My Paternal Grandfather, John Hugh Macvean and his Journey to his Wedding Day.

Banner Image: Fitzmaurice Street looking towards the Gurwood Street intersection Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, ca.1920, Courtesy of Region Riverina https://regionriverina.com.au/riverina-rewind-when-horse-and-car-shared-the-road-in-wagga-wagga/33689/

With more than a decade of family history research under my belt, I can confidently say that the incident discussed in this article below had the single biggest impact on my family’s fortune and is why I am not a fifth-generation Riverina grazier today.

Figure 1: Courtesy of Trove, National Library of Australia

That is my grandfather John, who is highlighted there with his brother, Alexander, and sisters, Jessie, Jean, and Marjorie. He was 16 years old at this time.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of John at this age, I actually have very few of him but I do have this amazing one from when he was older, maybe in his 30s or 40s.

To make a comparison, the Ross family, (one of whom is mentioned as a pall-bearer above, Gordon Ross), were contemporaries of my great-grandfather Alexander (and cousins by marriage) had been landholders since the early 1880s and are still working the land there today.

The main thing that stands out for me about this article above is that there is no mention of Agnes, or Annie as she was known, Alexander’s wife. It mentions his grandfather but not a thing about his wife, my great-grandmother. They had been married for 25 years by this stage and had raised four children together while working the “Rooksdale Estate” at Little Billabong.

Alexandra, the boys and I were lucky enough to visit Alex’s grave site in 2018 and stand exactly where my grandfather and the rest of the family would have stood to send him off 96 years earlier.

The next family gathering that I think John, my grandfather attended was the funeral of his step-grandmother, Kate Macvean. Just 18 months after his father’s funeral and this time in Wagga Wagga.

I’m fairly certain that the J H Macvean highlighted in the article below would have been referring to his uncle, another John Hugh Macvean, he is listed here with his brothers and brothers-in-law.

If John did attend it would have been part of the Melbourne visitors as he, his sisters and his mother had moved to Caulfield, Melbourne after the death of his father.

The Rev. John Calder, who conducted Kate’s service, had been the local Presbyterian Minister since early 1920 when he returned from France. He worked as a Chaplain for the A.I.F. for the entire length of the war and was discharged with the rank of Major Chaplain. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16165855?searchTerm=Rev%20john%20calder

Kate was buried next to Jessie Davina, my 2x great-grandmother and Alex’s first wife.

I might have just found a clue as to where my grandfather John was at this time. I know that he attended Albury Grammar School and I just found this mention from 1921 of some results from past students of the school.

That could be my grandfather listed there, passing his intermediate exams at Sydney University. He is listed with his cousin, Charles Battandier Macvean. Charles was actually his first Cousin 1x removed, as he was the son of his grandfather’s brother, Allan Macvean.

I wonder if Charles and John were sharing rooms together somewhere in Sydney or perhaps they were staying with other family members.

The next major event in the family was the sale of John’s grandfather’s property, Kooringal, just outside of Wagga Wagga. I’m sure Kate’s passing was the catalyst for the sale.

I have written three posts on Kooringal recently so I won’t go into much detail here except to say that it had been in the family since February 1914, so John would have been very familiar with the property, I’m sure.

Here is an Electoral Roll listing for John’s mother and sisters confirming the move to Melbourne.

Here is 162 Kooyong Road, Caulfield, back in 2022. I’m sure that is not the house my family lived in, or if it was, it has been renovated extensively from their time.

Perhaps I was wrong about this not being the house my grandfather, his mother and his sisters lived in. I just found this advertisement that I’m pretty sure my great-grandmother would have placed, suggesting it was new.

Three months on from the sale of “Kooringal”, my grand-aunt, Jean Isabel Macvean, was marrying Mr James Moffat. Jean is my grandfather’s sister just to remind you.

I know it is a crappy newspaper print copy but it is still pretty special having a photo of Jean included with the article.

Here is a photo of the church she and James married in.

I also managed to find a photograph of The Oriental Hotel on Collins Street Melbourne dated 1923 just the year before Jean and James’s wedding dinner was held there.

An interesting bit of history I discovered on the Oriental is that there has been a hotel on this site since 1854. The first hotel was called “The Bedford Hotel.” It was demolished in 1878, and the Oriental Hotel took its place. https://www.museumoflost.com/the-paris-end-of-melbourne/

It was also famous for being the first restaurant in Melbourne to offer pavement dining in the late 1950s. It caused a stir and locals flocked to the “Cosmopolitan Cafe” to try it out. https://www.museumoflost.com/the-paris-end-of-melbourne/

Unfortunately, it only lasted two years and the license for outdoor seating was rescinded by the Police claiming that it restricted pedestrian and street traffic and was a hazard. https://www.museumoflost.com/the-paris-end-of-melbourne/

This is the site today. The Collins Center.

