"Annie" Ann MUNRO / NIVEN
Born 28 September 1876 in Kilberry, Argyllshire, Scotland [28]
Daughter Alexander MUNRO and "Maggie" Margaret CAMERON [20] [28]
Her father worked variously as a sherpherd, farmer, innkeeper and railway surfaceman [20]
She was one of at least nine children with siblings Jessie, John, Maggie, Robertson, Maggie, Eliza, Mary Jane and Isabella [20]
In 1881 she was living with her parents and then three siblings at 4 Combie Street in Kilmore & Kilbride, Argyllshire, Scotland [20]
Ten years later in 1891 they were living on Cleigh Farm in Kilmore & Kilbride, Argyllshire, Scotland [20]
Later resided with her parents on Bottomhead Farm in Denny, Stirlingshire, Scotland [28]
Married farmer Robert NIVEN on 25 November 1896 at 163 West George Street in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland [28]
They resided on Ardliesh Farm in Arrochar, Dunbartonshire, Scotland 1896-1902 [28]
She was recorded in the 1901 census as being a speaker of both English and Gaelic [20]
In 1904 and 1905 they were living at Garabal Cottage in Ardlui, Dunbartonshire, Scotland [28]
They lived at Bendoran House in Tyndrum, Perthshire in 1907, and at Clifton in Tyndrum, Perthshire, Scotland in 1908 and 1909 [28]
In 1911 they were living in Killin, Perthshire, Scotland and her husband was working as a Butcher, Coal & General Merchant [20]
They then resided at Clifton in Tyndrum, Perthshire, Scotland 1912-1914 [28]
Arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia on the Orvieto with her husband and 13 children on 4 August 1914 [P13]
Their daughter Esther died in Fremantle from scarlet fever and measles seven days after their arrival [P13]
After a short stay in Perth she travelled with her family to their pre-purchased Ready-Made Farm in Carnamah [P13]
Resided with her husband and children on Craigend Farm in Carnamah 1914-1918 [P13]
In 1918 her husband travelled to Perth to seek medical attention but passed away en-route on the train [34]
Following her husband's death she inherited and oversaw the management of Craigend Farm [6]
Farm Manageress of Craigend Farm in Carnamah 1918-1938 [6]
To begin with the farm was Lot M940 of Victoria Locations 1934 and 1936, and was 424 acres in size [27]
On 5 August 1921 extended the farm by 377 acres with the purchase of Lot M1354 of Victoria Location 1936 [27]
Purchased Lot M1354 from the Midland Railway Company for £396, payable by instalments over 15 years [27]
She appears to have extended the farm in 1926 with Frank T. P. HEUSTON's 839 acre Victoria Location 7177 [3] [9: 9-Apr-1926] [44]
Had obtained the telephone at her farmhouse by 1926 - was telephone number Carnamah-13 [60]
The creek that ran between Yarra and Caron streets in the Carnamah townsite began on her family's farm [5: 2-Jun-1933]
Ordered supplies for her large family through Bateman's Stores in Perth and had them sent up on the train [P25]
Purchased some of her supplies from general store "The Supply Stores" in Yarra Street, Carnamah in 1918 [92]
Began shopping more locally when Louis P. PARKER opened a general store at 7 Macpherson Street, Carnamah in 1921 [P25]
Had an account with Carnamah blacksmith, wheelwright and motor mechanics Henry Parkin & Son during the 1920s [53]
At the age of 40 gave birth to a son Louis Theodore Munro NIVEN at Nurse Peterson's Home in the Perth suburb of Swan View [P52]
She was a widow at the time and the father of her sixteenth child was neighbouring farmer "Sam" Samuel J. M. GREEN [P52]
Signed a consent for her son to be adopted on 4 April 1921 and he was raised by a ROGERS family in Perth and known as Bill [P52]
Her grandson "Geoff" Geoffrey L. ROGERS visited Carnamah in 2010 to discover some of his father's past [P52]
Attended the Grand Plain & Fancy Dress Ball in Carnamah on 6 August 1925 in an evening dress of fawn marocain [9: 21-Aug-1925]
In 1926 had 31 townsite blocks surveyed out of her Lot M1354 which adjoined the edge of the Carnamah townsite [4: 7-Aug-1926]
Ten of the blocks became the east side of Boojerabba Street and another ten became the west side of Niven Crescent [P1]
The remaining eleven blocks were an extension of Macpherson Street (numbers 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35 and 37) [P1]
The 31 blocks were Lots 1 through to 31 of M1354 and were collectively known as the "Annie Niven Estate" [4: 7-Aug-1926]
On 20 August 1926 held a sale in Carnamah to sell the 31 lots, which was conducted by Goldsbrough Mort & Co [4: 7-Aug-1926]
Attended wedding and reception of Charles ROBERTSON and Winifred M. LANG in Carnamah on 27 March 1928 [4: 31-Mar-1928]
Won first prize for Butter at the Carnamah Show and Sports Carnival held on Thursday 4 October 1928 [4: 13-Oct-1928]
In December 1928 she had stay with her and her family in Carnamah a Miss GREENSIDE of Mount Barker [4: 8-Dec-1928]
In 1931 she and her daughters Jean and Agnes were living at 117 Bencowe Street in the Perth suburb of West Leederville [50]
Although residing in Perth she gave her occupation as Farmer [50] and was still listed as a Farm Manageress in Carnamah [6]
Had the telephone disconnected from her home in Carnamah, probably due to the crippling effects of the Great Depression [60]
Purchased a hack/horse from the Yarragadee Pastoral Company of Mingenew in November 1933 [5: 1-Dec-1933]
She was fined £1 and 3/- costs by the Perth Police Court in 1933 for having maintained an unlicensed wireless/radio [39: 30-Jun-1933]
In November 1934 sold six bales of wool for 10¼d. per pound through Goldsbrough Mort & Co [5: 7-Dec-1934]
Through Goldsbrough Mort & Co in 1935 sold six bales of wool - two bales at 15¼d. and four at 14d. per pound [5: 1-Nov-1935]
In 1935 gained permission from the Town Planning Commissioner to further subdivide part of her Lot M1354 [5: 22-Nov-1935]
