----- Original Message -----
Thursday 24th November 2011
From: Jenny Hawkins
To: geoff@ronebergcairns.com
Subject: Gertrude Knowles

Good afternoon

I have been wandering around the internet as I am doing some family history research and I came across your wonderful site

As an introduction, I am the grand daughter of John David Ward
I live in Sydney and I am 52
My mother was Violet (Vi) Mitchell (nee Ward) and my aunt was Patricia (Pat) Stehbens (nee Ward)

Their parents both died around 1930 and Mum and Aunty Pat have passed on and so the information trail is closed

I see that you have Ward information going back to England and that is very interesting and obviously fills in quite some gaps for me
Thank you for listing it

Can you tell me this please ??
I have a photo that Audrey Hutton provided many years ago
She and my mother were regular pen pals in their time
On this photo as I have attached (I could not send the attachment so I have deleted for the moment) it indicates that Gertrude was Knowles-Matheson
Can you clarify if she married twice or if she married a Knowles-Matheson please ??

I have a couple of other photos of Pat, Audrey and Gertie if you are interested
Please let me know and I will send them

Thank you ... Jenny Hawkins

----- Original Message -----
Friday 25th November 2011
From: Geoff Roneberg
To: Hawkins, Jenny
Cc: Sharon - Home ; Hutton, Deane ; Hutton, Rex and Denny ; Knowles, Wally ; Newnham, Erina ; Pearce, Fiona ; Richards, Jon and Lesley
Subject: Info about Gertrude Knowles

Good Morning, Jenny

Thanks for your comments on our web site
With the assistance and information from lots of people, it has turned out to be a terrific Family History Record and it's great to have everything available at the click of a mouse-button and not stacked away in boxes in the wardrobe or under the bed !!

I am sending this reply to a number of people who will be interested in your notes ... including my wife Sharon, her sisters Lesley and Fiona, Audrey Hutton's children and Wally Knowles who has sent me lots of information over the last year or so
They may now contact you direct

Hey Everybody ... if you do write to Jenny, please send me a copy so any info can be added to the site ... thanks

Now to your question, Jenny
Below is a 'screenshot' of part of one of the web pages
It details that Gertrude did marry twice ... to Harry Clive Knowles in 1909 ... Clive, as he preferred to be known, died during 1922 and later Gertrude married John (Jock) Matheson in 1946

The full web page can be seen by clicking HERE and scrolling down to Section #06

Yes, I certainly am interested !! ... I would really appreciate any photos that you may have
And in turn, please feel free to use any information and/or photos that are included in our web site
( when scanning the photos, are you able to do them with a resolution of 600dpi ? ... it results in a large file which is sometimes slow to send via email, but it allows me to 'work-and-adjust' the shots before uploading them to the site ... if you need any assistance, just sing out !! )

Regards, and please write again if you need any further information ... Geoff

----- Original Message -----
Friday 25th November 2011
From: Erina Hutton
To: Geoff Roneberg
Subject: Re: Info about Gertrude Knowles

Thanks Geoff

Very interesting ... it is certainly a fantastic family resource you have there !!

I don't remember Mum (Audrey) noting Getrude's name on photos as Knowles-Matheson, but maybe she did

I do remember Aunty Vi, and I met you, Jenny, in Sydney when we were on holiday
I was about fourteen and you would have been nine ??

Hey Sharon, Alison and Julianne may be interested

Regards ... Erina

Hi Geoff ... when I tried 'reply all', it wouldn't send, so feel free to forward this on
Cheers ... Erina

----- Original Message -----
Saturday 26th November 2011
From: Geoff Roneberg
To: Hawkins, Jenny
Cc: Sonntag, Julianne ; Richards, Jon and Lesley ; Pearce, Fiona ; Newnham, Erina ; Knowles, Wally ; Hutton, Rex and Denny ; Hutton, Deane ; Carter, Alison ; Sharon - Home
Subject: Follow Up Notes re Gertrude Knowles

