Mary-Anne Jones
Rockhampton Untold: Beyond Theresa Maria Bridget
This started as something personal for me—a quest to know my mum. It soon became a sweeping exploration of early Rockhampton, a town once dubbed the wildest and wickedest in Australia. Past accounts and records provide the backbone for the stories within... around real people and situations. The sagas and real-life experiences offer compelling stories of the bumps and bruises that shaped this colonial town, the second biggest in Queensland at the time. You won't find this is about the rich and famous. This is about the ordinary folk, forgotten in time...until now!
What You Will Take From This Book
You'll discover stories never before told in such a way, bringing to life the preserved memories of a pioneering community. What began as a private quest to uncover the life of a mother unfolds into a compelling set of sagas and dramatic accounts of hardships, loves and losses.Whether you are a lover of Australian history, someone with roots in Rockhampton, or a dedicated researcher piecing together your family tree, these pages are for you.
Vivid Storytelling: True accounts written with a narrative flair to transport you back to the early days of Rockhampton.
Meticulous Research: Every tale is backed by detailed citations and references, making it easy for you to explore the original sources yourself.
A Genealogist’s Treasure: Includes a comprehensive index of surnames and place names, specifically designed to help family historians track down potential ancestors.
Chapters
Chapter 1
The Quest. Where it began. A daughter lost in grief.Chapter 2
Theresa. The youngest matriarch leaves this world.Chapter 3
The Beginning. Rockhampton discovered. A maniac gold rush and more.Chapter 4
Beyond the Rush. By 1859 the fever was over. Picking up pieces.Chapter 5
The Cursed Tap. Pubs were plentiful and so were the deaths within them.Chapter 6
The Road to Ruin. Some made it big, but misfortune came for them.Chapter 7
Maria. The oldest of the matriarchs enters Rockhampton.
Chapter 8
The Irish Temper. She pushed her way into the humpy, wielding a hammer.
“I want my blanket and chair! And I’ll have it!”Chapter 9
Love in the Scrub. Promises in the Pandani. Her home is a makeshift camp at Long Beach, on the edge
of Keppel Bay.Chapter 10
Fiercely Hers. While the town debates the worth of this latest invention,
Maria’s sister, Margaret, goes about firing her own style of lit
scenes.Chapter 11
Bridget from Kilkenny arrives. She's destined for isolation, a fiercely self-reliant life.Chapter 12
Aliens who came from far away, land on the shores, north of Rockhampton.Chapter 13
Rides and regrets travelling on new steamer and a troubling outing.Chapter 14
Mrs Linnett—Ellen O’Connor has been in Rockhampton less than four months and already she’s found herself a husband—a well-
known figure.Chapter 15
Deadly Isolation: The shocking news reached Bridget’s ears as she rested at the Hollins. What happened to Tom?Chapter 16
Mrs Fenlon lost her life at 40. Years before her, there was Eliza. Both left Tom with their children—the youngest only months old.
Chapter 17
Rise and fall of a quiet unobtrusive man who left a mark on North Rockhampton.Chapter 18
The Lethal Ride down Denham Hill, though an accident, it was another tragic loss tied to Frank.Chapter 19
Heartbreak Fog: the loss of someone and something destined for fame.Chapter 20
A Powerful Union—a marriage set in the stars.Chapter 21
Taunted by Typhoid, Taken by Cancer
Chapter 22
An Insane EndChapter 23
Her Last LetterChapter 24
Swaying the Reigns.Chapter 25
Ryan's ImpactChapter 26
Glimpses in the DunesChapter 27
Secrets in StoneChapter 28
Half-Forgotten Royalty
Chapter 29
GoneChapter 30
When the War is OverChapter 31
A Pivotal Year.Chapter 32
Who Was She Really? -- Finale
A-C
Abadie.........................................80
Archer...........................................8
Atherton...........................105, 214
Balallan.....................................173
Balfe............................................43
Battle.........................................125
Beardmore................................101
Beggs.........................................22
Belfield......................................239
Bell..............................................48
Bently........................................164
Birkbeck....................................131
Bohan........................................239
Bolt........................................45, 48
Bonnaud.....................................83
Boomerang.................................24
Bowen.........................................22
Boyer...........................................59
Britton.........................................36
Broome...151, 152, 154, 155, 187,
188
Brotherton..................................48
Buckley.....61, 179, 182, 200, 201,
207
Burke...................................72, 245
Butcher.....................................162
Butler..........................................22
Cahors........................................87
Callaghan...............26, 35, 69, 105
Camus.........................................82
Carey........................................138
Carpenter.................................145
Cavanagh..................103, 104, 106
Chapple..................................9, 13
Clifford........................................22
Clohessy....................................182
Cochot........................................73
Coffey........................................130
Collins.......................................187
Conners..............................72, 249
Connor...42, 43, 52, 95, 108, 139,
140, 143, 148, 249
Cook. 98, 129, 131, 132, 135, 136,
137, 138, 172
Cooper......................................116
Cox.............................................71
Creaghe....................................101
Cuff...........................................245
Curran......................................204
D-H
Dalrymple...................................37
Davis...........................................54
Dibdin.......................................124
Dooley.........................................55
Dowling......................................75
Duhig................137, 169, 170, 174
Dunkley.......................................97
Dwyer.........................................99
Eberan........................................46
Ellrott........................................181
Evans...........................................7
Farrell........................................123
Feez.......................................63,
Fenlon...............107, 108, 113, 130
Ferguson...................131, 132, 185
Fiddes........................................107
Fitz Roy.....................................8, 9
Flowers.............................103, 106
Forrest.......................................247
Forster.......................................171
Furlong.....................................108
Gair...........................................235
Gallagher..................130, 137, 248
Gannon.......................................17
Gardner................................29, 30
Gardner......................................30
Garibaldi...........................203, 204
Gaudin..................................45, 48
Geddes..............................103, 238
Geoffrey......................................80
Gibbons....................................173
Gibert..........................................80
Glasscock....................................35
