Letters AD Todd

Leila dear,  I have written a lot of notes re this family history and now I will try to the best of my ability to make them plain as I can for you, and even if it is too late for your sister-in-law’s trip-maybe you will make the trip someday yourself.  In the first place mother’s maiden name was Letitia Connelly.  Her father was George Porteus Connelly, of Belfast; north of Ireland-and he married Elizabeth Steele of the same place.  There were five children of the marriage- four daughters and one son, all born in Ireland.  In order; Elizabeth, Jane, Mary and Letitia and son George Porteus Connelly.

As far as I know, Grandma Connelly had three brothers.  One uncle, John Steele went to America, one was a Dr Steele and another brother came to Australia.  Her father was a sergeant in the army and her husband was Captain Connelly ( I put Connelly, I am not sure if the name is spelt with one n or two, maybe you know.)  Both Sergeant Steele and Captain Connelly fought side by side in the Battle of Waterloo. (Mother’s father and grandfather.)  Mothers father was wounded which caused his death years later.  After his death, Grandma Connelly came to Australia with her family to find her brother ( the Dr brother had also died) to go home to Ireland to claim and sign for money and property that belonged to the family.  She found him but just as he was prepared to go home to Ireland he was accidentally killed, so that ended that and all the property was lost.

Grandma Connelly, being a nurse, took up nursing again to support the family (midwifery).  I think Mother was 14 yrs of age when they came to Australia.   The family settled in Sydney but later one daughter, Jane, came up to O’Connell and took a position at O’Connell store and later married from there, then later Mother came up to O’Connell to keep her company, met Father (D.S.Todd) and was later married at Kelso church of England on July 11^th 1865.

I think she was only 16 years and 3 months old.  She was married 48 years and died on the 29^th of July 1913 aged 64 years.  I do not know what boat the family came to Australia on, but I know it was a sailing boat, and they were about 4 months on the water.  The brother who came to Australia was in charge of the first road contracts over the Blue Mountains at Glenrock.  The one who went to America, uncle John Steele, later made his way to Salt Lake City (he and his wife and two children), they were pioneers, the two children were killed by Indians on the way there.  Later there was another child born, Elizabeth, and she was the first white child born at Salt Lake City.  Uncle John farming etc there, later became a wealthy man.  He wrote many letters to Mother and wanted to finance the whole family over to America.

Many of his letters and his photo are still out at ‘Mountain View’.  I will look them up and see if there is anything that might be of interest to you.  He lived a long life after his wife passed away and by his letters, seemed to be a very fine old Christian gentleman.  I also have photo of Captain Connelly in uniform (a handsome man) and a lovely painting of Grandma Connelly, a large one, beautiful too.

As for Grandfather Todd, (my Dad) I often heard him speak of Manchester, England, but I cannot say for sure which part they came from.  I only know he was 9 years of age when he landed in Australia and the boat (sailing ship) they came out in was the ‘John Bright’ and they were four months on the water.  There was my grandfather William George Todd and grandmother and four children, in order; David Smith Todd 9 years, Mary Ann Todd, Luin Todd, and Edwin Todd.  They stayed in Sydney for some time and eventually made their way to Bathurst, no aeroplanes or fancy trains those days.  I only know of a little covered wagon drawn by two bullocks and it took them three weeks to reach Bathurst, then further to Wellington to be boss at a big shearing shed and carted wool from there to Sydney by bullock team down George Street to Circular Quay.  He finally settled out where Herb Todd lives at the present time (in his nice ‘just built’ new home and big flash motorcar.  The second he has built on the farm as his partner lives in the other.)

Then my father, when a young man of 19 years selected up where the present home’ Mountain View’ now stands and where he and mother lived out their lives.  Not under modern circumstances, but from a two-roomed thatched cottage to the present home built 60 years ago.  They were pioneers indeed and those that came in at the head of the hunt reap the benefit- well so it goes.  At the time when father selected at ‘Mountain View’ you could only select a two-acre block at a time and then keep adding to it and then lease land joining as special lease, which you could convert to into conditional purchase, buy it and finally call it your own-all by your own efforts, which my father did.  At the time when Father settled at Stoney Creek the place was swarming with Chinese after gold and smuggling it back to China in dead men’s bones.  Later came the bushrangers, which made the district quite lively, but thank goodness they had all disappeared before my time.  And now I am the last of the tribe of D.S.Todd’s family and my cousin Herbert is the last of uncle Luin’s family.

 My dad, David Smith Todd was 9 years old when he landed in Australia, his birthday was 21^st July.  He died on 26^th January 1929 aged 87 years and as that is 26 years since his death, it would be 104 years since he came to Australia, so I suppose you could trace what ship the family came out on, as far as I know it was the ‘John Bright’.--------------------- Letter unfinished.

              --------------------Believed to be the remainder-----------------

Well now,re the Twemlow family(A splendid family at that)  First your dear Mother and Dad, then Aunt Minnie and Uncle Edwin Twemlow and I think about 6 years after Edwins death, Aunt Minnie married Tom Thoroughgood, a cousin of Edwins-both splendid men, they lived at Daisy Bank close to Goulburn.  Aunt Minnie only lived about 16 months, then Tom married again the third time-He had married before and had 2 daughters- both married to a Mr Gray( each) same name and live about Goulburn.  I just mention this in case you would care to know- Uncle Leo Twemlow lives with his daughter in Goulburn- his wife died some months ago- his address is c/o Mrs Oberg Lagoon St, Goulburn, he is 80 years in this old world I think and Aunt Ada is 87, the last of the family.  I often think it’s a pity your poor old Dad didn’t live longer to see better times and have a better time.

                                    On the reverse of this page.

August 1^st 1955

Please let me know if you receive this all OK.

Dear Leila  I will write to Essie Mitchell, my cousin at 48 Hillcrest Avenue Gladesville.  She was Essie Connelly and will know the correct way to spell the name.  As soon as I hear from her I will d--?    ( Later) just found the name is Connelly