Mary Elizabeth Milovitch
Image: Val Williams
FatherThomas Milovitch b. 1830, d. 20 Dec 1910
MotherEliza Meagher b. c 1838, d. 21 Jul 1898
Pedigree

Birth, Death, Marriage

Mary Elizabeth Milovitch was born on 10 September 1867 in Windsor, Victoria.1,2 
She married William Patrick O'Connell, son of Michael O'Connell and Ellen O'Halloran, on 25 January 1893 in Mooroopna, Victoria.3,4 
She died on 23 January 1919 in Mooroopna, Victoria, at age 51.5,6,7,8 

Family

William Patrick O'Connell b. 30 Aug 1865, d. 13 Jun 1952
Children
ChartsMilovitch, Thomas, descendant chart
O'Connell, Annie, pedigree chart
O'Connell, Michael, descendant chart

Story

Mary Milovitch was born at Thomas St in Windsor on 10 September 1867. She was the second child of Eliza and Thomas. The birth was registered as Mary Melovitch.

When the birth was registered three months later, the address was Clifton St, Prahran.1,9
 
The five Milovitch children, Annie, Mary, Peter, Edward 'Paddy' and Korizo, may have gone to school in the Prahran area where they were born (the youngest in 1875), or near Nagambie where they were living by 1890.
 
Death of Brother Peter Nicholas 
Peter Milovitch died in June 1890. He was just 20 years old and was working at Tahbilk at the time. One newspaper reported he died of 'brain fever', but his death certificate says he died of bronchitis.

Within 12 months the family had relocated to Mooroopna.10,11
 
An In Memoriam appeared in The Age three years after his death:
MILOVITCH - In sad and loving remembrance of our dear son, Peter Nicholis Milovitch, who departed this life on 15th June, 1890, at Chateau Tahbllk.
Immaculate heart of Mary,
Your prayers for him extol,
Oh, sacred heart of Jesus,
Have mercy on his soul.
- Inserted by his loving father and mother, brother and sisters.12

 
Family Move to Mooroopna
It is uncertain where the family was between Korizo's 1875 birth in Prahran, and 1891 when they were in Mooroopna. Mooroopna Justice of the Peace, WS Archer, said in an 1891 document that he had known Thomas for seven years. This would seem to imply that Thomas was in the Mooroopna area by about 1884. But the death registration for their son, Peter Nicholas, says he died in 1890 in Tahbilk. And the informant for that information was Peter's sister, Mary Elizabeth, who gave her residence as Tahbilk. This implies that the family, or a significant part of it, was still in Tahbilk in 1890.13,14,15,11
 
By late 1891 the family was living in Finsborough St, Mooroopna (later 24 Main St).

At this time, eldest Annie was 26 and youngest Korizo was 16.

The brick section at the front had a wine shop and two other rooms. The timber section at the back had five rooms with lined partitions of wooden dado (lower part of the wall) and the balance paper and canvas.15,16
 
Marriage and Family
Mary Elizabeth Milovitch and William Patrick O'Connell were married at 'RC church' (later St Mary's) in Mooroopna on 25 January 1893. They had eight children between 1893 and 1909 with two dying in infancy.

Witnesses to the marriage were Patrick and Korizo Milovitch, Mary's brother and sister. William's present and usual address is East Trentham (Mooroopna is written then crossed out). Mary's present and usual address is Mooroopna.3
 
After they married, the couple lived in the Trentham area where the first two children were born, Peter in 1893 and Thomas in 1896.

By 1897, the family had moved to Shepparton and were living in a house attached to a wine shop in Wyndham St.

By early 1898, when son Michael was born, they were in a house attached to a wine shop in Fryers St. The next two children were born in Shepparton, Mary Elizabeth Ellen (born and died in 1900), and William Joseph in 1901.

The last three children were born in Mooroopna, Mary Ellen in 1903, Annie in 1906 and James in 1909 (he died the same year).

For most of the six children's childhood and early adult years, they lived at the back of the Mooroopna wine shop.
O'Connells: back: Will/Billy, Mick, Tom, Peter; front: Annie, William (snr), Nell (Mary Ellen); c. 1922
Image: Val Williams
Eliza's Elizabeth St Property 
Eliza had purchased lot 12 (later no. 9) Elizabeth St in 1895. Initially a block of land, it was later built on and rented out.

In July 1898 when Eliza died, the property passed to Thomas. In his March 1899 will, Thomas left his interest in this property to daughters Annie and Mary.17,18,19,20
 
In July 1901, an inventory was prepared by Thomas as part of the administration of Eliza's estate. This inventory describes a house on 36.8 perches of land (¼ acre, 0.1 ha), and income from renting the house.

By May 1911, after Thomas died, the property is described as 36.8 perches of land with a four roomed wooden dwelling valued at £80 ($160). This is about the same as the purchase price for the land only sixteen years earlier. Rental income was shown as zero, so family may have been living there at the time.18,19
 
In 1921, when Annie Fortin and her sons left Shepparton, the title for this property passed from Annie to brother-in-law, William Patrick O'Connell.17
 
Wine Shop in Mooroopna
In the early 1900s, William and Mary moved into the wine shop in Mooroopna, west of the hospital. This was established and originally operated by Mary's parents, Thomas and Eliza Milovitch.

Eliza had died and Thomas was now in his 70s, and William (and possibly Mary) took over its operation.
 
After Thomas died in 1910, the wine licence was transferred to Mary.