I also managed to find a photo of the Rev. J. A. Crockett who married Jean and James. The Brunswick Community History Group very generously organised for the booklet that the Rev. John appears in, to be copied for us.

I also am lucky enough to have one photo of Jean and James together thanks to Alexander Moffat. I’m sure Alex is a cousin, he has a family tree on Ancestry where he shared the photo but unfortunately, he hasn’t signed into his account for two years so I have been unable to make contact.

The next family event is another funeral, this time it is my grandfather’s 1st cousin 2x removed, John Macvean. He was the eldest son of his great-grandfather’s brother, John Macvean. Yep, it is a nightmare the whole John naming thing and just to add to it, my grandfather’s great-grandfather is John Hugh Macvean.

I can’t find a photo of John but I did find a photo of his headstone and also a photo of his wife, Jane Marion Fraser who happens to be the aunt of Malcolm Fraser, Australian Prime Minister from 1975-1983.

It is interesting to note that John died at a property called “Woodlawn” in the town of Quirindi, 400 km north of Sydney but is buried in South Head General Cemetery in Vaucluse, Sydney.

I’m not sure if my grandfather, John had anything to do with his cousin, John but I’m sure he would have been aware of him, being the son-in-law of Sir and Lady Fraser. Here is a society notice from the February before he passed of John visiting his mother-in-law.

Next, we have a notice of the Riverina Ball being held in Holbrook and it shows that John, my grandfather and his sisters, Marjorie and Jessie were all in attendance.

Figure 9d: Courtesy of Trove, National Library of Australia

I found one other notice of the ball printed and it confirms that it was held in the School of Arts building which is now the Shire Hall. There are no historic photos of the hall that I can find but I found this one from 2012 and then also one from our collection in 2018 when we visited.

I can’t help but think, as I sit here today in January 2025 it is 100 years and 3 months almost to the day since they were all there at the hall enjoying the evening.

Here is a quick update on John’s cousin Charles Battendier Macvean, he was now a qualified Doctor working in Bathurst in 1925.

Next, we have another wedding on the calendar of family events and this time it is my grandfather’s cousin Ivan Laurence Macvean and his marriage to Miss Mary Bromham.

We are very lucky to have not only a photo of Ivan and Mary together on their big day but also of their wedding party.

Ivan was the only son of my great grandfather’s brother, John Hugh Macvean and his wife, Isabella Marion Macvean née De Mamiel.

It is interesting to note here that the wedding article above states that it was Mary’s brother Charles who was the groomsman yet the photo has him named as Loris. Charles according to Ancestry was born in 1909 which means he would have been 16 years of age in this photo.

Another Ancestry tree had a photo of Charles and I at first thought, it confirmed that it was Charles pictured in the wedding party above but the tree also had a photo of Loris with his parents and now I’m not sure.

How amazing are these photos to see the faces of those mentioned in the article is just fantastic.

We have another issue with the wedding party photo. The other bridesmaid is named as Florence Christina Bromham but the article states that it was Mary’s cousin, Miss Taenie Patterson. I think this might be referring to Christina Alice Patterson, daughter of Mary’s mother’s sister, Catherine Robertson and her husband Mark Patterson.

There is no photo of Christina online to compare with but the description of what she is wearing in the wedding article above fits perfectly with what is shown.

There was a photo of Florence, Mary’s sister on Karen’s tree.

I think it confirms that it is not Florence in the wedding party photo but Mary’s cousin “Taenia”, Christina.

Just a couple more photos to share in regards to Ivan and Mary’s wedding. The first being, St Andrew’s at Wagga Wagga. I discovered a new photo of it online that I hadn’t come across before and just wanted to share as it is so clear.

Next, the reception venue: the Wonderland Cafe. There is no photo that I can uncover of the Wonderland, but I was able to work backward from a mention of it on the “Memories of Wagga Blogspot” in an article from 1943 as to where it was situated. At the time, it was known as the Blue Moon Cafe. https://memoriesofwagga.blogspot.com/2015/

I found the article on Trove and it confirms the history and where the cafe actually sat on Baylis Street.

I managed to find this photo of the Plaza Theatre, shown in 1960 and it just happens to show the building that used to be the home of the Blue Moon and Wonderland Cafes.

The Wonderland was in the building to the right of the theatre. Initially, the Plaza was The Strand Theatre.

