Although my second great grandfather Patrick William HALL saw the inside of many different gaols in New South Wales, for his fighting, horse thieving and burning his neighbours shed down, he's one of the very few in my tree that didn't arrive as a convict. I suppose we had learned to grow our own by then.

Patrick was born in Galway in 1821 the son of William HALL 1787-1839 and Mary, nee GOOD 1700-1840. The HALLs in Ballinasloe ran a grocery shop and young Patrick learned to read and write and the trade of shoemaking.

Patrick HALL arrived as an assisted immigrant on the "Ferguson" in 1841, not long after his parents died and was assigned to his uncle John GOOD at Seven Hills, west of Parramatta.
It was here that he married Mary KILDUFF on the 25 November 1847 at St.Matthews Catholic Church, Windsor, New South Wales.

Mary KILDUFF had been born in Seven Hills on the 25 November 1827, the daughter of John KILDUFF born in Roscommon, Ireland in 1793 and charged with Ribbonism in 1820. He was transported to New South Wales on the 'John Barry' in 1821.
His wife Mary MCCARTHY1796-1870 also from Roscommon, Mary arrived on the 'Thames' on 11 April 1826 as part of a government scheme to reunite wives with their convict husbands.

The children of Patrick HALL and Mary, nee KILDUFF were:-

1.Mary Ann Josephine Hall 1848 - 1923
2. William Hall 1849 - 1910
3. Bridget Hall 1852
4. John Joseph Hall 1855 - 1906
5. Edward Hall 1859 - 1864
6. Sarah Mary Hall 1862 - 1938
7. Emily Johanna Hall 1867 - 1953
8. Ellen Hall 1869 1869
9. Patrick Henry Hall 1869 - 1871
10.Agnes Hall 1872 - 1874

1. Mary Ann Josephine HALL born 11 November 1849 at Pitt Town and died on the 16 July 1923 at 'Watsonville' the house at 92 Boyce Road, Maroubra.
On the 20 September 1883 in Albury, at a double wedding with her sister Sarah and Edward Stamp McKee, Mary Ann married Watson Braithwaite or 'Great Uncle Watty' as all the family refered to him, and still do.
Watson Braithwaite, the owner of several hotels in NSW, his first being the 'Engunnia Hotel' between Brewarrina and Bourke, in 1890. He then bought the Carrier's Arms' in Bourke from 1891 to 1897. Then Watty moved to Sydney and took over a pub at 611 George Street from Kate Watts and called it The Bourke Hotel. We still have some of the glass beer tankards from 'The Bourke' with Braithwaite's inscribed across the front. Watty became quite the celebrity after Henry Lawson wrote about him in his poems and stories
Watty had been born in Heidelburg, Victoria in 1858 and died at St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney on the 28 October 1912.
Watty and Mary Ann had no children. When Mary Ann died, 'Watsonville' was passed down to my great grandmother, Sarah.

When The `Army' Prays For Watty
by Henry Lawson

When the kindly hours of darkness, save for light of moon and star,
Hide the picture on the signboard over Doughty's Horse Bazaar;
When the last rose-tint is fading on the distant mulga scrub,
Then the Army prays for Watty at the entrance of his pub.

Now, I often sit at Watty's when the night is very near,
With a head that's full of jingles and the fumes of bottled beer,
For I always have a fancy that, if I am over there
When the Army prays for Watty, I'm included in the prayer.

Watty lounges in his arm-chair, in its old accustomed place,
With a fatherly expression on his round and passive face;
And his arms are clasped before him in a calm, contented way,
And he nods his head and dozes when he hears the Army pray.

And I wonder does he ponder on the distant years and dim,
Or his chances over yonder, when the Army prays for him?
Has he not a fear connected with the warm place down below,
Where, according to good Christians, all the publicans should go?

But his features give no token of a feeling in his breast,
Save of peace that is unbroken and a conscience well at rest;
And we guzzle as we guzzled long before the Army came,
And the loafers wait for `shouters' and -- they get there just the same.

It would take a lot of praying -- lots of thumping on the drum --
To prepare our sinful, straying, erring souls for Kingdom Come;
But I love my fellow-sinners, and I hope, upon the whole,
That the Army gets a hearing when it prays for Watty's soul.


