Maria Scearcy Hayes ~ 1890 - 1987
married 1913
James Edmund Gilmore ~ 1887 - 1949
Farmers of "Gap Creek" Farm, Tooborac
Growing up
Maria Scearcy Hayes was born 29 July 1890 at Tooborac to William Hayes and Mary Elizabeth (nee Bodycoat). Maria was their seventh child of their family of ten. Maria's name was always pronounced as 'Mariah'.
Maria was born into a family with four big brothers: William Joseph 'Joe', David 'Walter', James Wilfred 'Billy' and Albert John 'Abbie'. She also had two big sisters: Charlotte Elizabeth and Mary Elsie. After Maria came May Victoria, Thomas Henry and Alice Myrtle. Thus William and Mary had a family of ten children, with nine reaching adulthood. Little May Victoria died at age three. Maria was six years old and at Pyalong West school when May had her accident. Her brother was sent to collect all the siblings from school. Maria was dreadfully upset by the horrible tragedy of May. May's father William and her Uncle Ted (Edward Hayes) were out in the paddocks burning off. May gathered some sticks in her apron and tried to add them to the fire. Sadly the weight of the sticks carried her forward into the fire and burnt her badly. Little May died from burns and shock within 3 1/2 hours. In fact, Maria remained affected by the memory of that event all her life. Maria went to Pyalong West, with teacher Miss McMahon, with some of her siblings. As best we know, Maria attended there until year eight. We're not sure how much further education she had. Albert John served in the First World War but did not return. Another painful tragedy for the family. All the remaining eight siblings married and gave William and Mary forty grandchildren. |
William Hayes’ mother’s name was Maria with the maiden name of Searcy. When William registered his daughter Maria’s birth, he honoured his mother by calling his daughter "Maria Searcy". However, when he registered her birth name, it seems that William was unaware of the correct spelling of the surname Searcy. Maybe, as suggested by family members, William Hayes had never seen the surname Searcy written down.
Maria Scearcy Hayes, was so spelt and named.
Maria Scearcy Hayes, was so spelt and named.
Jim
James Edmund Gilmore was born 8 March 1887 in Tooborac to William 'Cooee' Gilmore and Bridget (nee Colbert). Jim was the eighth and last child. The first child, William, died as a baby. After little William came Margaret Anna 'Mag' and Bridget 'Sis'. A new William Charles 'Bill' became Jim's only brother. After Bill came Mary Jane 'Molly', Lucinda 'Luce' and Martha Ellen 'Mat'. Therefore, Jim had one brother and five big sisters to boss him around.
We think that Jim, and probably most of his siblings, went to Tooborac North Primary. What we do know is that Jim and Maria didn't attend the same Primary School. Wedding BellsMaria Scearcy Hayes married James Edmund Gilmore on 14 March 1913 at the Presbyterian Manse in Mia Mia.
[No photo! If you know of a photo of their wedding day, please let us know.] Family FunMaria and Jim took over the "Gap Creek" property from his father and was already running it by the time his father died in 1927.
The nine children were born at either Tooborac, Kyneton or Heathcote. The last three were all born at Sister Babidge's private midwifery home in Heathcote. The eight that lived to adulthood, grew up at "Gap Creek" farm in Tooborac and went to the Tooborac School with Maria and Jim's many local cousins. The nine had been born between 1913 and 1931 - five daughters and four sons. Bridget Margaret 'Biddie', Lorna Mavis, Albert James 'Abbie', Myrtle Jean Maria 'Jean', Gwendoline Oriel 'Gwennie', Desmond William 'Dessie', Myra Elsie, Raymond John and Rex Basil. Tiny TragedyTragically, Myrtle Jean Maria, known in the family as Jean, died a tragic death. She was scalded in a household accident and died about two weeks later in the Heathcote Hospital on November 5th 1918. Maria spent those weeks by her baby daughter’s side. To read the death notices and years of “in memoriam” notices inserted in the local newspaper by Jean’s family would bring a tear to any reader’s eyes. Jean’s accident was reported thus in the “McIvor Times” of October 31st. 1918: “A very painful accident happened on Sunday, 22nd inst. when the ten-month-old baby of Mr. and Mrs. J. Gilmore, of Emu Flat, was badly scalded. The little child was playing around on the floor, and when unobserved, crawled up to the fireplace and pulled a pot of freshly made tea over herself, causing very severe injuries. The little sufferer was brought to Heathcote and attended by Dr. N. Tracey Bull.” Baby Jean was buried with her parents in a marked grave in the Heathcote Monumental Cemetery.
