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| | Read the document below, or download
a PDF version of the document. In 1965,
Robinson McNally (Roy) Malseed wrote the following account of his family
history. It has been transcribed from a typewritten copy provided by Ian McLeod
of Tasmania. Ian was given a copy by his niece, Miriam Grosvenor nee McLeod of
Cygnet, Tasmania, who had received it from Roy’s daughter, Nancy, who typed a
copy of the handwritten original. The document is transcribed here as accurately
as possible. Small comments or corrections are inserted in brackets. Longer
comments are added as endnotes. Several minor typing and punctuation corrections
were directly made.
The source of comments is indicated by
initials in parentheses:
(RM) = Robert Malseed of Albuquerque
(IM) = Ian McLeod of Tasmania
Roy refers to “Letterkenny” as “Letter
Kenny” and to “Rathmullan” as “Rathmullin” and in this document he also refers
to the old Malseed farm at “Aughavennon”. The official Ordnance Survey maps from
the 1830s until the present spell this townland “Aghavannan”. It is also spelled
this way on the property records from 1858 to at least the mid 1900s. However,
some records use the spelling given by Roy, and also “Aughavennan” and
“Aughavannen” are commonly used. (RM)
Good Friday
April 16, 1965.
162 Alma Road,
EAST ST. KILDA.
There were six of us born at Pine Grove Myamyn in Victoria of
Australian born parents when Victoria was a colony and the United Kingdom was
referred to by our parents, and grandparents especially nostalgicly
[sic] as HOME. They told us little about their home, a
matter I regret so much that I am jotting down for my children and grand
children a few notes on the history of their family fore fathers.
We were all born at “Pine Grove” without benefit of doctor or trained nurse.
When the time for help was needed Dad would rush off for a “rabbiter” as the
untrained midwife of these days was sometimes facetiously called. I think it was
in the frantic gallop for help prior to the birth of brother Wallace, though it
could have been me, that Dad capsized the buggy. However, six of us were born
and reared which was a credit to our parents in those uncertain times.
Our Mother was born Isabella Cowan at Crawford Station on April 1, 1864 and
married Dad, December 19, 1883 at the early age of 19 years.
Dad, Thomas Malseed, was born at South Portland on October 5, 1860.
They set up their home in a four roomed wooden cottage at Pine Grove and my
sister Caroline (Carrie) Cowan Malseed was born November 29, 1884. Then followed
his Mother’s pride and joy, my brother James Cowan Malseed born October 1, 1886.
May (Sarah May) a very bright little girl came on the ninth of the ninth 1888 :-
9/9/88.
So there were three children by the time Mother was 24 years old. Times were
hard; there was little money coming in for farm produce, and so there was little
joy when it was learned that I was to become the fourth member of the family on
October 23, 1890. Mother then 26 years old, had been ill. Besides the house work
she helped on the farm. She had dental trouble and Dad had taken her to Hamilton
to have some teeth extracted. In those times, dentists were unskilled and used
no pain killing drug - and apparently little antiseptic. As a result erysipelas
developed in my mother's face and she was driven nearly frantic with pain. I was
a few weeks old and probably added to her suffering by my baby cries. The tale
goes that she picked me up and hurled me at my father, saying, “Here, take your
brat or I'll do something desperate to him”. Dad took me down to Aunt Sarah
(Mother’s elder sister) put the horses in the buggy
[1] and drove Mother through the night
the thirty mile trip to the doctor in Hamilton. Doctor said it was well he did
so, otherwise Mother would have been dead or insane with the pain by morning.
She was put into hospital, and remained there for three weeks leaving her three
weeks old baby to be fed on cow’s milk by a sister who had no child of her own,
and by Mr. Grimshaw the school teacher boarder who was very kind to me. Was it
little wonder I was never my mother’s favourite child? It speaks highly though
of my parents' health that I lived through it all.
Four years passed - four years to the day and my brother John Wallace was born.
Our nearest school was Spring Creek about two miles east of home, and I was
packed off that day for my first day at school with Mr. Grimshaw. When the four
of us returned that afternoon I well remember our being met at the Black Stump –
at the junction of Bob’s place (Bob and Sarah Malseed) and ours and being given
the riddle - “Guess what happened while you were away today?” I had no guess but
thought, “That’s it” - When my eight year old brother Jim said - “Old Rosie (the
cow) has had a calf”. We were all astounded to learn we had a new baby brother.
Mother was well and happy with her little Brown Eyes as she called John Wallace
born 23/10/94.
Nearly nine years passed before my sister Isabelle Alexandra was born on March
4, 1903. I think we had the new four big front rooms and the “lobby” or
vestibule added to Pine Grove by that time and Mother at 39 years wished to have
a child to be a comfort and companion to her in her advancing years.
