| Father | Bernardus Streefkerk |
| Mother | Ellen O'Loughlin |
Birth, Death, Marriage | |
| Ellen Streefkerk was born on 13 November 1887 in South Australia.1 | |
| She married Patrick O'Connell, son of Michael O'Connell and Ellen O'Halloran, on 4 February 1906 in Fitzroy, Victoria.2 | |
Family | Patrick O'Connell b. 15 Oct 1871, d. 15 Feb 1910 |
| Children |
|
| Charts | O'Connell, Michael, descendant chart |
Story | |
| Ellen was born in South Australia on 13 November 1887 to Bernardus Streefkerk (who immigrated from Holland in 1879) and his wife Ellen (nee O’Loughlin). By 1906, they were living in Broadford in Victoria.1 | |
| Marriage and Family Patrick O'Connell and Ellen Streefkerk were married at the Congregational church, 101 Gore St, Fitzroy on 4 February 1906.1 | |
| They had three children, Thomas, Patrick and Daniel. The April 1906 birth registration for Thomas shows their marriage as 4 November 1905 (five months earlier, rather than the two months that it was really was). Thomas died at two months old. The birth registration for son Patrick had Patrick snr's age as 27 (instead of 35) and their marriage as 4 October 1905 (instead of February 1906). On the birth registration for Daniel, their marriage is again recorded as 4 October 1905.1 | |
| Family Life In 1905, Patrick was working in Tallarook (between Seymour and Broadford), but the following year they married in Melbourne and this is where son Thomas was born. When Thomas died two months later, they were in Nagambie about 25 km north of Seymour. In mid-1907 when Patrick jnr was born, they were living in Yea about 35 km south-east of Seymour. They were still in Yea two years later.1 | |
| Patrick's Sudden Illness | |
| On 7 October 1908 Patrick senior was admitted to the Yarra Bend asylum (also known at the time as the Yarra Bend Hospital for the Insane). The admission notes record loss of memory, general incoherence, refusing to work, no attempt to provide for wife and family, and left work at 10am and was discharged. He was admitted by Ellen's father Bernardus Streefkerk who was living in Nagambie. Ellen had 15 month old Patrick jnr to look after at home and was just pregnant with Daniel who was born eight months after Patrick snr's admission. Within a week of admission, Patrick was recorded as 'in unsatisfactory health, with general paralysis, facial lesions and loss of memory'. Presumably, given his rapid physical deterioration Patrick had suffered a stroke or was suffering from a degenerative disease at the time of his admission (rather than a mental condition). In December he was transferred to hospital, and by January 1909 he was confined to chair and continued to decline. By September he was at times confined to bed, then later that month bedridden. He soon became emaciated. Patrick died 15 February 1910 at ten minutes past midnight. He was buried two days later at the Fawkner cemetery.1 | |
| At the 17 February inquest, the coroner found that Patrick died from 'double pneumonia and chronic cerebral changes of a general paralytic type'. Ellen visited Patrick on 5 February, and he was visited regularly by friends who were informed of his death. Patrick’s brother Michael wrote a letter dated 21 January 1910 to the Asylum asking that he be notified when Patrick dies.3,1 | |
| Contact with Patrick's O'Connell Family Michael's letter to the asylum, asking to be notified when his brother Patrick died, may have been the last contact between wife Ellen and his O'Connell family. A grandson of Michael had reported that Patrick went off to find work and was never heard from again. While researching, a great-grandson of Michael spoke to Patrick's grandson who said that widow Ellen felt strongly that the O'Connells had left her without help in her time of need and so there wasn't any connection to the O'Connell family.4,5 | |
| Life After Patrick's Death In July 1910, widow Ellen married Joseph William Jones, a butcher from Ferntree Gully, in Fitzroy. Ellen and Joseph had four children between 1911 and 1918.1 | |
| On 26 August 1912 Ellen admitted Daniel (then three years old) as a patient at the Kew Children’s cottages. His mother’s description of him at admission: Dirty in his habits, never talked, never walked by himself and cannot feed himself or taught to be clean in habits. The doctor’s assessment for his admission: Takes no notice, foolish and purposeless movements, spastic legs, unable to speak. Daniel died at the cottages on 24 December 1918 at the age of nine. He is buried at Fawkner Cemetery with his father.1 | |
| In 1919 Ellen and Joseph divorced. In 1920 Ellen married Barnabus Meadows and they had three children.1 | |
| Ellen and Barnabus lived for a number of years in Winchelsea before moving, some time in the 1940s, to Ringwood where they lived until their deaths in 1963 - Ellen died on 6 March and Barnabus died on 13 April. Both are buried at Box Hill cemetery.1 | |
Citations
- [S524] Patrick O'Connell story, research report, October 2014.
- [S270] Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, registry and index, 'Patk OConnell' and Ellen Streefkerk entry, marriage registration no. 1798, 1906.
- [S534] 'Patrick O'Connell', VPRS 24 Inquest Deposition Files, unit 851, item 1910/258, inquest, 17 February 1910.
- [S512] Christopher Knott, personal communication, 27 February 2019.
- [S50] William O'Connell, personal communication, 13 April 1996.