Discovering the past and recording the present: A family history

By Allen Lilley

The six children of Walter and Lillias (Lilly) Lilley recognised that with the death of their parents (six days apart) in June 1988 that they, the children, had quickly become the 'older' generation. They had a desire to not only document their parents' ancestry and lives but to also record for the

• Language: English
• Publisher: Deborah Mauger
• Release date: Aug 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781922684578

Book preview

Chapter One

Walter Lilley Ancestry

Walter’s Father - Samuel Lilley (1850-1913)

Walter’s father was Samuel (Sam) Lilley, who was born in Kent, England. Sam migrated to New Zealand aged 13 years, upon the Queen of Avon, arriving in Wellington in August 1863. Oral history has it that Sam had travelled to New Zealand to work for an uncle and then subsequently travelled to Australia. Sam Blanch (see Early Lilley History) mentioned that Sam had been in trouble with the Maoris while in New Zealand, so that may have been a reason for leaving for Australia.

Samuel Lilley

From oral history it is thought that Sam, upon arrival in Australia, travelled to Soldiers Point (Port Stephens) and there obtained work with the Lestone family as a fisherman. However, Sam Blanch thought that the Lestones lived in Sydney. What is certain is that Sam did live in the Port Stephens area and was a fisherman.

In relation to why Sam ended up in Port Stephens, it may be a coincidence but the Census of NSW as of November 1828 shows that there was a William Lilley, then aged 20, who was employed as a labourer by the AA Company (Australian Agricultural Company - still in existence), at Port Stephens. William had arrived in 1827 on the ship ‘Guildford’. So, it is possible that Sam Lilley had a relative already living at Port Stephens whom he could seek out on arrival in Australia.

Samuel Lilley’s Ancestry

The paternal Grandfather of Walter Lilley was William (1) Lilley, a gardener who lived in Ramsgate, Isle of Thanet, Kent, England. (b. 1817 to 1856). William (1) married Mary (1) Banger (b. 1818) and they had four children: ¹

Samuel (Sam) Lilley - born on 4 Jan 1850 and died on 4 Oct 1913

Father of Walter Lilley

William (2) Albert Lilley - born 13 Apr 1852 and died on 18 Aug 1931

He became a Minister of religion working in New Jersey, USA

Ruby White mentions that when she was young, Sam wanted to go to America to see his brother (William) - (see Early Lilley History)

Mary (2) Ann Lilley - who was born on 24 Feb 1854 at Pegwell, England. Mary came to Australia from Baltimore, Maryland, USA in late 1877 after the death of her first husband, Ernest William (Charles) Diemar

Mary (2) Ann died on 24 Feb 1926

There is a newspaper article about her life (see Early Lilley History).

See also Appendix 1 for her children with Ernest Diemar.

She was known to some as ‘Aunt Polly’ 

Harry Lilley – who was born and subsequently died in 1856

Walter’s Mother - Sarah (1) Jane Knight (1869 – 1909)

see also Jane Knight

Sarah (1) Jane Knight (also known as Jane Knight) was born on 22 Nov 1869 on Rawdon Island NSW, 13 months after her parents married on 29 Oct 1868. Note that Sarah will be referenced to as Jane Knight for the rest of this publication as that was the name that she was commonly referred to.

Her parents were George (1) Knight and Charlotte (nee Stark). Her father George arrived in Australia on the ship ‘Bengal’ in March 1855. He was 11 years old and the eldest of four children. Charlotte and George, who was a farmer, were married at Redbank Hastings River, according to Wesleyan rites.

They moved to Newcastle in the mid-1870s where they lived at 25 Harrison Street Wickham NSW. They had two children in Port Macquarie. By 1876 the family had moved to Newcastle and had five more children². Charlotte died at age 34 of hepatic colic on 23 June 1885 at Wickham. Further information of Jane’s ancestry can be found in Appendix 5.1.

