Stephen's (b1811) son James (b.1857)

James was born in 1857 - his death cert says "Roscommon, Co Armagh", which cannot be correct as Roscommon is the county town of Co Roscommon. I had no idea where the children of Stephen and Mary Ann were born after they left Towra, so Co Roscommon is probably correct.

For years the only thing that I knew about him was that James was believed to have emigrated to Australia and to have had 4 children in Sydney, Australia according to family lore. The children included a son Charles who worked in a bank and also Charles was believed to have visited Woodlawn in 1909.

Then a lucky break on an ancestry.com forum gave me his death in Sydney in 1948 aged 91
23915/1948
GRANT James
Father Stephen
Mother Mary Ann
Reg. Dist. Randwick

GRANT James Death notice 13AUG1948 Death aged 91 at Clovelly, Sydney, Morning Herald 16 AUG 1948

Merv Merritt had a session in the Brisbane Library and found the death notice plus more information on James family. This led to more about James' family. I also got this information from Donna Telfer

James Grant was born in 1857 in Ireland, emigrated to Brisbane, Australia in 1882. His brother Richard (b1843) went to Australia just after the 1881 UK census, arriving in Brisbane in September 1881. James went a year later, on the Renfrewshire, which left Glasgow on 9 June 1882 and arrived Bundaberg 14 Sept 1882, his age is given as 24. His death certificate does say place of marriage Ireland, whereas his wife's death ceticicate gives her married Dublin Ireland at 24 years of age (abt 1884) to James GRANT,

He probably married soon after arrival in Australia to Sarah Watson (born Kildare, Ireland in about 1860. They had 4 children, 2 of whom survived childhood. James worked as a bacon curer/trimmer or butcher, and appears to have lived round Brisbane until about 1922 when he and his wife moved to Sydney to live with their newly married daughter. His wife Sarah died in 1933 (their son Charles died in 1939 in Qld) and James himself died in Sydney in 1948. His other daughter Violet (who married Francis Clift) eventually died in Sydney in 1960.

James does not appear in any of the English censuses, so must have gone directly from Ireland to Australia. Given that his immigrant ship The Renfrewshire sailed from Glasgow, the likelihood is that he journeyed directly from Ireland via Londonderry or Belfast, to Glasgow.

James was occupation was given as Bacon-Curer in 1903, Butcher in 1913, and Bacon-Curer in 1922.

James married Sarah Ann Watson, presumably in 1883 or 1884 (between arriving in Australia and the birth of their first child). The state records do not show a marriage.

• 1884/B33082 Elizabeth Grant b 16 Sep 1884 in Brisbane, d. 23 Oct 1884, buried 23 Oct 1884 in Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane
• 1885/C7735 Charles Stephen Grant born 27 Sept
• 1888/C9522 Richard Watson Grant b. 19 Jul 1888, d. 22 Sep 1888, buried 22 Sep 1888 in Toowong Cemetery (Portion 1, Section 50, Grave 4 - buried with sister Elizabeth).
• 1893/C9216 Violet Watson Grant born 29 Dec 1893

1903 living at Zillmere, Brisbane

1913 electoral roll

• Charles Stephen Grant of Mount Kerry, Peary st., Northgate, Nundah, Lilley. Commercial Traveller
• Sarah Ann Grant of Peary st., Northgate, Nundah, Lilley. Home Duties.
• James Grant of Peary st., Northgate, Nundah, Lilley. Butcher

1916 Charles Stephen Grant marries Gladys Buckle on 6 Jun ref 16/B018760. They have twin daughters in 1917. Strangely by 1919 Charles appears to be back in his parents house, and Gladys is living separately. However Gladys Buckle's parents lived at Sandgate Road, so she may have been living in looking after them. On 1936 Electoral roll for Lilley, Nundah, both Charles Stephen & Gladys Grant are living at Ver Mol, Old Sandgate Road, Nundah. Ver Mol was the name of the house as in the early years there were no street numbers and houses were given names.

• Marie Lenore (Molly) GRANT b. 28 Oct 1917.
• Audrey Valma GRANT #101187, b. cc 1922, resided 1949 at Bage Street, Nundah, Brisbane, Qld, Australia, occupation 1949 Typist.

1919 Electoral Roll for the district of Lilley, Nundah, Qld gives the following adults. Lilley is now a suburb of Brisbane, about 5 miles north of the city centre, and about 60 miles from where his brother Richard had settled at Toowoomba

• James Grant of Peary St, Northgate, butcher
• Sarah Ann Grant of Peary St, Northgate, home duties
• Violet Watson Grant of Peary St, Northgate, music teacher
• Charles Stephen Grant of Mount Kerry, Peary St, Northgate, commercial traveller
• Gladys Grant of Old Sandgate Road, Nundah, home duties

1919 Violet Watson Grant marries Francis Z Clift in Queensland in Brisbane area on 30 Dec 1920/B24266. The family must have moved to Sydney soon after the wedding, as their first child was born in Sydney.The following appear to be their children

• 1922 Born and died, Gwendoline M Clift, died at Randwick, Sydney, NSW.
• Nerida Violet Clift (c 1925-15 Jul 2003), married Keith Frederick Searle 18026/1945, died on 15 Jul 2003 at Blue Haven, NSW. Death notice in Daily Telegraph (Sydney) 16 July 2003 and in Newcastle Herald of same date.
• Beryl Clift married Harold Moreton Ledsam 15812/1946
• Gladys Dorothy Clift married John Edward Hyde 19547/1948 in the same Waverley District as Nerida and Beryl, and could be the sister of these two
• Douglas Charles Clift married to Frances Doreen Kelly 12707/1953 at Bondi could be the brother of the above.

