The tragedy that is family.

 

As I work on the history of families who settled in the Lancefield District, and Kyabram in Victoria, in the 1850s, I’m often surprised by the information I uncover. These families have been the subject of my research for years – at least nine – but each time I set about writing their story, something else muddies the waters.

Yesterday I was working through my 3x great aunt, Margaret Allan’s family story (she married John Foy) which I thought I’d done to death already, only to discover a child whose birth registration slipped by me because it has inaccurate information, intrigue surrounding a daughter, and terrible sadness hovering over the eldest child.

David Foy was the eldest of Margaret Allan and John Foy’s children. He was born in Lancefield on 31 October 1872. His father’s Will (Public Records Office Victoria) makes no mention of him, even though David outlived his father. John Foy left money in his will to all the other children. Why? David never married, and farmed at Lake Rowan. In David's Last Will and Testament he left one hundred pounds to “my dear sister, Letitia”. The rest of his estate he left to his siblings, to share equally, but the one hundred pounds is not included in this. He appointed his cousin, Samuel Foy and his brother James Foy as executors. Looking at the Probate files for David’s Will, his last address was given as the Kew Insane Asylum. He was forty-seven when he died there in July 1920. He had been in the Asylum since 9^th August 1903. THAT’S SEVENTEEN YEARS!!!!!!!

And then we have Letitia. She was the third child of Margaret and John, and in her father’s will is bequeathed fifty pounds, but is not included in the share of his properties as James, John, Margaret and Jane, are.

I have to be satisfied with the information my research digs up because there’s no one to ask.

P.S. Margaret died in  1887 when her youngest child was one year old.

Kew Lunatic Asylum c 1887-1889