Pear Edmonds (aged 2, died in Carlton).
2) John Edmonds (aged 74, died in Sale).
3) Margaret Edmonds (aged 52, née Henderson, died in St Kilda).
The wording of the obituary for Mrs. Edmonds seemed to indicate that it was written regarding an older woman (e.g. in her 70s, 80s, or 90s), by referring to her as “an old resident” and being part of “the colony of old”; however, aside from Margaret Edmonds, no other record of a woman with the surname of Edmonds dying in Victoria in 1883 could be located. It is possible that she was regarded as “an old resident” at the age of 52, possibly from having lived in the area for a long time.
A search of the “Family notices” on Trove for January 1883 revealed some death notices for Margaret Edmonds. She was referred to as being from Dandenong (Eumemmerring is located south of Dandenong). She died in the Carlisle Hotel, Carlisle street, Balaclava (Balaclava is located east of St. Kilda), on 15 January 1883, and was buried in the St. Kilda Cemetery.
Therefore it appears that the Mrs. Edmonds referred to in this article was Margaret Edmonds.
See: “Death”, The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.), 16 January 1883, p. 2 [“EDMONDS. — On the 15th inst., Carlisle Hotel, Carlisle street, Balaclava, Mrs Margaret Edmonds, of Dandenong, aged 52 years. R.I.P.”]
“Funerals”, The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.), 16 January 1883, p. 4 [“Mrs. Margaret Edmonds, of Dandenong … place of interment, St. Kilda Cemetery”]
“Deaths”, The Age (Melbourne, Vic.), 17 January 1883, p. 1
“Search your family history”, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Victoria
Robt. = an abbreviation of “Robert”
[Editor: Changed “Burke and Wills” to “Burke and Wills,” (added a comma), “Mr Howitt. He” to “Mr Howitt, he”, “some not far distant” to “some not far distant date” (the latter phrase was inserted as per its use in the same newspaper in another issue). The newspaper page, that this article was sourced from, was poorly scanned, and therefore some words are not clear and have had to be guessed at (although the context of the sentences means that these insertions should be quite accurate); the following insertions were used: “who died”, “disease, aged”, “her generosity”, “such need”, and “goodly number” (the last phrase could be “goodly few”; however, another usage of that phrase could not be located in issues of that newspaper, whilst a search for “goodly number” gave 69 results).]
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