 Last additions - Sweeney Family
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1865 circa Sweeney heirloom emu egg - view 3152 viewsThis traditionally carved emu egg was passed onto Mary Carrucan (nee Sweeney) by her father John Sweeney. It was on display in this old pink vase in the dining room at the Dalton Street farm house for some 60 years. It is believed that the egg was given to John Sweeney in the 1850s by the local First Peoples. The vase itself was also a gift to John Sweeney and his wife Ellen Kenney.
This is 1 of 3 views of the emu egg, showing the full extent of the carving.Sep 10, 2020
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1865 circa Sweeney heirloom emu egg - view 224 viewsThis traditionally carved emu egg was passed onto Mary Carrucan (nee Sweeney) by her father John Sweeney. It was on display in this old pink vase in the dining room at the Dalton Street farm house for some 60 years. It is believed that the egg was given to John Sweeney in the 1850s by the local First Peoples. The vase itself was also a gift to John Sweeney and his wife Ellen Kenney.
This is 1 of 3 views of the emu egg, showing the full extent of the carving.Sep 10, 2020
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1865 circa Sweeney heirloom emu egg - view 144 viewsThis traditionally carved emu egg was passed onto Mary Carrucan (nee Sweeney) by her father John Sweeney. It was on display in this old pink vase in the dining room at the Dalton Street farm house for some 60 years. It is believed that the egg was given to John Sweeney in the 1850s by the local First Peoples. The vase itself was also a gift to John Sweeney and his wife Ellen Kenney.
This is 1 of 3 views of the emu egg, showing the full extent of the carving.Sep 10, 2020
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1910 approx - Culla Hill original hut - Ellen (Nana) and Kathleen (Cassie) Sweeney with Michael Carrucan and Michael O'Heare36 viewsNana (Ellen Sweeney) and Cassie (Kathleen Sweeney) proudly pose in front of this humble structure, the first hut built by Thomas Sweeney, possibly as early as 1843. John Francis Sweeney was probably born therein.
The two other figures are Mick Carrucan (who married Mary Sweeney in 1910) and Michael O'Heare, a well known local solicitor who was one of the groomsmen at Michael Carrucan's wedding in 1910.
These two photographs of the hut at Culla Hill are also prefect illustrations of the Sweeney family’s use of bush timber. Not only is the hut made split palings, split shingles and hand whittled slabs, the picket fence in the background is again made of split hardwood. We must make the best of these photographs to show how hard-working pioneers like our ancestors could turn the timber on their land into materials for their needs rather than purchase the products of commercial mills. It was the kind of ‘make-do’ ingenuity which bespeaks their humble Irish origins.Sep 09, 2020
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1910 approx - Culla Hill original hut - Ellen and Kathleen Sweeney and Michael Carrucan34 viewsNana (Ellen Sweeney) and Cassie (Kathleen Sweeney) proudly pose in front of this humble structure, the first hut built by Thomas Sweeney, possibly as early as 1843. John Francis Sweeney was probably born therein. Mick Carrucan (who married Mary Sweeney in 1910) is also in the picture.
This photo was no doubt taken by Joseph Rance Douie during a weekend visit to Eltham somewhere around the 1910 period or slightly later.
Joseph says on the back of the photo "It is many years since I took this photo ..."
These two photographs of the hut at Culla Hill are also prefect illustrations of the Sweeney family’s use of bush timber. Not only is the hut made split palings, split shingles and hand whittled slabs, the picket fence in the background is again made of split hardwood. We must make the best of these photographs to show how hard-working pioneers like our ancestors could turn the timber on their land into materials for their needs rather than purchase the products of commercial mills. It was the kind of ‘make-do’ ingenuity which bespeaks their humble Irish origins.Sep 09, 2020
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1910 - Sisters Annie Mary Sweeney and Mary Ellen (Nellie or Nessie) Sweeney39 viewsAnnie was the eldest child of Patrick Sweeney and Mary Fitzsimons. Born 25th May 1860 at Eltham, she married John Francis (Jack) Smith in May 1884 at St Brigid's Catholic Church, North Fitzroy. She died on 4th April 1934 in North Fitzroy.
