The Killion, Quinn and Hand Families of Port Macquarie and Kempsey and their Feeney Family

MyHeritage has introduced a new feature for subscribers....colouring your black and white photos in seconds!   Here are a few photos that we've seen before... Likely to be Rose Porter (nee Killion) with Cissy and Dattie Possibly Mary Jane Newton (nee Killion) Margaret Gersbach (nee Killion) Annie Quinn (nee Seward) Annie's husband and sons outside their business in Kempsey

Possibly Rosanna Porter (nee Killion) Rose Porter (nee Killion) died on 29 April 1919, aged 64, at her home in Telfourd Street Glebe.  Her cause of death is shown as "pneumonic influenza" which she had for 7 days. Rose was buried the following day in the Catholic  Cemetery at Rookwood.   Rosanna (Rose) was the oldest of the three daughters of John Killion and Jane Feeney. She was born in Port Macquarie about 1855.  We've never found a birth or baptismal registration for Rose. On 6 September 1882, Rose married Henry Porter in West Kempsey and their five  children were born there over the next 15 years. The family had moved to their home in Glebe by 1911. Their oldest son, Clement,  married Effie Wright in Glebe on 15 March 1911.   You can read more about Rose here. Rose was the first of the three daughters of John and Jane to succumb to the 1919 Spanish Flu Pandemic. The next daughter, Mary Jane Newton, died at her home...

We're back with more information about the Killion, Quinn and Hand families.  We're also welcoming members of the families of Edward and Thomas Feeney but more on that in the next post..... Henry Joseph (Harry) Porter died 98 years ago today.  He was the victim of "an unprovoked one punch attack" in George Street Sydney a few days short of his 32nd birthday. Harry Porter was the second son and fourth of the five children of Henry and Rose (nee Killion).  He was born on 30 November 1887 in Kempsey.  The family had moved to Sydney in the early 1900s and lived in Glebe.  Harry enlisted for the First World War on 8 September 1914 but these papers are marked as "deserted" on 23 November 1914.  He re-enlisted on 27 July 1915 and joined the 4th Infantry Division of the 20th Battalion.  He is described as 5 feet 5 3/4 inches, 136 lbs, ruddy complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair with tattoos on both forearms.   Harry served...

We have very few details of John and Jane's marriage other than the births of their five children. Edward John (Jack) was born about 1854 and Rosanna (Rose) about 1855.  However, we can't find any birth or baptism registrations for Jack or Rose.  Jack's granddaughter had his birth date recorded as 20 October 1854. Thomas was their third child.  His birth registration shows he was born on 10 April 1857 at "North Shore opposite the Town of Port Macquarie", John shows his occupation as "settler" and there were two "previous issue", John and Rosanna "both living". Mary Jane, their fourth child, was born on 25 October 1859. Margaret, was their fifth child.  Her birth registration shows she was born on 10 February 1862 at "North Shore, Port Macquarie".  Again John is shown as a "settler" and the previous issue are John (9), Rosanna (6), Thomas (5) and Mary Jane (2). Edward John is top ...

The worldwide influenza pandemic which occurred in 1918 and 1919 is believed to have claimed 40 million people.  The disease arrived in Australia through Victoria in early 1919 and spread to New South Wales by 27 January.  By the time it ended in September, more than 6000 people had died in the State.   The three daughters and one grandson of John Killion and Jane Feeney were amongst those who lost their lives.   On 05 July 1919 - 98 years ago today, Margaret Gersbach (nee Killion) was the last of the daughters of John and Jane to died from influenza.  Margaret was 57 years old.  Frank Gersbach jnr, Margaret's son, had died 11 weeks earlier from influenza.  He died on 18 April 1919, aged 29.  Both died at the family home, "Cronulla" 19 Northumberland Street Stanmore. So, it seemed timely to visit the homes where my great-grandmother, great uncle and my two 2nd great-aunts had died all those years ago. Clockwise from top left - Mar...

Now that we've covered each of the children from Jane Feeney's marriages to John Killion and Thomas Seward, here are the Killion, Porter, Newton, Gersbach, Quinn and Hand family charts in one place. Family of John Killion and Jane Feeny Family of Thomas Seward and Jane Feeny Family of Jack Killion and Ellen Johnson Family of Rose Killion and Henry Porter Family of Thomas Killion and Mary Jane Wood Family of Mary Jane Killion and Thomas Newton Family of Margaret Killion and Francis Gersbach Family of Annie Seward and Thomas Quinn Family of Matilda Seward and John Hand

Rosanna (Rose or Rosa) Killion is the second child and oldest daughter of John and Jane Killion. She was born in about 1855 in Port Macquarie, NSW. At this time, we can't locate either a photo or a NSW birth registration for Rose. On 06 September 1882, Rose married Henry Porter in Kempsey, NSW. Henry, the son of Clement and Mary Jane Porter, was born on 21 January 1853 in Port Macquarie. Rose and Henry had five children - Margaret Mary (Cissie), Clement William (Clem), Mary Jane (Dattie), Henry Joseph (Harry) and Walter Leo (Wal). The family of Rose and Henry Porter The 1913 Australian Electoral Roll shows that Rose and Henry were living at 21 Talfourd Street, Glebe, NSW. The three oldest children were married by this time. All were living in the inner west of Sydney. 1919 was a tragic year for the Killion family On 3 February 1919, Premier Nolman, referring to the Spanish Flu Pandemic, wrote- "A greater danger than war faces the state of New South Wales...