Charlotte’s children with George were:

Sarah (1) Jane Knight (1869-1909)

Martha Knight (1871–1906)

Mary Anne Knight (1874–1876)

William George Knight (1876-1876)

Isabella Harriett Knight (1877–1967)

Joseph Knight (1879–1879)

Emily Maude Knight (1880–1931)

Caroline Knight (1883-1884)

Following Charlotte’s death in 1885, George remarried in 1890 to Grace Hughes. They had two children together:

George Denton Knight (1891-1974)

Hugh McQueen Knight (1893-1975)

Jane Knight’s Ancestry

Jane’s Maternal Grandparents - Lucy (3) Smith and Richard (1) Stark

The following research was provided by the Maitland & Beyond Family History Inc.

Richard (1) Stark and Lucy (3) Smith married in the Dungog Court House on 30 April 1849. Lucy was 14 years old. The Church of England marriage register records that they were both from Dungog³. Charlotte Stark was born a little over two months later, on

10 July 1849 and baptised on 5 August at Dungog. Her parents were recorded as

Richard (1) Stark, a labourer, and his wife, Lucy⁴. Lucy (3) was born in 1834 in Beckley, Sussex and came to Australia with her family as a four-year-old in 1838.

Richard (1) and Lucy (3) had another three children between 1852 and 1855:

Lucy Stark (1852-1882)

Richard (2) Stark (1854-1854)

Sarah Stark (1855-1909)

The son Richard died at aged just one month in 1854 and was buried at Dungog⁵.

However, by late 1857 all was not going well with Lucy and Richard. Richard (1), giving his address as Dungog, made a public announcement that Lucy (3) had left him, and he would no longer be responsible for any debts she incurred. He further threatened to prosecute any person harbouring her.

Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser 9 January 1858

By 1858 Lucy was living in a de facto relationship with William (1) Cook, a farmer of Dingo Creek, near Wingham. When registering her children with William (1), and recording the birth of issue of this union, Lucy (3) states that she and William Cook were married on the same date and at the same place that she married Richard Stark (1). Entries in the parish registers when these children were baptised, however, state that the parents were not married.

Between 1858 and 1868 six children were born to a William (1) and Lucy (3) Cook at the Manning River⁶. The marriage between Richard (1) Stark and Lucy (3)Smith had only endured about seven and a half years.

Three men named Richard Stark have been identified as living in or near the Dungog area about the time of Charlotte’s birth. The Richard Stark who married Lucy Smith in 1849 at Dungog was very probably the convict who had arrived on the Earl Grey in 1838. He was living in Dungog in 1844 and had been given permission to remain there. His occupation was recorded as labourer on his convict indent which matches the occupation of Charlotte’s father at her baptism. See Appendix 5.5 regarding why this individual was deemed the most likely of the three Richard Starks to have married Lucy (3).

It is not known what Richard (1) did after Lucy (3) left Dungog about 1857 but he was listed as deceased on Charlotte’s death certificate.

Jane Knight’s Indigenous Australian Heritage

Information from a researcher with the Maitland & Beyond Family History Inc, who is connected to Jane’s sister, Emily Knight, has confirmed from family information that Emily was noted to be very dark, suggesting an Indigenous Australian appearance. A photo in their possession, believed to be Emily, shows she had a dark complexion, dark curly hair and eyebrows and dark eyes. Indigenous Australian ancestry cannot be ruled out. Research has established George Knight’s English ancestry, so any Aboriginal ancestry would have been inherited from her mother Charlotte Stark via Charlotte’s father.

If Charlotte Stark had Indigenous Australian ancestors, it is unlikely that the Richard Stark who was recorded as her father on her baptism was her biological father. In fact, all three Richard Starks living near Dungog at that time had been born in England. The fact that Lucy was heavily pregnant when she married Richard Stark adds further doubt that he was the biological father of Charlotte. It would appear that Lucy may have had a relationship with a man of Indigenous Australian descent before she married Richard Stark and that this man was Charlotte’s biological father.

Subsequent communications with Worimi community members and descendants of Walter’s siblings, including those that lived on the Karuah Mission at the time that Walter’s brothers lived there, have verified that Walter and his siblings were of Indigenous Australian descent.

