Kelso family

The Kelso family connection with Doncaster

Two members of the Kelso family, Alexander and Catherine Kelso, had close connections with Doncaster in the late 19th century.
Alexander and Catherine were the second and seventh children of Joseph and Jane Kelso of 33 Kelso Street, Richmond. Joseph Kelso and Jane Parker had arrived separately from Northern Ireland, probably in the early 1850s. They married in Richmond in 1855 (1) and remained there for the rest of their lives. All their nine children were born there.
Alexander Kelso (Alex) was born in Richmond on 15 July 1858 (2). In July 1873, at the age of 15, he was appointed as a pupil teacher at the Cremorne Street School (no. 2084 (3) in Richmond, just around the corner from the family home.
In December 1879, after six years at Cremorne Street and now licensed to teach, he was appointed as head teacher at Deep Creek State School (no. 2096, now Doncaster East Primary School) (3). He remained there until 1889. For most of this time, he was the only teacher. Annie Galvin was the school’s work mistress from 1881 to 1883, Catherine Kelso was sewing mistress from 1886 to 1889, and Fina Johnston was a pupil teacher there in 1888 and 1889.
The Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society (4) records that Deep Creek State School opened in October 1878 on the southwest the corner of Andersons Creek Road (formerly Deep Creek Road) and Reynolds Road. It was a simple weatherboard schoolhouse 24 feet by 16 feet, with an adjoining three-room residence and stables. In the residence, a cold wind blew through the canvas walls that were pasted with wallpaper.
Thomas Oseland Couchman (1845–1913) (5) was the first head teacher at Deep Creek, appointed in October 1878, having previously been at Mickleham School (no. 1051) from May 1874 until 1878 (3). From Deep Creek, he went to the Cremorne Street School as an assistant teacher from December 1879 until 1884 and then to Carlton State School (no. 1073) in Lygon Street from July 1884 until at least 18903.
Seven years after the Deep Creek school opened, the head teacher Alexander Kelso applied for the school to be moved because attendance had dropped from 28 to 16 and was expected to keep falling (4). The local population had not grown as expected and illness, scarlet fever, typhoid and measles had often caused the school to be closed. In 1886, the building was dismantled and rebuilt about two miles to the south at the corner of George Street and Blackburn Road where it remains today.

While the school was being moved, Kelso leased the Primitive Methodist Church at the corner of Doncaster and Blackburn Roads. Here Miss Faulkiner had been conducting a small private school. The furniture and other fittings such as the tank with its tin mug attached by a chain, were moved from Deep Creek. They also moved the outside offices because the only toilet facilities for the children of Miss Faulkiner's school was the surrounding bushland.

The new school was lengthened to 36 feet and a four-roomed teacher’s residence was attached to it on the west. Kelso wrote a very diplomatic letter pointing out that, as the front of the residence faced south, weather would beat in the front door. He requested a front verandah. This was agreed to. When the building was erected it was seen that the back door was four feet above the ground. Kelso asked for a back verandah. This was also agreed to, but when he asked for a tap, from the tank, to be put through the wall into the kitchen, it was too much. The architect considered it was an unnecessary luxury and complained, ‘Is there no satisfying this man?’

The new school opened in February 1887 with 43 children. Later that year a Post Office opened in the school with the Head Teacher as Post Master. The children would take home the letters and papers after school. (4)

In March 1889, The Argus6 reported that the Public Service Board had examined appeals of teachers against the triennial classified roll issued in June 1888; A. Kelso’s appeal for higher classification of School 2096 was granted from 1 February 1888.

From July 1889 until 1914, Alex Kelso was the head teacher at Heidelberg State School No. 2943, (7), during which time he married Julia Stewart (8) and had three children. He moved to Ascot Vale State School in 1914 (9) and then to the Napier Street State School, Fitzroy, as headmaster in 1916 (10). He died in Wangaratta in 1945 at the age of 86 (11).

Catherine Kelso was born on 16 May 1867 in Richmond (12). She attended the Cremorne Street School, receiving third prize in the Sixth Class, first prize in Needlework (Sixth Class) and a Special Prize, second place, in Latin at the annual distribution of prizes for the Richmond State Schools in December 1882 (13).

Catherine was sewing mistress at Deep Creek State School in Doncaster from 1886 until 1889 when her brother Alex was the head teacher there (3).

In 1891, with her mother, sisters Annie and Matilda and sister-in-law Mrs Julia Kelso (wife of Alex), Catherine (Katie) signed the Women’s Suffrage Petition when it was brought through the streets of Richmond (14).

Catherine married Simeon Nicholas Kent in 1904 (15). Son of Doncaster pioneer James Kent, Simeon (b. 1869) (16) was a teamster (driver of animal teams, such as bullocks) and timber worker, later a farmer. In the 1890s and around the turn of the century he lived at Coonara Springs, Olinda, a double-fronted weatherboard house built in 1893 and now a restaurant (17). In 1895, The Lilydale Express (18) reported that his application for a licence for 9 acres of Crown land was successful. Electoral rolls (19) have the family living at Olinda (Simeon Nicholas Kent, farmer) in 1903 and 1906, and Monbulk (Simeon Nicholas Kent, carrier, and Catherine Kent, home duties) in 1905, 1908 and 1909.

