Forum
HV Families
Webmistress
Father Therry's Registers & Diary
Source - from the Centenary of The Diocese of Maitland 1866-1966, published in 1966 and reproduced here with the permission of Father Harold Campbell, author and former Parish Priest of Maitland.
FATHER THERRY'S REGISTERS
Searching the archives of the Archdiocese of Sydney, kept at St. Mary's Cathedral, and made available by Right Rev. Mgr. C. Duffy, the Archivist of the Archdiocese, one can discover baptisms of children whose parents give their abode as 'Hunters River'. When it is just one name among others from Sydney one can easily assume that the parents took their child to Sydney for the ceremony. However, when there are several names from the North and one from Sydney one can just as easily assume that the priest had visited the North on one of his periodic journeys.
The same can be said of the marriage registers.
In Father Therry's Marriage Register for 17th October, 1831, it is recorded that Father Therry joined Thomas Meorit and Ann Kennedy in Holy Matrimony; their address is given as Hunters River. There are, however, six other weddings on the same day, all with Sydney addresses.
On the 30th January, 1832, Father Therry records the marriage of Alexander Walsh and Catherine Duffy, and also of John Ryan and Ann Devine. Both couples give Maitland as their address.
For the 28th October, 1832, there is the marriage of James Luthern and Mary Daley of Williams River. The next day, 29th October, there are four weddings all from Maitland and one given as Hunter River. We record the names: Samuel Chapman and Anne Kennedy; Christopher Eavley and Bridget Ryan (Hunter River); Patrick Collins and Margaret Davon; Richard McGuiney and Rosanna Duffey; John Johnson and Ann Dinakve.
Two days later Father Therry records the wedding of Patrick Burke and Johanna Keating of Maitland. One week later there are two other weddings at Maitland, and then one week later we find the lone priest in Newcastle, then another Maitland couple, and one week later he is back in Sydney.
Surely this is another trip into the 'interior'.
During 1833 he records other marriages on 5th May at Maitland, then 1st June, 3rd June and 8th June.
At the end of the next month, on 22nd July and 29th July (two), the registers show Father Therry again in Maitland.
This seems to indicate a trip to the North once in six weeks.
In 1834 he is in Maitland again - 3rd August (two marriages). On 9th August a couple from the Williams River are wed. On 10th August and 11th August, he is officiating again for two couples whose abode is given as Maitland.
FATHER THERRY'S DIARY
The old priest kept a diary - at least he sometimes did. In 1833 he gives us some mention of Maitland, with such items as the following:
September 29: Proceeded in steam boat to Newcastle.
September 30: Administered Extreme Unction in Newcastle Hospital to William Murphy.
October 1: Mass at Morpeth in Quatum (sic).
October 2: Went to Maitland.
October 3: Mass at Mrs. Murphy's in home.
October 5: Arrived from Maitland and Newcastle.
The old diary makes difficult reading and could well prove worthy of more minute examination and treatment.
That, however, is outside the scope of our treatise, and we have recorded, at least some of the visits of the pioneer priest. He certainly came to the Hunter, to Newcastle and Maitland, and even to Singleton.
When the lone priest had received the first reinforcements, first Father Power, and then Father Dowling and Father McEnroe, and a little later, Father Ullathorne, Newcastle, Maitland and Singleton came to be a circuit for all of them.
© Patricia May [All Rights Reserved]