Prior to European settlement, the Williams and Hunter Valley areas were home to several tribes of Aboriginal people including the Awabakal, Worimi, Wonnarua, Geawegal, Birrpai, Darkinjung and Gringai people. Towards the end of the 18th century, Newcastle was being used as an outpost for the most troublesome convicts. By the early 1800s, groups of free men were moving into the area seeking coal and timber and a few convicts had escaped into the surrounding areas⁷. The first Europeans in the Gresford area were timber-getters from about the 1810s⁸. The Australian Agricultural Company (AA Company) was granted a million acres (404,685 hectares) of land in 1824, extending from Port Stephens, through the Karuah and Gloucester River valleys and north to the Manning River⁹. These areas were in the Nineteen Counties proclaimed by Governor Darling in 1829 limiting the area of settlement¹⁰.

Europeans were able to move freely within these regions and contact with the Aboriginal people who lived there was inevitable. Co-habitation between European men and Indigenous Australian women was not uncommon.

Samuel Lilley and Selina (1) Lestone

Sam married Selina (1) Lestone on 22 December 1871. At this stage Sam was 21 years of age. The birth certificate of their son Frederick shows that they were married in Newcastle. It is understood that they may have been married at the Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle. 

Fredrick’s (1) birth certificate shows his mother’s name as having been ‘Lestone’ while Selina’s death registration shows the spelling as being ‘Lesbone’ - it is understood from family sources that ‘Lestone’ was the correct spelling.

Oral history also has it that Sam applied for 100 acres (40 hectares) of land at Soldiers Point (Port Stephens). If it was approved, presumably this was a purchase sometime after his marriage in 1871. Sam later moved to Swan Bay (Port Stephens). Land records detailed at Appendix 5.11, show that between 1899 and 1915, Sam obtained a total of 293 acres (117 hectares) at Swan Bay, 120 acres (48 hectares) obtained from private individuals and the balance from the Government. At the time of the first purchase in 1899, the year Walter was born, Sam would have been aged 49. Following Sam’s death, the land was transferred to his sons Alfred (1) and Frederick (1) (on 25 February 1916). 

In the Lilley/Blanch and Jenkinson/Baggs Family History it is stated that the land that Sam bought at Swan Bay became known as Lillies Point. Also, that the Lilleys were involved in fishing and oyster farming. These activities are continued by the present generation residing in the area at Lillies Point. The map at Appendix 5.15 shows Lilleys Road that leads to Lillies Point. 

Laurence Lilley owned an extract of the family records written in the family Bible which originally belonged to Frederick (1) George Lilley (son of Samuel and Selina) and his wife Ivy (1). Laurence obtained the extract from Edna (1) Lilley who is the daughter of Frederick (2) Lilley. The extract along with other sources has been used to help construct the following details of the children of Samuel and his wife Selina. 

In June 1880 Selina was committed to Gladesville Hospital for the Insane, and Samuel was ordered to contribute to her support. The couple had four children at this time and the fifth was born in the Ryde district of Sydney on 8 March 1881. Given that all their earlier children were born in Newcastle, this child may have been born while Selina was still a patient at Gladesville Hospital, which is consistent with the birth being registered at Ryde. They subsequently had another three sons in the Newcastle and Raymond Terrace districts between 1883 and 1888.

Gladesville Mental Hospital

Frederick (1) George Lilley

Sid and Millie Blanch (Amelia Maud Lilley)

Children with Selina (1) Lestone

Selina’s children have been verified from NSW Birth Death and Marriages records (Appendix 5.6). Sam, in 1887 aged 37, gave his occupation as ‘farmer’. The certificate also shows Selina’s birthplace as having been Chadbury (which is north of Evesham in Hereford & Worcester), England. 

Their children were:

William (3) Henry Lilley (1872-1901)

Selina (2) Mary Lilley (1874-1939)

Sarah Elizabeth Lilley (1876-1938)

Amelia Maud Lilley (1878-1951)

Jessie Evelyn Lilley (1880-1951)

Albert (1) Lilley (1883-1885)

Alfred (1) John Lilley (1885-1952)

Frederick (1) George Lilley (1887-1960)

Sam also had children with Jane Knight while he was married to Selina.