Hi again, Jenny ... and to all

Since sending out the original email yesterday, I have received a couple of replies

FROM LESLEY
Hi Geoff
I think I have met that girl or her brother at Loxton years ago
Lesley

FROM ERINA
Thanks Geoff
Very interesting ... it is certainly a fantastic family resource you have there !!
I don't remember Mum (Audrey) noting Getrude's name on photos as Knowles-Matheson, but maybe she did
I do remember Aunty Vi, and I met you, Jenny, in Sydney when we were on holiday
I was about fourteen and you would have been nine ??
Hey Sharon, Alison and Julianne may be interested
Regards ... Erina
Hi Geoff ... when I tried 'reply all', it wouldn't send, so feel free to forward this on
Cheers ... Erina

Erina ... have sent this to Alison and Julianne as you suggested

Look forward to seeing the photos, Jenny !!

----- Original Message -----
Saturday 26th November 2011
From: Jenny Hawkins
To: Geoff Roneberg
Cc: Sonntag, Julianne ; Richards, Jon and Lesley ; Pearce, Fiona ; Newnham, Erina ; Knowles, Wally ; Hutton, Rex and Denny ; Hutton, Deane ; Carter, Alison ; Sharon - Home
Subject: RE: Follow Up Notes re Gertrude Knowles

Hi to everyone

It seems like I have started something here

Thank you Geoff, Lesley and Erina for the prompt responses
I have been doing a bit of the research for a year or so and sent emails to people in the past and some never reply and others take their time, so it was quite a surprise when I turned the computer on today and found this

I will attach again the photo and its reverse with Knowles-Matheson

If asked I would have said that Matheson was the surname, yet I knew the Knowles name as well
It seems if I had looked into your website more closely, Geoff, I would have had the answer and would not then have started this process
Good thing I think that I did not look more closely !!

Also, in response to Lesley and Erina, yes I also remember meeting many of you
Of course, Julianne, Alison, David and Meredith we visited many times, and had actually planned to visit this year, but things changed
I also remember Clive and Deane and Fiona
I remember going to Audrey and George’s place and also them with Erina and Clive visiting our home in Caringbah
I will send some photos when I locate them
We also went to the Coudrey’s house in the Adelaide Hills somewhere around 1973

In my research I have been looking to date more at John David Ward’s wife, Nellie Rouxel
In doing so I have discovered that his first wife was Ethel Wundenberg (married in 1902 in Perth) and they had Ronald and Harold Watford (1904 in Perth)
Ethel died in 1915 in Perth
John then married Nellie Rouxel in Brisbane in 1917 and they had Gordon John (1917-1962) in Lismore, NSW, Melville (1919-1925), Violet (1921-1987) in Tintenbar (near Lismore), Elizabeth Henrietha (Betty) (1922 - ?) in Coogee, Sydney and Patricia (1927-?) in Carlton, Sydney
John died at work moving furniture at work, from a heart attack in 1928
His occupation was traveller
Two years later there was a Workers Compensation settlement, which I am yet to get the details of
I have taken a photo of his grave which I will send
He was buried with Melville, as well as his father in law and one of Nellie’s nephews
Many questions come up (of course) and if anyone knows the following I would appreciate knowing
1 - any details of Ronald or as he was know, Ron
2 - why John went to Western Australia
3 - why he then went to Queensland after Ethel died
4 - why they then didn’t return to South Australia to live
5 - and anything else that might be known ... it might add to some minor detail that I haven’t put together yet

Regarding the Christmas photo of the Knowles/Matheson family, Sharon has put a note questioning the story of Patricia Stehbens
My Aunty Pat went to live with Grandma Matheson (Gertrude) in 1939 when she was twelve
I believe she was escorted by Audrey and George when they were returning from their honeymoon in Sydney
Please correct me if that is not the year they were married
Pat with Vi and Betty had been living with Frank and Ruth Rouxel, being Nellie’s only brother surviving when she died in 1932
Why Gertrude took Pat, I don’t know, but at this time and as a result of Pat being cared for elsewhere, Vi left the home of Frank and Ruth.............( please refer to bottom of this page )

