Lillian Mary Withers
Lily was my great-aunt, the sister of my grandmother, Catherine Pearl Withers. Lily married but never had her own children so she was close to my mother and her sisters who were her nieces.
Lily was actually born Rose Mary Withers on 14 December 1893 in Goulburn. She was the eighth child of Catherine (nee Wilson) and George Withers.
Lily was actually born Rose Mary Withers on 14 December 1893 in Goulburn. She was the eighth child of Catherine (nee Wilson) and George Withers.
Rose Mary Withers Known As Lillian Mary Withers
Lillian Mary was always known as Lily in the family. Her sister, Catherine, never knew her as anything else and Lillian Mary were the names Catherine's daughters gave for her death certificate.
However, when researching Lily's life for our family tree, I was unable to find a birth certificate for a Lillian Mary Withers. Other researchers found a birth certificate for a Rose Mary Withers and thought this must have been an additional child in the family. It seems, however, that Lily was actually given the names Rose Mary at birth and that her name was later changed to Lillian Mary.
I suspect the reason for this is as follows: Catherine (nee Wilson) gave birth to Rose Mary Withers in Goulburn on 14 December 1893 and the birth was registered in January 1894. Catherine's older sister, Bridget Wilson, gave birth to a daughter on 5 February 1894, also in the Goulburn area, and called her Rose Maude. Rose Maude was illegitimate and seems to have been sickly from birth and/or born prematurely. She died on 28 March 1894 at about seven weeks of age.
Around this time, Catherine and George decided to change their daughter's name to Lillian. I don't have a christening record for Lily but I suspect she was christened after her name was changed.
Lily's name could have been changed simply because her parents changed their minds and decided they preferred the name Lilian. They could have decided two cousins named Rose was one too many or that they didn't want their child confused with Rose Maude because she was illegitimate. Or, if they changed the name after Rose Maude died, it could have been because they thought it would be unpleasant, unkind or bad luck to have a baby in the family with the same name as the deceased baby Rose.
This would explain why my mother and her family never knew anything about a child named Rose, why no child named Rose is named on Catherine's birth certificate and why I can find no marriage or death certificate for Rose Mary Withers.
However, when researching Lily's life for our family tree, I was unable to find a birth certificate for a Lillian Mary Withers. Other researchers found a birth certificate for a Rose Mary Withers and thought this must have been an additional child in the family. It seems, however, that Lily was actually given the names Rose Mary at birth and that her name was later changed to Lillian Mary.
I suspect the reason for this is as follows: Catherine (nee Wilson) gave birth to Rose Mary Withers in Goulburn on 14 December 1893 and the birth was registered in January 1894. Catherine's older sister, Bridget Wilson, gave birth to a daughter on 5 February 1894, also in the Goulburn area, and called her Rose Maude. Rose Maude was illegitimate and seems to have been sickly from birth and/or born prematurely. She died on 28 March 1894 at about seven weeks of age.
Around this time, Catherine and George decided to change their daughter's name to Lillian. I don't have a christening record for Lily but I suspect she was christened after her name was changed.
Lily's name could have been changed simply because her parents changed their minds and decided they preferred the name Lilian. They could have decided two cousins named Rose was one too many or that they didn't want their child confused with Rose Maude because she was illegitimate. Or, if they changed the name after Rose Maude died, it could have been because they thought it would be unpleasant, unkind or bad luck to have a baby in the family with the same name as the deceased baby Rose.
This would explain why my mother and her family never knew anything about a child named Rose, why no child named Rose is named on Catherine's birth certificate and why I can find no marriage or death certificate for Rose Mary Withers.
Life in Sydney
I don't know when Lily moved from Goulburn to Sydney but the family story is that she was a bit "wild". She had at least one tattoo which was unusual for a woman in those times and was known to be a bit vain.
Marriage
Lily married Clement C Hill in Darlinghurst on 25 April 1922 (NSW BDM 4629/1922).
Clement was born in Broken Hill in 1900, the son on Herbert R and Annie M Hill (NSW BDM 11047/1900). I have been unable to find a death record for Clement but I know he died many years before his wife did. He used to race greyhounds.
Clement was born in Broken Hill in 1900, the son on Herbert R and Annie M Hill (NSW BDM 11047/1900). I have been unable to find a death record for Clement but I know he died many years before his wife did. He used to race greyhounds.
Later Life
In the 1970s, Lily was the live-in companion of an older lady who lived in Street in Arterial Road in Chatswood.
Death
Lily had dementia in later life and stayed for a period of time with her nieces in Sydney before moving into a nursing home.
She died on 23 June 1973 in Sydney and was buried at Macquarie Park Cemetery in North Ryde in Sydney.
Her grave is #225 in section 8 of the Catholic Lawn Cemetery.
She died on 23 June 1973 in Sydney and was buried at Macquarie Park Cemetery in North Ryde in Sydney.
Her grave is #225 in section 8 of the Catholic Lawn Cemetery.