Partings

In 1888 Miriam Burke departed for Australia. She travelled unassisted, meaning that she paid her own fare, and was not claimed out by relatives or any organisation. Miriam may have qualified as governess or school teacher and immigrated to Australia to work in those professions.

Richard Maynard Burke was six months dead when Miriam boarded the S.S. Salier in November 1888. Now only Emily and her youngest brother John Jasper remained. John Jasper would join Miriam in the near future leaving Emily alone in Ireland.

On December 22, a few days before Christmas Miriam disembarked at Adelaide in the State of Victoria. The passenger list contained the following record:

First Name: M S
Last Name: Burke
Age: 25
Est. Birth Year: 1863
Month Of Arrival: Dec
Year: 1888
Ship Name: Salier
State: Victoria

Thankfully it was overall a pleasant voyage for Miss Burke, who appeared to be traveling alone, according to the Captain’s log; Due provision was made   for the comfort and well-being of the passengers, and  as the weather generally was fine, and in the tropical   latitudes endurable, the voyage altogether was of a pleasant character. Captain Thalenhorst and his  officers, and the purser (Mr. H. Ahiers), were considerate in all that concerned the welfare of the people on board.

The Australia of the 1880’s was a far cry from what it is today, a relatively rich land, a tropical climate and good employment opportunities, a far cry from what Miriam would have found on arrival. The cities may have been modern for the time but the outback would have been harsh and tough on an Irish constitution better adapted to cool more temperate weather. Somehow she adapted well and lived out her days there till she died in 1941 at the age of 78.

Sources

Category: Immigration & Travel  Record collection: Passenger lists  Collections from: Australia & New Zealand Ancestry.com. Retrieved 26/04/2014

“THE S.S. SALIER.” The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957) 24 Dec 1888: 7. Web. 29 Oct2013 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article6913912>.retrieved 26/04/2014

findmypast.ie/record?id=anz%2fbmd%2fnsw%2fd%2f0005199089

When Rev. and Mrs Burke died in 1883 they were not buried in Creagh Cemetery, in Ballinasloe but were interred in the graveyard of St Matthew’s Church, Clontuskert instead. This is possibly because of the Achill connection as explained in the excerpt below:

The graveyard accommodates burials of people from the nearby locality and more distant parts including Achill Island and Scotland. Military and medical personnel are included and no doubt the reason for the choice of this burial place was the assumption that this would remain a perpetual Protestant burial ground, which would be maintained by the loyal and faithful members of the Church of Ireland. Currently, the well maintained grounds and building reflect the commitment of the Church of Ireland parishioners, with the support of Roman Catholic friends who have family links to the deceased interred in the churchyard. 

Burial Records

Emily’s parent’s grave remains unmarked to this day, this may be because of the hate campaign that plagued Rev. Burke’s life.  The Burke family may  not have wanted any attention drawn to their parents grave for that reason, allowing the Rev. and his wife to rest in peace.

Sources

Clontuskert Heritage Group., and Joe Molloy. The Parish of Clontuskert: Glimpses Into Its Past. Ballinasloe, Co. Galway: Clontuskert Heritage Group, 2009. P 115

Thanks to:

Joe Molloy, editor of our 2009 publication, “The Parish of Clontuskert – Glimpses into its Past” for kindly providing me with the information of Rev and Mrs Burke’s grave and the photographs of St. Matthew’s Church

Jill Cooke  who kindly provided me with the Burke’s burial records. 

Ballinasloe, where Emily’s Parents lived in their final years

The year 1883 was a sad one for Emily Weddall and her siblings, for not only one but both her parents died. Her father passed away in June and her mother followed four months later in October. Rev Burke reached the relatively old age of 78, her mother not so long lived died at the age of 57.

At the time of her parents death Emily was barely 16. Her older sister, Miriam was 20, Richard, 18 and John Jasper was only 14, all under 21 and still minors. Their older half brother, William was married with his own family in Yorkshire, England, far away from the west of Ireland.

In both their wills, Rev. and Mrs Burke both named Rev. Samuel Potter as the executor. It is possible that the Reverend made sure the Burke family were looked after properly after the loss of their parents. It seemed that he was a lifelong friend Rev Burke, and similar in character too.

 “A learned, eloquent, and fiery Irishman, he revelled in controversy, and was widely known on the platform and in the press. During the earlier years of his ministry there was much political and ecclesiastical strife abroad, and Dr. Potter was always to the front. He was an able Church defender. For twenty years he was Vicar of St. Luke’s, but as a zealous Orangeman…”

The similarities did not stop there he had a similar situation to Emily’s father Dr. Samuel George Potter, who came to Sheffield in 1869 as Vicar of St. Luke’s, Hollis Croft, is still remembered by some. whose parishioners were for the most part Roman Catholics, he was a square man in a round hole.

He organised lectures for Rev. Burke and initiated collections by the way of payment for him too. One such lecture tour in 1877 was in aid of building a parochial house for Emily’s family.

By the time Mrs Burke passed the funds had diminished to £170 or € 11,000 in today’s money, there was possibly some land in the family too. All in all it was hardly a fortune, just enough to educate their children.

Sources

findmypast.ie/results/ireland-records

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/

http://www.willcalendars.nationalarchives.ie/reels/cwa/005014901/005014901_00043.pdf