Sunday’s Obituary – Frances Eliza Long nee Brooks

Ninety-one years ago yesterday, my great great grandmother died aged 76 in Noorat, in Victoria’s Western District. Here is her obituary.

Frances was born in Hobart in 1845 to convict Thomas BROOKE / BROOKS (c1810-1894) and Jane CUNDELL / CONDELL (c1821-1904).

Thomas wasn’t around for her birth. 

He had just got a conditional pardon that stated that he was to leave the colony of Tasmania and was free to settle in Port Phillip, so he left in October 1845 and settled in Mortlake. He worked for Robert Burke at Mt Shadwell. 

I posted his death notice last month.

Jane was halfway through her pregnancy, and with two other small children, remained in Tasmania until after the birth of Frances in Feb 1846.

She married Yorkshire born William LONG (1838-1909) on her 17th birthday in 1863, in the Church of England Mortlake. Her parents were the witnesses.

Frances Eliza Long nee Brooks

William worked in the flour mill at Mortlake, and this town is where he and Frances had their first five children.

My great grandfather Edward LONG (1872-1951) was the first of their children to be born at Laang where William had taken the job of manager of Aikman’s sawmill.

Between 1863 and 1887, Frances had 12 children, all except one surviving to adulthood, and the last two were twins (see my rabbit blog post for one of them). Her twins were born four months before she turned 42 years old, and the same year as her oldest son became a father.

Frances outlived her husband by 13 years.

I don't think she would have been too lonely, as most of her children remained living in the Western District with almost all of her grandchildren being born in the area too.

The family I knew never talked about Thomas being a convict - maybe they didn't know, or preferred not to. 

I didn't find out until much later when I found the application to marry for Jane and Thomas and it had the give-away T/L beside Thomas' name.

My Nanna, Mavis Fanshawe Long,
taken around the time her grandmother died