Lavinia's mystery.... Lavinia Kerr nee Strelley 1896-1960

Lavinia in her 20s

Lavinia Strelley’s official birth certificate sent to my father in 1997 doesn’t tell the full story. On the surface it looks like a regular certificate of a child born of a man and wife. Certainly that was what we were led to believe. She was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1896. Her parents were William Strelley

and Mary McLaughlin. Amongst the photos and papers there were no photos of her with parents, a few details about her father and nothing known about her mother. 

No mention of Illegitimacy on the certificate threw us right off the track

“There was something mysterious about Lavinia” said my great uncle Alf.

In fact I hadn’t found the certificate amongst my “inherited papers” when I began investigating my grandmother who I called Nanny. When I called up the Scotland’s People death record in 2011 there on the left side where the words “illegitimate”.  I remember Dad on his death bed showing me some papers saying his friend who was researching for him had got it wrong. Perhaps his friend had found this record too and he was in disbelief.

This statutory  register record tells a different story

 My doubts were confirmed when I found her father, William living with his future wife in 1901 and with wife and child in 1911. Oooh a half brother. My Dad’s notes definitely say Lavinia was an only child. In fact Lavinia also had two other half siblings by the same father and different mother.

To further complicate things I had never found Lavinia in either the 1901 or 1911 census. She was known to always use the name Strelley and was called Lavinia rather than Lavina. Recently I did a happy dance after I found her. After 6 years of looking I did a wild card search in the 1901 Census. There she was with her mother Mary living under her mother's maiden name McLaughlin. She was 4 and there is an S for Strelley inserted as her middle initial.

The only record of Lavinia's mother's age and place of birth

This put paid to my suspicion that Lavinia was brought up in a Home by nuns. I still have had no success with the 1911 census or the whereabouts and death of her mother. However we do know that a few years after that 1901 Census I have the only childhood photo of my grandmother making her First Communion.

Lavinia's First Communion

Her work reference written before she travelled to Australia in May 1926 says that she is an ovens woman having worked for Macfarlane Lang Victoria Biscuit Company for nearly 10 years.

I also have a post card photo of her and a few other ovens women addressed to her at Salt Coat Mission Home. Salt Coats Mission biscuits were manufactured of the purest whole wheaten flour and taken with water as a sole diet were known to be a cure for stomach troubles. Presumably she worked out at Androssen before her time at Macfarlane’s in Glasgow from about the age of 14 until about 19.

Lavinia (bottom right) working at Salt Coats Mission 

Even though this video of Macfarlane Lang and Co  Victoria biscuit Works was made after Lavinia left the company it gives me a thrill to see her fellow workers in this modern factory employing thousands. You can see why she was so proud of her time there. It was said that “Langs” looked after their staff and obviously had a social club as she is photographed on a “Langs Cruise” in 1924 and in a group photo (below) in 1923. 

Lavinia  (centre left front) worked at Langs for nearly 10 years

When she left “Langs” to travel to Australia to marry my grandfather, James Kerr she was described as “thoroughly trustworthy, a good worker, regular and a good timekeeper”.

Lavinia's 1926 reference

She sailed to meet her fiancé in May 1926 on the “Ormond” with her future brothers-in-law Alf and Frank and her mother-in-law Mary Ann Kerr. Her future father in law was already living in Sydney with James. She paid her own fare of 33 pounds for a 6, 8 or 10 berth cabin. She did not receive any help from her father but reportedly she stayed with the wife of Joe Valli from boxing circles while in London awaiting her journey.

Times were tough when they arrived in Sydney and it was difficult for James and his brothers to find work. I think that’s why they did not marry until the 18th February 1927. Also her mother in law had fallen ill with cancer and she returned to Glasgow with her son Frank where she died not long after.

Lavinia Strelley married James Kerr 18/2/27

After her marriage Lavinia was quickly pregnant with a little girl, Jean born 17th of February 1928 and idolised by her parents, grandfather and uncle. Just before Christmas in 1932 Jean succumbed to diphtheria leaving her parents heartbroken. 

Jean Stephens Kerr

However it seems that in her time of sadness Lavinia was already pregnant with her first son, my father Alfred Ernest. Alfred he was born in September 1933 Billy followed in May 1935. After first living in Military Road Cremorne, they had bought a nice place at 35 Park Avenue Neutral Bay which they shared with James’ brother Alf and father-in-law James Cross Kerr.