Their first son, James Trevenen Kent, was born in 1905 (20) and the second, Albert Kelso Kent, in 1907 (21), both at Sherbrooke. James became a farmer at Yarragon and Albert was a timber worker who lived at Trafalgar for most of his life. Neither of the sons married.

Catherine died from breast cancer at the age of 44 in October 1911 at Bethesda Hospital in Richmond (22) when the boys were still very young.

After Catherine’s death, Simeon lived at Monbulk (1912), Menzies Creek (1914, 1916), Yarragon (1917, 1919, 1922, 1928) and Trafalgar (1931, 1934, 1937) (19). He died in 1940, aged 71, at the home of his sister, Mrs H.B. Johnston (Susan Sophia Kent), Old Warrandyte Road, East Doncaster (23), and was buried with Catherine, and later their sons, in Boroondara Cemetery (24).

Kent family: Simeon Kent’s father James was born in 1837 or 1838 in Cornwall. It seems likely he is the James Kent, aged 19, a labourer, who came from Cornwall as an assisted immigrant on the ship William, sailing from Plymouth to Belfast (Port Fairy) and arriving in January 1957. He was single, Church of England, could read and write, and was “on own account, Melbourne” (25).

Simeon’s mother Jane Trevenen Nicholas was also born in 1838 in Cornwall. A Nicholas family from Cornwall arrived as assisted immigrants on the Monteagle in 1853, which sailed from Deptford (London) to Melbourne (25,26):

• Mary Nicholas, aged 44, housekeeper, possibly a widow, Wesleyan, could read and write, “on own account, to Melbourne”
• Samuel Nicholas, 13, Wesleyan, could read and write
• Amelia Nicholas, 7, Wesleyan, could read and write
• Mary Nicholas, 24, domestic servant, CoE, could read and write, Mrs Vivian, 48 ?
• Phillippa Nicholas, 20, domestic servant, Wesleyan, could read but not write, with her
• mother
• Grace Nicholas, 19, domestic servant, Wesleyan, could read but not write, Mrs Ayers, Darelin? Street
• Susannah Nicholas, 17, domestic servant, Wesleyan, could read and write, Mrs W..?, Williamstown
• Jane Nicholas, 15, domestic servant, could read but not write, Mr Harding, Phillipstown.
• James Kent and Jane Trevenen Nicholas married in Victoria in 185927 and had nine children28:
• James Nicholas Kent, born 1860, Collingwood; died 1861, aged 4 months, Collingwood
• James Henry Kent, born 1862, Fitzroy; died 1871
• Susan Sophia Kent, born 1864, Collingwood; died 1944
• • Louisa Caroline Kent, born 1866, Doncaster
• Simeon Nicholas Kent, born 1869, Doncaster; died 1940
• Frederick William Kent, born 1871, Doncaster; died 1921
• Samuel James Kent, born 1873, Doncaster
• Ellen Alberta Kent, born 1875, Doncaster
• Jane Trevenen Kent, born 1877, Doncaster.

Nine year-old James Henry Kent’s death in 1871 was the subject of an inquest held at Bulleen (29). He had gone to water the horse but, shortly afterwards, his mother found him unconscious on the ground with a cut on his forehead, thought to be made by the horse’s shoe. It was concluded that he had been kicked by the horse.

The Doncaster Templestowe Historical Society4 records that James Kent bought land in Burnleys Estate at the corner of Doncaster and Blackburn Roads and donated part of his orchard there for the building of the first Methodist Church in the area. (William Burnley [1813–1860] was a Richmond parliamentarian and land developer who sold land there in the 1850s and owned the Doncaster Arms Hotel in Doncaster Road.) James Kent selected land at Old Warrandyte Road, Deep Creek, where his son Sam Kent was well known for his bullock team.

James was one of the founding members of the former Doncaster East Methodist Church, originally a small building and former butcher’s shop at Anderson’s Creek, Warrandyte. The building was purchased by the preacher of the Primitive Methodist Church at Heidelberg for 50 pounds, partly dismantled, loaded onto bullock wagons and transported to its new site. James initiated the Sunday School.

An opening service took place on Easter Sunday 1866, and a tea meeting was held the following day to celebrate the occasion. The newly acquired building served as a church, Sunday School and School for eighteen years. When a new church was built in 1884, the old building was used for Sunday School classes for a further 45 years. James Kent (or Father Kent as he was often affectionately known) organized the Sunday School. (30)

Jane died in 1906, aged 68, and James died in 1911, aged 73 (31). They were buried in Boroondara Cemetery with their sons James Henry (1871) and Frederick William Kent (1921) (24). James, Jane and Frederick all lived at Warrandyte Road, East Doncaster, at the time of their deaths. The Age reported that James left an estate valued at £1812 realty and £272 personalty to his children (32).

