KEENAN FAMILY  in Australia

Mary Keenan (1876 - 1973)

Last updated 10 December 2024

Married:  John (Jock) Campbell Houston of Victoria. Date of marriage: According to the Vic. Government births, deaths and marriages website, she was married in 1895 - Registration number 4742/1895. Married 14 September 1895 (according to Ancestry.com.au entry in Joanne Millar Family Tree).

(Note: Her grandson, Barry Crocker, has said: "Mary married Jock Houston when she was 16 years (with permission of her mother)." See below. If true the marriage between Jock and Mary was in 1892. Clearly, this date is wrong. Mary was 21 when she married. Perhaps Barry is confused: it was Grace, Mary's sister, who married at 16 years.)

Children:

Robert McLuckie Houston (1906-1958)

Margaret Isabella Joy/Ivy Laidler (nee Houston) (b. 1896-1982)

Jean Crocker (Jean Elizabeth Annie) (nee Houston) (b. 1909-1963)

Jessie Grace Page (nee Houston) (1898-1969)

Joseph Robert Houston (1902-1931)

"Mary, the eldest daughter of Henry and Ann, became Mrs. John Houston and settled in Victoria, her husband being mostly engaged in work connected with gold mining.  Six children were born to them, four of whom are still living."   Extract from1949 newspaper article by George Keenan.

Letter from Mary Houston (nee Keenan) in July 1900

A difficult life

I obtained this letter from Edward Keenan of Perenjori, Western Australia. It was written in July 1900 when Mary Houston (nee Keenan) and her family were living in Jumbunna, a coal mining town in South Gippsland, Victoria. It is addressed to one of Mary's cousins in Western Australia, but the actual recipient is not known.

Jumbunna, 30/7/1900.

Dearest Cousin,

It seems an age since I received your last letter and I hope you will forgive me for not answering before but I have been so very busy. I have a little son since last I wrote. He was a month old last Saturday so dear cousin you will understand I have had plenty to do as you like to have everything nice and clean and everything in its place at such a time.  And I had been sewing for other people up till the very last to try to get a few extra shillings to get a little more.  So you will understand I have been very busy and since I have not been very strong and I have seemed to put off letter writing till the last.  I wrote 3 last night and then I thought I must write to my poor old cousin tonight.

I am getting quite a family round me am I not?  Jessie was 2 years and 4 months 10 days after baby was born.  I have plenty now.  I hope I shall never have any more as it is hard enough to make ends meet as it is.  

Dear cousin sometimes as you say things are not as bad and I suppose as things were when I wrote you I felt it more.  I always do at such a time, but it is anything but a happy life when you never know whether your husband is coming in drunk or sober and whether you will receive half the money you are so badly in need of.  And to see it thrown away when you would give the world to have it seems hard.  Then he never seems to think he should stop at home at night.  Perhaps he does not do so once in three weeks and it is not that he is made miserable if he does, so I never start to grumble or make things disagreeable.  I try to show how pleased I am and encourage him to do so again, but it is all of no use.  It seems he cannot be without company so we only come second.

But still you say he must have good qualities.  He has of course, and sometimes I feel contented in a fashion.  But out there is really no true happiness.  Oh, my dear, if I had only known how different my life would have been, for I had I believe a dozen other chances and some really good ones among them.  But poor foolish girl, I had no sense.  I despised good men who would have given me a comfortable home and true love.  But I really think there is a fate for us all and we cannot escape it.  Well dear old girls; my dear little baby is a fine little fellow.  I am pleased to have a boy.  His father is pleased about it too but it has not made much difference in him.  We do not know what to call him as yet but think it would be Donald Jarvey or simply Donald. I will let you know next time I write.  

How are you all getting on?  And are dear aunt and uncle well.  It must be miserable for you to have two homes.  As you say it would be much nicer for you all to live together.

I suppose you are always riding about there.  That one of the things I miss here as I used to love a good old ride, but we have no horses and would not dream of one here as we have only a yard about a hundred yards long and it is not our own, as we pay 4/- a week for it and a 3 roomed house.  We buy all our wood, give 6/- for a small dray load. So it seems paying money for nothing, so if I wanted a horse I would have to give 5/- for its hire for the day and it is rather more than I can afford for a ride for pleasure.  I suppose it will seem so strange to you who have all these things to hand, but you soon get used to them and they say use is second nature.

Dear cousins, I would like to write you a real good letter but really I don't know what I am doing half my time as our minute baby cries here there are the other two rushing around like mad.  They are bothering me to put them to bed just now, so goodbye dear and write to me soon. With best love to you all, I remain, Your loving cousin, Mary Houston.

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The photograph below is a cropped version of one supplied to Brian Keenan by Anita Arnold. Anita wrote: "Jessie is standing at rear. Joe is next to John Houston. Don is beside Mary Houston (nee Keenan). Jean is the little fair one.  (She is Barry Crocker's mother.)  Robert/ Bob is in front of Jean. Maggie was away when this photo was taken."  (This photo was probably taken in Jumbunna, Vic. circa 1910.)