I remember it as a federation style 3 bedroom semi detached cottage with a living area and eat in kitchen. The land out the back had  veggies, flowers and buffalo grass which we played on and a rickety garden shed in the corner. It backed onto a lane and the bus depot. Just a quick walk down the lane  was the Big Bear shopping Centre. There was a front verandah and a frangipani  tree. The trams ran past the corner and diagonally there was a golf course and tennis courts. They used to keep their horse and cart for the fruit  and  vegetable delivery run down in Ben Boyd Road.  

35 Park Ave Neutral Bay in 1996

A few years after her arrival in Australia, Lavinia received news of the death of her mother of which we know nothing more. It may be a coincidence and perhaps it has confused the sources of this information but William Strelley’s wife Agnes died about the same time. Could it be Agnes’ death that was reported to Lavinia? It’s also reported that Lavinia’s mother never met the Kerr clan before she left Glasgow.

Settled on the North Shore Lavinia was happy with her life. She was a hard-working mother, a friendly neighbour and loved shopping at the nearby shopping centre. She was heavily involved with the church and was a voluntary worker at the next door convent regularly doing the shopping for the nuns and generally helping out. Most of the neighbours were Scottish. She kept contact with the Kerr relatives, Auntie Jessie and Auntie Aggie and her family who lived nearby. Often they travelled to Melbourne with the boys to meet up with other relatives from James’ mothers’ side.  She used to clean for Auntie Jessie when she was unwell taking the boys to across the harbour to Bondi Beach to play while she did her tasks. She and Aggie visited her husband’s cousin in Callum Park while she was undertaking treatment and was a friend to her children when she died.

Nanny’s boys Alf and Bill grew up to be fine athletes and football players and I know she was proud of her two handsome sons. Indeed they were both thriving in Sydney and grew much taller than their Scottish parents. Just take a look at them at Alf's wedding to Marlene in 1955.

Proud parents  and Billie on Alf and Marlene's Wedding Day 1955

During 1956, friends or relatives from Glasgow sent her newspaper clippings regarding the death of her father, William Strelley who it is said she had idolized. She is said to have spent time at his boxing gym and he was well known around Glasgow champion bare knuckle boxer and as a promoter and referee. Funny, the articles made a deal about him not revealing his age but made no secret of his true marital status and she wasn’t Mary McLaughlin. Considering the papers were kept by my father in the 45 years since his mother’s death he didn’t seem to have made the connection.

James and Lavinia looked forward to and hosted lots of Scottish New Year parties to celebrate the traditional Scottish Hogmanay and regularly attended the Burns Club for a social night out. There were weekends away with James’ railway colleagues and bus trips with her girl friends.

Here they are lined up outside Park Ave watching the Queen pass by during her 1956 visit.

All dressed up to see the queen pass right out side their door.

I was born  in 1955 followed 18 months later by Paul. Although I don’t have personal memories of her stories of living and working in Scotland, I’ve been able to piece together her story, friends and relatives through carefully kept (but not always labelled) photos, newspaper clippings, shipping tickets and references.

Nanny, me and the frangipani tree

I only knew my Nanny until I was four. She was looking after my brother while my mother taught when she fell ill. However I remember visiting her at hospital when she was dying of breast cancer. I remember her cuddles and affection and her frangipani tree planted out the front. My Nanny lived on for me as she had bought me so many clothes from sales at the nearby Big Bear that I had a collection to grow into until I turned 10!

Nanny and me in the back yard at Neutral Bay

She came into the world with adversity and was brought up with hardship and poverty. She no doubt worked and saved hard to buy her fare to Australia.

However still part of her life remains a mystery. That time between age 4 and 27. She was employed in a manual labour job.  In photos she is well dressed. Strelley is not a common name in Glasgow- the handful of Strelleys are all related to William and he was well known as a boxer, promoter, referee and bookmaker. Can I assume Lavinia worked at the boxing gym when there were big fights? This could be  how she afforded her fare and had contact with her father. Did she know her half siblings- I suspect not despite the fact her half brother William was also a boxer.  When I made contact with her nephews there was no recognition of other Strelley offspring and then I told them there was two more! 

Life wasn't always bright in the early days in Sydney with James’ unemployment, the depression and the death of her little daughter. She faced life’s hardships with a smile and brought joy to those around her. My Nanny died all too young at 63 and is greatly missed.

She was held in such high estimate at the church and by the nuns that she was honoured with a full guard of honour by the school children at her funeral in 1960.

Tip of the day:

Nanny was found in the 1901 census after with the wildest of wild card searches on Scotland’s People. McL* L* and Mary.   It’s only taken me 6 years. I know I’ll find her in 1911 eventually.

Tip 2:

Do a time line. Eventually photos and documents will fall into place and the story will unfold.