Louisa Jane Davis 1865 - 1942

Owned by Liz Hardie
Last updated: Nov 07, 2019

Louisa Jane Davis (1865 - 1942)

Louisa Jane Davis was apparently born on 4 December 1865 in Toowoomba (there is no record of her birth, and this information is taken from an adult christening). She was one of four children of Thomas Davis and Jane Bygrave. Family oral history had identified Louisa is being part Maori, however we now know that her non anglo heritage was in fact Jamaican through her mother Jane.

By 1876 - when Louisa was 11 - the family were living at Bryan's Gap (about 7 kms from Tenterfield) where Louisa's mother - Jane - died in January 1877. By the time of Jane's death it appears that her only surviving sibling was Francis - actually her half brother from her mothers marriage to Francis MacDowell in 1853.

In Tenterfield on 4 March 1882 she married Patrick McDermott - a labourer - most likely working on the railways. Patrick was the child of Patrick McDermott and Bridget Kettle. The marriage was performed by John Walford Simmons (or Simms) and witnessed by Francis Davis (her brother) and James Stephens.

The family continued to live in Tenterfield, most likely at Barney Down where their first 5 children were born. Louisa was baptised as a Roman Catholic in 1890 at St Mary's Church in Tenterfield indicating that the family was still living there at this time, it is also an indication of the fact that she was not a catholic prior to this time.

In abt 1891 the family moved to Lismore, where their next two children were born, before moving to Richmond where their next child was born 1897. By 1899 the family had moved back to Lismore where their next two children were born. The family is recorded at Bexhill near Lismore in the 1901 census

The family appear to have moved to Byron Bay around 1903 for the birth of their second last child - Mary - before moving back to Lismore again for the birth of their last child - Sydney - in 1905. It does appear that the family settled in the Lismore region after the birth of their youngest child.

In total Patrick and Louisa had 12 children (6 sons and 6 daughters) between 1882 and 1905

  • John Patrick McDermott. Born 5 Aug 1882. Married Josephine F Morrish 1906 then Margaret M Molloy in 1907. Died aft 1901
  • Thomas Francis McDermott. Born 25 Dec 1883. Married Mary Ellen Johnson in 1918. Died 1961
  • William McDermott. Born 6 Aug 1885. Married Jessie Ford
  • Lydia Jane McDermott. Born 3 May 1888. Married Sydney Dawes in 1903
  • Walter McDermott. Born 7 Dec 1890.
  • Bertha Louisa McDermott. Born 15 Sep 1892. Married Leslie Selmes in 1914
  • Mabel Maud McDermott  Born 20 Aug 1894. Married Harold J Cusack in 1917
  • Emily Louisa McDermott. Born 25 Jan 1897. Married Sydney Walter Jessop in 1914. Died 17 Dec 1993
  • Arthur James McDermott. Born 24 Apr 1899. Married Esther H McGuiness in 1930
  • Annie McDermott. Born 1901. Married George L Thomson in 1920
  • Mary Josephine McDermott. Born 3 Mar 1903. Married Thomas Henry Saunders
  • Sydney Leo McDermott. Born 1905. Died 1930

Life must have been challenging for the family given its frequent moves. but they appear to have settled in the Lismore region after the birth of their youngest child. It is around this time that Louisa's father passed away, so it may be that they moved to his property at Lismore.

It appears that somewhere in the years between 1905 and 1909 that Louisa and Patrick ceased living together - though there is no divorce on record. In the front cover of Louisa Jane's bible there is noted the birth of two other children -

No father was noted in the bible, but from registration records we now know that these children were born to John William Bender, John was 15 years younger than Louisa. Eva was born in Lismore, whilst David was born in Byron Bay. 

Patrick McDermott died in 1929 and John William Bender died in Parramatta in 1956.

It does not appear that John Bender and Louisa Jane ever lived together. The exact date is unknown, but Louisa Jane moved to Brisbane, where she lived with her daughter Mary Josephine. Her son David William was living in Brisbane, evidenced by the fact that he enlisted at Kelvin Grove in 1940 (QX5311).

Louisa Jane died on 30 Jul 1942. She is buried in Mt Gravatt Cemetary.Â