NORTH Family History

Harriet Maude Mary North (Nee Fisher)
b 1871 d 1941 Know as Maude

William North's memories of his grandmother

There was never a person to equal the devotion and care John gave to his wife Maude, who was bed ridden, 98% blind and needed to be washed daily. She had great ulcers in her legs, dressed with bluestone to eat away the dead flesh.

 

Norths navigation tree

John and Maude North
John & Maude North

 

Along with this she had irisyplus. A doctor ordered her to go into hospital and she refused many times because she knew that her legs would be amputated.

We also believed she worked in places where convicts were and told stories of the hardships they lived under. Some years before she died, they moved from the corner down Tungarra Road, into a little house Uncle Jack built for her and grandpa to spend their days.

During John's life she said she would never go into hospital. However, with his loss, after just a few days she agreed to go into Parramatta Hospital where she must have willed herself to die, as she passed away, due to natural cause, just five weeks after John's death.

Maude's parents

Maude's parents were James W Fisher and Mary Elizabeth Cave. They were married at Saint Paul's Church, Redfern, on 22 October 1861 and had five children: William, Albert, Elizabeth, Annie and Harriet.

James was a farrier at aged 22, then a blacksmith at aged 29. Stories passed down through the family tell that James had a shop in Crown Street Sydney, made Hanson Cabs and drank himself to death. However, recent research has revealed that James died of pneumonia and diarrhoea in 1903 in Rookwood Asylum.

Mary's occupation was dressmaking, but when she was young she worked at the "Red Cow", now called the Prospect Inn, and served bushrangers. Mary later married William Ashton after 7 years of desertion by her husband, James. There were no children from the second marriage.

Mary's parents were Thomas Henry Cave and Ann Campbell. Thomas was born in Manchester England in 1806 and was a merchant. He travelled to Australia on board the "Eliza" in 1833. During his life, William fathered eight children and died by his own hand in 1888. Ann was Thomas' second wife. She was born at sea in 1817 on board "The Dick". Her father, Sergeant Lewis Henry Campbell, was a teacher and a member of the 48th Regiment of Foot.

James' parents were William Fish(er) and Elizabeth Morgan. William was born in Thorley England in 1799. He was transported to Sydney as a convict on board the "Hebe" in 1820 and married Elizabeth in 1831. He was known as William FISH. James must have added "er" to his name to disassociate himself from his convict heritage.

  


Mary Elizabeth Cave

Copyright© 2008 M & K Layne