Mary Ellen (Nessie) was youngest child of of Patrick Sweeney and Mary Fitzsimons. She was born on 26th May 1869 at Mt Pleasant in Eltham. In the 1909 Electoral Role, she is living at 51 Bennett St, North Fitzroy, with her father Pat Sweeney. She died on 21st March 1955 in North Fitzroy. She never married.
Peter Cuffley recalls visiting 'Nessie' and her niece Nelly Oliver (Smith) at 577 Rae St, North Fitzroy, with his mother Cath Cuffley, in the late 1940s. It was a weatherboard house with stables out the back and a large walnut tree.
The photograph is inscribed "To Dear Aunt Ellie, with love from Nell, April 10th 1910." Aunt Ellie was Ellen Ryan of Waiki, New Zealand.Sep 09, 2020
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1900s - Margaret Katherine (Tissa) Ryan (1883-1960)40 viewsMargaret Katherine (Tissa) Ryan (1883-1960) was one of the children of John Francis Ryan (1855-1921) and Ellen Elizabeth (Ellie) Sweeney (1845-1932), one of the daughters of Thomas and Margaret Sweeney. She was born in Coromandel, New Zealand, and lived her life there.Sep 09, 2020
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1904 - Kas Sweeney17 viewsThis photo shows Kathleen A Sweeney (Kas), the youngest of 10 children born to John Sweeney and Ellen Kenney. She was born in October 1884. I guess this photo was taken when she was about 20 years of age. The photo is currently with Brian Carrucan, her grandson. I am still to get a good copy so this is just in interim attempt. Kas married Frank Carrucan in 1915 but died in 1916 soon after bearing her first child Ken.Sep 09, 2020
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1904 - Kas Sweeney24 viewsThis photo shows Kathleen A Sweeney (Kas), the youngest of 10 children born to John Sweeney and Ellen Kenney. She was born in October 1884. I guess this photo was taken when she was about 20 years of age. The photo is currently with Brian Carrucan, her grandson. I am still to get a good copy so this is just in interim attempt. Kas married Frank Carrucan in 1915 but died in 1916 soon after bearing her first child Ken.Sep 09, 2020
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1960s - Irish Photo45 viewsWaiting for further details on this one.Sep 09, 2020
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1921 - Betty Carrucan and Nellie Sweeney - Eltham Elementary School Grades 1 & 238 viewsThe Eltham Elementary School in Dalton Street (School Number 209) had been started in the 1850s and was just a stone's throw from the Carrucan farms and not too far from Culla Hill. All the Carrucan and Sweeney children attended and this photo of the 1921 Grade 1 and 2 class shows 39 children ranging in ages from about 6 to 10. Betty Carrucan is fourth from the left in the second row from the front. Her aunt Nellie Sweeney is the teacher on the right. Sep 09, 2020
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1927 - aunts at Eltham - Annie Smith, Ellen Hooley, Nessie Sweeney37 viewsThere was a constant flood of visitors to Dalton Street on weekends from the now far flung clans. The old aunts were especially formidable with their lilting Irish brogue and their strong personalities and independent ways.
A bevy of aunts - Annie Smith (1860-1934), Ellen Hooley (1874-1943) and Nessie Sweeney (1869-1955).Sep 09, 2020
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1920 approx - Ellen (Nelly) Sweeney poses side saddle at Culla Hill30 viewsEllen (Nelly) Sweeney was one of the ten children born to John Francis Sweeney and Ellen Mary Sweeney nee Kenney. She was born in 1874 at Culla Hill and died in 1940. She was a fine horsewoman.Sep 09, 2020
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1916 - wedding of Frank and May Ryan41 viewsFrank Ryan was one of four children born to Ellen Sweeney and John Ryan. Frank was born in 1887 at Coromandel in NZ. He married Mary Ann (May) Smale in 1916 in North Fitzroy and they had 4 children Cecilia (Sheila), Catherine) (Kitty), Eileen (Ellie) and John (Jack). He died in 1965 at the Alfred Hospital in Prahran. May died in 1937 at Black Rock where they lived.Sep 09, 2020
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1910 October - wedding of Michael Carrucan and Mary Sweeney of Eltham38 viewsThis shows the wedding of Mary Sweeney and Michael Carrucan at St John's Catholic Church in Heidelberg in October 1910.
