Ellen (Hurley) Gracey (1851 - 1933)

Born 29 Aug 1851 in Ipswich, Queensland, Australia

Wife of John Gracey — married 30 Jan 1870 in Queensland, Australia

Descendants

Died 6 Aug 1933 at age 81 in Nutgrove, Queensland, Australia

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Biography

Ellen was born in 1851^[1]. She was the daughter of Daniel Hurley and Ellen Healey. She passed away in 1933.^[2] She is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery, Queensland.^[3]

In 1870. Ellen married John Gracey.^[4]

Hurley family reunion book 1989

In a booklet prepared for a Hurley family reunion on 12 Nov 1989 the following comments appeared.

ELLEN WAS THE second of Daniel's children born at Ipswich. She was born on the 29th of August, 1851 and was baptised by Father Robert Downing on the 1st of January, 1852 at St. Mary's, Ipswich. Her Godparents were Michael Conway and Margaret Buckley. Ellen was 10 when the family moved to the Downs.
Like Michael and Mary, Ellen started work on "Rosalie Station". She was only a teenager when she was employed as cook there. It was here at "Rosalie Plains" that she met the man with whom she would spend the rest of her life. ...
One of the many stories told was of an incident which occurred during John and Ellen's courting days. As the story goes, the female servants were not allowed to have male guests visit them. Somehow Ellen got John into the kitchen unbeknown to the mistress of the house. Ellen was entertaining John with a cup of tea when she heard the mistress approaching to make one of her visits to the kitchen. Ellen quickly got John into a cupboard. How he fitted no one ever knew because although he was not a tall man, his shoulders were as broad as two men's across.
The mistress stayed talking and talking to Ellen for a long time. John had been working all day and was no doubt very tired, and on falling asleep he began snoring very loudly. Rules were flexible in those days as they are today, and the mistress, being a good sport, discreetly made her retreat.
Ellen and John were later married in 1870....
Ellen was considered a very capable, pleasant and loving person. She was the first white woman to live at Nutgrove. Her only neighbours were a tribe of aboriginals. She received the greatest respect from them and they called her by the name of "White Mary". Even after John had settled at "Pine Hills" he still continued on with his shearing. He was therefore away from home for weeks at a time. The aborigines always kept a close watch on the place. There were few travellers in those days and little means of communication. Strange as it may seem, the aborigines could always tell Ellen that John would be home soon two or three days before his actual arrival.
John and Ellen adopted an aboriginal boy whom they called John Gracey. When he grew up he later returned to his tribe and lived the rest of his life at "Cherbourg". He also went back to using his aboriginal name of Johnny Combo. The reason for this was his outstanding ability at running - the fastest runner in the Cooyar and Jondaryan districts.
Ellen reared a family of seven children - Charles; Mary; Albert; Rose; Annie; Robert; and Kate.
Many of Ellen's and John Gracey's children were involved in the timber and farming industries.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Birth registration Queensland Register of Births Deaths and Marriages. Ellen Hurly 29/08/1851. Mother: Ellen Healy. Father/parent: Daniel Hurly. https://www.familyhistory.bdm.qld.gov.au/details/a61d40f3b12759e7c201fbd56dcce9c11b9bd604b2f95774a700c4c4037d7339. Registration details: 1854/BBP/1736.
2. ↑ Death registration Queensland Register of Births Deaths and Marriages. Ellen Gracey 06/08/1933. Mother: Ellen Healy. Father/parent: Daniel Hurley. https://www.familyhistory.bdm.qld.gov.au/details/b809e759a57741a6987dd08e9fa7de48c5403442653c146c2efc9343b8e68f80. Registration details: 1933/C/3489.
3. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/156358502/ellen-gracey: accessed 23 March 2023), memorial page for Ellen Hurley Gracey (29 Aug 1851–6 Aug 1933), Find A Grave: Memorial #156358502, citing Evergreen Cemetery, Evergreen, Toowoomba Region, Queensland, Australia; Maintained by F.P.McLoughlin (contributor 48316713).
4. ↑ Marriage registration Queensland Register of Births Deaths and Marriages. Ellen Hurley 30/01/1870. Spouse: John Gracey. https://www.familyhistory.bdm.qld.gov.au/details/7fad05fca370b115e6d13683cae5ef778e0ac8d572a80faaf7866b8b4cad0079. Registration details: 1870/C/29.
5. ↑ Patch, Gwen. The Family of Daniel & Ellen Hurley: Australian Beginnings - an Historical Record and Family Recollections Compiled for the Hurley Reunion, Cooyar, November 12th, 1989. Self Published, 1989. pp. 37-39.