I should stop and get back to this at a later date

I will send the photos with details then

I must mention though, that Mum and Dad (Ian Mitchell) used to receive each Christmas the wonderful Hutton family cards and I still have most of them
What a great family record

Thanks again ... Cheers ... Jenny

----- Original Message -----
Sunday 27th November 2011
From: Geoff Roneberg
To: Jenny Hawkins
Cc: Sonntag, Julianne ; Richards, Jon and Lesley ; Pearce, Fiona ; Newnham, Erina ; Knowles, Wally ; Hutton, Rex and Denny ; Hutton, Deane ; Carter, Alison ; Sharon - Home
Subject: More Family History Information

Another note from up here, Jenny !!

Firstly, Lesley is "The Fountain of Knowledge" for a lot of this family history but she is having hassles receiving these emails ... she uses a spam filter and for some reason, these notes are being rejected ( and that's why I never use one !! ) ... I noticed that you sent this reply to her so would you tell me if you also received a 'rejection' notice for her email address, then I will know if she is receiving the info, etc

I have had a look at your email below, and will go through it all properly over the next few days and will also include any applicable notes on the various web pages

For example, the explanation concerning the "Christmas Photo" (HERE) ... and Sharon's note about Patricia Stehbens

In respect to your queries, they go way past my limited knowledge !! ... so I will leave them for others to answer if they can

Thanks for the photo, and a copy is below ...

This one is already on our site (HERE) and the page includes notes from both Lesley and Erina
I will add the scan of the back of your photo to this page within a few days
The photo is listed in Section #07 on the main History Index Page (HERE)

All the best ... and I'll send you a note when the page updates have been done ... Geoff

----- Original Message -----
Sunday 27th November 2011
From: Jenny Hawkins
To: Geoff Roneberg
Cc: Sonntag, Julianne ; Richards, Jon and Lesley ; Pearce, Fiona ; Newnham, Erina ; Knowles, Wally ; Hutton, Rex and Denny ; Hutton, Deane ; Carter, Alison ; Sharon - Home
Subject: RE: More Family History Information

Hi Geoff

I did not receive a rejection from Lesley so we can only assume

The photo I sent is the one that caused me to originally ask about the name being hyphenated or whether there were two marriages for Gertrude
I know I have the answer to that, but thought I would send the photo anyway for everyone’s reference

Look forward to anything more

Cheers ... Jenny

----- Original Message -----
Sunday 27th November 2011
From: Sharon Roneberg
To: Geoff Roneberg ; Jenny Hawkins
Cc: Sonntag, Julianne ; Richards, Jon and Lesley ; Pearce, Fiona ; Newnham, Erina ; Knowles, Wally ; Hutton, Rex and Denny ; Hutton, Deane ; Carter, Alison
Subject: Re: More Family History Information

Hi Jenny

Don't you just love technology ?? ... finding out little bits of information !!

It seems Aunty Pat's mother and father died when she was very young
How sad but great that you all kept in contact

A couple of things have just come to mind about Aunty Pat
I remember she was terrified of heights
I think she only went to our house in the Adelaide Hills once and had her eyes shut the whole way up there !!
That may have been when you were visiting
I always liked her voice ... it was kind of husky and very distinctive

Always great to hear from distant rellies ... Sharon

----- Original Message -----
Saturday 24th December 2011
From: Erina Hutton
To: sharon@ronebergcairns.com
Subject: Aunty Pat

Hi Sharon

I wanted to send a copy of the telegram from Mum advising grandma they were bringing Aunty Pat home
Can't find it ... but I will !!

Love ... Erina

----- Original Message -----
Wednesday 18th January 2012
From: Sharon Roneberg
To: erina hutton ; Geoff Roneberg
Subject: Aunty Pat

Hi Erina

How amazing is that telegram ... "can we bring Pat home"

Thanks heaps ... Sharon