Monday, September 15, 2008
Shipping record of family of John Bourke & Judith/Johanna Meehan
Above: This shipping record raises more questions about our John and Judith Bourke than it answers. Family legend states that they arrived on the ship 'Duchess of Northumberland' in 1841, and we know that John's wife was known as both Judith and Johanna in the 1840s-1850s. So, here we find John Bourke,34 years old, a Roman Catholic labourer from Tipperary who can both read and write. With him is his 23 year old housemaid wife, Johanna Bourke, also from Tipperary. But what's this?!! A seven and a half year old son named William??? Where did he come from? There has never been mention of him in the family stories, and I can't find mention of him in the death indexes for Victoria. For William to have been Judith/Johanna's son, he would have had to be born when she was about 15-16 years old...if he IS the son of John Bourke, I would make a guess that when John married Judith Meehan he was a widower with a young son. I will follow this line of thinking up....just as soon as the Irish parish records come down in price and develop more precise indexes!!No child named William appears on the death certificate of Judith Meehan Bourke, and John died just months before civil registration would have required his children to have been named on his death certificate. A mystery to be solved!
STOP PRESS!!! Today, January 4, 2010, I am delighted to announce that we have found the mysterious William Bourke!!! His parentage is not definitely solved, but I have discovered that he lived until he was 49 years old, farming at Burramine with his step-mother Judith Bourke and half-siblings.He died in the Beechworth Insane Asylum in 1884, having been committed in 1877. His story deserves a better telling, so I will open a new blog entry and devote it to poor William Bourke.
Bourke land holdings in Boosey parish
Above: A rough sketch of the location of Bourke land holdings in the parish of Boosey. Taken from official parish maps.
Portrait of Paddy Bourke
The only definite portrait of Paddy Bourke, this photograph hung for years in the home of Paddy's grandson, Patrick 'Bob' Sheridan ( who resided in Paddy's former Victoria Hotel in Tungamah). Paddy's Sheridan grandchildren always thought it was Ned Kelly, having been raised on the story of how Ned crossed the Murray to Jerilderie using Paddy's boat behind the Burramine Pub.
Margaret Bourke, daughter Bridget Sheridan and Sheridan grandchildren.
Above: Margaret Bourke in the centre of the photograph, with her daughter and grandchildren around her. Left to right: Mary Frances Sheridan, John Aloysius ‘Jack’ Sheridan, Margaret Bourke, Patrick James ‘Bob’ Sheridan, Bridget Mary Frances Bourke Sheridan and Bridget Sheridan.
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