Goebel........................................53
Goldammer................................891
Gorman....................................245
Grant........................................117
Green..........................................26
Greenelsh..................................161
Griffin.......................................245
Griffith......................................145
Guirin, Guyrem, Guerin......82, 84
Haines.........................................41
Hall...........................................154
Hallanan.......................43, 52, 108
Harmsworth.............................245
Hawke.......................................203
Hay...............................................8
Headrick...............................21, 36
Herley...............................123, 126
Hirst............................................55
Hodder........................................88
Hughes..............................171, 223
Humphries........................163, 164
Hunter..................................21, 23
I-P
Jacques......................................24
Jones..........................................22
Kelly..............................25, 90, 238
King Billy..................200, 201, 206
King Buckley....61, 179, 182, 200,
Kirisac.........................................82
Kleinhammer.............................52
Koran........................................204
Landsborough.............................19
Langford...........................170, 182
Larnach......................................23
Lawrie.......................................131
Le Bruat......................................83
Lidstone......................................55
Linnay.......................................206
Linnett..64, 65, 67, 68, 69, 93, 95,
Livermore.............................36, 42
Ludkin.......................................161
Macartney.................................101
Macdonald.....23, 24, 26, 29, 117,
180
Mace.........................................238
Mackay.......................75, 103, 106
MacKinnon......................138, 173
Maher.........................................81
Mahony....................................173
McCaskill....................................17
McCormack.....................215, 239
McCourt...................................245
McCurry.....................................97
McDonnell................................148
McGuffie.....................................19
McLean.......................................46
Menzies.....................................245
Meston..............................204, 205
Meta............................................58
Miller..........................................99
Miva..........................................214
Molloy...............................162, 163
Moore.........................................30
Morgan.....................................161
Moses....................................30, 38
Moulder....................139, 140, 141
Muirhead....................................74
Munck.......................................239
Murlay........................................59
Murphy.....................110, 199, 248
Nathan......................................193
O’Brien.....................................173
O’Connell.............................44, 97
O’Connor...................52, 143, 148
O’Keefe....................................245
O'Rourke....................................81
Officer.......................................192
Pacey.........................................245
Palmer.....................................7, 21
Parker............................................7
Pascoe.........................................2
Pattison...............51, 199, 200, 207
Peace...............................63, 67,
Pfitzenmaier..............................173
Pilbeam.....................................235
Pilin.............................................80
Prior..........................................194
Purkiss.........................................48
Q-W
Queen Kitty......................203, 206
Redfern.......................................15
Richards................................90, 92
Rickards......................................77
Robertson...........................25, 211
Robins.................................64, 144
Rogers
Rose............................................73
Ross...........................................20
Ruddock......................................99
Rundle........................................19
Rutherford................16, 79, 85, 92
Ryan 130, 135,
Sankey.........................................48
Seely..........................................203
Ségal...........................................80
Settler..........................................74
Sheehan....................................138
Shordeler....................................58
Siebert.........................................82
Skardon.......................................17
Smith....................................46, 97
Sommer....61,
Spencer.8, 15, 16, 19, 76, 84, 102,
Stapp.........................................182
Struber/Strüber................................
Stuart..................................81, 119
Tarlington.................................245
Taunton....................................211
Taylor..........................................48
Teage........................................131
Thompson..........................65, 205
Thomson..........................131, 248
Thornhill..................................216
Tidemann...................................54
Tierney.......................................64
Todd...........71, 189, 190, 191, 192
Tommy.............................206, 207
Tonges 51, 52, 53, 64, 88, 116, 143
Tozer.........................................164
Turner...............................117, 118
Vallée..........................................80
Vesperman..................................59
Vize...........................................156
Voss...........................125, 181, 190
Wafer................................131, 132
Wakefield....22, 23, 26,
Ward10, 15, 16, 17,
Watson......................................245
Waverley...................................101
Westley........................................48
Wilkinson..................................144
Williams......................................81
Williamson................................211
Wiseman.........................9, 53, 105
Woodford..................................205
Woods.........................................45
Worth............................65, 66, 144
Wright.........................................71
About The Author
As a 5th generation Central Queenslander, the stories, landscapes, and enduring spirit of our region are not just history to Mary-Anne; they are a part of who she is.She began her journey into writing local history on a warm afternoon spent poring over old family albums and keepsakes. Each photograph, each handwritten note was a gateway to a bygone era, whispered tales of hardship, triumph, and the indomitable spirit of the communities that once thrived in the shadow of the Fitzroy Basin and along the vibrant Capricorn Coast.
Researcher with a strong interest in nature and of place from where we came
Member of Queensland Family History Society
Whether you are a lover of Australian history or a dedicated researcher piecing together your family tree, these pages offer a rare and authentic connection to the people who came before us.
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