She held it until she became too ill.21,22,23
 
In December 1918, an Australian wine licence was transferred from Mary Elizabeth to William Patrick O'Connell by the licensing court at Shepparton.6
 
Illness and Will
In 1918, Mary became quite ill.
 
As the holder of the wine licence, being unable to work would have made it difficult for the family.

Added to this, the First World War had been going for four years, and the two eldest sons, Peter and Thomas, were on active service.
 
Mary made a will on 11 September 1918, appointing husband William as sole executor.

To son William, she leaves the piano (this is not her mother's Bord piano, but one she purchased from her own savings). To daughter Nellie (Mary Ellen), she leaves the sewing machine. To husband William, she leaves the balance including the wine licence and interest in the Elizabeth St property held jointly with her sister, Annie Fortin.

Mary also gives William the right to draw money for their sons Peter and Thomas while they are serving abroad.24,6
 
A Treasury of Catholic Doctrine is presented
To: Mary Elizabeth Milovitch
By: Mary Elizabeth Milovitch, Ardmona 1919

This is from the dying Mary Elizabeth O'Connell (nee Milovitch) to her brother Paddy's wife, Mary Elizabeth Milovitch (nee Reid). All the hand-written entries are for Paddy and Mary (Reid)'s family.25
Mary Elizabeth O'Connell died of cirrhosis of the liver, asthma and cardiac failure at Mooroopna hospital on 23 January 1919, aged 51. She was buried at Mooroopna cemetery on 24 January 1919.7,6,5,8
Tombstone of Mary (Milovitch) & William O'Connell, Mooroopna cemetery
Image: Ken Haddock
Probate
Probate of Mary's estate was granted to William on 6 March 1919.

Real estate consisted of one third interest in the Elizabeth St property valued at £33/6/8.

Personal estate consisted of the piano (£30), sewing machine (£5) and money in the bank (approx. £82).6,26
 

Citations

  1. [S62] Mary Melovitch, birth registration no. 23994, 10 September 1867.
  2. [S270] Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, registry and index, Mary 'Melovitch' entry, birth registration no. 23994, 1867.
  3. [S64] William Patrick O'Connell and Mary Elizabeth Millovitch, marriage registration no. 800, 25 January 1893.
  4. [S65] William Patrick O'Connell and Mary Elizabeth Millovitch, marriage certificate no. 26, 25 January 1893.
  5. [S21] Lorraine Phillips, personal communication, 31 August 1996.
  6. [S430] 'Mary Elizabeth O'Connell', VPRS 28 Probate and Administration Files, no. 163/157, probate, 1919.
  7. [S220] 'Deaths: O'Connell', The Argus, 1848-1957, newspaper, Argus Office, 24 January 1919, p. 1, viewed 4 October 2017, http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1421945
  8. [S440] Mary O'Connell, death registration no. 3219, 23 January 1919.
  9. [S3] Victorian Pioneer Index 1836-1888, CD-ROM, Macbeth Genealogical Services, 1998, Mary 'Melovitch' entry, birth registration no. 23994, 1867.
  10. [S429] 'Tabilk', Weekly Times, 1869-1954, newspaper, 28 June 1890, p. 28, viewed 1 August 2018, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/221186590
  11. [S349] Peter Nicholas Milovitch, death registration no. 13136, 15 June 1890.
  12. [S171] 'In memoriam: Milovitch', The Age, 1854-, newspaper, 15 June 1893, p. 1, viewed 1 August 2018, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/193429112
  13. [S341] Korizo Mellivitch, birth registration no. 25087, 5 January 1875.
  14. [S166] 'Thomas Milovitch', A712 Letters received, no. 1891/R11040, naturalisation, 1891.
  15. [S561] LANDATA, online property information, certificate of title, vol. 1119, folio 223687, Mooroopna, 1879-1935.
  16. [S339] 'Thomas Milovitch', VPRS 28 Probate and Administration Files, no. 118/620, probate, 20 February 1911.
  17. [S561] LANDATA, online property information, certificate of title, vol. 1404, folio 280681, Mooroopna, 1882-1921.
  18. [S345] 'Elizabeth Milovitch', VPRS 28 Probate and Administration Files, no. 69/654, probate, 14 November 1898.
  19. [S347] 'Elizabeth Milovitch', VPRS 28 Probate and Administration Files, no. 121/621, probate, 11 September 1911.
  20. [S338] 'Thomas Milovitch', VPRS 7591 Wills 1853-1992, will, 13 March 1899.
  21. [S18] 'Shepparton licencing court: Renewals granted', Shepparton News, 1877-, newspaper, Roy McPherson, 9 December 1915, p. 4, viewed 4 October 2017, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article121145254
  22. [S18] 'Annual licensing court: Mooroopna district', Shepparton News, 1877-, newspaper, Roy McPherson, 14 December 1916, p. 4, viewed 17 October 2017, http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/8583742
  23. [S18] 'Licensing court: Mooroopna', Shepparton News, 1877-, newspaper, Roy McPherson, 19 November 1917, p. 2, viewed 17 October 2017, http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/129958647
  24. [S81] 'Mary Elizabeth O'Connell', VPRS 7591 Wills, 163/157, will, 11 September 1918.
  25. [S241] Treasury of Catholic Doctrine, family bible, 1919.
  26. [S1] According to the probate documents, the one third interest in the Elizabeth St property comes from one fourth of two thirds of Eliza's estate plus one half of one third of Thomas's estate.