The Goldsworthy Family Of LondonHenrietta GOLDSWORTHY (1853-1943)Henrietta was born at 2 Bathurst St, Paddington on 16 July 1853 and baptised at St James, Paddington on 14 August 1853. She was the second of 14 chidren. She was recorded in the 1861 and 1871 censuses with her parents at 2 Bathurst St. The GOLDSWORTHY family emigrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1873. Henrietta was 19 years old.
In the 1861 and 1871 censuses Henrietta and family were at 2 Bathhurst St, Paddington.
On 19 May 1873 the GOLDSWORTHY family boarded the sailing ship, the MacDuff, bound for Melbourne, where they arrived on 21 August 1873. The ship's manifest lists John aged 44 and Henrietta aged 39 and Henrietta Jnr aged 19.
Henrietta married Alfred Theodore DUNNING in Melbourne on 21 September 1878. They had two children: Florence Annie (born 1879 in Dunedin) and Elsie (born 1882 in Melbourne). Who was Alfred Theodore DUNNING? Alfred DUNNING was born in Plymouth, Devon and emigrated to Melbourne with his family. He became fruiterer but decided to try his hand in Dunedin, New Zealand. Once there he married Caroline MARTIN (born in Melbourne) in 1871 and they had two children: Jane Laura May DUNNING born in 1872 and Herbert Alfred DUNNING, born 27 July 1873. In 1873 Alfred bought land in George St and also set about building new premises in Princes St, advertising the sale of his personal items, including his choice canaries. The Princes St site soon became the Hotel Central, at 90-108 Princes St.
According to various sources (e.g. built in Dunedin): "Alfred Theodore Dunning and Frederick Charles Edward Dunning were English settlers who started out as fruiterers in Princes Street in 1864. Frederick left the partnership in 1871, but did return for a few years later in the decade. In 1874 Alfred was granted a license for the City Dining Rooms, which he opened upstairs in the new building. He established a hotel across the upper floors of both buildings, and from 1878 the establishment was known as Dunning's Central Hotel and Café. The portion above the drapery contained bedrooms, while rooms in the northern part included a dining room, offices, and a large billiard room. Alfred was known for his joviality, uprightness in business, and warm-heartedness, but although he did well in the hotel business he was less successful when he left in 1881 to take up theatrical management. He lost most of his money in opera ventures." But the remainder of 1873 was not kind to Alfred. On 20 September 1873 his wife died suddenly at their home in Rattray St, Dunedin aged only 28.
It is not clear what Alfred did after the death of his wife. He remained in Dunedin initially, as he appeared in court in August 1875. But he was back in Melbourne in 1878 where he married Henrietta GOLDSWORTHY on 21 September. They soon returned to Dunedin where they had a child, Florence Annie, born July 1879. By 1881 he was invested in the Queen's Theatre on Princes St where he was fined one shilling for placing an advertising board on the footpath. In May 1881 he sold the Princes St property for £16,000 cash.
It appears that after he lost his money in opera ventures, Alfred and Henrietta returned to Melbourne. In 1882 their second and last child, Elsie, was born. Alfred also bought (or leased) the Earl of Zetland Hotel. But his return to hotel manaegment did not last long either. Alfred Theodore DUNNING died at the Earl of Zetland Hotel on 9 June 1886 "after a long and painful illness". He is buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery.
What happened to Henrietta and her two children after Alfred died?
The next we know of Henrietta is her establishment of a millinery business at 10 Oxford St, Melbourne with her daughter Elsie (now Mrs Mollard) trading as Spilsted & Co. But this venture went bankrupt and the assets were sold in April 1914. We know little more abour Henrietta after this. At some point she moved into 237 Dandenong Rd, Windsor, where she died on 11 July 1943, aged almost 90.
The Children of Henrietta and Alfred DUNNING:Florence Annie DUNNING (1879-1958)Florence was born in Dunedin, New Zealand in July 1879. In 1881 the family returned to Melbourne. Florence married Percival Cavendish Lister NEVILE in 1908 in Claremont, Perth, Western Australia. Percival was the son of Cavendish NEVILE and Agnes Mary (or Marie) LIGHT and was born 24 March 1876 in Adelaide WA. Florence and Alfred had four children, all born in Western Australia:
Florence died in Perth on 29 November 1958 and her ashes were scattered at the Karrakatta Crematorium gardens. Of the children: Roy Lister NEVILE was born 1909. He married Winifred Lotys HILL in 1937 in Perth, WA. Roy died in Porepunkah, Bright, Victoria on 14 January 1991. Winifred died 18 July 1998. Both are commemorated at the Bright Cemetery, Lawn plaque 79.
Jack Cavendish NEVILE was born 10 February 1911 in Northam, WA. The records suggest Jack married Isobel Lena McIntye ROSS and they eventually lived in Canada. The Jack NEVILE in the 1956 shipping record was born in Australia. Isobel was born in Scotland on 1 November 1924, although her passport in 1956 was issued in South Africa. I cannot find a marriage for them. Jack was a "consultant" in 1956 and later an "auditor". They had four children. Jack died in Beechwood, Ottawa on 23 September 1978 and Isobel died there on 6 July 1997.
Jill Lorraine NEVILE was born 1911, twin sister to Jack (of course...Jack & Jill). Jill became a nurse at Perth Hospital. Jill married in WA in 1941, probably to George BOSCI and they had at least one child. George died in Perth in 1957 and Jill died in Victoria in 1967. Keith Douglas NEVILE was born 1919 at East Coolgardie, WA. He served as an Army officer, being on Christmas Island in 1953 with his wife Elsie Gregson (LUSCOMBE) and their two children. They had married in Perth in 1941. By 1968 they were in Glen Waverley, Melbourne, where Keith died on 8 Feb 1969. Elsie died on 2 October 2000 at the Gold Coast, Queensland. Elsie DUNNING (1882-1954)Elsie was born in Fitzroy, Melbourne in 1882 to Alfred and Henrietta DUNNING. By this time Alfred had given up his attempts at making money from opera and returned to being an innkeeper in Melbourne. Elsie married Herbert Francis MOLLARD on 30 July 1907 at St Mary's Church, Perth. Herbert was a commercial traveller. They moved around Australia and also spent 6 months in Auckland New Zealand, before returning to Melbourne. They had three children: John Claude (b. 28 May 1908), Maxwell Francis (born 18 Dec 1909, died 4 Nov 1976) and Nance (born 1917). Elsie and her mother established a millinery business in Melbourne but it went broke in 1914. There are also court records for Elsie filing for divorce from Herbert in 1926 which were strongly rejected by Alfred. It appears that the case was not pursued further, so a divorce was not granted. The electoral rolls continue for many years afterwards have them both at the same address and Herbert's obituary refers to "husband of Elsie". Elsie died at her mother's home, 237 Dandenong Rd on 9 June 1954.
Herbert died in Ashworth St, Albert Park Melbourne on 11 August 1948. Return to John Frederick Goldsworthy page Last updated: 21 April 2021 |
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