Rye Cemetery and Memorial Gardens - Family History

ALBRESS Family

Antonio Albress was born c1842 in Bona Vista, Cape Verde Islands. Rye, in the early days, had a large population of settlers from the Cape Verde Islands.

He married Maria Bennett in 1878. The couple had 10 children, who attended Rye State School. One son, John, enlisted for service during WW1. A second son, William (Billy) played eight games for Richmond during the 1917 and 1918 seasons.

Antonio Albress and Nicholas De Mas, a fellow Cape Verde native, first settled on Truemans Rd.

Albress pronounced his name in such a way that it was presumed by old timers to be Albas.

Antonio Albress was a grantee of 90 acres, the eastern boundary of which was over Browns Rd from Springs Lane (which is the western boundary of the Moonah Links Golf Course). His name was recorded on the map as Albres, which was probably the original spelling. The exact location of the Albress farm at Melway 169 A 10-11 on the north side of Browns Rd. Antonio Albress was leasing land east of The Dunes Golf Course site from the Colonial Bank in 1900-01. It was allotment 1 of A, parish of Fingal, consisting of 156 acres and granted to James Purves.

Limestone Rd, which separated the parish of Fingal from Wannaeue, from Main Ridge to Weeroona Rd (the western boundary of The Dunes), was the northern boundary of Antonio's land. The eastern boundary was Devonport Drive and the southern boundary was Sandy Point Rd.

Patrick Sullivan had a lime kiln on the site of The Dunes, which still exists, and the Shire of Flinders Heritage Study has much detail about it.

When Patrick died, his son, James, took it over but with his focus on the Gracefield Hotel and supplying firewood, James put the management of the kiln in the hands of Antonio Albress.

With Antonio on Crown Allotment 1, he would not have been more than a five minute walk from the kiln. It is a fair bet that some of the lime burnt in the kiln came from Antonio's leased land.

CAIN Family

The Cain family arrived in Port Phillip on board the “Frankfield” on June 4th 1841.

Eugene (Owen) Cain, his wife Sarah and their eldest three children first settled at Emerald Hill (South Melbourne) before shifting to the White Cliffs area and selecting 350 acres where he built a large lime kiln.

Owen couldn’t read or write but he would place a notch in a stick to count the number of bags of lime that were being loaded into ketches at Canterbury Jetty where Sidney Crispo had built a crude pier for him.

In 1850 Owen and Sarah built “Tyrone” a limestone home to house their growing family.

The Cain family did well from farming and lime burning in the area and Owen and Sarah also owned a brick home with stables at 517 King Street in Melbourne.

One of their daughters, Sarah, went missing for several days as a four year old and a large search for her ensued. She was found and returned to her family safely.

A son, Michael, was renowned for his craftsmanship and made many coffins, including that for his brother Joseph who drowned in the bay after going for his daily swim.

Michael Cain carved many of the early headstones as well as being a maker of springs and wheels for drays, jinkers and buggies.

Another son, James, who never married, was known locally as a ‘stringy bark’ carpenter, who worked only with an axe and saw. He lived alone in a shanty in Old Melbourne Road where he died. He is buried with his parents.

Owen died at the family home “Tyrone” aged 99 in 1897, whilst eating breakfast. During breakfast someone told him a funny story and he laughed so much that he choked and died. His wife, Sarah, died in 1896, aged 96 from ‘old age and exhaustion’.

CAIRNS Family

Robert and Mary Cairns (nee Drysdale) and their three sons (James 3, John 2 and baby Robert) emigrated from Stirlingshire, Scotland as assisted passengers, aboard the sailing ship ‘Europa’ which arrived in Hobson’s Bay on 17th June 1852.

The family settled in Boneo where a further eight children were born.

In 1854 Robert, thanks to the proceeds of limeburning, brought his two brothers, David and Alexander, out from Scotland, both of whom had wives named Janet.

The three families lived in separate cottages at Fingal (Boneo) and all told, raised thirty-three children. This area quickly became known as ‘Little Scotland’.

The area where the three dwellings were located was dominated by a huge Moreton Bay Fig tree which is still standing in Boneo Road. This tree at one stage dropped a limb which crashed through the roof of the wattle and daub cottage underneath, rendering the home useless. All that remains today is the fireplace.

Robert Cairns burnt lime in the kiln at the rear of his cottage. When enough lime had been bagged it was carted by horse and dray to be stored in sheds on the foreshore opposite the track which was to become Boneo Road (near the current day skate park).