This is the view that Ivan, Mary and the rest of the family would have seen when arriving for the reception at the Wonderland.

A bit of bonus information, the Strand opened on Monday the 23rd of August 1915.

It operated for the next 17 years and then this happened.

It took a year to rebuild and this is when the Plaza opened.

The Plaza operated for the next 46 years closing in 1978. It did open again as a theatre briefly but it also became in the mid-1980s the “Plaza Ice Place” with the “Wonderland Furniture Mart” in operation where Ivan and Mary enjoyed their wedding reception. https://www.facebook.com/lostwaggawagga

The facade of the Plaza Theatre still stands today but I’m unsure if any of the Wonderland has survived in the Chemist building.

I know, I took us down a little tangent then but it is fascinating delving into the history of the town where my grandfather and his family were living their lives.

So moving on from Ivan and Mary’s big day we jump to my grand aunt Jessie’s big day. Jessie is my grandfather’s other older sister and when you read this fantastic article on her wedding below, you might see some similarities to her sister Jean’s wedding to John Moffat discussed in “Article 1” above.

Article 4: Courtesy of Trove, National Library of Australia

Yes, the same church, the same minister, and the same reception venue, but a different groom, although John Moffat is the brother of Jean’s husband, James. Yep, they kept this one in the family.

I can’t find the link between them all but I wonder if one of the Moffat brothers rented one of those rooms that my great-grandmother was renting out in their house on Kooyong Road?

I swear I wasn’t aware of this till I just started searching now but here is the link.

There it is confirmed, that John lived at the Macvean house in Kooyong Road 18 months before his marriage to Jessie.

Did you notice that James, his brother, is listed above him? James, of course, was married to Jean in February 1924, so this listing doesn’t show her. These details would have been given some time in 1923 in time for printing when they weren’t married. I wonder if this was the house they moved into after they married.

Here is the property in 2013, the more recent dates in Maps the trees are covering the house.

Unfortunately, there is no photo of John, but I have one for Jessie.

Just five months after Jessie and John marry, the family suffers the loss of two of its patriarchs. First, George Fairbairn Cox, John, Jessie, Jean, and Marjorie’s maternal grandfather, and then eight weeks to the day later, they lose their paternal grandfather, Alexander Macvean.

As you can guess from the article above, George had a very interesting life as an analytical chemist first in Scotland and then here in Australia. I have lots of information I have uncovered on George’s life which will feature in a future post.

I found George’s final resting place at Randwick Cemetery in Sydney, and after such a remarkable life it was sad to find him alone in an unmarked grave.

Alexander Macvean was another larger-than-life member of the family who led a remarkable life in the Riverina area of New South Wales.

Alex, the boys and I were able to find “Lumeah” on our visit to Wagga Wagga in 2018. It was still standing.

Figure 14: Courtesy of Trove, National Library of Australia

You’ll note from this article above that my grandfather carried his grandfather’s coffin to the church with his uncles and cousins.

Thanks to Paul Macvean we have this amazing photo of Alexander that appears in a book titled “Pioneers of Victoria Encyclopedia”. It is undated but thought to be taken between 1891-1907.

Here is Alexander’s final resting place alongside my 2x great-grandmother Jessie and also Alexander’s second wife Kate.

Rev. J Galloway who conducted Alexander’s service was, Mr James Bulloch Galloway. He became the Wagga Wagga parish minister in 1924 on Rev. John Calder’s departure. Did you notice that Rev. John returned to assist Rev. James with the funeral?

Rev. James B. Galloway remained Minister in the Wagga Wagga area for seven years and apparently excelled in youth work. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/207553823?searchTerm=%22rev%20j.%20b.%20galloway%22

Trove had a few photos of Rev. James this one is dated from 1931 just after he left Wagga Wagga.

You might remember Rev. James’s name from (Article 2) he also married my grandfather’s cousin, Ivan, to his wife Mary Bromham in February 1925.

Now things must have moved quickly once Alexander passed away, here is a listing for what I can only imagine must have been for the sale of some of the land holdings that he had in Wagga Wagga. This is just a month after he died.

Back to Rev. James for a moment, being the incumbent minister for seven years, meant he also officiated at this next family service. The funeral of my grandfather, John’s uncle by marriage, John Smith Burnet. Uncle John was married to John’s father’s sister, Margaret Macvean. (Yep, another head spinner to type out.)

The random details of his death being reported are just amazing. It gives us such a clearer picture of what actually happened.

Figure 17: Courtesy of Trove, National Library of Australia

My grandfather, John was a pallbearer this time for his Uncle John.

