One hundred and fifty years ago today Emily’s youngest brother John Jasper Joly Burke was born. Like his older sister and brother, Richard he his birth took place at Windsor Terrace, Edenderry, Co Offaly. He was the last of the four M’arthur-Burke children.

His early life was the same as his sister Emily, but there may have more emphasis on his education, simply because he was a boy. He probably attended a school for the sons of Clergymen, like his sisters attended the equivalent for girls. His brother, Richard became a banker, therefore it is possible that John Jasper studied for a profession too.

Some time in the early 1890’s he followed his sister Miriam, to Australia. Miriam remained in New South Wales, where she eventually married and had children. John Jasper went to Victoria, perhaps in search of work. There are no records to confirm, why he went there and exactly when until his funeral notice appeared in the local newspapers in May 1893:

It appeared he died in the Fifeshire Hotel, in Bendigo. Today it seems a bit mysterious that he died in a hotel, but back then people lived in hotels for an extended amount of time. Perhaps he had some temporary work there, as it was a mining area. As his death was not reported on it can be assumed that he died of natural causes. Perhaps a disease, brought on by the hostile climate, that he was not used of or something minor such as a fever, which can be easily treated and cured today. He is buried at Bendigo Cemetery in an unmarked grave Internment number 12656.

Sources

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/civil-perform

27 October 1869 – Kings County Chronicle – Offaly, Offaly, Republic of Ireland

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/

Mattinbgn [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

With thanks to Bendigo Cemeteries Trust