The Story of Bridget Power and James Scullin 
and their family of Numeralla, NSW

The other stories supplied by Bryan Power [bryanp2-at-bigpond.com]

   John Power Snr | Thomas Power  | Mary Ann Power | Jane Power | Honorah Power | Elizabeth Power | John Power Jnr | Edward Power | James Power | Henry Power | George Power | Ellen and Charles Power | Bridget Power |  Patrick Power |  

Foreword

This is the eighth story in stage two of a project to record something of the lives of the children of John and Mary Power of Creewah and Wyndham. The stage one story was the recording of John and Mary’s life which can be found on the Monaro Pioneers’ website.

The other twelve stories in stage two are also on that website and they tell of the lives of Bridget’s brothers and sisters: William, Thomas, Mary Ann, Jane, Honorah, Elizabeth, John, Edward, James, Henry, George, Ellen, Charles and Patrick.

Acknowledgements

I wish to acknowledge Elaine Schofield’s book: “in those days…” Numeralla-Countegany-Peak View and Surrounding Areas which has provided a good deal of the information to “flesh out” this short history. I am also grateful to the late Mrs Ann Marsden who recorded her memories of growing up as a neighbour of the Scullins.

Bryan Power
PO Box 610 Gisborne 3437, (03) 5428 2795 or bryanp2@bigpond.com  

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Bridget Power was born at Bombala in 1852, the thirteenth child of John and Mary Power. John and Mary had come with two small children to the Monaro from Pennant Hills in about 1840.

James Scullin was an Irishman from Co Derry, the son of James and Margaret Scullin. (Margaret’s maiden name was MacLachlan.) He was born in 1844 and came to Australia at the age of 22.

Bridget’s father, John Power, worked for many years as a supervisor for squatters, Conlon and Ryan, first at their Yarra Run and later at the Creewah Run. Both runs were 16,000 acres in area and were located north of Cathcart. Eight of John and Mary’s 15 children were born on these runs, the next three (including Bridget) possibly at Bombala and the youngest child, Patrick, probably at Cathcart. The family moved to Wyndham where, within a couple of years, Mary Power was stricken with a terminal illness. To ease her responsibilities, Bridget who was then aged 10, was “given” to family friend, Mrs Ann Dunn, who signed a “receipt” for her in the family missal:    

The “receipt” in Mrs Ann Dunn’s missal

“honeysuckle flat
May 11^th 1862 Mrs Powers
gave me Bridget powers
Ann Dunn”

Bridget’s mother died seven months later.

Probably Mrs Dunn continued to care for Elizabeth for a time but it is likely that Bridget went to Numeralla to live with her sister Honorah who had married James Agnew in 1864.

Bridget Power.  

Bridget meets James at Numeralla

While at Numeralla Bridget met James Scullin and at the age of 18 she married him at St Patrick’s, Cooma on 25 May 1871. Martin Brogan and Kate Brogan were the witnesses. On the marriage certificate their usual place of residence was given as Umeralla (Numeralla). James was 27 and Bridget 18. Her father, John Power of Wyndham, gave his written consent to the marriage as Bridget was “under the age of twenty-one years”.

Like her sister Honorah  (Mrs James Agnew) Bridget made her home at Numeralla and gave birth to 14 children. They were:

1.  James          born 1871   Married Marge Kirwan.

2.  Margaret Ann    1873   Married William Patrick Flynn.

3.  John Patrick      1875   Married Mary Stokes.

4.  Mary Theresa    1876   Married Andrew Herbert Johnson.

5.  Henry Charles   1878   Married Mildred Smith.

6.  Thomas Edward 1879   Did not marry. Killed in W.W.1.

7.  George             1881   Married Johanna E Freebody.

8.  Catherine Elizabeth 1883   Married Joseph Cotter.

9.  Rowland B                  1884   Did not marry.

10. Hubert B           1887   Married Rebecca V Shannon.

11. Edgar Arthur     1888   Married Hilda Murphy.

12. Bridget V          1890   Bridget died in 1893.

13. Alexander B       1892   Did not marry. Alec’s birth was registered as Scullen.

14. Martin H           1893   I have found no record of a marriage. May have been known as Robert. If so, he was killed in WW1.

James (senior) died of pneumonia at Numeralla on 30 January 1901 and was buried at Mittagang, Cooma. He was aged 56.

Bridget died 40 years later at the age of 89.

