Enid’s Life in Australia

Enid Betts, lost her father before she was one years old, she had however her mother, full brother, six other step siblings and numerous relatives as the Betts were a big family and had lived in Vale Head area of Moolong for many years. Young Enid would have led a comfortable and somewhat of a society life in Australia as there are some local newspaper articles that named her receiving school prizes, attending garden parties and various functions.

In 1895, Mr. Betts married Miss Miriam Sophia Burke, a daughter of the Rev. Wm. John Burke, rector of Castlejordan, Westmeath, Ireland. The consummation of this happy union was one son (John Ulick DeBurge) and one daughter (Enid Cecily Patricia) ; the latter being an infant under twelve months old.

DSCF0484When Enid was barely fifteen years old her mother fell ill. It was not a serious illness as Miriam Betts lived on into her seventies but her ailment was enough to send her daughter on a the ten thousand mile journey form Australia to Ireland. Enid appeared to have traveled alone, the journey would have taken weeks to arrive at her destination,  to a new country and to a new life with an aunt she had never met before.

Sources
http://oa.anu.edu.au/uploads/obituaries/1163/betts_h.pdf
http://trove.nla.gov.au/
Ní Dheirg, Íosold. Emily M. Weddall: Bunaitheoir Scoil Acla. Baile Atha Cliath: Coisceim, 1995.
Class: BT26; Piece: 561; Item: 67. Ancestry.com. UK, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008