Together

Bridget Griffin (1841-1917) c1915

Bridget Griffin married John Griffin in Shanagolden in the county of Limerick in Ireland on 19 June 1862.[1] Less than six months later Bridget was sailing to Melbourne, alone, to join her sister Catherine in the new colony of Victoria.[2] What had happened to separate the young couple so soon after their marriage?

The family story is that Bridget’s father Edward disapproved of her marriage to John, and so sent her to Melbourne to join her older sister Catherine.

The source of Edward’s concern is not known. Bridget was a minor when she married John, and he was six years older than her.[3] Perhaps her parents were unwilling to consent to the marriage, and in their determination to be together, John and Bridget married despite this.

Perhaps there was a level of consanguinity that disturbed Edward. Shanagolden was a small rural town in the 1860s with a population of around 4000 inhabitants, so it is possible that John and Bridget were related.[4]

Or perhaps the family story is just that – a story.

Whatever the reason, on 26 February 1863 Bridget stepped off the vessel Ivanhoe on to the docks at Port Phillip, probably greeted by Catherine.[5] Her new home, Melbourne, was very different from Shanagolden. Melbourne was a bustling city of 125,000 inhabitants, and although it was cloudy the day that Bridget arrived, the temperature was much warmer than she was used to.[6]

Ten years older than Bridget, Catherine had built a good life for herself in the desirable suburb of Emerald Hill.[7] Unmarried, she was a Laundress providing services to the local St Vincent de Paul Orphanage that cared for boys between the ages of six and fourteen.[8] Bridget likely worked alongside Catherine after her arrival, if for no other reason than to take her mind off being separated from John.

Did Bridget and John write to each other during the months after she left Ireland? Had they discussed any plans for their future? No family story provides us with the answer to these questions, so we can only speculate about Bridget’s feelings and reaction when John arrived in Melbourne aboard the Naval Reserve on 13 March 1863.[9] Relief? Joy? They had been apart for 16 months and were finally together again.

Bridget and John lost no time in building a new life and family together and quickly settled in Williamstown. Melbourne’s major port, Williamstown was a hive of activity, hosting prospectors and travellers that were passing through on their way to the goldfields. Home to ship mooring and repair facilities and the Naval Dock Yards, the town was growing rapidly, with hotels, banks, churches and many grand residences emerging along the cobbled streets.

Amongst all this hustle and bustle – a very different world from the rolling green hills of Limerick – John’s primary need was to find work to support Bridget and what would no doubt be a growing family. The dockyards offered plenty of opportunities, and John quickly found work as a Ballastman.[10]

 And not a moment too soon! In December 1865, Bridget gave birth to their first child Mary.[11] Edward was born in 1868, followed by Kate (1871), James (1873), Ellen (1875), Bridget (1878) and Honora (1881).

Despite the large number of transient and temporary residents that came and went through the busy port, Williamstown had developed a strong sense of community. John was especially active in the Irish Catholic community, and in 1870 he and a group of fellow Irish immigrants founded a local branch of the Hibernian Australian Catholic Benefit Society.[12] The Society helped local Irish families who needed support and worked in collaboration with the local catholic church, St Mary’s.[13] Bridget would have played a key role here, visiting those in need of comfort and assistance, and perhaps providing food and other essential items. Williamstown may have seemed a big impersonal city compared to the small town of Shanagolden. Still, a tight-knit, supportive community was just as important here as it was there.

As John and Bridget’s family continued to grow, so did the port of Williamstown, and in 1877 the Melbourne Harbour Trust was formed to improve the facilities for the ever-increasing number of ships that were arriving every day.[14] John, having built a solid reputation around the docks, was soon employed by the Trust as an inspector of stonework, and he continued to work there until he retired.[15]

The years went by, and life settled into a normal family rhythm. There were times of sadness – James died young at age 9.[16] There were times of pride – Edward became a celebrated local sportsman. There were times of joy – John and Bridget were blessed with 12 grandchildren. And there were times of fun – Bridget was known as Granny Griffin, and granddaughter Honora would often ‘end up with a fit of the giggles’ when Bridget used her walking stick to hook Honora around the knees, pull her in, and demand to see her ‘turkey red knickers’.

