1886
1 Jan 1886 Hawking up to the end of February 1886. I gave up the van to P Murray and rode around and collected all debts.
10 Mar 1886 I gave Stibbard and McPherson instruction in my place.
11 Mar 1886 I brought home all the brickmaking plant from the brick kiln.
12 Mar 1886 Painting and repairing chairs. Goolagong races.
13 Mar 1886 Repairing and painting a dray. Cold windy day.
14 Mar 1886 Sunday. At home.
15 Mar 1886 Painting dray and killed a pig.
16 Mar 1886 Sarah Hacket and Grace O’Shaughnessy went by coach for Gongolgon on the Bogan. Tom West came to buy this place.
17 Mar 1886 St Patrick’s day. At home. I gave John Muir instructions to sell all my furniture. Mr and Mrs T West came and inspected this place. They sold their station Wattamondara for £4,000 to Mr Beasley.
18 Mar 1886 John Muir took an inventory of all the thimgs to be sold. William Muir married to Mrs Reilly today. I saw W Ryan today.
19 Mar 1886 Getting everything ready for the sale.
20 Mar 1886 I went to Rickard’s sale at the public school. Muir sold.
21 Mar 1886 Sunday. At home.
22 Mar 1886 Cleaning up and getting ready for the sale.
23 Mar 1886 I rode out to A.J.C.Single’s paddock to see my horses.
24 Mar 1886 Working at the house all day. Sold to West for £420.
25 Mar 1886 Getting ready for the sale.
26 Mar 1886 At home.
27 Mar 1886 Sale. Sold everything except the Gray horse and piano.
28 Mar 1886 James, Minnie, and I stayed at Walsh’s Court House Hotel. Sunday.
29 Mar 1886 Delivered everything that was sold on Saturday.
30 Mar 1886 I went on the coach for Blayney. Alexander Middlemiss took Mary O’Shaughnessy, and his two sons, Tom and Jim, in his buggy. They got to Carcoar that night. I stayed at Allen’s.
1 Apr 1886 Alick arrived at half past ten o’clock and we all got on the first farmer’s train for Sydney. Ten days return ticket 14/4. Sydney half past ten o’clock. Stayed at Mrs Neville’s City View Hotel, Elizabeth Street. We stayed in Sydney up to 10 April, 1886.
10 Apr 1886 We took the 8 o’clock train and arrived in Blayney at 5 o’clock on the 11 April.
11 Apr 1886 I came on by coach to Cowra. A Middlemiss came on with Minnie and his two boys in his buggy. Arrived in the evening.
12 Apr 1886 At the Court House Hotel. A few days after, I rode out to bang bang and back to Cowra. Staying at Walsh’s Court House Hotel up to 26 April.
26 Apr 1886 Easter Monday. A Sheffield Handicap and other sports on the Showground. Thomas Walsh had a booth there. When we were leaving the booth at dark, Mrs Walsh gave Thomas Walsh the bag with the money in to keep it. A man named Dempsey was standing by, took the bag, got under the counter, cut a hole in the bag and took about £30 out of it. He left a lot of silver and notes in it. We had a suspicion a few days after that it must be Dempsey. About 15 days after, Dempsey came to Walsh with one of the cheques he had stolen, to get it cashed. Walsh gave him in charge. He was committed to Young. Staying at Royal Hotel.
20 May 1886. Mary O’Shaughnessy, Maggie Walsh and I took Tom Walsh’s horse and buggy and started for Blayney. Got there at 5 o’clock. Stayed and had tea, then left horse and buggy and went to railway station to meet Bourke train. Grace O’Shaughnessy came in it from Gongolgon, Bogan River. We got on and went to the Vale Station and stayed at a hotel all night.
21 May 1886 We went up to the Vale Convent to see Sister Rose, my daughter, Kate. We stayed at the convent until evening and went in the train to Bathurst.
22 May 1886 We went to the Sisters of Mercy Convent, Bathurst. We saw Kate Walsh there. We arranged to leave Grace there for twelve months. Kate Walsh came down the town with us. We got what Grace wanted. We left Grace at the Convent and started back 5 o’clock train. Got to Blayney at 7 o’clock . Stayed.
