Tom Gunter store keeper at Lady Barron.
Gunter’s Bay is a little Bay named after Tom.
I think Tom was Warden 1908-9.
Tom married Linda Armitage.
Linda’s sister Elizabeth married Tuck Robinson, and they lived a short distance from Gunter’s Store along the Coast Road
A little further along from Tuck heading west up the Coast Road was Harry Briant, and his eldest brother William (aka James) married Linda’s youngest sister Ada.
It seems they are connected to our Holloway cousins as well.
Happy New Year to our family (the many new family connections made over the past three years) and friends. Hopefully 2016 will bring to all health, happiness and peace.
Tonight with dinner I will raise my glass to our absent family and friends, I hope you will as well.
I have learnt on reading a letter penned by my great aunt Ettie Briant (Launceston) to her Grannie (Maria Jane Stephens: Una Cottage, on the Samphire) that Jimmy Holt had just had his second operation and considered in danger until ‘Monday’ and Ettie had intentions to visit him when allowed.
I wonder if this was the time he was incredibly sick after being scratched by his pet cat! Possibly.
Emily and James had a terrible 1922, Edith died in the August and James was at deaths door in November. I think James also signed for George’s victory medal that year as well, just checked, he signed for Georges memorial plaque or dead man’s penny on 19/10/1922, the victory medal arrived in 1923.
In another letter Ettie asks sister Elsie how Mr & Mrs Holt are – a letter to home asking about the next door neighbours is a good indicator of just how close the Holt’s, Briant and Stephens family were.
The Armitage connection to Lady Barron!!
Dad’s comments to the history of the Armitage – ‘Tucks wife was one of the Launceston ‘undertaker’ Armitage’s’!
I try not to get too involved with other family tree’s. There’s enough to do with our lot.
We all know that Dads (fathers side) Uncle Tuck married Lizzy Armitage. Last week discovered Dad (mothers side) great-uncle William Briant married Lizzy’s elder sister Ada Armitage. So Lizzy was also a sister-in-law to Harry Briant’s eldest brother William.
A look at Ancestry putting together Lizzy’s and Ada’s family tree.
If we thought the Robinson/Holt family was huge, we can think again.
The Armitage family are also plentiful. Another FI connection. Thomas Gunter, Store keeper at Lady Barron also married another of Lizzy’s sister Linda.
Dad had no idea.
Lizzy had plenty of family connections around the Lady Barron district as it turns out. I don’t think Tuck and Lizzy’s descendants are aware of this information though.
This may also explain finding the cut out of Frank Gunter (in uniform WWI) in the Briant photo album, not only a family friend but loosely connected through uncle William Briant, whom I believe used his second name ‘James’ in lieu of William.
As it turns out I recently found this photo, on the back is written with ‘kindest regards to Horace 1919’. I suppose when Horace and Maud married they would’ve known both had Armitage relatives.
This portrait was found in our Briant/Stephens papers a few weeks back.
When I first saw the photo I wondered who they were. Oct 1918 was on the back.
The woman did seem familiar!
The morning after finding the portrait I woke early with a thought, could this be Jessie Holt. A check to see if her eldest was a girl, & that didn’t fit, however Clara did….
Cross-referencing the children with the other photos, Una and Alfie in particular easy to pick!!
A beautiful casual portrait, Clara with her hair down, so different to the photos seen to date – to her family, I hope you enjoy.
This portrait is a beautifully preserved piece of Briant/Holt/Robinson family history. Being able to return these treasures the best part of this family history journey.
November 2015 revealed this early portrait on Flinders whilst sorting through the Stephens and Briant’s letters and photos.
Uncle Alf, Auntie Clara, Una and Alfie: on the back of this photo.
Staying at TP this month set the challenge to imitate the photos AJ Campbell took in November 1893. Establishing correct distance for this particular (2015) photographer, tricky with several takes…..
First attempt: Landing at Trousers Point
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Photo 9) Mrs Henry Collis (Amy) standing to the left in photo – her sister-in-law Mrs Fed (Nell) to her right holding infant son Jack.
June 1913.
A walk around Wally’s point to take in the new season’s small fields of samphire and their delicate white flowers. Dotted amongst the fields are several succulent pig-face tentacles loaded with small colourful flowers. The good old silver tussock and white sand a beaut backdrop. A few photos to share…
At last time on the island to look through more history. This time through the albums of great grandmother Adeline’s elder daughters Ettie and Lily Briant’s photos. The big surprise is also finding great grandmothers youngest sister Maudie’s photo album.
There are dozens of photos to sift through, some named, many not – I’m surprised to name a few myself as a consequence of studying our extended family history over the past few years…..
I will add the relevant photos to each persons page so click the bold and this will take you through to the photo, starting off with this stunning photo of Clara Jane Briant nee Robinson/Holt, whom my Robinson/Briant family relate to not once but twice. The picture being quite tiny, I thought may be great grandmother Adeline, stoked to find it was another of Clara Jane a stunning young women and lovely person as well.
I have found several others of Adeline as a young mum as well so not at all disappointed, as you can see below on this page.
We are proud to share what we discover and only ask when ‘on’ publishing to reference the source as samphiredeb.
If anyone has further information, stories or corrections please jump onto comments to share.
Flinders Island: Badger Corner and Samphire River 