Celebrant was Rev Fr. Parker.
From left to right: Kathleen Sweeney, Michael O'Heare, Michael Carrucan, Mary Carrucan, Thomas Sweeney, Ellen SmithSep 09, 2020
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1910 approx - Patrick Sweeney33 viewsPatrick Sweeney, the eldest of six children born to Thomas Sweeney and Margaret Sweeney nee Meehan, was born in 1838 in Flinders St, Melbourne, and grew up at Culla Hill, the family property in Eltham.
Pat and his wife Mary (Fitzsimmons), who had been living in "Mount Pleasant" in Eltham, moved in 1881 and settled in North Fitzroy.
Pat died in 1919. His address at the time of his death was 577 Rae St, North Fitzroy, where he lived with his daughter Ellen (Nessie). This is probably where this photo was taken.Sep 09, 2020
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1908 - Sweeney Carrucan tennis group, Eltham39 viewsThis photo, taken in 1908 at the Lower Eltham park, shows various Sweeney and Carrucan family members. Cathleen Cuffley, the daughter of Frank Ryan, has identified a number of the players
Kathleen 'Kassie' Sweeney - back row, right hand end
Nellie Sweeney, daughter of Patrick Sweeney - back row, third from right
Frank Ryan, son of Ellie Sweeney - back row centre (fourth from right)
Will Oliver - front row, right most person
Nellie Oliver (Smith) - front row, second from right
Mary Sweeney - front row (third from right)
Michael Carrucan - front row centre (fourth from right)
Frank Carrucan, who married Kassie Sweeney - lying in front, leftmost of the 2 men
Sep 09, 2020
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1902 approx - John Francis (Frank) Sweeney36 viewsJohn Francis (Frank) Carrucan was the 9th of 10 children born to John Sweeney and Ellen Kenney. He was born at Eltham in 1882 and died in 1952 in Perth, West Australia.Sep 09, 2020
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1901 - Ellen Sweeney Dance Invitation37 viewsA dance invitation extended to Miss Ellen Sweeney from the Bachelors of Edenhope. Sep 09, 2020
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1900 - John Sweeney and daughter Annie Cecile at Culla Hill35 viewsThis superb photo shows John Sweeney and his daughter Annie Cecile in a buggy outside the front gate of Culla Hill. Unfortunately the photo developer has put the words 'Bulla Hill' on the photo.Sep 09, 2020
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1900 - John Sweeney with his 5 daughters at Culla Hill43 viewsThis photo of John Sweeney with his five daughters has been taken on the same day as the one with him in a buggy with his daughter Annie Cecile.
From left to right:
John Sweeney
Kathleen (1884-1916)
Mary Frances (1876-1961)
Annie Cecile (1869-1951) is third in line holding a puppy.
Ellen Irene 1874-1940
Elizabeth Agatha 1871-1917.
There are 2 points which date the photo to around 1900.
