I saw an excellent program on ABC1 last night and it left me feeling so amazingly proud of my courageous female ancestors who stood up to be counted and signed the huge (35,000 signature) Victorian Suffrage Petition of 1891 - which is part of this program.
The program is called Utopia Girls-How Women Got The Vote and it's the "little known story of how Australian women became the first in the world to gain full political rights."
Here is the ABC1 link http://www.abc.net.au/tv/programs/utopiagirls.htm for you to watch the entire program if you're interested.
Following are copies of the original signatures which you can view on the following website http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/WomensPetition
I've included a list (below) of our female relatives who we know signed the petition in Lilydale - there may well have been many more in other parts of Victoria and will check this out when I get time. [Most of the information on this list is thanks to John Leach, the rest [the Alway's] I've surmised]:
1891 Suffrage Family Information Lilydale
Alway, M
This person may be Mary Eliza 'Eliza' Alway (nee Wilson)(1840-1922), second wife of Robert Alway (1823-1894)? They had married in 1861. Eliza died in Lilydale so could have been living there in 1891 and at that time she would have been aged 51. Info Mortimore family.
Alway, S. M.
This may be Susanna Martha Alway (1869-1933) - daughter of Mary Eliza & Robert Alway (above). She also died in Lilydale and having such a forward thinking mother she probably followed her mother's lead and signed the petition. Susanna would have been aged 22 in 1891. Susanna married John Hutchinson (1870-1937) in 1893. Info Mortimore family.
Harman, Grace
Grace Harman (1870-1935) of Main Street, Lilydale, was a daughter of Robert and Ann Harman, nee Williams, born in Lilydale, and a sister of Susan Leach (nee Harman). In 1893 she married George Podger (1870-1936). She'd have been about 21 when she added her signature to the petition. She is buried in WA. (p. 675, line 11) Info Leach family.
Leach, L
Louisa Leach of Albert Hill (Lilydale), (nee Boucher) (ca 1855-1932), had married Thomas Leach (1861-1924) in 1882. Originally named Sarah, she seems to have adopted Louisa as her name. Believed to have been born in Sandhurst, Vic, she was the daughter of Joseph and Eliza Boucher, (nee Marsh), and was aged about 36 in 1891. She and Thomas were members of the Lilydale Baptist Church, and are buried in the old Lilydale Cemetery. (p. 678, line 32) Info Leach family.
Leach, S
Susan Leach (nee Harman) (1863-1918) had married James Leach (1859-1921) in 1887. She was one of the six daughters of Robert and Ann Harman, (nee Williams), and was born in Lilydale. She'd have been 28 in 1891. She and James lived in Victoria Road, Lilydale and attended the Croydon Church of Christ, known at that time as the Disciples of Christ. In the late 1890s the family moved to Fremantle to escape the deep economic recession gripping the eastern states - James going first, followed some months later by Susan and children. James and Susan had six children, and are buried in the Fremantle Cemetery. Susan's father, Robert Harman (1839-1924) was sometime licensee of the Crown Hotel, a member of the Lilydale School Committee and of the Lilydale Cricket Club, and he owned property in Wandin Yallock. (p. 678, line 35) Info Leach family.
Mortimore, C (Main St)
Spelling either Mortimore or Mortomore in BDM indexes.
Caroline Eliza Mortomore, (nee Always) (ca 1865-1931) was the daughter of Robert and Mary Eliza Alway, (nee Wilson). In 1886 she married Charles Mortomore (1864-1943), who had been born at Brushy Creek. Caroline and Charles Mortomore were members of the Lilydale Baptist Church. They had five children: Charles Robert (1887-1917), Florence Ethel (1890-1931), Robert Alway MM (1892-1917), Leonard Harold (1894-1965), and Cyril Ernest (1902-74), plus two adopted daughters, Amy and Mavis. (p. 678, line 19) Info Leach family.
Mortomore, Mrs
Spelling either Mortimore or Mortomore in BDM indexes.
Sarah Mortomore, (nee Shaw) (1825-1903), was aged about 66 in 1891. Born in Thurlby, Lincolnshire, she was the daughter of John and Mary Shaw, (nee Williamson), who were Baptists; and she later became a member of the Lilydale Baptist Church. She had first married Robert Jarvis (1849), then John Leach (1854), and lastly William Henry Mortomore, a Lilydale brickmaker (1863). By her second marriage she was the mother of James, Thomas and Henry ‘Harry’ Leach; and she and William Mortomore had a further three children: Charles (1864-1943), Sarah (1865-1936) and Martin (1867-1942). Martin and his descendants spell their surname 'Mortimore.' At the time of her death in 1903, Sarah, aged 77, was living in Cave Hill Road, Lilydale; and she is buried in the old Lilydale Cemetery. Her husband William Henry Mortomore (son of Wm Henry and Eva Mortomore (nee Talbot)) died at Lilydale in 1910 aged 79 years. (p. 679, line 10) Info Leach family.
Mortomore, S
Spelling either Mortimore or Mortomore in BDM indexes.
Sarah Ann Mortomore (1865-1936) was born in Lilydale, the daughter of William and Sarah Mortomore, (nee Shaw). A life-long spinster, she kept house for her half-brother, ‘Harry’ Leach, who lived over his grocery shop in Main Street. She joined the Lilydale Baptist Church in 1881; and she'd have been 26 in 1891. Like her half-brother ‘Harry’ Leach, who never married, she is buried in the old Lilydale Cemetery. She, and one other signatory wrote 'Lily Dale,' while everyone else wrote 'Lilydale.' (p. 678, line 33) Info Leach family.