1922 living at Inglebrae, Ross Street, Northgate,

1930 Electoral Roll for Wentworth , Clovelly, NSW

• James Grant of Park Street, no occupation
• Sarah Ann Grant of Park Street, home duties
• Violet Watson Clift of Park Street, home duties
• Francis Z Clift of Park Street, car builder

1933 death of Sarah A Grant (nee Watson) aged 73 years ref 7134/1933 in Clovelly, Randwick , Sydney

1936 electoral roll

• Charles Stephen Grant, commercial traveller,
• Gladys Grant, home duties living at "Ver Mol", Old Sandgate Rd., Nundah

1936 Electoral Roll for Clovelly, NSW

• James Grant of Park Street, no occupation
• Violet Watson Clift of Park Street, home duties
• Francis Z Clift of Park Street, car builder

1936 Electoral roll for Lilley, Nundah, both Charles Stephen & Gladys Grant are living at Ver Mol, Old Sandgate Road, Nundah.

1939 Charles Stephen Grant dies 27 March 1939/B043113 in Queensland. Courier Mail 28.03.1939, p.24 - The funeral of ... Charles Stephen GRANT will leave his late residence, Old Sandgate Rd., Toombul, this (Tuesday) morning ... for [Mt. Thompson Crematorium].

1941 Marie Lenora Grant (twin daughter of Charles Stephen Grant & Gladys Buckle) marries in 1941 in Queensland to Alan St Clair Karrasch, and is still living in Nundah in 1949. She had three children including 1 daughter Julie Lenore, who in turn marries a Roderick Falconer Grant (I cannot find a family connection to him)

1948 James dies at 25 Park St, Clovelly, given as his daughters's residence

1951 Sydney Morning Herald 01.02.1951, p.20 Clift, Francis Zephania - [d. 31.01.1951], at his residence, 25 Park St., Clovelly, ... husband of Violet Watson Clift & ... father of Gladys, Nerida, Beryl & Douglas, father-in-law of John, Keith & Harold & grandfather of Peter, Laurence & Barry. ... friends of Francis Zephania Clift are invited to attend his funeral, to leave the Lugar Brae Church, Leichardt St., Waverley, this Thursday [morning], for Randwick Cemetery.

1960 Violet Watson Clift (nee Grant) ref 19008/1960 in Sydney District. 23.07.1960, p.80 Clift, Violet Watson - [d. 21.07.1960], of 25 Park St., Clovelly, widow of ... Francis Zephania Clift& ... mother & mother-in-law of Gladys & Ray, Nerida & Keith, Beryl & Harold, Douglas & Doreen, ... nana of Laurence, Jennifer, Barry, Diane, & Donna, aged 67 years. Clift - ... friends of ... Violet Watson Clift, of 25 Park St., Clovelly, are invited to attend her funeral, to leave the [chapel], Taylor Sq., Darlinghurst, [this Saturday morning] for Randwick Cemetery.

Randwick General Cemetery monumental inscriptions, p.207 Methodist Sec. F, Plot 56. Francis Zephania Clift / d. 31.01.1951 / my husband, our father Violet Watson Clift/ d. 21.07.1960 / our mother

It would appear that with Violet's death, the last of the Grants from this branch of the family had gone.

1960-1980 electoral roll - Phillip/Clovelly: Keith Frederick Searle, cost clerk, & Nerida Violet Searle, home duties of 25 Park St., Randwick
1984 electoral roll- Dobell/Budgewoi: Keith Frederick Searle & Nerida Violet Searle, home duties of 131 Birdwood Dr., Bluehaven
1988-2008 - electoral roll- Keith Frederick Searle and Nerida Violet Searle of 131 Birdwood Dr., Bluehaven, 2262

1960 electoral roll- Barton/Kogarah Doreen Frances Clift , typist, & Douglas Charles Clift, grocer's assistant of 964 King Georges Rd., Blakehurst/Hurstville South
1984 electoral roll - Barton/Hurstville South: Doreen Frances Clift , typist, & Douglas Charles Clift, grocer's assistant of 964 King Georges Rd., Blakehurst/Hurstville South
1988-2008: Doreen Frances Clift & Douglas Charles Clift of 964 King Georges Rd., Hurstville South, Blakehurst, 2221

1970 Phillip/Clovelly: Laurence Edward Searle of 25 Park St., Randwick, clerk
1988-2008: Laurence Edward Searle & Adrienne Denise Searle of 67 Martin Crs., Milperra, 2214

1980-1984 Barton/Hurstville South: Donna Maree Clift of 964 King Georges Rd., Hurstville South / clerk

1984 Barton/Hurstville South: Darren Grant Clift of 964 King Georges Rd., Hurstville South / process worker
1988-2008: Darren Grant Clift of 964 King Georges Rd., Hurstville South, Blakehurst, 222

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