Other Scullin Family Members in and around Cooma

There is a record of the death in 1896 at Cooma of a Mary J Scullin whose parents are shown as James and Margaret. She was therefore probably the sister of James. A Bernard Scullin whose parents were also James and Margaret died in Cooma in 1921 thus, almost certainly, making him a brother of James and Mary J. As well, the maiden name of Catherine Agnew (wife of Henry) was Scullin and it is almost certain that she was a sister of James, Mary and Bernard as her death registration at Cooma in 1889 shows that she was the daughter of ‘James’ (the mother’s name was not recorded). Also, the fact that in the N.S.W. late 19^th century records of births, deaths and marriages, there are only three Scullin families listed (one is the family of “our” James in Numeralla and the others are Balmain and Goulburn families) lends further weight to the belief that James, Catherine, Mary and Bernard are the children of James and Margaret Scullin of Derry, Ireland.

A different James Scullin becomes Prime Minister

In Victoria during the same period there were also very few Scullins. One of them was James Henry Scullin, Australia’s first native born Australian Labour Prime Minister. His parents, John  and Anne Scullin (nee Logan) had migrated from Ireland to Victoria. James Henry Scullin was their fifth child and was born at Trawalla (between Ballarat and Beaufort) on 18 September 1876. Both John and Anne had been born in Co Derry so it is possible that there was a family connection with the Numeralla Scullins. John was the son of Patrick Scullin and Rose Mullholland.

James Scullin had the misfortune to become Prime Minister when Australia was, with the rest of the world, plunged into the Great Depression in 1929.

The 14 Children of Bridget and James

Bridget survived her husband by 40 years, dying at Numeralla on 18 July 1941 aged 89 years. Like her husband she died of pneumonia. Nine of her children were listed on her death certificate as still living. Little Bridget and four of her sons: James, Thomas, Arthur and Martin had predeceased her.

The children were not as productive in their marriages as James and Bridget: I have only been able to locate the records of a total of 15 children born in the next generation.

I shall include some information that Mrs Ann Marsden sent to me in a letter on 20 June 1980. Mrs Marsden was aged 84 at the time. She had grown up at Numeralla with the Scullins as neighbours on one side and the Agnews on the other so Mrs Marsden knew them all well with the exception of James Agnew who had died before she was born.

I also will quote from a book titled “in those days…” Numeralla-Countegany-Peak View and Surrounding areas by Elaine Schofield produced in 1996. The book is a wonderful collection of reminiscences of many of the old residents of the area and is a “must-read” if you want to learn about life in Numeralla in days gone by. You’ll recognize quotations from the book as I shall, in brackets, either state “in those days…” or name the contributor and give the page number.

1.    James Scullin married Annie Louisa (“Marge”) Kirwan at Nimmitabel in 1906. Marge was born in 1883 to Thomas and Emma Kirwan (nee Smith) and she died at Cooma in 1918. The three children of James and Marge - who were all born at Nimmitabel - were:

1. Madeline May Scullin born 1907, died at Cooma in 1938.

2. Enid Agatha Scullin born 1910, married Jack Hall at Yass in 1936 and

3. Percy James Scullin born 1918 at Nimitybelle. Percy married Freda Ida Steward at Bega in 1942.

Mrs Marsden wrote that Madeline died at the age of 27. (Her death is actually recorded at Cooma in 1938).

Annie Louisa died in Cooma on 28 September  1918 (possibly because of complications following the birth of Percy) and James also died there on 19 August 1932.

The Kirwan family genealogy is on the Monaro Pioneers’ website, www.monaropioneers.com

2.    Margaret Ann (“Maggie”) Scullin married William Patrick (“Paddy”) Flynn at Cooma in 1904. William was born in Cooma in 1862 and was the son of Daniel and Rosana Flynn. Margaret and William’s three daughters were born at Cooma:

1. Patricia Myra Flynn born 1905 in Cooma,

2. Mary M Flynn born in1906 in Coomaand

3. Margaret D Flynn who was born and died in 1907.

         See the Monaro Pioneers’ website for the genealogy of Daniel Flynn and his descendants.

The following extract is from “in those days…”:

“When we mention these old mud type dwellings – the one on “Shellgrove” which I believe Paddy Flynn lived in after he married Maggie Scullin. They lived there for many years before they moved down to Numeralla and their home at Numeralla is where Mrs De Roach is living today and they had two daughters Myra and Mary. Myra was quite clever at School and she obtained a job in Melbourne which was rather unique in those days for a country girl to be able to get a job in a big store. However, she got this job and as time went on her father Paddy Flynn, whom I might mention was my grandfather’s cousin, became ill and his life was drawing to a close. So they sent word to Myra to get to Numeralla before her father passed away. She chartered a plane, a little tiger moth, open cockpit, to fly to Numeralla.

