A very old and much respected resident of this district in the person of Mr. Robert Nelson, of West Kempsey, passed away to his eternal rest on Thursday night last. The deceased gentleman had reached the ripe old age of 76 years, and the immediate cause of death was failure of the heart. Mr. Nelson was a native of Suffolk, England, and came to the Macleay early in the year 1853. He at first resided at Yarrabandinni and afterwards rented a farm from Mrs. Smith at Kempsey. In the latter part of the year 1863 Mr. Nelson purchased a property at Warneton, near what is called Nelson's wharf, and he also selected land adjacent to his purchase. Mr. Nelson resided at that place until 17 years ago when he retired and came to reside on the property he had acquired at West Kempsey.
Trove OCR, whose headline reads 'DEATH OF MR. BOBERT NELSON.' The same column continues: 'Mr. Nelson leaves an aged widow, for whom much sympathy is felt, and three sons and four daughters. The sons are Messrs. George Nelson, of Euroka, William Nelson, of Clybucca, and David Nelson, who is now residing at Port Macquarie. His daughters are Mrs. George Piggott, Mrs. Samuel Wedlock and Mrs. Henry Thornton... The funeral will take place at the West Kempsey Cemetery this (Saturday) afternoon, leaving Tozer-street at 2 p.m.' — the paper is dated Saturday 23 July 1898, which dates the burial.
Surviving sons and daughters of the late Mr. Nelson are: Elizabeth (Mrs. R. Robertson, Nambucca Heads), Effie (Mrs. F. W. Saunders, St. Mary's), Annie (Mrs. J. Carbine, South Brisbane),. . Herman (Taree), Arthur (Hurst-villel, Charles (Nambucca Heads), Minnie (Mrs. R. Cousens, Homebush), Lena (Mrs. R. Robinson, Kempsey), Warrell (Bob) (Concord), Frank (Bondi), Muriel (Mrs. A. O. Crossingham, Bur-wood), Madsre (Mrs. J. Clarke, Nambucca Heads), and Harold (Nambucca).
Trove OCR as it stands ('Madsre' for Madge, 'Hurst-villel' for Hurstville). This is the record that names the sibling set as a set, and the source of the familiar forms Effie, Annie, Lena and Bob added as name rows on the children created from the birth index. Eleven of the fifteen registrations have now been found and Muriel is in the tree from other evidence, so twelve of the fifteen are here. The seven daughters are complete, which means every child still missing is a SON: three of the eight - among them Arthur (Hurstville in 1947), Frank (Bondi in 1947), and either Herman (Taree in 1947) or the boy who died as a baby, depending on which of those the 1904 registration of Harry M turns out to be. Muriel's own registration is still not found: the parent-filtered sweep of 1878-1912 has no row at all between Warrell in 1896 and Madge in 1902, which is where hers must fall.
Death. BARBER. On the 25th August, at West Kempsey, Joseph Rambler Barber. Aged 80 years and 3 months.
Trove OCR. The stated age is wrong or mis-OCRd: the monument says 86, and the Macleay Chronicle of 29 August 1907 says 'The deceased was 86 years of age'. 86 years 2 months from 30 May 1821 to 25 August 1907 fits; '80 years and 3 months' does not fit any candidate.
In Memoriam. BARBER. In sad but loving memory of our dear mother, Charlotte Barber, who died August 11th, 1908, aged 75 years ; also of oui dear father, who died August 26th, 1907, aged 84 years. And with the morn those Angel voices smile, That we have loved long since and lost awliilc. Inserted by their loving sons and daughters.
Trove OCR. The children's notice, two years on, gets both ages and the father's day wrong (the register and the stone say 25 August 1907, aged 86); it is cited for the couple's identity as the parents of a large family, not for the figures.