23 May 1886 Came on to Cowra. Had dinner at Bull’s 2 mile creek.
24 May 1886 Queen’s Birthday. Great demonstration. First train arrived from Young at the site of the railway bridge across the Lachlan River. A great lot of people came on the train from Young. Sports on the Showground. Great fireworks on the flat in Cowra at night. Great rush to Kimberley, Western Australia. Joe Poole keeping the Club House Hotel, Cowra. W. Boxall living in the cottage Joe Poole left. I put up a kitchen for Mrs Murray and a shed on their private cottage, and a paling fence in front of the cottage. E Murphy assisted me.
31 Aug 1886 Waiting in Cowra up to September to get a transfer for the land and house I sold to Mrs T H West. Show this month.
1 Sep 1886 I rode out to P. Walsh’s, Kikiamah, to see Pat Walsh who some days before got a fall from his horse and nearly broke his neck. A day or two afterward T Walsh and Hannah, his daughter, came in a buggy from Cowra. I stayed a week and started back to Cowra. Tom Walsh and his daughter started too. We came to Grenfell and had dinner. Got to Cowra at dark and stayed in Cowra up to 15 October.
15 Oct 1886 R Unsworth’s son died. Raining. Concert in aid of the English Church.
16 Oct 1886 Cowra cricketers beat the Grenfell team.
17 Oct 1886 T Walsh drove me in his buggy to Unsworth’s funeral. He was buried in the catholic Burial Ground. Cold bleak day.
18 Apr 1886 I rode up to Middlemiss’ paddock, got my piebald horse and put him in a fenced-in allotment of Sloan’s for the night.
19 Oct 1886 P Murray and I rode up to The Battery to where Cowra Littlefield and his mate are putting in a tunnel. They have a pump worked by horsepower. It lifts the water from the bed of the river to the top of the bank. They cart the gravel from the top of the hill to there and put it through the sluice boxes.
20 Oct 1886 At the Court House Hotel all day. A telegram came from Cargo to say that James Hartigan was very ill. Mr & Mrs Middlemiss started over.
21 Oct 1886 P Murray and I walked up to the railway bridge and back to Cowra. A boy of Circon’s(?) got his leg broken. He was in a spring cart, the horse bolted and capsized the cart. Still was driving his old mare down the street. She bolted. Still fell off near Howey’s and cut his head and knee. A. Middlemiss came from Cargo. James Hartigan given up by the Orange Doctor. Blood poison in the face. I sent a letter to P. Walsh at Kikiamah.
22 Oct 1886 I sent a letter to Mrs Hartley, bang bang and a letter to Lenehan, Snr, Monica Vale(?).James Hartigan died 11 o’clock today at Cargo at his sister’s place.[1] Great wind and dust today.
23 Oct 1886 Thomas Walsh and A. Middlemiss went to Cargo to James Hartigan’s funeral. I sent a letter to Sarah Hackett, Gongolgon. I got a letter from Slattery and Haydon, Solicitors of Sydney demanding £1.4.9 for the Express Newspaper. Salvation Army arrived.
24 Oct 1886 Sunday. A Middlemiss and T. Walsh came from Cargo. Great wind and a little rain. Very cold.
25 Oct 1886 I was up to the Court House listening to a lot of cases. A girl named Crummie got one month in Grenfell Gaol for stealing some money from Mn(?) Butcher’s shop at the railway bridge.
26 Oct 1886 I rode out to Bang Bang. I called at Pipeclay Creek as I was going out. I called at Mrs Hartley, Bang Bang. She had sent by Edmonds in the morning to me in Cowra. I started back. Cowra at 4 o’clock.Light showers. Cold.
27 Oct 1886 Making a flower stand for Mrs Walsh.
28 Oct 1886 Quarter Sessions. Judge Docker presided. Harris Crown Prosecutor. Civil cases. One jury case. Muir and Mulally – commission on selling lemonade manufactory. Muir gained the case. I put the blue colt in George Campbell’s paddock.
29 Oct 1886 Criminal cases – Dempsey for stealing about £23 in notes and cheques from Thomas Walsh at the Cowra Showground. He got 3 years hard labour in Bathurst Gaol.
30 Oct 1886 Sports on the Showground in aid of the School of Arts. Joe Pool gave £20 for the gates and W Boxall gave 10/- for the publican’s booth. About 200 people on the ground. Great storm of wind and rain at 2 o’clock. Finished up with a Concert at night. I got a letter from Sarah Hacket, Bogan (River).
31 Oct 1886 Sunday. At the Court House Hotel all day.
1 Nov 1886 I went up to the Court House to hear some cases. I got a letter from Mary O’Shaughnessy from Kikiamah. Patrick walsh wants me to put up a cottage for him.