That was long before there were any chartered air lanes and maps, all they could do was follow the roads and as it happened, it was in the Autumn and as they got to Countegany, Myra said to the pilot that Numeralla was close as I think that is the Countegany-Numeralla Road – and when they got down to Numeralla it was shrouded in fog and they couldn’t land so they flew round and round for some time and at last the pilot spied a hole in the fog and put the plane down in the Koppmann’s paddock. He had the plane down safely and almost pulled up when he just touched a fence and chipped the propeller a little bit. However, Myra was able to get to her father’s bedside before he passed away. I think that is a historical fact for our family as we can imagine the “guts” of this slip of a girl getting into an open cockpit plane and flying all that distance.” (John Moore page 44)

3.    John Patrick (“Jack”) Scullin married Mary Stokes at Cooma in 1902. Their six children were born at Cooma: 

1. Arthur James Scullin born 1904, married Eileen Curran in Sydney in 1929.

2. Mary Veronica Scullin born 1905,

3. Margaret Lavina Scullin born 1906, married Ernest B Shaw at Kogarah in 1933.

4. Leila Magdalene Scullin born 1909, m. Jack Clifford Lord at Kogarah in 1937.

5. Sylvester Joannes Scullin 1911 and

6. Doreen Frances Scullin born 1915 and died at Kogarah in 1919.

John Patrick died at Kogarah in 1944.

4. Mary Theresa Scullin married Andrew Herbert Johnson at Cooma in 1909. Andrew was born at Cooma in 1878 the son of John and Mary Johnson (nee Moore). I have not been able to find any records of children. I believe that Mary Theresa was normally known as Theresa. Mrs Marsden said that they lived at Kogarah.

5. Henry Charles (“Charlie”) Scullin married Catherine A (“Mildred”) Smith in Sydney in 1910. Their son, Henry James, was born at Kyogle in 1912.

Henry James married Annie Theresa Commerford at Maclean in 1937.

6. Thomas Edward Scullin was killed in WW1.

7. George Scullin married Johanna E Freebody in 1927 in Cooma. He is recorded in the 1932-33 Bailliers Post Office Directory for Numeralla as a farmer (“in those days…” Page 10)

This advertisement appeared in the Cooma Express on 5 September 1938: “House Party and Dance and Euchre Tournament in aid of Miss R Moore’s candidature in the St Patrick’s Queen Competition will be held at Mr G Scullin’s Shellgrove, Numeralla on Saturday, 10^th September Gent’s 2/-; Lady’s 1/- and basket. F. McMillan, Hon. Secretary.” (“in those days…” page 13)

“George Scullen had an Oldsmobile.” (Claude Ward page 20)

George died on 16 June 1949 at the age of 68 and is buried at Cooma.

8. Catherine Elizabeth (“Katie”) Scullin, according to Mrs Marsden, married Gary Cotter. The Cooma records show that she married Joseph H Cotter in 1931. Katie would have been aged 48 when she married so this age explains Mrs Marsden’s statement that they had no children.

9. Rowland Bernard (“Roley”) Scullin “Roley Scullin had the Blacksmith’s shop and he used to drive the coach to school from up at “Shellgrove”. He had two horses called Gallipolli and Dardinelles.” (Annie Collins page 12)

“The school coach was before my time when the Agnews and the Murphys travelled by horse and coach with Roley Scullin as driver. I remember seeing the coach which was just a wagonette with a top on it and two horses to pull it. In later years I remember that the coach was bought by Edward Pryce who lived at “Ethelene” across the river and is now half buried in soil.” (Kevin Agnew page 17)

“I remember the dances at Boland’s hall. They used to make the black rum and it used to make them fight.It was open slather in those days. Rolly Scullin was brilliant on the accordion.” (Claude Ward page 20)

“Roley Scullin used to shoe horses, he was a blacksmith.” (Margaret Adams page 28)

“Then of course there was the blacksmith’s shop which was the hive of gossip in the village. It was a great place right in the village practically opposite the old stone place on the corner – Roley Scullin had the blacksmith shop. There were quite a few old bachelor men living in little huts on the banks of the river. They would always come to the blacksmith shop where there was a nice fire going and there would be 9 or 10 men sitting around there talking and telling stories all day long. It was our local newspaper I think.”(Nell Lawlis page 35)

“Poor old Roley Scullin used to play the accordion.” (John Moore page 43)

Roley died on 9 May 1947 aged 62. He is buried at Cooma.