Uncle John was also a cousin of my grandfather’s grandmother, Jessie Davina Macvean née Ballantyne. Yes, his mother, Helen, and Jessie’s mother, Margaret, were sisters. This means that apart from being my grandfather’s uncle, John was also his first cousin two times removed.

Check out this amazing photo of Uncle/Cousin John, which my cousin Tony generously shared with me.

John is also buried in the Wagga Wagga Monumental Cemetery just a couple of rows from Jessie, Alexander and Kate’s burial site.

Now, before we move on, there are a few things that I have just uncovered that are now outside the timeline of this post, so I will just throw them in here so we don’t lose them. First, an addition to the family. Jean and James Moffat welcomed a son to the family, James Gordon Moffat, born on the 4th of July 1926.

Next, another wedding. This time, it was my grandfather’s other cousin, Isabel, sister to Ivan Macvean, who married Mary Bromham in “Article 2” above.

It was the same church as Ivan and Mary’s, the same reception venue, the Wonderland Cafe again, but no Rev. James Galloway; it was Rev. Benjamin David Morris of Junee this time. No photo of him anywhere, unfortunately.

This is only a month after Jessie and John’s wedding in Melbourne, but I’m sure if my grandfather had been back in Holbrook, he would have been there.

Isabel and Ivan grew up on their parent’s property, “Strathvean”, in Tarcutta, which is just 50kms north of “Rooksdale”, the property my grandfather grew up on in Little Billabong.

The map below shows where they are in relation to each other, and I have also marked Ladysmith, the area where Isabel was living with her parents on their property at that time called “Glencoe”, as mentioned in the wedding article above.

I even managed to find a mention of when Isabel’s parents purchased “Glencoe”, not that her mother makes an appearance in the notice. They had only been there for two years by the time of Isabel and Ronald’s wedding.

I don’t have a photo of Isabel and Ronald on their big day, but we do have one of them together at Ivan and Mary’s, when they were part of their wedding party just six months earlier.

I found another member of the family treading the boards in 1928 in a very famous play by John Galsworthy, the author of “The Forsythe Saga”.

Ewen Macvean is my grandfather John’s first cousin two times removed. Ewen is the son of his grandfather, Alexander’s cousin, Allan Macvean and his wife, May Louise Connebee.

There was a review of the first performance the company gave, and it didn’t pull any punches.

Poor Mr Beresford Fowler, that is harsh. At least Ewen and the rest of the cast got a “creditable”.

So we can see from the cast list above that Ewen was playing “a Solicitor” named Edward Graviter. Now, there is no way to know if my grandfather or any other members of the family attended the show, but it is great to imagine they did.

Ewen’s performance career didn’t start here, either. I found another mention of a play that he was in from 1927 at the Box Hill Recreation Hall. The play was called “The Stepmother” by Arnold Bennett.

Figure 28: Courtesy of Trove, National Library of Australia

“The Stepmother” is described as a farce in one act. It was first published in 1899 along with two other farces penned by Arnold Bennett, titled “Polite Farces for the Drawing-Room”.

My grandfather’s first cousin once removed, Captain Maffra (Jack) William Bushby Macvean, announced his engagement in late August 1926 to Ellen, his first cousin once removed.

Ellen’s grandfather, the Rev. Allan Macvean and Jack’s grandfather, John Hugh Macvean, were brothers. The engagement obviously fell through as there was never any mention of their marrying, and Ellen goes on to marry a man by the name of John Bell in 1931.

I wonder if this next article was Jack getting ready for city life with Ellen. It is a for sale listing for all of his property and household goods used at “Concudgery”, his station at Coreinbob, a month before the engagement announcement to Ellen.

Just to give you an idea as to where Concudgery was here it is marked on the map below. It is at the end of the blue line there heading from Ladysmith, that is Coreinbob Road and 17.8kms is roughly 11miles from there as stated in the ad above.

Kooringal is where Jack’s uncle and aunt Alexander and Jessie Macvean lived. Tarcutta is where his cousin William Hill Macvean and his wife Edith were living, and Ladysmith is, of course, where his other cousin, John Hugh Macvean and his wife Isabella were now living. That is, Isabel Macvean’s parents.

Back in February of that same year, 1927, Jack lost his father, Donald Macvean.

There are no other mentions of Donald’s passing or his funeral so I’m unsure if my grandfather John attended. Donald was buried at Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria the day after he died, so there may not have been time to get there for the burial.

This is the end of part one of this post of the Macveans and my grandfather John’s journey to his wedding day. And I promise in Part Two, my grandmother, Margaret Agnes Mercer, joins the journey.