My maternal grandfather James Cowan was born at Newtown, Siven?
[probably Sefin (IM)] Ireland on May 3, 1834 and was
married on April 13, 1855 to Eliza McNally
[2] of The Grange C/o Armagh, Ireland
who was born June 3, 1835. I got little information from them directly, but, I
believe they, like my Malseed grandparents, left Ireland after The Great Hunger,
as the dreadful potato famine of 1845/49 was known. They would be aged 10 and 11
years when it began, and must have suffered acutely. They came out to Portland
about the year 1854, 1 think Mother said.
[3] They got work and keep then,
probably arriving penniless at Crawford Station out on the Hotspur Road from
Condah.
There was born to them Anne Jane 20/8/1856. She married William Dunn and died
20/7/79 leaving a son William Dunn whose offspring are still living.
Next born at Crawford Station was Sarah 30/1/59. She married dad’s brother
Robert, but they had no children owing to a horse - riding accident where she
was thrown and dragged with her foot still in the stirrup. They adopted Myrtle
Cole, 3rd child [4]
of Sarah’s sister Elizabeth, wife of Reverend George Cole and later a marriage
was “arranged” between her and Stewart Malseed.
Third child was the said Elizabeth, born 30/6/61 and married 6/4/86. My Mother,
Isabella was born at Crawford April 1, 1864. She married my Father on December
19, 1883 of whom more will be told later. The only son, John, was born at
Crawford 9/9/66 and died of typhoid fever 5.4.76.
After the birth of John, grandfather Cowan selected a property which he named
“Pleasant Banks” at Condah, As far as I can learn, selectors could select 640
acres and pay the Government 2/ - (two shillings) a year interest free for 20
(twenty) years. After holding the land for 6 (six) years, you could sell your
equity. Thus grandfather bought out his neighbour of the property adjacent,
still referred to as McKinnons.
At Pleasant Banks were born, Mary, on 2/6/69 - she died of Water on the Brain
(probably encephalitis) 6/12/71 - and Emma on 1/5/74. [1/6/74
(IM)] She married David Cannon and left a family of girls and boys.
Grandfather and Grandmother Cowan must have served on Crawford Station for about
twelve years on a pittance but despite rearing a young family, they saved to
make a deposit on Pleasant Banks where, they worked day and night clearing the
land, planting crops, breeding sheep and milking cows. I remember how my
grandmother would “set” the hot milk for cream, churn the cream and trudge
nearly 3 miles to Myamyn to sell her butter for 6 pence per lb. Grandfather
prospered financially and bought neighbouring properties such as the Tin House,
Willings and Crouch’s. It was in the Tin House paddock that he had a fight with
an old man kangaroo. It was under a tree. The waddy
[5] he raised to strike was impeded by
a branch. The kangaroo closed on him, ripping through his new moleskin trousers
leaving a gash he kept till death. His dog tackled the kangaroo from the rear
and grandpa was able to free himself.
On one occasion, Grandmother was alarmed when three native, naked, aborigines
stood on the hillock just outside the home grandpa had built.
I think it was from the Cowans we inherited our ambition. They became
independent, respected settlers, but Grandfather became paralysed with what we
called Shaking Palsy and really what was then the incurable Parkinson’s Disease
and spent the last few years of his life a patient in bed - first nursed by
Uncle Bob Malseed and finally by my father in the front bow window room of Pine
Grove. Grandmother Cowan died at The Myamyn house of Uncle Bob Malseed.
My Grandfather, the Pioneer MALSEED’s John Malseed, arrived in Portland,
Victoria in the year 1849 with his wife Elizabeth (nee Wallace). He had lived on
a farm at Aughevennon near the village of Rathmullan. Like the Cowans he could
read and write. They came out to this country by sailing ship – I think it was
the Ladybird, and the other Malseeds came on the Mayflower, later. I’m wrong :-
Grandfather was 26 years old when he arrived in 1849 on the MAYFLOWER.
[6]
My grandfather Malseed was followed to Australia by others of his family and his
cousins :-
Robert Malseed (cousin I think) [Robert was John’s brother (RM)]
married Barbara – became parents of “Little Tom” [Thomas
William Malseed (IM)]. Harry [Henry Stewart Malseed (RM)]
– father of the nurse Ruby and the Methodist clergyman,
[Herbert William Robert Malseed (RM)] who dying of T.B. left 3 sons,
Bryan, Clive and ? [Leslie (RM)].
Stewart Malseed (cousin again) [another brother (IM)]
married Margaret Allison. Father of “Portland” Bob, Jane and Lil
[Elizabeth Mary Malseed (RM)] (who first married a
Trenear and after his death, Roberts.)
