Mark Henry Hayes (1858-1914)
married (1884)
Catherine Stewart Cochrane (1864-1945)
Mark Henry - Sixth Son
Maria Hayes gave birth Mark Henry on 1st May 1858 in Tooborac. He was her seventh child, her 6th son. However, two of those boys had died in infancy, so Mark arrived with a big sister Mary Ann (13) and three big brothers George (12), William (4) and Edward (nearly 2). Brothers James and David followed soon after.
Catherine Stewart CochraneCatherine Stewart "Kate" Cochrane was born 7 September 1864 in Heathcote to Neil Cochrane and Ann (nee Stewart). Neil and Ann had both been born in Scotland and married there in 1857. All of their children were born in Victoria.
So Kate was born to a family of three big sisters: Ann (1858), Mary (1859) and Janet "Jessie" (1862). The four girls were then joined by Gilbert in 1866, Margaret in 1869 and Duncan in 1872. Wedding BellsOn the 16 April 1884, Mark married Kate in Tooborac.
John 'Jack' Hayes said of the Cochrane women, “My Uncle John Hendy married Mary Cochrane, which gave us three Cochrane Aunties; they were a priceless acquisition; we loved them all.” Jack would have been delighted to have two of those Aunts from his mothers family marry into his fathers family. Heather Vagg (nee Hayes) also recalls her Cochrane Grandmother fondly. Heather's mother Anne Hayes (nee Chapman) described her Grandfather, Neil Cochrane, as "a small man who always cooked porridge". Anne also said that the Cochrane women were small, well mannered and of a cheery disposition. Apparently, Janet was particularly religious and a school teacher in her early days. The Cochranes were Scotch Presbyterians: Neil grew up in the drear and cold Outer Hebrides and Ann was from the drear and barren Island of Islay, as Heather Vagg put it. Heather also wrote: There were two sons Gilbert & Duncan. Gilbert learnt something about mines and was employed in Singapore. He married (Linda Booth) late in life and had no children. Duncan and Neil had land at Colbinabbin (near Bendigo). |
"Leicester House"
Mark Henry inherited "Leicester House" from his father. Mark's son George raised his ten children at "Leicester House".