'I Have the Honor to be, Sir'

After a good many years of research I managed late last year to complete another book in my family history research series:

Ison, R.L. (2011) ‘I have the Honor to be Sir.  The Coleman family and their Irish origins’. Self Published. 597p. (ISBN 978-09551270-1-4).

These works are as much about social history as they are about family history. Copies have been placed in the main, relevant Libraries in NSW, WA, Victoria, Tasmania, Canberra, Galway, Dublin, Missouri and London.

From the Preface:

This document is built around the family of Joseph Coleman, my Irish great, great grandfather.  It begins in Australia and delves back to Ireland before moving via the USA back to Australia.  To a lesser extent, this research is also about the spouses of the Coleman men and women, particularly, for example, Isabella Mercer, my Scottish great, great grandmother and Annie Darcy, wife of Joseph’s brother Daniel Coleman.  Despite considerable documentary evidence both of my great, great grandparents, remain somewhat elusive characters – no family members in any of the many branches appear to have compiled or recreated the story of our Coleman ancestors, either in writing or orally.  To some extent each generation was the bearer of secrets they did not wish to be known or told.  Joseph's arrival in Australia in the 1850s and some aspects of his Irish origins remain a mystery.  However, my research has shed considerable light on Joseph’s father, Edward Coleman, fortuitously wounded at the Battle of Akbar in Egypt in 1801.  I mean fortuitous in the sense that it gave rise to records which I was able to find.  But more importantly it entitled him to a pension which may have been the means by which he and his family survived the famine. 

A table of contents follows:

             614Table of Contents

Preface                                                                                                                                                  

Part 1                                                                                                                                                     

1. Joseph and Isabella Coleman                                                                                                           

1.1.        Introduction                                                                                                                            

1.2         Early years in Australia

1.2.1      Joseph Coleman - arrival   

1.2.2      Joseph Coleman – early records                                                                                     

1.2.3      Isabella Mercer                                                                                                           

1.2.4      In Tasmania - about 1859 to 1863                                                                       

1.2.5      Policing at Fingal                                                                                                   

1.2.6      Death of Joseph’s father in Ireland                                                                      

1.2.7      Leaving Tasmania                           

1.3               Teaching in NSW - a summary          

1.3.1      The organization of schools in NSW                                                                   

1.3.2      St James’s training school and the Church of England schools                             

1.3.3      Joseph’s first appointment         

1.4              Denominational school at North Kurrajong                                                                   

1.5              Ryde Church of England Denominational School                                                       

1.5.1      Conflict between members of the school board and Isabella Colman                

1.5.2      Escape to Tasmania                                                                                                

1.5.3      Applying for promotion                                    

1.6               Richmond Church of England Denominational School                                              

1.6.1      The history of the Richmond Denominational school                                           

1.6.2      At Richmond – the benign early years                                                                   

1.6.3      Disturbing times at Richmond                                                                              

1.6.4      Reflections on Rev. Dr Woolls                                                                           

1.7               Moorilda Public School                                                                                                  

1.7.1      Appointed as local postmaster                                                                                   

1.7.2      Attending to school matters                                                                                    

1.7.3      Building and making repairs to the school                                                              

1.7.4      Difficulties with promotion                                                                                      

1.7.5      Reports relating to Isabella's illness                                                                         

1.7.6      Influential friends                                                                                                     

1.8         Mortdale - Joseph's final school                                                                                       

1.8.1      Joseph and the Mortdale school                                                                                

1.8.2      Promotion problems again                                                                                      

1.9.        Isabella's death and Joseph's remarriage                                                                         

1.9.1      Joseph's new family                                                                                               

1.9.2      Inspections and other incidents                                                                                

1.10       Retirement                                                                                                               

1.10.1    Joseph's will - and the much talked about legacy                                                   

1.11       Unresolved questions                                                                                                        

1.12       Main references                                                                                                        

1.13       Appendices                                                                                                                    

1.13.1    Joseph Coleman Family Tree                                                                               

1.13.2    Glossary of Terms associated with Schools in NSW 

Part 2                                                                                                                                                  

2. The Coleman Family in Ireland                                                                                                 

2.1         Edward Coleman, soldier                                                                                                     

2.1.1      North Mayo Militia muster and payroll records                                                   

2.1.2      Edward and the 13th Foot                                                                                     

2.2         Coleman records in County Mayo                                                                                       

2.3         Edward Coleman, farmer                                                                                                     

2.4         Edward Coleman, husband and father                                                                                 

2.4.1      The D’Arcy family and Clifden Castle                                                                     

2.4.2      Back to the family records                                                                                       

2.5         Hyacinth D’Arcy and the ‘evangelical milieu’ of Clifden                                                   

2.6         The famine in Clifden                                                                                                         

2.7         Summing up                                                                                                                         

2.8         Appendices                                                                                                                           

2.8.1      Search of National Archives PROCAT, Sunday 17 October, 2005                       

2.8.2      Posting by Maria Feerick on Genforum:                                                                  

2.8.3      Continental officers killed, captivated, wounded, and missing, in the

               actions of the 16th and 18th of August, 1780 (American War of Independence)             