Samuel Lilley and friends

Samuel Lilley and Jane Knight

It is understood that Jane was the Lilley family housekeeper during the time that Sam’s wife, Selina, suffered from a chronic illness. When her first child (Sid) was born in 1890, Jane would have been 21 years of age and Sam 38. At this time, Selina’s last child (Frederick) was just over two years old.

The following information was sourced from research conducted by the Maitland & Beyond Family History Inc.

Samuel Lilley bought the City Oyster Saloon in Hunter Street, Newcastle, from a John Star in April 1889¹¹. In June 1890 Jane Knight was working as a domestic at Lilley’s Oyster Saloon when her new dress was stolen, and the incident was reported in the Newcastle Morning Herald¹². Note: A polonaise was a woman’s dress with a tight bodice and a skirt open from the waist downwards, looped up to show a decorative underskirt. At the time of this incident Jane’s son Sydney was three months-old, born 2 March 1890 in Sydney¹³. Her second son, Herbert Knight, was born on 10 Jun 1891 in Sydney¹⁴.

All of her children were registered without the father being acknowledged, which was the custom at the time, but later evidence shows that the children recognised Samuel Lilley as the father. Jane and her children lived on a separate property from the Lilleys. This property was apparently resumed by the owner on Sam’s death as it had not been paid for and Jane’s children opted not to buy it (see Early Lilley History).

Jane died first in 1909 at the age of 39 years of age. Samuel died next, on 4 Oct 1913 at Swan Bay, following a stroke, at the age of 63. Walter was nine years old when his mother died and thirteen years old when his father passed.

Letters of Administration were granted to Alfred (1) John Lilley and Frederick (1) George Lilley¹⁵, sons of Samuel and Selina (1) Lilley. Selina (who apparently had a long-term illness) died in 1916. Len Blanch (see Early Lilley History) said that Selina ‘went off the beam when she had a child’. As her last child, Frederick (1) George was born in December 1887, Selina (1) must have been ill for at least 29 years. 

Following Jane’s death in 1909 at least some of her children were admitted to the Karuah Mission. The purpose of Missions is described on the website of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).

Missions were created by churches or religious individuals to house Aboriginal people and train them in Christian ideals and to also prepare them for work. Most of the missions were developed on land granted by the government for this purpose. Christian missions frequently offered greater physical protection from the extremes of violence experienced by Aboriginal people at the hands of pastoralists and others.

The Mission at Karuah had been established by the Australian Indigenous Missionaries about 1907¹⁶. It seems unlikely that children would have been accepted by a Mission if they were not of Indigenous Australian descent. However, a dark appearance could have been sufficient criteria for acceptance. Because of the stigma attached to Indigenous Australian heritage at that time, it is unlikely that children without Indigenous Australian ancestry would have been presented for admittance to a Mission.

It seems that Samuel’s children maintained contact and even had a business relationship. In 1914, the Lilley and Knight brothers opened a smoked fish business at Karuah.

Although there was no blood relationship, there was a link between Samuel Lilley and Jane Knight:

Henry Thompson was Jane’s uncle by marriage

Henry’s second marriage was to Samuel’s sister Mary (2) Ann

Seabreeze Hotel, Nelson Bay 1919. Henry and Mary Ann (2) Thompson were the licensees

from 1894 until 1899

Mary (2) Ann and Henry Thompson

Samuel Lilley and Jane Knight’s Children

According to the NSW Pioneers Index (Federation Series) all of Jane’s children were registered at birth with the surname ‘Knight’. At least some of them including Albert (2) and Walter, used the surname ‘Lilley-Knight’ in the early years, and then later used the surname of ‘Lilley’. They are all referred to as ‘Lilley’ in the index and in the remainder of this book (unless the page is referencing an external source).

Their children were (name registered at birth):

Sydney (Sid) Knight (1890-1967)

Herbert (1) (Herb) Knight (1891-1960)

Bertie Knight (1895-1918)

Albert (2) (Alley) Knight (1898-1918)

Walter Knight (1899-1988)

Ethel May Knight (1901-1968)

Stanley (1) William (Stan) Knight (1906-1988)

Further information about Samuel’s descendants can be found in Appendix 5.1. 