10. Hubert B Scullin married Rebecca V Shannon at Goulburn in 1914. Rebecca was born at Cooma in 1885 and was the daughter of John Jacob and Esther Shannon nee Hinds. Hubert and Rebecca’s children were:

 1. Hubert T Scullin born at Gunning in 1915

 2. Maxwell J Scullin born at Cooma in 1917 and died at Annandale in 1918. There were probably other children born later but as yet the N.S.W. records of births beyond 1919 are not available.  There is, however, the record of the death of Theodore Eubert (probably Hubert T) at Queanbeyan in 1938.

“Scullin’s place had normal living area for those days, possibly only about 1000acres – a big family and it eventually dwindled down to a smaller place, part of which is now ‘Carlaminda’ and part of Murphys which now belongs to Shorrocks. It had two mud houses on it – built of pure mud, remains of which are still standing today. As far as I know, Hubert Scullin lived in the house across the river but that was before my time. The roof was off that house when I was only 7 or 8 so it hadn’t been inhabited for some time.” (Kevin Agnew page 18)

11. Edgar Arthur Scullin married Hilda Mary Jane Murphy and had no children according to Mrs Marsden. I have not been able to find a record of the marriage. Edgar Arthur was usually known as Arthur. He was the post master at Numeralla from 1921 to 1925.

There is a photograph of Hilda with other members of the Numeralla Ladies’ Cricket Team on page 29.

Edgar Arthur died on 26 June 1938 at Cooma aged only 49. In 1945 Hilda married Austyn Clive Freebody in Sydney.

12. Bridget V Scullin died at the age of 3 in 1893.

13. Alexander H (“Alec”) Scullin  “Roley Agnew and Alex Scullin could play accordion, piano or anything they touched.” (Annie Collins page 14).

“Boxing – bare knuckles. Alec Scullen hit old Jim Lloyd in the throat and knocked him down for the count of 10. That was at a get-together, to see who could drink the most rum. There wouldn’t be a dance unless there was a fight to finish it up.” (Claude Ward page 20)

Alec worked on Michelago Station for many years. He was the last one to die - in 1978.

I have a large, framed, coloured photograph of Brigid (reproduced on page 2) that was amongst Alec’s possessions at the time of his death. The picture was passed on to a priest in Canberra by the owners of Michelago Station and the priest gave the photograph to me.

14. Martin H Scullin Martin Scullin was registered on the roll at Numeralla Public School as being 14 years old in December 1907. I believe that Martin came to be called Robert and Bob. There is a Bob Scullin in a 1905 school photo on page 22. He looks about 12 years of age. He was killed in action in WW1.

Four of the Scullin young men: Arthur, Hubert, Bob and Thomas, enlisted in the army during WW1. Their names are on the Numeralla-Countegany-Peakview Honour Roll reproduced on page 27 of “in those days…”. Their photographs are on page 26.

Mrs Marsden described Bridget Scullin as being a woman of medium build with brown hair and rosy cheeks.

(In the photograph of Bridget (mentioned above) taken, I would think, when she was in her 50s, you can see that her arthritic hands bear the signs of decades of hard work.)

James, she wrote, was of average height and medium build. He was olive skinned with black hair and a black beard. “He was a nice man.”

“The Scullins had a small property where they grew potatoes and lucerne which they sold. They were very good friends of my family.”

She went on, “They had a lovely family. They were very good friends of my family, everybody out to help each other. She also knitted and made patchwork quilts and all of the children’s clothes. Grew all the vegetables, turkeys and fowls and cooked everything they ate in a fuel stove and camp ovens otherwise they didn’t eat. The closest shop was 18 miles away. Someone would go to Cooma once a month with a bullock team and wagon and bring everybody supplies. Everyone milked cows and made their own butter and cheese.”

In her book, “in those days…” Numeralla-Countegany-Peak View and Surrounding areas Elaine Schofield records two newspaper reports about the family on page 25:

Cooma Express 7 Feb 1901. “Death of Mr James Scullin, an old resident. He was born in Bally, Scullin (sic) Ireland and arrived in N.S.W. 30 years ago. Took up land at Numeralla and by gradual additions to same, built up a respectable property, he was aged 55.”