An obituary (33) for James published a few days after his death fills out the picture:

Mr. James Kent, a highly respected resident of the Doncaster district for nearly half a century, passed away after a short illness at his residence, East Doncaster, on Tuesday. The deceased had engaged for many years in the fruit growing industry and at one time he was a prominent contractor. In the early days he was a member of the local road board, and later on he was a member of the Doncaster shire council. The late Mr. Kent was a man of upright character and unquestioned integrity, and a live interest in church and total abstinence matters was only a natural bent for a nature such as his. Consequently he was a prominent worker in the Methodist church and Sunday school, and he was also one of the first, if not the first, of the members of the local tent of the I.O.R. [Independent Order of Rechabites], which was established 10 years ago. He leaves a grown up family of three sons and three daughters to mourn their irreparable loss, his wife having predeceased him by several years....(33)

Simeon’s brother Samuel was a private in the 59th Australian Infantry Battalion (service number 1667). He registered on 29 February 1916, embarked on board the Port Lincoln on 4 May 1916 and returned to Australia on 17 July 1916 (34). The 59th Battalion was raised in Egypt on 21 February 1916 as part of the expansion of the Australian Imperial Force. About half were veterans and the others were fresh reinforcements from Australia. The battalion arrived in France in June 1916 and engaged in its first major battle on the Western Front on 19 July, after Samuel had arrived home.

Samuel’s enlistment papers describe him as a wood carter from East Doncaster, aged 43 (34). He gave Simeon as his next of kin, with the address “Aura, near Belgrave”. Both parents were deceased. Aura was the name of the estate of the shire president and, from 1904 to 1947, the name of the railway station at Menzies Creek, a township 40 km southeast of Melbourne and 5 km east of Belgrave, formerly in the Sherbrooke shire.

Simeon’s sister Susan Sophia (Mrs H.B. Johnston) was the last of their generation. Her death notice in 1944 listed her parents as James and Jane Trevenen Kent and siblings James, Henry, Louisa, Simeon, Frederick, Samuel, Jane T. (Mrs Rae) and Alberta (all deceased) (35).

References

• 1 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. No. 1673/1855
• 2 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. No. 16168/1858 (Alexander Kelse)
• 3 Education: Report of the Minister of Public Instruction (1873-1890; www.parliament.vic.gov.au/papers/govpub/) 
• 4 https://dt-hs.blogspot.com/
• 5 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. No. 8825/1913
• 6 The Argus, 18 March 1889, page 11 (Trove, National Library of Australia) 
• 7 Centenary Heidelberg State School 1854-1954 (State Library of Victoria) 
• 8 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. No. 1235/1890
• 9 The Argus, 7 April 1914, page 9 (Trove, National Library of Australia)
• 10 Flemington Spectator, 12 October 1916, page 2 (Trove, National Library of Australia)
• 11 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. No. 19365/1945
• 12 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. No. 17537/1867 (Catherine Kelse) 
• 13 The Argus, 26 December 1882, page 10 (Trove, National Library of Australia)
• 14 www.parliament.vic.gov.au/about/the-history-of-parliament/womens-suffrage-petition 
• 15 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. No. 2512/1904
• 16 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. No. 1949/1869
• 17 https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/115243
• 18 The Lilydale Express, 13 September 1895, page 2 (Trove, National Library of Australia) 
• 19 Victorian electoral rolls (Ancestry.com)
• 20 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. No. 13659/1905
• 21 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. No. 14125/1907
• 22 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. No. 14590/1911
• 23 The Argus, 25 March 1940, page 4 (Trove, National Library of Australia)
• 24 www.kewcemetery.com.au/search/
• 25 www.opc-cornwall.org/Structure/emigrants_index_files/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf 26 Assisted Passenger Lists (VPRS 14), online, Pubic Record Office Victoria
• 27 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. No. 3363/1859
• 28 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. Nos 17339/1860, 118/1861; 13680/1862, 6038/1871; 21069/1864, 20372/1944; 14376/1866; 1949/1869, 17315/1940; 2112/1871, 5371/1921; 2001/1873; 1831/1875; 8313/1877.
• 29 Inquest Deposition Files 1871/617 (VPRS 24), digitised, Public Record Office Victoria
• 30 Doncaster. A short history. Eric Collyer 1994, Doncaster-Templestowe Historical Society 
• 31 Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria Reg. Nos 12745/1906 and 4697/1911 
• 32 The Age, 29 June 1911, page 7 (Trove, National Library of Australia)
• 33 The Reporter (Box Hill), 26 May 1911, page 7 (Trove, National Library of Australia)
• 34 Australian War Memorial (www.awm.gov.au/collection/R2213707; www.awm.gov.au/collection/R2015013) 
• 35 The Argus, 16 September 1944, page 15 (Trove, National Library of Australia)

Source: Anne Kelso 6 June 2021

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