Ethel Lilley at about 15, Stan Lilley in background

Wedding of Stan and Mary Lilley, 5 May 1928. Walter was the best man.

Stan Lilley wedding

Stan and Mary Lilley with daughters June (L) and Shirley (R)

Early Lilley History

To gain a picture of life in the ‘good old days’, included in this chapter are three transcripts of recorded conversations by people who were born around the turn of the century and closely linked to the persons and places associated with the Lilley family. Also included are copies of letters and other records of interest. Copies of newspaper articles mentioning Sam Lilley and other family members are at Appendix 5.4. 

Laurence said that he was reminded several times during his oral research that while the turn-of-the-century years were depression times, there was no Government dole. He was told that Sam Lilley was in the habit of making his property available for other families to camp on and as a place for them to grow their own food and catch fish. Ruby White (nee Hutchinson) apparently was one of those people. 

A couple of interesting matters from the school records at Appendix 5.10: Sam Lilley is shown as being a farmer in 1901 and 1902 and then as a fisherman from there on. Sam is listed as the guardian for several children, including Ruby Hutchinson, who were not members of his own family. The last recording of Sam’s name in the school records appears on 20 January 1913 (Sam died on 4 October 1913).

In the next ‘Lilley’ school record entry, on 26 November 1913, Sam’s son Alfred (1) was listed as guardian for his half-sister Ethel (who was listed as a ‘Lilley’ not a ‘Knight’). All the entries show the family as being Church of England. Oral history has it that Alfred (1) continued his father’s practice of allowing other people to stay on the family property. 

The first entry in the school records that we have for Ruby was in February 1908 when she was aged 11 years and 3 months. The other entry was for March 1910 where she is shown as having left her previous school in February of that year - the record shows that she subsequently left the school (Mulwee Public School) within a few days due to having left the district. By then Ruby was 13 years old. 

Conversation with Ruby White (nee Hutchinson), Aged 95

The following is a record of a taped conversation which Laurence Lilley had with Mrs. Ruby White on 17 January 1992. Ruby knew the Lilley and the Lilley-Knight families when she was a girl at Swan Bay. Also present was Nell McLauchlin (the youngest daughter of Millie and Sid Blanch). The conversation was as follows: 

Ruby: We went out in the boat oystering when a big storm blew up. My mother was there with them and Sam turned around and said, ‘I can’t swim’. ‘What’, I said, ‘you can’t swim’. Sam never could swim. They got home safe and sound. Sam was a good man - well that’s what I thought of him anyway - he was good. He never swore and he wouldn’t have drink in the house, and he didn’t like to play cards, but some visitors came, and they learnt to play cards. 

Nell: We have just found out there must have been two Alberts. My Grandmother (Selina) must have had an Albert, the little one who died, and Laurence’s Grandmother (Jane) must have had another Albert.

Ruby: I never knew about the one that died. Albert - that would be Bert. Bert was older than me. 

Nell: He was killed in the war. 

Ruby: No, he died of (sound unclear) but you might have meant Alley. Nobody ever called him Albert. 

Laurence: My father (Walter) used to call his brother Alley. Is there a Bert as well? 

Ruby: Bert was older than Alley - there was Sid, and then there would be Bert I think and then Alley after that - then Walter - Stanley - and Ethel. He (Sam) was a good man to me - and to my whole family. He would come to our place - that was when Jane was in hospital - to have his tea there. 

Nell: You said that both ladies loved each other. 

Ruby: You mean grandma - oh grandma and Jane - oh certainly. He said one time - or she said he did - his brother was in America - and he said, ‘I want to go to America and see him’ and the old lady said ‘Don’t you. If you go to America it will be Jane who will go with you. If you go there you will never come back’. Poor old soul she was. I was never allowed to call her anything but ‘grandma’ - others used to call her by her name, Selina. My mother said, ‘don’t you