Part 3                                                                                                                                                 

3. Daniel Coleman                                                                                                                              

3.1.        Early years in Australia – marriage to Annie Darcy                                                          

3.2         In Tasmania - about 1863 - 1871                                                                                          

3.3.        Bootmaking and family life in Ballarat                                                                               

3.4         Children of Daniel Coleman and Annie Darcy                                                                     

3.4.1      Joseph Jeremiah Coleman                                                                                         

3.4.2      Annie May Coleman                                                                                                

3.4.3      Margaret Coleman                                                                                                     

3.4.4      Edward Daniel Coleman                                                                                          

3.4.5      Edith Marian Coleman                                                                                             

3.4.6      Gilbert John Coleman                                                                                              

3.5         Daniel’s remarriage – Emily Wigley                                                                                    

3.6         Coleman and Shiells, ink manufacturer                                                                             

3.7         Retirement to Melbourne                                                                                                     

3.8         The children of Daniel’s second marriage                                                                          

3.8.1      Alice May Coleman                                                                                                 

3.8.2      Harry Richard Coleman                                                                                          

3.9         Concluding thoughts                                                                                                           

Part 4                                                                                                                                                 

4. Brothers and Sisters of Joseph and Daniel Coleman                                                                   

4.1         Edward Coleman                                                                                                                 

4.1.1      The Liberty Non-Sectarian Mission                                                                         

4.1.2      Sorting out the available records                                                                             

4.1.3      Edward and Catherine’s children                                                                          

4.1.4      Other records of interest                                                                                         

4.2         Ann Coleman                                                                                                                       

4.3         The children of Edward and Bridget Conneely                                                                   

4.3.1      Patrick Coleman                                                                                                  

4.3.2      Thomas Coleman                                                                                                  

4.3.3      Margaret Coleman                                                                                               

4.3.4      Daughter (?) Coleman (Mary Anne?)                                                              

4.3.5      Stephen Coleman (?)                                                                                              

4.3.6      Val Coleman                                                                                                             

4.3.7      Mary Ann Coleman                                                                                                 

4.4         Loose ends and unanswered questions                                                                               

Part 5                                                                                                                                                 

5. Edward Hyacinth Joseph Coleman                                                                                               

5.1         Following in his father’s footsteps                                                                                     

5.1.1      Becoming a pupil teacher                                                                                       

5.1.2      Pupil teachers in NSW                                                                                           

5.2         Upper Colo and Wheeny Creek                                                                                         

5.3         Mount Macquarie                                                                                                                

5.4         Trunkey Creek                                                                                                                      

5.4.1      Applying for travelling expenses and a new stove                                                   

5.4.2      Complaint against the teacher                                                                                 

5.4.3      Leave to attend mother’s funeral                                                                             

5.4.4      Arbor day enthusiasm                                                                                              

5.4.5      Dissatisfaction with current situation                                                                      

5.4.6      Complaints about cruelty 1893-94                                                                            

5.4.7      Horace Coleman becomes a pupil teacher                                                               

5.4.8      Ill-health                                                                                                                  

5.4.9      Running into debt                                                                                                     

5.5         Mulgoa Forest                                                                                                                    

5.6         Arcadia                                                                                                                                  

5.6.1      Correspondence from the files                                                                                

5.6.2      Insurmountable debts                                                                                             

5.6.3      The ‘great swindle’                                                                                                 

5.6.4      The final unravelling of a 27 year teaching career                                                 

5.7         Retirement and death                                                                                                           

5.8         The family of Edward Coleman and Lavinia Gee                                                            

5.8.1      Horace Coleman                                                                                                       

5.8.2      Lavinia Josephine Coleman                                                                                     

5.8.3      Edward Vere Coleman                                                                                            

5.8.4      [Edward] Hyacinth Rupert Coleman                                                                        

5.8.5.     Evelyn Coleman                                                                                                    

Part 6                                                                                                                                                 

6. Augustus Horatius Arthur Coleman                                                                                               

6.1         Gus's birth and early years                                                                                                   

6.2         Gus's teaching career - a summary                                                                                    

6.3         Teaching - the early years                                                                                                    

6.3.1      The first school                                                                                                        

6.3.2      Blackfriars, St Peters, Hurstville                                                                            

6.3.3      The Mila incident                                                                                                     

6.3.4      Transfer to the central coast and Hunter region                                                        

6.3.5      An interest in stories and poetry                                                                               

6.3.6      Stories from Black Hill                                                                                            

6.4         Marriage and family                                                                                                              

6.4.1      Other events at Black Hill                                                                                         

6.5         Leaving NSW and teaching in Western Australia                                                                

6.5.1      Belltrees - Gus's last NSW School                                                                           

6.5.2      Death of Margaret McKimm                                                                                  

6.5.3      The move to the West                                                                                               

6.5.4      To Mogumber                                                                                                           

6.5.5      Troubled times                                                                                                          

6.5.6      To Nannine                                                                                                               

6.5.7      To Rottnest Island                                                                                                    

6.6         The return East and the final illness                                                                                     

6.6.1      Matters concerning the children and other correspondence                                    

6.6.2      Gus's death and funeral                                                                                           

6.7         Widowhood and condolences for Jenny                                                                             

6.7.1      Working to support the family                                                                                  

6.8         Concluding remarks                                                                                                             

Part 7                                                                                                                                                   

7. Joseph Coleman’s Second Family                                                                                                   

7.1         Florence Gibbons Smith                                                                                                       

7.2         Eustace Charles St Clair Coleman                                                                                        

7.2.1      Becoming a Minister                                                                                                 

7.3          Gladys Josephine Coleman                                                                                            

7.4         Joseph and Florence’s grandsons                                                                                          

7.4.1      Frank Joseph Charles Marjason                                                                                

7.4.2      Leonard Cecil Marjason                                                                                            

7.4.3      Kenneth William Marjason                                                                                      

Part 8                                                                                                                                                   

8. The family of Gus Coleman and Jenny McKimm                                                                          

8.1         Isobella Dorothy Maude Coleman                                                                                        

8.2         Lilian Margaret May Coleman                                                                                              

8.3         Arthur Joseph Robert (Bill) Coleman                                                                                   

8.4         Edward Victor John Coleman                                                                                             

8.5         Constance Rebecca Mary Coleman