With so many children and the doubling up of family names it was often hard for outsiders to distinguish between families so nick-names were added to help distinguish each family member.

When David Cairns Junior moved to live in the vicinity of Black’s Camp, the locality near the junction of the Rosebud-Flinders Road and Cape Schanck Road, he became known as ‘Blacks Camp Davey’. His cousin David, who settled on land fronting Point Nepean Road between Boneo Road and Chinaman’s Creek, was referred to as ‘Eleanora Davey’. Eleanora being the name given to the limestone family home which is still standing and now forms part of the Rosebud Hospital.

Robert Cairns Junior became known as ‘Back Road Bob’ because he occupied land on Old Cape Schanck Road (now Bayview Road): similarly there was ‘Hill Harry’, ‘Rosebud Ted, and so it went on.

The Cairns family went on to have its own private cemetery which is today marked with four pencil pines and can easily be seen from Boneo Road. From about 1857 until around 1889 eight family members were buried there, along with four unnamed settlers.

In 1889 Presbyterian Minister the Reverend William McBride officiated at four of the Cairns burials. It appears Diptheritic Croup claimed nine year old James Thompson Cairns and, a week later, his brother David also.

If you visit the Cairns graves on the hill in the Presbyterian section of the Rye Cemetery you will find that some face the west and others the east.

Family story has it that at one time or another a feud broke out, this somehow seeing differing branches of the family decide that even in the afterlife they’d maintain their stance of forever holding a dissident view.

The Cairns eventually became linked by marriage to just about every other first family on the Southern Peninsula – to name a few – Pattersons, Russells, Cains, Buchers, McClears, Haddens, Baldrys, Crightons, Purves and Boyds.

JENNINGS Family

George “Dod” and Hannah Jennings came to Rye from Camperdown with two of their three sons (Ern and Cec), their wives and young families in 1914 to grow onions on 212 acres bordered by Dundas St and Weeroona St (formerly known as Jennings Rd).

The family very quickly realised that the land would be better for dairying and built up a prize winning dairy herd. It is believed it was the Jennings family that introduced Kikuyu grass to the area to help stabilise the Cups Country.

Dod and Hannah’s eldest son, Ern, leased a large farm bounded by Government Road, Brights Drive and Morris Street to enlarge his herd before building a dairy in Rosebud.

His son, Bill Jennings, built the Rye Dairy (now the newsagency site) and another son, Claude, then ran it together with his sons, Ern and Dennis.

Cec remained on the family farm in Dundas St after the death of Dod, before purchasing the white limestone house in Dundas St on his retirement in the late 1950’s. His son, Clarrie, became heavily involved with local football.

When the family enrolled at Rye State School, the school population doubled in one day!

Dod died in 1918 whilst his youngest son Bernard was still overseas serving in the AIF in France. Dod was apparently never without his trademark hat and when he died it is said he was buried wearing it.

His wife, Hannah, can trace her heritage back to William the Lion of Scotland (b1142-1214). His royal standard, a red lion on a yellow background, went on to be part of the current Royal standard of the United Kingdom.

The Jennings name has long been at the front of business, sporting and community activity in the town and Jennings family members have served on the committees of the RSL, Fire Brigade, Lions and Rotary Clubs, Football and Cricket Clubs.

MYERS Family

Charles Myers was born in Germany and came to Australia as a teenager. He married Mary Ellen Goff and the couple had seven children.

Charles Myers served in the water police and at one stage was awarded the Royal Humane Society’s certificate for Courage and Humanity when he rescued a drowning man from the Yarra River.

In the 1940’s Granny Myers, as Ellen became known, won a marbles competition against the school kids when in her 80’s. She was also well known for giving the school children apples over the fence.

Charles died in 1908, aged 55, and Mary Ellen in 1947, aged 86.

Two of their sons, Ernie and Bob, served during WW1.

Ernie died of wounds received in battle on 16 November 1916 and is buried at Dartmoor Cemetery, near Ypres.

Bob returned to Rye where he ran a blacksmith shop, first from the family home, near the school and later from the corner of Ozone Street. Another son, Crawford, known as “Doll” was a fisherman who took weekend anglers fishing.

Rye Historical Society raised funds to place a plaque at the foot of his parent’s grave in memory of Ernie. The plaque can be found just up from the office on the left of the path.