From Lot M1354 she created another six quarter acre blocks on the north side of Macpherson Street in the Carnamah townsite [3]
The six blocks were 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 and 49 Macpherson Street (Lots 79, 80, 81, 82, 83 and 84 of M1354) [3]
Sold 45 Macpherson Street to Charles ROBERTSON and the remaining lots were transferred to her son Robert in 1939-40 [3]
In late 1935 the six blocks became part of the Road Board's Town Ward, and from then would have been rated as such [5: 20-Dec-1935]
During April 1936 the Carnamah "health boundary" was amended to include the six blocks, Lots 79 to 84 of M1354 [5: 17-Apr-1936]
Attended the funeral of Carnamah farmer John LANG at the Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth on 24 December 1935 [5: 3-Jan-1936]
The Carnamah District Road Board recommended the closure of the Old Telegraph Road from Prowaka to her property [5: 25-Sep-1936]
The recommendation, which occurred in 1936, took place as there was no longer any need or use for the road [5: 15-Jan-1937]
The road, also known as the Old Moora-Geraldton Road, was closed by notice in the Government Gazette on 16 August 1936 [5]
Sold 46 ewes at 9/10 per head through Goldsbrough Mort & Co Ltd at the Midland Market on 14 October 1936 [5: 16-Oct-1936]
Resided in the Perth suburb of Midland Junction in 1937 but during May spent a holiday in Carnamah with her sons [5: 7-May-1937]
During the 1939-40 financial year transferred ownership of Craigend Farm in Carnamah from her name into her son Robert's name [3]
The farm was 1,640 acres in size and consisted of Victoria Location 7177, and Lots M940 and M1354 of Victoria Location 1936 [3]
By 1941 she had shifted back to Carnamah [50]
She was known to many of the children in and around Carnamah as "Old Mother Niven" [5: 25-Jun-1943]
At her son Robert's home on Craigend Farm she was farewelled by the people of Carnamah on 19 June 1943 [5: 25-Jun-1943]
Left Carnamah and shifted back to Perth on 24 June 1943 [5: 25-Jun-1943]
Resided with her daughters at her daughter Margaret's Saint Andrew's Hospital in Midland Junction 1943-1956 [5: 25-Jun-1943] [P13]
In 1946 she was among the women in Western Australia who had given birth to the most children, having had 15 [81: 14-Jan-1946]
Although it stated she had given birth to 15 children she had in fact given birth to 16 if counting her son who was adopted out [P52]
Despite having given birth to so many children she was "still well and hearty" and looked much younger than her years [81]
The WA record was held by Mrs Annie BROWN of Pemberton and previously of Carnamah, who had given birth to 29 children [81]
Mother of sons Bob, Jim, Tom, Jake, Alex, Archie and Matthew [P13] and Louis [P52]
Mother of daughters Annie, Margaret, Betty, Jean, Agnes, Esther, Mary and Jess [P13]
Passed away at her daughter Margaret's Saint Andrew's Hospital in the Perth suburb of Midland Junction [P13]
Died 1 July 1956 in Midland Junction; buried at the Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth, Western Australia (Presbyterian, DA, 358) [2] [P13]
Letter sent to the Midland Railway Company's Head Office in London, England on 14th June 1918
from Edwin MURCOTT, Attorney for the Midland Railway Company in Perth and Chairman of their Lands Committee:
"I regret to inform you that Mr Niven, the purchaser of Farm 940 in the Carnamah Subdivision, died suddenly on the 25th ultimo on his way to Perth. It appears that his health had not been too good for some time past, and that he was on his way to Perth to get medical advice but expired in the train at Mogumber. An inquest was held and the cause of death was certified to be the rupture of a blood vessel. I instructed Mr Woods, the Company's Ranger, to give Mrs Niven any advisory assistance she might require, and requested him to inform me whether he considered Mrs Niven would be able to carry on the farm alone, or what the family proposed doing, and having seen Mrs Niven he replied that she was quite able to carry on the work of the farm, although financially she did not know how she stood as her late husband consulted her but little on this subject."
Frederick C. WOODS, the Midland Railway Company's Ranger, wrote the following in a letter dated 10 June 1918:
"I have seen Mrs Niven. She tells me she is quite able to carry on the work on the farm, but financially she is quite in the dark as to how she stands. Mr Niven, it appears, consulted her very little in this respect. She is getting assistance from the Industries Assistance Board, and will have under crop this year about 250 acres. The early sown crop looks well. Mr Niven (as far as Mrs Niven can gather) was going down to Perth to consult Messrs Stone and Burt on a matter connected with a sum of money left to him by his late brother in Scotland. These papers she says were lost or destroyed. She is quite in the dark where her husband died, and who was with him at the time of death."
From The North Midland Times newspaper, Thursday 12 July 1956:
Obituary
The death occurred at Midland Junction on Sunday the 1st inst., of an old resident of Carnamah in Mrs. Annie Niven, widow of the late Robert Niven formerly of "Craigend," Carnamah. The deceased lady was 79 years of age and is survived by seven daughters and seven sons. The late Mrs. Niven was among the first settlers to come to Carnamah. The funeral took place at Karrakatta and was attended by a large number of relatives and friends."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Ann Munro / Niven' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 10 November 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/ann-munro [reference list] |
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