Elaine then added, “James Scullin snr. married Bridget Power in 1871. They had a family of 14 children and lived at “Shellgrove”, Numeralla.

The family were well known in the area and were involved in sporting activities in the area.

James jnr was a blacksmith who took over Denny Roche’s blacksmith’s shop in Numeralla Village, close to the Boland Inn.

Roley, also a blacksmith, drove a horse drawn wagonette to transport school children from the “Shellgrove” area to the Numeralla school.”

The second newspaper article was in the Cooma Express dated 20^th November 1903. It stated that “J.P. Scullin and Mr A. Agnew purchased the Aerated Water & Cordial Factory in Cooma from Fred Reid.”

Elaine added, ‘The “Shellgrove” property passed out of the Scullin family in 1947 when it was purchased by Murphy Brothers.”

Below the article is a photograph of the family which would have been taken, I would guess, (based on the appearance of the youngest children in the photo), in about 1898.

There are 12 of the 14 children in the photograph – Theresa (Mrs Johnson) was absent and Bridget had died in 1893. One of the young boys in the photo is named as Robert in the caption. Perhaps he is the boy whose birth was registered as Martin H. In Elaine Schofield’s book on page 22 there is a photograph of the Numeralla School pupils in 1905 with Bob Scullin in the front row. He looks to be about 12 years of age which would make him Martin’s age.

Some of the naming of the children seems at odds with their appearance in the photo. For example, Hubert would have been 11 in 1898 but he is a much older young man in the photo according to the caption. Thomas was 21 in 1898 but he is a young boy in the photo.

Family of James (Jimmy) and Bridget Scullin.
Back: Jack, George, Jimmy, Charlie, Rowley.
Middle: Maggie (Mrs Flynn), Bridget, James, Thomas, Hubert.
Front: Katie (Mrs Cotter), Robert, Alec, Arthur

The following are more comments about the Scullin family made by contributors to Elaine Schofield’s book:

“Those Scullin men and Roley Agnew were beautiful dancers and nearly all the women. Old Jimmy Scullin, when he came, could play the violin.” (Annie Collins page 14)

“The well where Del Roach lives (Flynns), used to go dry in the dry time. Alec Scullin was supposed to have lost a dozen bottles of beer down that well.” (Annie Collins page 15)

“When they opened that bridge (over the Numeralla River) they had a sports day on the flat, there were foot races and so on and old Granny Scullin (Bridget) cut the ribbon to open the bridge.” (Annie Collins page 15)

“Scullin’s place had normal living area for those days, possibly only about 1000 acres – a big family and it eventually dwindled down to a smaller place, part of which is now ‘Carlaminda’ and part of Murphys which now belongs to Shorrocks. It had two mud houses on it – built of pure mud, remains of which are still standing today. As far as I know, Hubert Scullin lived in the house across the river but that was before my time. The roof was off that house when I was only 7 or 8 so it hadn’t been inhabited for some time.” (Kevin Agnew page 18)

“A large number of men from the area served in the forces during World War 1. According to the records: Henry Collins, Walter Collins, Thomas Scullin, Robert Scullin, Joe Ward and Paddy Flakelar were killed in action.” (John Agnew page 26. On that page there are photographs of the four Scullin men who enlisted: Arthur, Robert, Hubert and Thomas.)

“For the local dances mostly it was local music. The Scullin brothers would play for them, but at the Balls they generally had a band from Cooma. As far as the local people, Roley Scullin played the accordion, Jimmy Scullin the violin and Alex Scullin the piano and they all played by ear and to dance to I think it was by far the best music we ever had here. They played wonderful dance music – we danced till daylight.” (Nell Lawlis page 33)

“Another entry about shearing in 1923 – shorn at Andy Mylan’s shed. They were my grandfather’s sheep and he took them up to his brother’s place, Cliff Breare’s place now. It was on 5^th December, shearers were Jack Scullin who shore 58 sheep for one pound two and ninepence and R.B. Scullin (Roley) shore 58 sheep for one pound two and ninepence.” (John Moore page 43)

Death of Bridget

Bridget Scullin died at Numeralla on 18 July 1941 of pneumonia. She was buried the following day at Cooma Cemetery. On her death certificate her surviving children and their ages are shown as: Margaret  68, John P 67, Mary T 65, Henry C 63, George 60, Catherine 58, Roland 56, Hubert B 54, Alexander B 49. 4 males and 1 female deceased.

She had suffered the grief of the deaths of her husband and of five of her children, two of them killed in WW1.