NEWMAN Family

Christoph Johann Theador Nieman was born in Germany ca 1863.

His parents were Heinrich Christoph Nieman (28 June 1837 – 9 March 1888), who was born in Straminki, Germany, and Frederika Sophie Schmidt.

Heinrich and Frederika were married on 18 Feb 1859. Heinrich and Frederika had a total of 8 children, Charles being the second.

It is said in some sources that at the age of 14 he arrived in Australia, however other sources say he arrived aged 9 as a cabin boy on board the four masted sailing ship “Barkus” in 1872. The ‘Barkus,” and ships like it, traded between Germany and Australia. After leaving the ship at Williamstown he purchased a 14 foot sailing boat and took up fishing in Port Philip Bay. He fished initially from St Leonards, Queenscliff and Rye, moving with the seasons.

On the 14th Feb 1885 he married Louisa Kate Lucas at the Free Church of England in Moor St Fitzroy (Vic Regn. 1375). Louisa was the sister of fellow fisherman Alexander Lucas. The two men fished together. (registration shows Charles as being Charles Newman). The couple had 14 children and the family fished along the coast to Lakes Entrance.

In 1917, Charles Newman transferred to Port Welshpool and built a house at Bool Bool Island from a hay shed which he transported there from Inverloch in his boat.

Shortly afterwards, in July 1917, the "Cumberland" hit a mine laid by the German raider "Wolf" off Gabo Island. In the hysteria, which followed, German collaborators were suspected and Charles Newman was denounced to Naval Intelligence. Despite lack of evidence, Charles Newman was interned as a prisoner of war for 2 years. In 1920 he was officially exonerated of any wartime involvement.

Charles Newman died on Boxing Day 1939 and Louisa passed away in 1949, aged 81.

ROWLEY Family

Robert Rowley was born in England in 1822 and arrived in Van Diemen’s Land with his parents, Robert (a Waterloo Veteran) and Elizabeth, nee King. After his father’s death from drowning in 1883 Elizabeth remarried and Robert became involved in commercial lime burning with his step-father, Richard Kenyon. He remembered seeing the remains of the Collins settlement in Sorrento.

In 1860 Robert married Christina Edwards at Longford in Tasmania. Their first home was on the foreshore, opposite Lyons Street. They had 13 children. They selected 117 acres of farming land off Truemans Road and supplemented their income with timber cutting and fishing.

Their son, also named Robert, was born in 1876 and worked around the district on a variety of farms. He married Annie Cain, the daughter of Michael and Mary Cain and started a small dairy farm in the Tootgarook area, which was later leased to Ern Jennings, son of Dod.

In 1927, he set up a butcher shop from his home in Weir Street, the first butcher shop in Rye. In 1930 they moved into a shop with a house on Point Nepean Road, near Weeroona St, now the surf shop. In 1947 the business was moved again to the corner of Hygeia Street. After Robert’s death in 1978 the business passed to his son’s Robert and Des.

STENNIKEN Family

Benjamin Stenniken and his 17 year old wife, Mary Anne, married in 1842 at St James’ Church of England in Melbourne.

They took over the running of Mary’s family farm in Yarraville before moving to Rye around 1856 to burn lime. He had a kiln between Melbourne and Brown’s Roads, just west of Dundas Street. He was also an early pioneer of the wood industry.

A family story tells how Mary Anne ran out of flour and decided to walk to Brighton to purchase more, hoping she would be able to hitch a ride on some bullock wagons heading for the city. She was out of luck, walked the distance to Brighton and returned on foot, carrying a 25lb bag of flour.

Benjamin also had a small fleet of ketches which were used to transport lime and firewood.

Benjamin Stenniken died, aged 82 in 1897 and Mary Anne died aged 96 in 1922.

SULLIVAN Family

Dennis and Honorah Sullivan and their large family arrived in Port Phillip from Killarney in 1939, settling first at Darebin before settling in 1843 at Point Nepean. In 1854 the Government compulsorily acquired the Sullivan’s land, for a quarantine station, for 200 pounds.

Patrick, the second son of Dennis and Honorah was responsible for moving the family to Rye.

Patrick married Ellen Grace and they lived first in a cottage known as Berry’s, which was wattle and daub and originally housed the first person to apply for a lime burning licence, a fellow by the name of Berry. The cottage stood around the area of the current St Andrew’s Anglican Church.