1. Kathleen was born in 1884 and looks around 15 of 16 in this photo.
2. Annie Cecile married John Patrick Foley in Waterford, Ireland on the 8th of January, 1901. She had her son Marcus in Wales in May, 1902, and a son Thomas in Perth in April 1903. She probably didn't get back to Culla Hill before her father died in 1909. She was a teacher in north-west New South Wales up to 1899.Sep 09, 2020
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1914 circa - Culla Hill Mary Carrucan nee Sweeney with oldest child Patrick37 viewsThis photo shows Mary Carrucan nee Sweeney with oldest child Patrick, who was born in 1911. Mary was a grand daughter of Thomas Sweeney
Peter Cuffley discusses this photo as follows
It is a wonderful image and reflects the remarkable ability with wood the early Sweeneys had. The homemade seat is in a tradition of Australian bush furniture which Kevin Carney and I wrote about in our 1974 book ‘A CATALOGUE AND HISTORY OF COTTAGE CHAIRS IN AUSTRALIA.’ Not only is it a classic example of hand whittled ingenuity, in the background is a fine example of a picket fence which is entirely made of hand-split bush timber. The posts and the rails are all hand-split and not milled, but even better, every single picket is hand-split! To add further to the importance of the picture, the seat is actually in the Irish hand-made furniture tradition. In 1993 Claudia Kinmonth brought out a superb book called ‘IRISH COUNTRY FURNITURE 1700-1950.’ An up-dated edition was released in 2020 titled ‘Irish Country Furniture and Furnishings 1700-2000.’ Sep 09, 2020
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1900s One of the Sweeney daughters poses in front of the Culla Hill gate35 viewsA very interesting photo, showing the hand made front gate at the Culla Hill propertySep 09, 2020
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1900 approx - portrait of Mary Sweeney as a young lady37 viewsMary Sweeney was one of 5 daughters to John Sweeney - Portrait as a young lady, circa 1900.Sep 09, 2020
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1906 approx - John Sweeney portrait circa 1906, when about 62 years of age34 viewsJohn Sweeney, the son of Thomas Sweeney, lived in Eltham all his life (1844-1909). My brother Michael Erickson has the original large portrait at his farm in country Victoria. The following is written on the back of the photo:
To my dear sister Ellie with much love
J. F. Sweeney
28/12/06Sep 09, 2020
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1883 - John Sweeney Diary22 viewsJohn Sweeney intermittently kept a personal diary (hand written in an old exercise book) between the years of 1881 and 1883. It was passed onto his daughter Mary Carrucan) who in turn passed it onto her son Jack. Jack passed it onto his sister Betty (Erickson) who in turn passed it onto her son Tim Erickson. It is currently being looked after by Tim. It documents the sort of subsistence farming which framed the lives of the early Eltham settlers. The diet was one of cutting wood, ploughing, planting or digging up potatoes, taking produce or wood to Melbourne to sell and the various special occasions when someone visited or the family visited someone.Sep 09, 2020
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1883 - John Sweeney Diary30 viewsJohn Sweeney intermittently kept a personal diary (hand written in an old exercise book) between the years of 1881 and 1883. It was passed onto his daughter Mary Carrucan) who in turn passed it onto her son Jack. Jack passed it onto his sister Betty (Erickson) who in turn passed it onto her son Tim Erickson. It is currently being looked after by Tim. It documents the sort of subsistence farming which framed the lives of the early Eltham settlers. The diet was one of cutting wood, ploughing, planting or digging up potatoes, taking produce or wood to Melbourne to sell and the various special occasions when someone visited or the family visited someone.Sep 09, 2020
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1865 approx - Sweeney/Carrucan heirlooms - carved emu egg and vase42 viewsThis traditionally carved emu egg was passed onto Mary Carrucan (nee Sweeney) by her father John Sweeney. It was on display in this old pink vase in the dining room at the Dalton Street farm house for some 60 years. It is believed that the egg was given to John Sweeney in the 1850s by the local First Peoples.
The family story was that the vase itself was a gift to John Sweeney and Ellen Kenney on the occasion of their wedding on 10 Nov 1868, but it looks to be from a later time, so that is probably apocryphal.Sep 09, 2020
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1910 approx - Patrick Sweeney36 viewsPatrick Sweeney, the eldest of six children born to Thomas Sweeney and Margaret Sweeney nee Meehan, was born in 1838 in Melbourne and grew up at Culla Hill, the family property in Eltham. He died in 1919. His address at the time of his death was 577 Rae St, North Fitzroy, where he lived with his daughter Ellen (Nessie).Sep 09, 2020
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