The Gadsbys meet the Thurlows of West Ham Essex

Sometimes I get side-tracked – blame Ancestry hints.

Its not all about adding more relatives to trees and DNA searches. I do love a good side story and old photos. Recently I hit the jackpot.

This old photo popped up on a hint.

Thomas, John, Alexander, Charles, Robert (l-r top) Henry, harriett and William Thurlow (Bottom)

I’d been looking for the Thurlow extended family for a while not because they were related but because this is a story of a ship board romance, friendships and other ramifications. The Thurlows were long term friends of the Gadsbys in Sydney beginning when my lot came to Australia in 1912. Their lives were entwined in many ways. 

1911 census

This story begins back in London where the Thurlow family appears in the 1911 census. Harriett Anne Thurlow nee Jack was a widow living in 123 Meath Row West Ham Essex with three of her sons. William 33, Alexander 22 and Robert 21.

Son Henry 31, a farmer and his wife Annie Lillian had already married and lived with their daughter Emma Lillian in nearby Plaistow. Son John 27 had already left for Australia arriving in 1910 to work as an Electric Wireman with his wife Ellen nee Race and their infant son John aged 11 months.

The 1911 census gives a good snapshot of families. The Gadsbys (my grandmother ‘s relatives) were living in Canning Town, London having moved from Stratford with 9 of their children. By all reports it was wet, cold and gloomy and not much later one of their infant twins died before they could heed the advice of doctors to "get out of London". At the time many were moving to Australia or Canada to escape the depressing landscape of London and to take advantage of job opportunities in these two developing countries.

There was also talk of them leaving because of the threat of war in Europe. The Gadsby’s three oldest boys ended up being WWI enlistees as it turned out. This threat may have been a consideration for the Thurlows also.

Alexander, Robert and Henry Thurlow and family planned to leave for Australia in 1912. By the time tickets were purchased for their unassisted passage on the Zealandia in 1912 another of the Thurlow brothers had left for Sydney. Charles Thurlow and Emily Agnes Nee Cardew had arrived on the Norseman in November 1911 with an 11months old baby daughter.  A son Charles John Henry was born in Balmain in 1912.

So, the Thurlows and the Gadsbys met on the Zealandia. Records are sketchy as to how the patriarch Thomas Gadsby and his two older boys arrived in Australia but mother Selina, her 5 daughters Selina (Lena), Maude, Julia, Catherine and Grace and son William set off to travel across the world to finally arrive in Sydney on 15/11/1912.

Spending weeks on the sea, the families formed friendships over meals and strolling on the deck. They no doubt discussed their plans, their knowledge of Sydney and aspirations for a bright sunny future.  Henry’s daughter Emma was the right age to spend time with Catherine, Julia, Grace and Maude Gadsby and fuss over baby William. 

As it turned out Selina (Lena) became very friendly with the dapper Alexander (Alec) Thurlow.  A small problem was that she had left a fiancé, Ben back in London.  

Selina and Thomas Gadsby settled in Newtown.  They completed their family with the birth of another daughter, a 14th child Edith, in January 1914. However, Selina became increasingly anxious about the friendship of Alec and Lena and called for Lena’s fiancé to make haste to Australia. Soon Ben arrived and as the situation unfolded it was Selena senior who ran off with Ben and left her daughter Lena to house keep for her father, feed the little ones, and mind the baby.  Sons Harold and John had enlisted and were off to war.

Thomas Thurlow 29 with Mary Ann nee Hall and their infant daughter had since arrived in Sydney in October 1914 on the Thermisticles.  Finally, William came to Australia in 1921 on the Demothenes with his mother Harriet Anne Thurlow

There are early records showing Thomas and Charles in the laundry business and so too with Alec. Having married Lena in 1918 Alec began trading as the Hygienic Towel Supply Association in Bligh Street Sydney. The following article from SMH 25/ 9/35 tells of his increase in assets and his trouble with the Taxation Department.

In the case of Alexander Thurlow, trading

as Hygiene Towel Supply Association, Bligh

Street, Mr. J. Rook, Taxation Department

prosecuting officer, said the allegation was

that Thurlow attempted to evade assessment

for taxation. Thurlow had never lodged re-

turns until requested by the department to

do so, when returns for 1922-34 were sup-

plied. The taxation payable in respect of those

years was: State, £316; Federal, £395; un-

employment relief, £164. The defendant's

assets, he said, had increased from nil in 1921

to £5953 in 1935. Thurlow, In all, was fined

£200, and ordered to pay £330 to the de-

partment.

Seems he is too busy making money to lodge a return.  It is not known whether his brothers were in business with him or whether the towel laundering business was a booming opportunity in the early part of 20th century Sydney.  

Later Lena and Alec opened the Snow White Towel and Linen Service. This was also a very successful business allowing them to buy their own home which they willingly shared with Alec’s brother William who never married and various other relatives at various times. There was a critical  housing shortage after the war and I know my uncle and cousins were recipients of their generosity Other relatives Bet and Marge cousins of my mother worked with Lena and Alec‘s business. Despite their generosity and good fortune, the couple remained childless.  She had plenty of practice as over her life Lena was responsible for bringing up a couple of young relatives who had single parents who needed to work.

Another newspaper article refers to Alec suing (and then withdrawing) for a debt from his brother-in-law Harold Jacob. Always the businessman it seems.

 

Julia, Jillian, Lena and Airdrie c 1953

This photo of Lena in the scarf with my grandmother Julia and two of Julia‘s grandchildren shows Lena’s sense of fun and  generous heart. Sadly Lena died of a heart condition not long after this photo was taken in 1954 and Alec died of throat cancer after retiring in 1962.

William had remained unmarried. He lived with Charles and then with Alec and Lena at 10 Morton Street Lakemba. Upon Alec’s death their house was left to his brother Will much to the displeasure of Lena’s sisters who were a bunch of early feminists.

Is this Alec and Thomas Gadsby?

Here’s a shot of Alec and another at outside the house at Lakemba. I like to think it is Alec and his father in law, my great grandfather Thomas Gadsby. Although my mother thought it was him, another Gadsby relative insists it’s one of Alec’ brothers.  However, nearly 90-year-old John Hudson Thurlow has made the call that it is definitely not a Thurlow.  It’s a fairly battered sepia picture from Julia’s family album and it’s been well handled. More evidence I guess that it’s great grandad.

So, what of the extended Thurlow family?? Robert died in 1932 I believe he was a rather sickly man He’s shown as groomsmen to Alec in Lena and Alec’s wedding photo in 1918. Thomas died in 1942 only months before his mother Harriet who was aged 87. Charles died in 1949 in Paddington. Henry died about eight years later in 1957 at Peakhurst. John died a few years later in 1960 at Auburn. William Robert Thurlow the oldest and the last remaining son died in 1971.

 

Maude G, Robert T, Alec, Lena, Selina G, John G and Julia G 1918

The Gadsbys have been written about in other blog stories. just click on the tags.

We tried hard to find some Thurlows when we had the hundred-year reunion of the Gadsby ‘s arrival in Australia in 2012. Although many had fond memories of times with Lena, Alec and his brothers we had very little information about what had become of them until a great great grandson caught the addiction and put the photo of the seven boys and their mother on his Ancestry tree. After seeing the hint, I made contact and Max and his charming family. We exchanged some details, facts and photos and it’s looking promising for a Thurlow or 2 to attend our next reunion. Please get in touch. kanahookarob@yahoo.com.au