John died in 1910 aged 73, and Bridget followed seven years later.[17] Their life may not have been what they had planned all those years ago when they married in Shanagolden, but they had, for the most part, lived it, and loved it, together.

References

[1] Marriage of John Griffin and Bridget Griffin, married 19 June 1862, Shanagolden Diocese of Limerick Marriage Register, Shanagolden, Limerick, Ireland, Microfilm 02418/02, p.a121, National Library of Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers at the NLI, https://registers.nli.ie/pages/vtls000634930_121, accessed 8 December 2020.

[2] Passenger list entry for Bridget Griffin, Ivanhoe, arrived Melbourne 26 February 1863, Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923, Ancestry.com, accessed 8 December 2020.

[3] Passenger list entry for Bridget Griffin; Birth certificate of Mary Griffin, born 12 December 1865, Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages, 5573/1865.

[4] Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, vol. 2, Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., Baltimore, 1995, p. 549.

[5] Passenger list entry for Bridget Griffin.

[6] Peter McDonald, ‘Demography’, eMelbourne, https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00455b.htm, accessed 8 December 2020; ‘Shipping Intelligence’, Argus, 26 February 1863, p. 4, http://nla.gov.au.ews-article6483693.

[7] Death certificate of Catherine Griffin, died 25 May 1894, Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages, 7931/1894.

[8] ‘St Vincent de Paul Orphanage’, Argus, 14 January 1862, p. 8, http://nla.gov.au.ews-article5708465; Cate O’Neill, ‘St Vincent de Paul Orphanage (1855 - 1967)’, Find & Connect, 14 January 2019, https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/vic/biogs/E000061b.htm, accessed 8 December 2020.

[9] Passenger list entry for John Griffin, Naval Reserve, arrived Melbourne 13 March 1864, Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923, Ancestry.com, accessed 8 December 2020; ‘Mr. John Griffin’, Williamstown Chronicle, 3 December 1910, p. 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article69687978.

[10] Birth certificate of Mary Griffin.

[11] Birth certificate of Mary Griffin.

[12] ‘Mr. John Griffin’.

[13] Museum Victoria Collections. ‘Hibernian Australian Catholic Benefit Society’. http://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/articles/2036, accessed 8 December 2020.

[14] David Dunstan, ‘Melbourne Harbor Trust’, eMelbourne, https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00944b.htm, accessed 8 December 2020.

[15] ‘Mr. John Griffin’.

[16] Death registration of Edward Griffin, died 1882, Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages, 13596/1882.

[17] Death certificate of John Griffin, died 24 November 1910, Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages, 14733/1910; Death certificate of Bridget Griffin, died 29 November 1917, Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages, 14465/1917.

Bibliography

Argus.

Dunstan, David, ‘Melbourne Harbor Trust’, eMelbourne, https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00944b.htm, accessed 8 December 2020.

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, vol. 2, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, 1995.

McDonald, Peter, ‘Demography’, eMelbourne, https://www.emelbourne.net.au/biogs/EM00455b.htm, accessed 8 December 2020.

Museum Victoria Collections. ‘Hibernian Australian Catholic Benefit Society’. http://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/articles/2036, accessed 8 December 2020.

Nelthorpe, Michael, “Emerald Hill and Albert Park – The Beginnings’, Cayzer, https://www.cayzer.com.au/news/emerald-hill-and-albert-park--the-beginnings-49, accessed 8 December 2020.

O’Neill, Cate, ‘St Vincent de Paul Orphanage (1855 – 1967)’, Find & Connect, 14 January 2019, https://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/vic/biogs/E000061b.htm, accessed 8 December 2020.

Shanagolden Diocese of Limerick Marriage Register, Shanagolden, Limerick, Ireland, Microfilm 02418/02, National Library of Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers at the NLI, https://registers.nli.ie/pages/vtls000634930, accessed 8 December 2020.

Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923, Ancestry.com.

Victorian Places. ‘Williamstown’. https://www.victorianplaces.com.au/williamstown, accessed 8 December 2020.

Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages.

Visit Williamstown. ‘The History of Williamstown’. https://visitwilliamstown.com.au/history/, accessed 8 December 2020.

Williamstown Chronicle.