The Northern Champion (Taree)

The Northern Champion (Taree) · Taree, New South Wales, Australia · other

For “Born” 17 SEP 1860 of Harriett Rebecca Barber

The late Mrs. Nelson was a second generation Australian. Her grandparents came to this country from England with Governor Macquarie, and her parents were both born at Parramatta. One of the ten children of the late Joseph and Charlotte Barber, Mrs Nelson was born at Wollongong on September 16, 1860. She was five years old when the family moved to Kempsey.

Read from the clipping PDF (media 404), which prints the text cleanly where the Trove OCR does not. Cited for the year, the place and the parents. Its DAY, 16 September, disagrees by one with the 17 September on this record, which comes from a compiled family history; the obituary's own "passed away just 16 days after her 90th birthday" is consistent with either 16 or 17 September depending on whether the death is counted at 2 or 3 October. No NSW birth registration for her has been found (the index has no Barber birth at Wollongong in 1858-1863 with these parents, though her brother Charles is there as 14027/1859), so neither day rests on a record and the date is left unchanged. The "came to this country with Governor Macquarie" tradition is not supported: her paternal grandfather John Barber arrived as a convict on the Marquis of Wellington in January 1815, five years after Macquarie landed.

The Northern Champion (Taree) · Taree, New South Wales, Australia · other

For “Died” 3 OCT 1950 of Harriett Rebecca Barber

Rev. F. J. Clark on Wednesday paid this funeral service tribute to Mrs Harriett Rebecca Nelson, who died peacefully at her Nambucca Heads home shortly before midnight on Monday. ... Mrs. Nelson had been ill for some months, but on Monday, was well enough to be taken for a drive in her son Bob's car around The Heads and up the road toward Macksville. At about 11 o'clock that night available members of her family were summoned, and she passed away at 11.40 p.m. She retained possession of her bright mental faculties, right to the last. 'I'll soon be with Daddy,' were her last words.

Read from the clipping PDF (media 404); the ellipsis stands for the ministers' tributes. "Monday" before Wednesday 11 October 1950 is 2 October, and 11.40 p.m. on the 2nd is forty minutes short of the 3 October given by the probate notice and the cemetery index — the sort of gap a next-day registration produces. The record keeps 3 October.

The Northern Champion (Taree) · Taree, New South Wales, Australia · other

For “Buried” OCT 1950 of Harriett Rebecca Barber

Rev. M. B. Reeve said Mrs Nelson was the spiritual foundation stone of the Methodist Church at Nambucca Heads. 'She loved all, irrespective of creed or religion,' Mr Reeve added. The little church at The Heads was overflowing with relatives and friends who came to pay their last respects. Pall-bearers at the funeral , at Nambucca Heads cemetery were four of Mrs. Nelson's six surviving sons Charles, Frank, Bob and Harold.

Read from the clipping PDF (media 404). The month is certain; the day is inferred from "Rev. F. J. Clark on Wednesday paid this funeral service tribute" in the same report, so the event is dated OCT 1950 rather than to a day. Nambucca Heads cemetery is not a separate place row in this tree, so the locality is used.

The Northern Champion (Taree) · Taree, New South Wales, Australia · other

For “Residence” ABT 1878 of Harriett Rebecca Barber

Shortly after her marriage, Mrs Harriett Nelson accompanied her husband to the Manning River, and they spent a year at Tinonee before returning to Kempsey. There Mr Nelson managed Hennessy's sawmill for some years. Later he was for many years a building contractor, and had farms at Clybucca and Warrell Creek. They first went to Warrell Creek 58 years ago.

Read from the clipping PDF (media 404). Her husband's 1947 obituary in the Manning River Times, already cited on this family, says instead that "they spent a year at Taree"; Tinonee is eight miles upriver from Taree and either could be loose usage for the district. The place is therefore named in the summary rather than pinned, and no place id is set. "They first went to Warrell Creek 58 years ago" dates that move to about 1892.