Eliza Ellis

ELIZA HORSWOOD (1864 – 1935)

Eliza Horswood was born on 13 August 1864 at Amiesleigh (Mornington/Frankston). In the late 1860’s the family moved to Narre Warren where Eliza grew up. By 1888 she was living in Windsor and working as a servant. On 2 April 1888 she married Thomas Ellis at Narre Warren. At the time he was a blacksmith living at Brunswick. The witnesses on the marriage certificate were Robert H. Kerr and Jane Crowley.

On 3 April 1891 Ida May was born at Royal Park Terrace St, Brunswick. Dr Stewart attended the birth and Mrs Disney was the nurse. By 1994 the family were living at Phoenix Park, Brunswick where Alec Merrifield Phoenix was born on 12 January. Mrs Brilliant was the nurse on this occasion. On 21 February 1896 Rose Edith was born at Royal Park Terrace St, Brunswick. At this time Eliza gave her usual address as Macclesfield. Thomas was still working as a blacksmith.

Between 1896 and 1902 the family moved to Tungamah in northern Victoria where Thomas was working as a labourer. On the electoral rolls they are listed as living at Tharanbegga, Tungamah between 1903 and 1909. Their fourth and last child Isabel Elizabeth (“Bell”) was born here on 29 June 1902. Around 1909 or 1910 Thomas Ellis would abandon the family and nothing is known of him since. Eliza and the three children then moved back to Melbourne and lived at 16 Rupert St, Collingwood. One day around 1910 Alec left a note say he was leaving to seek adventure elsewhere and was not to be heard off for another 20 years. Ida May married Rupert Collins in 1914, Rose Edith married Joseph Hogg in 1915 and Eliza was then living alone with Isabel. Isabel was troublesome and was a bit of a drinker. She would often borrow her mother’s pension money to buy alcohol.

In the late 1920’s Alec finally got in touch with his mother to say he was married and living in America and in May 1931 got a job on a freighter which stopped off in Melbourne for a week and he was reunited with his mother and sisters for the first time in 21 years. He returned to America but died two years later. Finally in 1933 Isabel Elizabeth married a brewery worker named William Campbell.

Eliza Ellis died on 6 June 1935 from cancer at East Melbourne, aged 72.