May Victoria CHARLESWORTH was born 25 May 1881 at Woolongabba, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. May’s parents, Sam CHARLESWORTH and Margaret MCDOUGAL had emigrated from England. They had got married in 1869 at Sheffield, Nottinghamshire, England.
May’s parents, Sam CHARLESWORTH and Margaret MCDOUGAL were still living in England in 1871 as they can be found on the English census. At this time, they had left Mansfield, Nottinghamshire where they were both from and Sam was working in Heeley in Yorkshire. It was very soon after that they would have emigrated to Australia. Their first child was born in Brisbane in 1872 so one can assume that Margaret was pregnant when they emigrated to Australia or that the baby was born on the voyage.
May had five siblings: Lily CHARLESWORTH 1872, Maud CHARLESWORTH 6 May 1876, Violet CHARLESWORTH 11 April 1877, John Joseph CHARLESWORTH 15 December 1879 all before May Victoria CHARLESWORTH was born on 25 May 1881. Another brother followed: Sam Albert CHARLESWORTH born 10 October 1883.
May’s siblings, Maud CHARLESWORTH, Violet CHARLESWORTH and John Joseph CHARLESWORTH all died in infancy. they had all died by 1881 so after starting off in working class Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, taking a chance in another country which in those days meant a long, uncomfortable and difficult voyage and never returning home, the couple then saw some heartache with the loss of children. The family resided on the Southside of Brisbane.
May’s sister, Lilly married James Lee KERR on 25 January 1905 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. They didn’t have children but resided on the Southside of Brisbane in suburbs Coorparoo and Wynnam. From 1936 – 1943 they can be found on the electoral rolls at Southport on the Gold Coast of Queensland. James Lee KERR was born 29 August 1873 at Leith, Midlothian, Scotland.
May Victoria CHARLESWORTH married Hugh GILMORE on 29 March 1911 at the Presbyterian Church, Norman Park, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
May’s husband Hugh was born 19 August 1881 at Rogers Street, Spring Hill, Brisbane, Australia. He was the son of Adam GILMORE and Annabella NICHOLS. They had come to Australia from Ireland. Hugh’s parents had married on 9 December 1865 at the First Presbyterian Church, Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland.
On 26 June 1866 Hugh’s parents, Adam GILMORE and Annabella NICOLS emigrated to Australia. They had only been married six months. they travelled on the ship ‘Wansfell’ for Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Just like May’s parents, Sam CHARLESWORTH and Margaret MCDOUGAL, Adam GILMORE and Annabella NICOLS made a bold move that meant that they would never see any of the family again who they had left behind. The ship ‘Wansfell’ departed from Southampton, England. Hugh’s father, Adam was one of the committee members that represented passengers on the ship commending the ship’s captain. The ship transported immigrants from England, Ireland and Scotland. Of the total 225 immigrants, 172 were Irish. Among the single girls were a large number of domestic servants. 60 were advertised as being for hire on arrival of the ‘Wansfell’. The voyage was smooth for that period with no passenger births or deaths recorded on board.
Hugh’s parents, Adam GILMORE and Annabella NICOL moved into a home in 1866 at Rogers Street, Spring Hill, Brisbane. Rogers Street is now inner city Brisbane so the house is no longer there.
Hugh GILMORE was the ninth of 10 children. His siblings were: Annie Jane GILMORE 1867, Matilda GILMORE 1868, Elizabeth GILMORE 1869, Isabella GILMORE 1871, Rose GILMORE 1874, John Alexander GILMORE 1875, William James GILMORE 1876, Agnes GILMORE 1880, all before Hugh GILMORE was born on 19 August 1881. Four of Hugh’s siblings had died before he was born.
Hugh GILMORE‘s birth certificate states that his father Adam was a drayman. Other documentation tells us that he also worked as a store man and labourer.
Hugh’s younger sister, Emma GILMORE was born three and a half years after Hugh on 26 January 1885.
Hugh’s mother, Annabella GILMORE previously Annabella NICOLS died on 9 April 1912 of chronic nephritis and Uraemia. It was only soon after May Victoria CHARLESWORTH and Hugh GILMORE had got married. She was buried on 9 April 1912 at Toowong Cemetery, Toowong, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Hugh and his wife May had four children: The first was Lilly Margaret Nicol GILMORE born in 1912.
There was an accident and May’s father, Sam CHARLESWORTH was killed after being knocked down by a bike. He hit his head on the kerb. Family records report that it was the first time he was sober in years! Sam CHARLESWORTH had worked as a stone mason in England and he had continued that work in Australia.
May’s father-in-law, Adam GILMORE died on 9 January 1914 soon after the birth of their first child Lily. Quite a large number of mourners were listed in the Brisbane Courier Mail on Saturday 10 January 1914. The funeral service was at Norman Park Presbyterian Church, Brisbane which was where May and her husband Hugh were married.
The same year, May and Hugh had a son. Kenneth Hugh GILMORE was born on 30 September 1914 followed by a daughter, Rita May GILMORE five years later on 10 March 1922 and Douglas Norman GILMORE five years later on 10 March 1922.
May’s brother-in-law John Alexander GILMORE died on 20 April 1926. He had worked as a photographer. May and Hugh’s children were still very young when their Uncle died.
May’s brother Sam Albert CHARLESWORTH married Esther Dora MADDOCK on 7 November 1931 in Queensland. The couple resided on the southside of Brisbane at Buranda
May was the only one of her siblings to have children.
May’s mother, Margaret CHARLESWORTH previously Margaret MCDOUGAL died in Brisbane in 1935. She was buried at Southside Cemetery, Brisbane. We can’t be sure of which year, but around this time May and Hugh’s daughter Lily Margaret Nichol GILMORE married Cecil Ernest KROLL. They moved to Margate near Redcliffe in Brisbane.
May and Hugh’s son, Kenneth Hugh GILMORE married a woman called Melba. Their third child Rita married Arthur Henry KROLL who was the brother of Cecil Ernest KROLL who had married May and Hugh’s first daughter Lilly.
Hugh’s older sister Matilda MCKINNEY previously Matilda GILMORE died on 31 October 1946.
James Lee KERR, husband of May’s sister Lilly died on 9 September 1947 at Queensland, Australia.
May Victoria GILMORE previously May Victoria CHARLESWORTH died in August 1951. She was cremated on 16 August 1951 at Mt Thompson.
May’s son, Douglas Norman GILMORE married Dawn Eliza EVANS about a year later on 10 May 1952.
May’s husband, Hugh GILMORE died 20 September 1952 at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He was cremated on 23 September 1952 at Brisbane Crematorium, Mt Thompson, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
