Taphophile Tragics - Social pariah

Come over to the CDPB Face Book page and join in voting for a September Theme Day. The choices are: people watching; roadworks; or, flower boxes. Voting closes Friday 24th August.

The smallpox epidemic in Sydney was between 1881 and 1882, yet here is Iole Lakeman, dead in four days, in 1888. Her family lived at Manly, which is the next suburb to the Quarantine Station on North Head, and perhaps home to some of the workers at the station. No proof, either way. However, on 14th April, Ellen Lakeman, and one of her domestics were also put into quarantine in fear of possible symptoms.

This is the headstone for Iole, dead at the age of 2 years, 2 months. A beautiful name; a horrible death. Although her parents were of Irish extraction, I read that Iole means 'violet' in Italian. And the headstone is topped with this beautiful 'native flower', which has the serated leaf of the Banksia, but with the pod of a water-lily. But who were the Lakeman family that they could extend to a domestic servant in Sydney in the 1880s


Allen Lakeman spent his life in local government in the Hay-Narranderah area of southern New South Wales, being Mayor of Hay on two occasions. He was also the Member of the Legislative Council for Balranald, which covers the same area, but in the Upper House of the State Legislature. Although born in Taranaki, New Zealand, he married Mary Ellen Cochran in Hay in 1873, and they had 11 children, Iole being the second youngest, only three of whom lived to a ripe old age.

Ellen died in 1890, and is buried in Coonamble. Allen died in 1910 and is buried in Narranderah. Although their infant daughter had a short life, and a swift awful death, she is spending eternity on a gloriously beautiful headland, overlooking one of the best views on the planet.

This is my contribution to the Taphophile Tragics community.

Taphophile Tragics - A plague on this House

People, individual people, get lost in stories of epidemics. Temptation exists for overstatement, for generalising, for blame, for retribution. And advantage of vulnerable victims and their families is taken.

Maggie Whitehead died three days after contracting bubonic plague during a brief stopover in Sydney, on her way to England from her home in Condobolin in western NSW. Her husband, Richard, was the owner of the massive 'Borambil Station'. Maggie began life as a Cameron, of the Western District Camerons of Victoria. Dead within three days, with Richard not being able to even see her. So, I wondered what became of Richard.


So, I searched the listing for Condobolin in the Australian Cemeteries Index. I did not find Richard, but I did find Maggie. And ... I also found their only two children, Eileen and Royden. They both died in 1893. Of diptheria. Mime was aged 9 and Roy was aged 7. Blimey!

But, still no Richard.

I did find a Richard Whitehead who died in Parramatta in 1941, but he was a member of a family of carpenters. Not my Richard, I guessed. I still have not found him. There are four Richard Whiteheads listed in Victoria that were in possible years, but they all died in the city. Not my Richard, I guessed.


However, preparing this post helped me to bring to mind, the dreadful year of 1892 endured by my own 2*G-GM, Annie Howell, who lost three children to diptheria at the Wilcannia Hospital: Aileen, aged 13; Lindon, aged 8; and, Elsie, aged unknown.



Why the wrought iron fencing to top and tail this post. It is around the grave of Maggie in North Head Cemetery #3. Somehow, I simply needed to embrace this family, and a metaphor was my only weapon.

This is my contribution to the Taphophile Tragics community.