WRIGHT PAGE
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Francis Buttner and Honora Liddy. My Great Great Grandparents and parents of Margaret pictured above.
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Information from: "A History of Robert Wright and His Descendants in Australia" - edited by Chris Coleborn:
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Francis Buttner (32) and Honora Liddy (28) who were married in Leyburn in the Roman Catholic place of worship on 2 September 1864. Patrick and Mary Liddy were their two witnesses. A daughter Mary Anne was born on 3 September 1865 but lived only a few years. Margaret (my Great Grandmother) was born in April 1867.
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Honora died when she was only 32 years old.. When she was expecting her third child (at 32 yrs) she was putting up curtains in the attic of her house, preparing the baby's nursery, and tragically fell. Complications from the fall led to Honora dying in childbirth (and her, presumably, premature baby). Margaret was only 21 months old and was subsequently raised by her father Francis who never re-married, and the Liddy's.
After Honora's death, Francis built a house and bookmakers shop almost opposite the Church of England on the corner as you turn into Leyburn. He was a very good gardener, and had one flourishing both at the front and back of his shop/house. There were grape trellises and vegetables, etc. which he gave mainly to his daughter, Margaret and her family. His shop was in the front and he had a combined kitchen, befroom/sitting room at the back. The big front workroom had a large window looking straight out onto the road where you could see St. Augustine's Church.
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Margaret Buttner and Robert Wright. My Great Grandparents
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Margaret (Maggie) Wright and Robert William Thompson My Grandparents
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My mother's (Kathleen Mavis Turner, nee Thompson) parents were Maggie, as my Grandmother was known, and Robert (Bob) Thompson (Marriage Date/place?) After mum died in 2019, I found a shoe box or two of Grandma Thompson's effects which mum had lovingly kept for over 65 years, including personal letters, Birthday Cards, Mother's Day cards, and sadly Sympathy cards. There were receipts, business documents from the Pampas farm where they lived, racehorse registrations, plus many other items which I will photograph and share here one day.
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Grandma was born in Leyburn on 4 or 5 February 1894 to Margaret Buttner and Robert Wright (see above) and died at only 60 years of age in December 1954 in Toowoomba. I was only 3 months old when she passed and I have photos of her nursing me on the front steps of the house where I now live at 2 Ann Street, Millmerran (which she helped my parents buy) which I cherish. I also have a copy of a letter she had written to her son, David and wife Kath, saying I laughed every time someone spoke to me, however I was not a good baby, but was showing signs of improvement! She said I was darker than my brother Raymond and was more like the Thompsons she thought. This beloved Grandma who I feel I know but never really met, died suddenly following a routine gall bladder operation at St Vincents Hospital, Toowoomba when she developed a blood clot on her final night there. Perfectly recovered, she had walked out to the hospital gates with her daughter Joyce telling her what clothes to bring the following day ready for her discharge. Mum received the terrible news via a neighbour's telephone in the middle of the night. Grandma Maggie is buried in the Pittsworth Cemetery.
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Grandpa was born in Barraba, NSW on 15 March 1893 (?) and died on 22 November 1951 when mum was 5 months pregnant with her first born, Raymond. Mum said his death rocked her the most as she adored her father, a loveable rouge, despite his binge drinking problem which kept him away from the farm for days at a time (especially on sale yard or race days).
Robert Thompson succumbed to alcoholic poisoning and died of a heart attack at only 57 years old during a detoxification in Toowoomba Hospital.
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Together Maggie and Bob had nine children: (to be continued)
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On 12 June 1886 Robert Wright (36) and Margaret Buttner (19 and pictured here at that age) were married at St. Luke's Church of England in Toowoomba, Qld. John Gentle and Catherine McLeod were best man and bridesmaid. A special consent form stating Margaret Buttner's father's approval, had to be filled in before they could marry, seeing Margaret was under 21. Phyllis (Wright) Thomas, their daughter was recorded as having a copy of the original Wedding Certificate. I'm not sure where it is now.
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When Robert first married, they lived with Francis (as Margaret was doing before her marriage). The eldest children were born in his house, and their little boy, Robert, drowned in the creek at the back of the house. Robert Wright built a butcher's shop next to Francis Buttner's shop. Margaret and Robert were blessed with a baby girl on 31 March 1887, whom they called Honora Elizabeth (Lizzie) after Margaret's mother. Then came Mary (Minnie) Agnes on 19 February 1889. They no doubt rejoiced when their first son, whom they simply called Robert, after his father and grandfather, was born in 1890. Sadly at 3 years old (Lizzie and Minnie then about 8 and 6 yrs respectively) went near the creek, fell in and drowned. This time of mourning no doubt was helped a little by the fact that they had had another son on 7 March 1891, whom they called Francis (Frank) Anthony, after Margaret's father Francis. Baby Francis was followed by a sister Margaret (my Grandmother) on 4th or 5th February 1894 (?).
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It must have been about this time that Robert and Margaret moved to a farm block they had taken up just north of Leyburn, and which they called "Thistledown".