2 Nov 1886 I wrote a letter to Draper Monica Vale. I walked out to where the men are digging out the foundation for the Goods Shed. The Government has taken over the railway line from Fishburn the contractor, from Young to Cowra. Sultry day.
3 Nov 1886 Working at the Railway Station, loading of drays onto trucks. Raining most all day. Got a real soaking.
4/8 Nov 1886 Working at the Railway Station all day. At the Court House Hotel all day on 7th. Sunday.
9 Nov 1886 Prince of Wales’ Birthday. Sports on the Showground and in the evening a Concert in aid of the Catholic Church. Loading wool all day.
10 Nov 1886 Working at the Railway Station. Up to 19th. (14th. Sunday. At the Court House Hotel all day; 15th. I got two pounds from McPherson.)
20 Nov 1886 Not doing anything. A man in my place at the station.
21 Nov 1886 Sunday. At the Court House Hotel. P Walsh on train from Kikiamah.
22 Nov 1886 Sawn timber from Matheson’s saw mill, Eugowra to build a cottage for P Walsh.
23 Nov 1886 No work. I got £3.3.0 from the paymaster at the Railway. Part payment.
24 Nov 1886 George Hurst and I commenced to put up the cottage for P Walsh.
25 Nov 1886 Raining all day.
26/29 Nov 86 George Hurst and I working at Clifton’s cottage. At the Court House Hotel on 28th. Sunday.
30 Nov 1886 Working at the cottage. From Minnie at Kikiamah and one from Sister M. Rose, Kelso Convent, Bathurst.
1/2 Dec 1886 Working at the cottage.
3 Dec 1886 Working at the cottage. T Walsh and Mrs Walsh started to Bathurst.
4 Dec 1886 Working up to 11 o’clock. Commenced to rain and continued all night. Pat Hough brought in my piebald.
5 Dec 1886 Sunday. Raining.
6 Dec 1886 Raining. No work. River rising.
7 Dec 1886 Great rain washed away part of the street. Train started for Young but had to come back again. Line broke at Pipeclay Creek. River rising very fast. People clearing off the flats all night.
8 Dec 1886 At 11 o’clock water broke over the banks and ran down the street past Schifield’s. At one o’clock water commenced to fall. Took the temporary bridge of Fishburn’s away.
9 Dec 1886 Water in the river falling fast. Typhoid fever in Cowra.
10 Dec 1886 Weather clearing up.
11 Dec 1886 George Hurst and I put the iron on the cottage. Mr and Mrs Walsh came from Bathurst and brought Grace O’Shaughnessy from the Sisters of Mercy Convent, Bathurst.
12 Dec 1886 Sunday. At the Court House Hotel.
13/15 Dec 86 Working at the cottage. Mrs Adams died on 14th; buried on 15th.
16 Dec 1886 Mrs T West arranged with P Murray. He is to credit me in his book for £200 and give me a Promissary Note for £199 for four months. Grace O’Shaughnessy went by train to Young. Mary O’Shaughnessy is to meet her there and take her to Kikiamah. Hannah Walsh went to Young with her. Whittaker the watchmaker buried today. Fever.
17/21 Dec 86 Working at the cottage.
22 Dec 1886 Miss Ellen Caldwell died this morning. Buried at 3 o’clock this evening. George Hurst went to the funeral.
23 Dec 1886 Working at the cottage.
24 Dec 1886 We finished the cottage, all but the mantel piece. Leon’s Circus in Cowra. Great many people in Cowra tonight.
25 Dec 1886 Christmas day. Sold the blue draught horse to Harry Halls for £20 – £10 down, £5 in two months and £5 in four months.
26 Dec 1886 Sunday. At the Court House Hotel.
27 Dec 1886 Sports on the Showground in aid of the Cowra Band. Very poor gathering. Races at Chivers and Woods Flat. A Ball in the hall tonight. A hot day.
28 Dec 1886 We finished the cottage.
29/30 Dec 86 Not doing anything. No work.
31 Dec 1886 Hot day. No work. Farmers busy getting in the crop. Only for the rain on the 7th Instant, there will be the best average (?) for many years.
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- He had accompanied his parents (Catherine Walsh and Jeremiah Hartigan) and siblings as a two year old when they emigrated from Co. Limerick on the LORD STANLEY in 1850.↵