Monthly Archives: February 2012

Grandchildren of Daniel Blyth and Agnes Staley during WW1

Informal family portrait of the four siblings of the Malcolm family, all of whom served during the First World War and returned home to Australia.

Left to right: Lieutenant (Lt) Norman Harty Malcolm, 2 Pioneers, enlisted on 20 May 1916 and returned to Australia on 4 June 1918; Sister Stella Agnes Blyth Malcolm, Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), enlisted 6 December 1916 and returned to Australia on 7 May 1919; Lt Eric Hamilton Malcolm, 3 Division Artillery, enlisted on 11 July 1916 and returned to Australia on 4 July 1919; Staff Nurse Edith Eileen Malcolm, AANS, enlisted 12 June 1917 and returned to Australia 30 August 1918.

(Donor Y. Kelley)

The Diary of Thos Law McMillan

In a supplement to “the Argus” newspaper published in Melbourne in December 29, 1950, a diary of Thos Law McMillan was published. This was due to the preservation  and editing of his diary by Mary L Turnbull, the granddaughter of Dr McMillan. As it says in the preface to the article:-

Dr McMillan left Edinburgh University in 1850 to try his hand at mining. He was 24 years old and a medical student. He came to Australia by way of Pennsylvania and California working his passage as a ship’s surgeon. Upon arriving in Melbourne, he set off for the Bendigo diggings with his friends, writing his journal from day to day.

You will find the diary very interesting and I really suggest you take the time to read it. He later gave up mining and became a physician and was also the President of the Medical Society of Victoria.

It’s available as a PDF and you can download it here.

Staley – Craftsmanship in Hosiery

Well we should all know the Holeproof brand. It came after the Staley name disappeared in the Hosiery game.

Here’s a picture of a shop, probably from around the 1930’s showing craftsmanship of Staley hosiery.

The Descendants of Margaret Staley and Thomas Law McMillan

The latest update of the Staley Family History includes recently discovered information on the descendants of Margaret Staley and Thomas Law McMillan, this was sparked by the finding of a monumental inscription at the Melbourne General Cemetery. Thomas had a big career change from teenage lead miner in 1841 to medical student in 1851, by 1854 it seems he’d graduated as a Doctor, arrived in Victoria and married, eventually becoming President of the Medical Society of Victoria in 1878, there was possibly a trip back to Edinburgh in the 1860’s for the family as daughter Edith Agnes’s marriage certificate gives her birth place as Edinburgh, Scotland.

There were 4 daughters, 3 of whom grew to adulthood, 1 didn’t marry, the families of  daughters Mary and Edith are there for you to see. We would like to hear from anyone connected to these families

Allan William Staley (1867-1913) Upholding the Law

The following was printed in the Riverine Grazier, Friday, 31 August 1894

THE SHEARING DIFFICULTY.
Free Labourers Arrive at Hay.
Special Constables Sworn In.
The Latest Developments.
Free Labourers joining the Unionists.

[O]n Tuesday night, about half-past eleven, a special train arrived at Hay with fifty-four free laborers and two agents of the Pastoralists’ Union on board.  The train was run right into the engine shed and the doors were closed.  There were a number of unionists at the station, and considerable boo-hooing was indulged in.  A few stones were thrown through the windows of the building, but with that exception no demonstration of violence was made.  A body of police were in attendance, under Mr. Inspector Smith, and guarded the shed during the night.  A few minutes after eight on Wednesday morning, four of Cobb and Co.’s coaches (two seven-horse and two five-horse) were drawn up outside the northern railway fence.  The unionists within the railway enclosure, who numbered about one hundred, were ordered to go outside the fences, which order was enforced by the police, who drove the men out. Etc…

On Wednesday a special meeting of magistrates was convened for the purpose of considering the desirability of reading the Riot Act.  The following justices attended:–– Messrs. John Andrew (presiding), A. P. Stewart, A. G. Stevenson, W. H. Barber, W. Travis, N. J. Trevena, and A. Herriott.  At this meeting it was unanimously decided that, in apprehension of a riot, one hundred special constables should be sworn in.  Steps to carry out that decision were promptly taken.  The police magistrate was absent on duty at Booligal, but he returned in the afternoon, and gave in his adherence to what had been done by the honorary magistrates.  Accordingly the nomination of a number of special constables was made.  In all, one hundred and thirty-three summonses were issued.  Some of these were not served, and some of the persons who were served, although liable to a penalty of £20, did not answer to their names.  The names of those who obeyed the summons, and were sworn in, are as follows:–– Patrick Abberton, W. A. Parker, W. Dawson, Charles Brown, W. G. Acocks, Joseph Addicoat, B. H. Andrew, M. Armitage, G. R. Ayre, T. W. Blanche, T. C. Booth, John Britton, J. Broad, H. B. Broughton, W. G. Butterworth, F. A. Byrne, E. A. Champ, F. J. Clancy, H. G. Cockerton, E. Cronk, G. D. Devine, John Donaldson, G. H. Donohoe, Thomas Duggan, J. G. R. Fewings, H. Fynmore, R. M. Galloway, F. Gibbs, S. C. Sorenson, R. Gibson, G. Gill, G. Haines, E. J. Heath, Alex. Henry, J. Hews, C. Hidgcock, W. K. Hoare, J. Jacka, O. Jones, John Karnaghan, W. J. Lloyd, G. Lobb, John McFarlane, J. C. Smith, F. L. Phillips, F. MacIver, R. C. McKinney, J. B. McLaren, H. B. Maclure, T. A. Massie, F. A. Meakes, Geo. Meeson, C. J. Miller, Alex. Moffat, A. A. Monypeny, F. E. Morgan, G. S. Mullen, H. A. Jennings, J. Newton, T. S. Page, John Parsons sen., W. Pope, Henry Proctor, L. Quarttert, J. Rawnsley, A. Reid, J. H. Reid, M. Reid, L. S. C. Robertson, W. O. Russell, G. Sadler, John Sandow, Thos. Sinclair, Allen Staley, V. B. Sylvander, Jos. Taylor, sen., Joseph Taylor, jun., P. B. Terry, J. Thacker, W. Thurgood, E. D. Stewart, G. W. Watt, W. Wheeler, Lindsay Whitehead, T. W. Wood, C. W. York, W. E. Woodward, George Bond, J. P. Markey, F. J. Walker, H. R. Broughton, H. Camper, F. L. Phillips, G. Reid, J. C. Smith, A. Turner, John Parsons jun.

Allen Staley above, is believed to be Allan William Staley, born 1867, Yandoit.

What Does “Staley” Mean?

The internet is a great place to find things out, and we found out the old meanings of the name “Staley”.

English: byname from Middle English staley ‘resolute’, ‘reliable’, a reduced form of Stallard.
Belgian French: from Old French estalee ‘fish trap’, hence possibly a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman, or topographic name for someone who lived near where fish traps were set.

Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4

No worries “Staleys” are resolute and reliable, but we’re not aware of any fishermen….