Patrick worked on a variety of lime kilns and held a kiln on the now Dunes Golf Course.

Patrick also held the lease to the White Cliffs Inn from 1876. In 1878 he built the Gracefield Hotel, named after his wife’s family and installed his daughter, Ellen as the licensee. Other businesses he owned the wine saloon and general store in Napier Street. He controlled most of the land along Point Nepean Road between Weir and Capel Streets (now Elgan Ave). He was one of the first trustees of the cemetery from 1882 until his death in 1900, aged 74. Ellen had died in 1891 aged 60.

The couple’s son, James (Jim) married Frances Ellen Hogg in 1900 and had three children, Alan, Grace and John (Jack). Jim took over the running of his father’s lime kilns after his dad’s death.

Grace became a teacher at Rye and was well loved by the community. In 1921 Grace died of pneumonia, hers was one of the largest funerals to be seen in the town.

The school children raised funds to build a bathing box on the foreshore, opposite the current post office, and it was named in her honour. After her death, many new baby girls in the town were named Grace in her honour.

Jack was a talented cricketer, a remarkable left arm fast bowler and a batsman. In the 1930 premiership game between Rye and Flinders, Jack ended the day with 13 wickets for 40 runs. He also once bowled nine batsmen in an innings and caught the tenth. Jack Sullivan died from a dental infection aged 21 in 1932. He was buried with his sister.

WILLIAMS Family

Mary Campbell came to Australia in 1852 on the same ship (Europa) as the Cairns family (Robert Cairns acted as her guardian and in return 32 year old Mary assisted Mary Cairns and her 3 children).

They sailed from Scotland, via Liverpool on the 17 June 1852, arriving in Melbourne on 15 Sept the same year. Mary remained with them when they settled at Boneo, working for the Burrell family at what had been the McCrae’s. Mary married Edward Williams, a sailor from Sydney who was about 12 years Mary’s junior. Edward was employed on a boat making survey of Port Phillip Bay. They were married at McCrae and lived for a few years at Canterbury (Blairgowrie area) selecting land on either side of Brown’s road. They built a home on the South side of Browns Road, on the land today occupied by the Nepean Country Club.

In 1899 they purchased “Eastbourne” from Sidney Crispo, where they remained for the rest of their lives.

The couple had five children:

Edward Thomas c1856 d 1947 Dromana [reg 20369] – buried Rye,

James Campbell c1858 d 1947 Dromana [reg 20270] - buried Rye,

Caroline c1859 died Dandenong 1949 [reg 18416] – buried Rye,

Ellen b 1863 Point Nepean [reg 4089] d. Mornington 1941 [reg 21899],

Marion b 1864 Point Nepean [reg 24042] d. – Buried Rye with parents (top of hill).

Edward and James, apparently did not get along and when they died a spare grave was purchased between them for their sister Caroline. She apparently stated that she would keep them apart in death just as she had in life. James has a headstone because he saved his money whilst Edward was a bit frivolous so no headstone was purchased for him. When Caroline went to tell one brother that the other had passed away she found the second brother had passed as well.

Mary and Edward are buried at the top of the hill, along with their daughter Marion.

WONG Family

William Wong-Shing was born in a rural rice growing area, close to Kowloon in 1880. He travelled to Sydney as part of a ship’s crew.

He returned home and wed Ah Yip Chinn in an arranged marriage and returned to Sydney where he found work for about two years before travelling overland to settle in Carlton where William worked at the Victoria Market.

The couple enjoyed travelling to Sorrento on the then popular bay steamers where he became friendly with Charlie Morgan who encouraged William to lease land in the hollow near Sorrento Footy ground for growing vegetables.

In 1910 William moved his growing family to West Rosebud where he leased land from David Cairns, around the Chinaman Creek area, again for the purpose of vegetable growing. At some stage the name Shing was dropped and the family became known as just Wong.

Three of William’s brother’s also lived for a while on the market farm. George, Toy and Sammy and helped to deliver fresh produce around the district.

The family purchased a number of trucks to deliver fresh produce and became very well known in the district. William’s sons helped run the business, which included taking produce to the Victoria market. Ted and George became very active members of the community and terrific sportsmen.

William passed away in 1946 and the business continued with Ted and George running it.

Ted’s son, Darren ran the business from the late 1970’s until it was sold. Ted passed away in 1999, aged 84 and Darren in 2010.