Remembrance: Ellen Calnan nee Boyle 1833 - 1896

Cir 1833 - 1896

Today, I am remembering my great great grandmother, Ellen CALNAN nee BOYLE, who died at Violet Town, Victoria, 128 years ago, on 14 November 1896, at Violet Town, Victoria, Australia.

Ellen was sent to the Donegal Union Workhouse, at about 15 years old, after the death of her father, when her mother was no longer able to care for her. Ellen was selected from the workhouse girls to start a new life in Australia under the Earl Grey Emigration Scheme.

The Lady Kennaway carrying Ellen and another 190 Earl Grey Girls, arrived in Australia on 6 December 1848. On arrival, Ellen was employed as a maid, by a wealthy sheep grazier. Almost 12 months later, she married William Calnan in Melbourne, and they eventually settled and raised their large family of 12 children, on the farm they developed from nothing at Violet Town.

My great great grandmother Ellen CALNAN died at Violet Town, in 1896, thirteen years after the death of her husband, William.

Ellen CALNAN was highly respected in the community, as can be seen by the following obituary that appeared in many local papers around the area.

Obituary

from: The Violet Town Sentinel, 20 November 1896

Mrs Calnan, a resident of the district for about 40 years, passed away on Friday last, death resulting from influenza and pneumonia. Deceased, who was 63 years of age, and a native of Donegal, Ireland, arrived in the colony early in the century, and soon afterwards settled in the district, where she resided up to the time of her death.

During her residence here, she made a large circle of friends, by her kind and sympathetic disposition, being always ready to help the needy. She was a strict adherent of the Roman Catholic Church, and her life was an example worthy of copying by those with whom she came in contact.

During the last few months, she had been ailing slightly, not to such an extent as would lead anyone to believe that death was so near. Therefore, her demise was unexpected, and came as a shock to her many friends.

Deceased was a sister of Mrs. Boyle, and leaves a large family – all of whom are grown up – to mourn her loss. Deep sympathy is expressed for the bereaved ones. Her remains were interred in the local cemetery on Sunday afternoon. The funeral cortege being one of the largest ever seen in Violet Town. The mourners at the grave were led by the very Rev. Dean Davy of Benalla and the mortuary arrangements were satisfactorily carried out by Riddell Bros.

Ellen Calnan nee BOYLE is buried in the Violet Town Cemetery with no headstone.

Here is an article I wrote for Projectkin about Ellen Boyle: Famine and the Earl Grey Girl in My Family