Thomas Byrne (1873 - 1890)

Born 1873 in Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Died 17 Nov 1890 at about age 17 in Dockers Plains, Victoria, Australia

Biography

Thomas Byrne was born in 1873 in Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia. His parents were Patrick Byrne and Mary Merrigan.^[1]

He died on November 17, 1890 in Dockers Plains, Victoria, Australia

Tragedy struck on 17/11/1890 when Tom was killed by a horse drawn wagon at Avonmore. He was 17. The witness statements by Tom's father and brother provide insight as to what occurred at Avonmore on that fateful day.

Witness Statement - Patrick Byrne (Father)

Patrick Byrne on his oath saith: I am a farmer living at North Wangaratta I have seen the body, the subject of this inquiry and identify it as that of my son, Thomas Byrne, aged seventeen years who was living with me. I last saw him alive about one pm yesterday, seventeenth November. He was then in his usual good health. He was starting with his brother Patrick James to get a load of firewood from my paddock about half a mile from the house. Between three and four o'clock Patrick James returned and told me Thomas was killed. I went with others of my family to the paddock and found the deceased lying there with his head crushed and quite dead. I helped to bring the body in the spring cart to the house where it now lies. I sent a messenger at once to Wangaratta to inform the police. The two boys were always sober and on the best brotherly terms. I did not send for a medical man as the crushed condition of deceased's head shown it would be useless.

Witness Statement - Patrick James Byrne (Brother)

Patrick Byrne on his oath saith, I have seen the body of my brother Thomas Byrne here lying. On yesterday, Monday 17th November about half past three I and deceased were loading up firewood on a wagon in my father's paddock. I was on the load and my brother was passing the wood up to me - We had completed the load, I made a move from the tail of the wagon to go to the front to take the reins when the four horses started to run before I got the reins. Deceased then caught the leaders by the heads and I got the reins -I called to deceased to let go and just as I called he fell and the horses passed over him and the hind wheel of the wagon went over his head. I called out "Are you hurt Tom", I got no answer then jumped down and found deceased lying on his left side with his face half down on the ground. I turned him over on his hack and saw that the top of his head was crushed and that he was dead. He never moved. I pulled up the horses within the wagon's length of the body, got to the hack and saw deceased lying. I left the wagon and horses and ran to the house about a half mile distant and told my father who returned with me my mother and two sisters to the body and brought it in the spring cart to the house. Deceased and I were quite sober at the time of the accident.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth record: 20850 / 1873. BDM Victoria. https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history.
   (Name: Thomas BYRNE); (Place: W'ATTA); (Mother: Mary MERIGAN); (Father: Patrick)

• WikiTree profile Byrne-405 created through the import of Byrne Tree.ged on Aug 22, 2011 by Michael Byrne.