James Malseed Senior married his cousin – my grandfather’s sister ELIZA Malseed,
settled at Mount Richmond and begot Rachel, Fanny, later Mrs. Tom Adamson,
Charlotte, Mary, Rebecca, Samuel, Stewart who married my cousin (on the Cowan
side); MYRTLE COLE; and Harold [James Harold Crump Malseed (RM)].
James Junior – I’m not sure if he were brother or cousin to Grandfather.
[He was a brother. (RM)] He married MARY HEDDITCH and
besides children who died of T.B. became the parents of Percy Malseed, who later
bought the small station property Ascot Heath, and, Adeline who married Angus
McLean, lived at Drik Drik and reared a fine family.
Cousin Jimmy or James. [Cousin Henry (RM)] I suppose
came out about 1864 [7]
and was an old bachelor whose farm Sam Malseed inherited.
I visited County Donegal in Ireland in 1956 and stayed with Frances (MALSEED)
and her husband Ira Mckinney of Oatfield Sweets fame, in Letter Kenny, and
visited the old places. Grandfather’s home was in ruins with little more than
the stone foundations standing, but their stone shed was still standing and in
use.
The name MALSEED reputedly comes from the Gaelic MAOL meaning Tonsured or short
hair, and the SEED refers to Fairy Folk or Strangers i.e. The short haired or
tonsured Strangers or Fairy Folk.
[8] They were Protestant folk and the
tradition was that they came with Cromwell’s or William of Orange’s Armies and
settled on the land. [9]
Two of Grandfather’s forebears were buried side by side in the Churchyard of
Rathmullin. One’s name is spelled MOLSEED the other MALSEED, but as a derivative
of MAOL it is understandable. One of the Pioneer Malseeds had his Cabin Trunk
labeled MOLSEED but all were known as MALSEED out here.
A John Malseed [10]
, father of a 5 year old Marshall Malseed
[11] and a little girl
[Marnell (RM)], came out in the mid 1950s as a
superintendent on a big American Oil job at Altona. He was surprised to find so
many Malseeds here and said he had never met another Malseed except his father
[12] who died
early, in any state of America in all of which he had lived and worked.
There was three MALSEEDS in the Phone Book in Honolulu when I visited there in
1968.
In Ireland, the Church records had been moved from Rathmullin “for safety” but
had unfortunately all been destroyed during the TROUBLES in Dublin.
Grandfather MALSEED and “the clan” worked on the gold mine rushes of Victoria in
the early 1850s with a little success. The four of them had gold hidden in their
camp when an undesirable attached himself to them. The tale goes that they drew
lots for who was to “deal” with him, but forewarned he moved on. They reputedly
found him hanging by the neck from a tree in a new area, later. Also, it is said
grandfather returned from the diggings with gold on his shoulder under his
shirt, which he used to buy his first land. Grandfather Malseed was 26 years old
when he landed at Portland in 1849. At the Centenary Meeting at Portland in 1959
[1949 (RM)] he was depicted in a scene welcoming his
brothers – I know that James Malseed was his cousin as he married Grandfather’s
sister Eliza and became the father of 9 or 10 children.
[Actually 12 (RM)] Stewart, father of Portland “Bob”; James Junior,
Father of Percy; and Robert, Ruby the nurse’s father
[grandfather (IM)], were probably Grandfather’s brothers.
To return to the document, click the endnote number.
[1] Australian truncation
of “put the horses in the shafts of the buggy” (IM).
[2] Though he was named Robinson McNally,
Roy’s grandmother’s name on her Marriage Certificate was given as McAnally. It
seems the two surnames, like Malseed and Molseed, were interchangeable (IM).
[3] It was 1855, on the “Cairngorm” (IM).
[4] Myrtle McAnally Cole was the 4th child.
The third, Emily Stewart Evans Cole, died in infancy (IM).
[5] A waddy is a heavy wooden club used as a
weapon by Australian Aborigines (RM).
[6] John and Elizabeth Malseed arrived in
Australia on 18 Sep 1849 on the Courier. They sailed from Melbourne to Portland
on the brig Raven arriving on 4 Oct 1849. (RM)
[7] Henry Malseed came out twice, once in 1857
(for a visit?) and again in 1863, to stay (IM).
[8] It is more likely that the name derives
from Flemish rather than Gaelic (IM).
[9] Malseeds were in Donegal long before
Oliver Cromwell took his army to Ireland in 1649, and William of Orange did the
same in 1689/1690, e.g. John Molsed, plantation settler in 1614, and Archibald
Malseed listed on the Hearth Money Roll of 1665. (RM)
[10] Vyrle Jack Malseed [1912-1994]. (RM)
[11] Marshall William Malseed was born 21
May 1945, so he was older than 5. (RM)
[12] John William Malseed [1891-1970]. (RM)
Page last updated:
14 March 2007
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