Fiddler and FarmerJim was a brilliant fiddle player and earned a shilling a night playing the fiddle for dances held at Tooborac and Emu Flat, to bring extra income for his growing family. Rabbit drives also were undertaken, involving all members of the family, to boost the family income. Jim was a tall, physically strong man. The day he passed away, he had been carrying bundles of wattle bark, a bundle of wattle bark under each armpit, down the steep hills on the farmlands, behind Tooborac township. Wattle bark was used in the tanning process of animal skins.
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Jim's ParentsWilliam Gilmore was born in about 1839 at "Tullymore", near the village of Killyleagh, in the civil parish of Killinchy, in the Baron of Dufferin, in County Down, Northern Ireland.
At the age of 20 years, William Gilmore, left Liverpool on April 18th 1859 aboard the "Peter Maxwell" and disembarked in Melbourne in July of that same year. He spent about eight years in New Zealand mining and also mined at Tooborac and worked as a farm labourer in this district before purchasing his own farmland He named his farm, the "Gap Creek” at Tooborac. William spent about eight weeks late 1861- early 1862 in Otago, New Zealand gold mining. Back in Victoria, he headed for Tooborac where he also mined as well as working as a farm labourer in the district. Upon earning enough money, William purchased a property in Tooborac and named it "Gap Creek". At some point, William gained the nickname "Cooee" and it stuck. On their farm, William would call 'cooee' to bring the children home or as needed to alert people to where he was. Bridget Colbert had been born in about 1847 on the southern edge of Ireland in the little town of Cloyne in County Cork. Bridget came to Australia with her brother Edmond on the ship "Vimiera", sailing from Liverpool on the 14th October 1867 and arriving in Melbourne on 3rd April 1868. Bridget was listed on the shipping records as being a twenty-year-old, single servant girl. Edmond was listed as a seventeen year-old, single, agricultural labourer. The ship carried 319 adults on it's 140-day voyage. How did Bridget come to be in Tooborac? Edmond Colbert, their uncle, was a land surveyor in Victoria and classed as a gentleman by 1855, residing in Richmond. As he named his niece Bridget and nephew Edmond among his beneficiaries in his Will (proved in Feb. 1886), it is assumed, that he may have influenced their decision to come to Victoria. WEDDING: Irishman Cooee Gilmore married Irish Bridget Colbert 20th January 1871 at the Manse by the rites of the Presbyterian Church in Heathcote. Cooee and Bridget raised their seven children at the "Gap Creek" farm in Tooborac. Cooee died 24th June 1927 at his home "Gap Creek" farm in Tooborac. Bridget died 16 August 1913 and is buried, in a marked grave, with her husband in the Heathcote Monumental Cemetery. |
Maria and Jim photos
Final Days
Maria and Jim were called Mumma and Dadda by their grandchildren and consequently by their own children, too.
Jim's death, a week out from Christmas, came as a major blow to his family. When Jim died suddenly in 1949, a wonderful, hardworking, loving couple had only shared thirty-six years of marriage.
Mumma was a generous, loving grandmother to her twenty-five grandchildren, many of whom she helped raise. She enjoyed crochet and made many articles of her handiwork for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was also a great cook making her own butter, cream and preserves. All grandchildren came to love her gingernut biscuits and knew her biscuit tin would always be full of the delights.
Maria brought extra income into the home by raising geese for the Christmas tables of the local folk. The multi-generational family would come together, on an evening leading up to Christmas, for the killing, plucking of feathers and dressing of the geese. Feather fights were great sport for the helpers!
Mumma would live until the age of almost ninety-seven years and therefore was a widow for more years of her life, than she was a wife. Many would consider this a further tragedy in her life.
Mumma, Dadda and their baby Jean are buried together in Grave no. C30 in the Heathcote Monumental Cemetery.
William (Cooee) and Bridget Gilmore are buried in Grave no. B41.
Jim's death, a week out from Christmas, came as a major blow to his family. When Jim died suddenly in 1949, a wonderful, hardworking, loving couple had only shared thirty-six years of marriage.
Mumma was a generous, loving grandmother to her twenty-five grandchildren, many of whom she helped raise. She enjoyed crochet and made many articles of her handiwork for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was also a great cook making her own butter, cream and preserves. All grandchildren came to love her gingernut biscuits and knew her biscuit tin would always be full of the delights.
Maria brought extra income into the home by raising geese for the Christmas tables of the local folk. The multi-generational family would come together, on an evening leading up to Christmas, for the killing, plucking of feathers and dressing of the geese. Feather fights were great sport for the helpers!
Mumma would live until the age of almost ninety-seven years and therefore was a widow for more years of her life, than she was a wife. Many would consider this a further tragedy in her life.
Mumma, Dadda and their baby Jean are buried together in Grave no. C30 in the Heathcote Monumental Cemetery.
William (Cooee) and Bridget Gilmore are buried in Grave no. B41.
Maria and Jim family event photos
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