J is for Joseph

 

A Christian name found many times in my maternal family tree and still being passed down.

 

The name Joseph is a biblical name. Its earliest origins can be traced back to the Old Testament of the Bible, where it was defined as: “he will add” in Hebrew. 

Origin: The name Joseph comes from the Hebrew verb yasaf (to increase). 

In the Old Testament, Joseph is a favoured son of Jacob and Rachel. And in the New Testament, Joseph the carpenter has the role of father to Jesus. 

 

I have checked back to find the Josephs in my mother’s line, start in the Partington Family in the early 1700s:

#52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 46, Prompt: 'Random Facts'

Week 46 Prompt: Random Facts

One: 

I never knew that I had relatives who lived in and around Wales – the Monmouth area.

In 2004, my brother was on a retreat and caretaking a house in Wales for an English friend.  He suffered from Myasthenia Gravis and on deteriorating took himself to the hospital in Abergavenny where he unexpectedly died not long after on 09 October.  He was 63 years old and had been ill intermittently for a few years.  

Neville Hill Hospital, Abergavenny, Wales

So, when I was researching and found that my grandmother Palmer Mum’s mother’s side of the family originally came from Ross on Wye and lived in and around that area, I felt like my brother had completed a family circle. Wales/Herefordshire to Australia and back to Wales.

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Two:

My grandmother Violet Palmer and I also have something in common.  I only found out on a Trove search (good old Trove).

When I was four years old, I had a machinery accident.  My family was visiting an orange orchard near Mildura, the Vic/NSW border.  My sister and I were in the packing shed and should have been safe there as we had a similar environment at home.  However, being a bit bored whilst the adults talked, we started getting rid of the foliage caught at the feeding end of the grader.  Next minute my left arm was dragged into the machine through the rotating cogs. 

It could not be removed so they had to reverse the machine and support it coming out.  What a mangled mess – hanging together by some skin.  Mum held my tightly wrapped arm on her lap and cuddled me as best she could in the front seat of our Holden car. As we were nowhere near a doctor Dad drove frantically to a town where one was available, and he checked my arm. Bleeding was stopped, and bandages applied with a splint. I guess I was given painkillers too.

Then Dad raced back to Mooroopna Hospital near Shepparton and Dr Dickman operated on me.  He saved my arm from amputation – apparently, I was in theatre for hours. He was a brilliant surgeon to be working in a country hospital and I was very lucky to have him.

Thus, to come across the following article in Trove was a real surprise as no-one had ever mentioned it – and maybe didn’t know.

“A little girl two years of age, the daughter of Mr. A.S. Palmer, of Jindivick, had her right hand nearly cut off by a chaff cutter which she and her brothers were playing on Friday evening last. She was attended on Saturday morning by Dr. Herberts. of Warragul, and under his able treatment there is every reason to hope that her hand will soon be all right again, although, at first sight, the doctor thought amputation would be necessary.”

Trove. Violet Palmer accident - Warragul Guardian, Thursday, Nov 17, 1881. Page 2 Article.

Grandma Violet Palmer (Crop from wedding photo, Jan 1904)

#52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 41, Prompt - 'Sports'

Week 41:  'Sports'

I haven’t come across any famous sportstars whilst doing my ‘genea’ research, so once again I will think laterally.

My own family was quite sporty.

Brother Bill had trophies from Haileybury College where he completed his secondary schooling - cross country running, billiards and table tennis.

My sister Fran and I both played school hockey in winter, in summer we did swimming and played tennis. Both of us participated in the Interschool sports each year, in athletics as well as swimming. 

  Shepparton Swimming Pool where our school sports were held.

We were very active at home living on the farm and entertained ourselves most of the time.  We had bike and roller skate races.  We played table tennis in the ‘Big Room’.  Lots of ball games, including ‘Sevens’ against the wall and tennis practice using a tennis ball on an elastic tied to an old iron base.  We swam in the channels and climbed trees. When I think back to it now – it was a great childhood.

Jim Richards and George Pearce - two cousins mucking about in the Orrvale channel

Once we were older and had moved into town we played squash – a fairly new game at the time.  We enjoyed bowling at the new Tenpin Alley.  Mum and I played tennis for the Church comp. and I played evening Badminton in a district comp. which I really enjoyed, as it became a social evening after the games. 

When my parents retired to Kingscliff NSW, they played lawn bowls and indoor bowls with neighbours and friends.