Diana Kupke Writes
The Mann Family History
From Herefordshire, England to Lexton, Victoria
House where Charles Mann and Ellen Lyons lived
Credit: Malcolm Williams and the Creswick Connections site
Many of my ancestors have lived in Creswick, near Lexton, and as a result, on the suggestion of Noel Robertson, I have happily joined Creswick Connections on Facebook. A wonderful page. It was begun by Malcolm Williams who has dedicated the site to Joan Lavinia Jones (nee Mann). Joan, who died in 1987, carried out a lot of early research into the Mann family, long before the days of the internet.
James Mann, 1836-1907, from Creswick Connections.
Julia and Charles Porter
With many thanks to Dorothy (Porter) Robertson
Julia Porter, who was born Elizabeth Julia Mann, was the daughter of James Mann (from Ullingswick, Herefordshire) and Eliza Miller (from Adelaide). James, and my great grandfather, Charles, were brothers.
The story of the Mann family and their arrival in Australia
The first of our Mann family to arrive in Australia was my great great grandfather James Mellin Mann (1811-1892) who was born in Moreton Jeffrey in Herefordshire in England. On 25 May 1833, James married Elizabeth Wilson (1814-1866) at St John the Baptist in Worcester, Worcestershire.
Twenty years later the couple left England and arrived in Australia on 6 May 1853. They had eight children, all born in England - John (1834-1854), Elizabeth (1836-1847), James (1836-1907), Jane (1839-1892), William (1840-1857), Charles (my great grandfather, 1842-1925 - see headstone below), George (1844-1910), and Elizabeth (1847-1924).
Headstone Charles Mann 1842 to 1923
Photo credit: Headstone Photographs
My great grandfather, Charles Mann, was born in Bromyard, Herefordshire England and was christened on 4 September 1848 at Ullingswick in Herefordshire. Charles, who was only 11 when he emigrated to Australia, lived in Victoria for 70 years altogether and spent 33 of those years in Lexton. He was married, on 26 December 1861 at Maryborough in Victoria, to Ellen Lyons, the daughter of Michael Lyons and Sarah Jane Marks.
My great grandmother, Ellen Mann nee Lyons is on the far right.
Charles and Ellen had 11 children. Charles (my grandfather 1862-1943), William (1864-1937), Thomas (1868-1870), Ellen (1870-1949), Thomas (1872-1959), Laura (1875-1935), Mary (1877-1949), Eliza (1880-1949), Elizabeth (1882-1898), James (1884-1962), and Jane (1886-1886). Their son, James, married Victoria Robinson whom I knew as Aunty Tory. James and Victoria were very close to my father and I remember visiting them when I was fairly young.
Headstone Victoria (Robinson) Mann
Photo credit: Headstone Photographs
My grandfather, Charles, who was always known as Jack, married Isabella Hovey on 5 August 1888 at Ballarat. They had ten children of whom my father, Thomas Edwin, was the baby. Ellen (1889-1944), Charles (1891-1891), Hilda (1893-1979), Myrtle (1896-1958), Eva (1899-1970), Charles (born 1902, died 1973), John (1906-1980), Elsie (1907-?), James (1908-1973), and Thomas (1910-1989).
Headstone Isabella Hovey 1869 to 1932
and her husband
Charles Mann 1862 to 1943
Photo credit: Headstone Photographs
The Ballarat Courier ran obituaries on both Charles and Isabella (known as Chatty Mann). They lived in Lexton, next door to Charlie's father and mother and although both my grandparents died before I was born, I do have vague memories of visiting the remains of their old home, which had been left to my father.
Thomas Edwin Mann
My father, Thomas, married my mother, Merlyn Isobel Dudley on 8 April 1939 at Brunswick in Victoria. I understand they met on a train on their way to Euroa where these two teetotallers were going to pick hops.
Emily Chellew and Massmino Gaicometti
The photographs below are from Russell Giacometti and are of his great grandparents, Emily Chellew and Massimino Giacometti. They are also the parents of the man I knew, very well, as Uncle Vic (William Victor Giacometti 1895-1967) who was married to my father's sister, Eva Caroline Mann.
For many years Uncle Vic came to my parent's house at Flowers Street, South Caulfield, (just a few blocks away from Vic's home in Fallon Street), twice every week to play euchre and five hundred with my parents, Tom and Merl Mann, and with Merl's brother, Lester Dudley. From the age of about five I was shanghaied into playing while my mother made supper.
The wedding of Dad's niece, Thelma Giacometti, to George Brown.
The flowergirl was extremely well behaved.
Dad's niece, Thelma, and her father, Vic Giacometti.
Many thanks to Russell Giacometti for the photograph (above) taken on the day Dad's niece, Thelma (also known as May), married George Brown.
- Links to surnames
- Ancestral Circle
- Basan
- Canet
- Dudley
- Val's Dudley Story
- Grist
- Hovey
- Lyons
- Marks
- Montgomery
- Nell's Story
- Sandilands
- George Canet's Story
- Streater/Streeter
- Wilkinson