2. William HALL born on the 17 October 1849 in Albury, New South Wales and died in Queensland on the 17 April 1910. William married Margaret Mary BOWLES on the 7 May 1891 in Queensland. Margaret Mary was the daughter of George BOWLES 1818-1898 and Bridget KENNEDY 1820-1910 both from Ireland. Margaret Mary was born in Ipswich, Queensland on the 10 October 1857 and died on the 19 May 1942 at Toowong, Queensland.
The children of this marriage were:-

William Hall 1887 - 1888
Myra Ann Hall 1888 - 1974
John Watson Braithwaite Hall 1892 - 1970
George William Hall 1894 - 1976
Alice Elsie Hall 1896 - 1972
Stanley Vincent Hall 1898 - 1972
Cyril Robert Hall 1901 - 1958
Emily Mary Ellen Hall 1909 - 1966



3. Bridget HALL was born on the 28 October 1852 in Pitt Town and baptised at St. Matthews Catholic Church in Windsor on the 20 November 1852 Bridget died a few weeks later.

4. John Joseph HALL was born at Billybong near Piney Range down in the Riverina district, near Albury on the 8 November 1855 his parents moved down there to farm on a small lease. John Joseph never married and remained in the area until his died of pneumonia at the Corowa Hospital on the 11 November 1906. John Joseph worked on the riverboats along the Murray River.

5. Edward HALL was born at Piney Range on the 8 November 1859 and died at 4 years old on the 2 April 1864 in the Albury Hospital.

6. Sarah Mary HALL my great grandmother was also born at Piney Range on the 5 August 1862. By this time her father, due to the bills piling up realised farming wasnt his forte turned to the hotel business. He acquired the license for The Travellers Arms in Piney Range.
On the 20 September 1883 Sarah Mary married Edward William MCKEE born Edward William STAMP the son of English born, Geelong Clerk of Customs Edward Shelton STAMP 1831-1861 and Emma nee RIDDLE 1837-1899. Emma, in 1872 married Alfred Stanford Hutchinson MCKEE 1837-1883 after Edward Shelton STAMP died and her son took his stepfathers name. Edward William had been born in Newtown, Victoria on the 16 April 1855 and died on the 22 April 1930 at Watsonville Maroubra.
Sarah Mary MCKEE nee HALL died on the 9 November 1938.

The children of the marriage between Edward and Sarah MCKEE were:-

1.Edward William McKee 1884 - 1962 m. Pearl PRYOR 1892-1957
2.Alice E McKee 1886 - 1891
3.Mary A McKee 1888 - 1889
4.Florence Ellen McKee 1891 - 1967 m.(1) Sidney Edward FOOTE 1891-1935 (2) Cecil Michael Joseph HODGE 1894-1968
5.Sarah Josephine McKEE 1894 - 1937 m. Colin Charles EATHER 1894-1966


7. Emily Johanna HALL born on the 21 February 1867 at Piney Range. Her family moved to Bourke sometime in 1884 and Emily married (1) Daniel DOCHARD on the 1 November 1888 at Bourke. Daniel DOCHARD had been born in Bathurst in 1865 the son of James DOCHARD 1831-1903 and Catherine MCCOY 1838-1903. Daniel and Emily moved to Sydney and Daniel set up a large carrying business called DOCHARDS which was still going in the 1940s. The children of this marriage were:-

James Daniel Dockard 1889 - 1945
Mary Frances Dockard 1891 - 1974

Daniel DOCHARD died in 1906 and Emily Johanna next married Edwin BERRY in 1913. Edwin died at Chatswood, Sydney in 1927. Emily Johanna lived on till the 17 July 1953 when she died at Paddington, Sydney.


8. Patrick Henry HALL born on the 28 November 1869, Patrick Henry only lived 21 months and died of Bronchitis on the 28 August 1871.

9. Agnes HALL born on the 2 November 1872, also only lived a short time and died on the 13 March 1874 at Piney Range.

The photograph below;
Standing: Florence Ellen MCKEE, Sarah Josephing MCKEE
Edward William MCKEE, Sarah Mary,nee HALL Edward William MCKEE snr