THE HOLT FAMILY FELLOWSHIP

This photo was also taken in Cork. This young man was one of the brothers of Esther Catherine Bull Mathews, a son of Richard and Eliza Humphries Bull. Richard and Eliza Bull were married in 1835, and Esther was born in 1843. Her sister, Eliza Bull Holt, was born in 1835. There was another brother besides the two in these photos. He was Richard J (?) Bull, and his photos were labeled with his name.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

This photo was taken in Cork. This young man was one of the brothers of Esther Catherine Bull Mathews, a son of Richard and Eliza Humphries Bull. Richard and Eliza Bull were married in 1835, and Esther was born in 1843. Her sister, Eliza Bull Holt, was born in 1835.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

Esther Catherine Bull was born to Richard and Eliza Humphries Bull in Passage West, Cork, on 24 April 1843. During the years of 1862-3 she converted to Catholicism and married Maurice Mathews of Dublin. Together they had eight children, six of whom survived childhood. Her father, Richard Bull, had been the recipient of the silver piece inscribed with the crest of Lord Aston of Forfar. After World War I, she gave the piece to my grandfather, Harold Mathews, when he visited her in London. He'd been stationed on the U.S.S. Wyoming up in Scapa Flow during the conflict. He brought the glass and silver piece back with him to the U.S. in his luggage. All three of her sons emigrated to the U.S.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

Henry Joseph Mathews (1864-1938) was the eldest son and first-born of Maurice Mathews and Esther Catherine Bull Mathews. He was born in Cork, Esther's home town, before the family moved back up to Dublin, which was Maurice's home town. Henry Joseph, known as Harry, was the person responsible for preserving all these wonderful photos. With him in this photo are his wife, Emma Coqueron Mathews, and his two sons, Harold (1898-1961) (my grandfather), and Maurice (1897-1969). They also had two daughters, Muriel, who died of diphtheria as a young child, and Lillian, who was unable to walk or talk. Lillian lived into her 20s.

Harry had a short career in the British army before emigrating to America. In the U.S. he worked for New York Telephone, and his son Harold followed in his footsteps after leaving the U.S. Navy at the end of World War I

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

This is one of a series of photos from the late 1920s and early 1930s, from Henry Joseph Mathews. This one was taken at the weekend house of Mary Elizabeth Holt Henchy (otherwise known as Aunt Lilly) and her family in Tappan, New York. Aunt Lilly's husband, John "Jack" Robert Henchy had died in 1909, leaving his widow and five children. Her three daughters are shown, along with her husband "Harry" Mathews and his son, Maurice, and her granddaughter, Eileen Vieira. Her son, Cecil, joined the U.S. Army around the time of his father's death, and eventually settled in Texas.

From left to right, going clockwise around the table, are: Maurice Mathews (1897-1969), Helen Henchy Vieira (1898-unknown), Florence Henchy (1886-1967), Marie Henchy (1883-unknown), Henry Joseph Mathews (1864-1938), Mary Elizabeth Holt Henchy (1860-1948), and Eileen Vieira (b. 1925).

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

I've been told this portrait is of John Mathews, who was the father of Maurice Mathews. John was a silversmith from Dublin. There is nothing written on the picture, so there's no saying it couldn't be of Richard Bull, from Cork, who was the other grandfather of my gr-grandfather, Henry Joseph Mathews.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

This photo, taken in Dublin, is of a young man who would have been around the same age as Henry Joseph Mathews. It could be of him or one of his brothers (Francis Xavier or Maurice Ignatius), it could also have be of one of his Holt cousins, children of Eliza Bull and Henry Holt. We know that Ralph Bull Holt and Henry George Holt both survived to adulthood.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

Margaret Mathews was the wife of John Mathews, and the mother of several children, of whom four are known by name: Maurice, James, Elizabeth Margaret, and Theobald. We do not know Margaret's maiden name. We do know she lived until at least 1868, since she was the godmother of one of Maurice's children, Catherine Elizabeth Eveleen Mathews.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

I believe this young girl is one of the daughters of Maurice and Esther Mathews of Dublin. Of their five daughters, three survived to adulthood, although one died in young adulthood: Catherine Elizabeth Eveleen (Katie) (1869-after 1937), Margaret Jane Cecelia (1870-1894), and Elizabeth Agnes (1874-1954). Although Katie was the only one mentioned in the obituary for Henry Joseph Mathews, their brother, in 1938, Elizabeth Agnes was still alive. She'd become a nun with the Sisters of Mercy of St. Paul, and was living in the area near Birmingham, England. She died in 1954, in Marylebone, London.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

Could this be Henry and Eliza Bull Holt? Henry Joseph Mathews brought this photo with him from Ireland, when he came via England. There is no handwriting on this photograph, but the card says it was taken in Dublin, on Westmoreland Street. Eliza was his mother's sister.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

This photo is either of my gr-grandfather, Henry Joseph Mathews (1864-1938), or his brother, Maurice Ignatius Mathews (1973-1943). I have no other photograph of Maurice, and every other photo of Henry Joseph (Harry) shows him wearing spectacles.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

Maurice Mathews (1835-1909) was the son of John and Margaret Mathews of Dublin. He married Esther Catherine Bull (1843-1922) of Passage West, Cork in 1863, and together they had eight children. Two died in infancy, and the rest moved with the family to England in the 1880s. Esther was the daughter of Richard Bull and Eliza Humphries. It was Esther's sister, Eliza Bull, who married Henry Holt of Cork, who later became a Barrister-at-Law in Dublin. Maurice Mathews applied for entrance to law school in Dublin in 1872, but nothing is known of his legal career. In England he worked out of Margate, Kent, as a commercial traveler and commission agent for a concern selling wine. His death certificate lists the address of his employer as 4 Kilburn Park Road, Maida Vale, London.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

This bull's head crest is that of Lord Aston of Forfar. It's of a bull's head over a couped sable. Per Ber's response to my posting about it, this bull's head was confirmed to Sargeant Major William Aston of Col. Hungerford's regiment in Ireland in 1647 by Roberts Ulster ..William was grandson of Robert Aston of Park Hall and uncle to Lord Aston of house of Tixall Staffordshire. This line became extinct in 1845. We believe it was the model for the small crest in the inscription on the silver piece given to Richard Bull, later of Cork. Richard's daughter Eliza (b. ca. 1835) married Henry Holt, of Cork, who later became a Barrister-at-Law in Dublin.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

This photo is of the full inscription on the silver piece. At the top you see the small crest from the previous photo, plus the inscription showing the piece was some kind of gift from either LA or SA to RB. I was told by my grandmother this piece had belonged to Richard Bull, who was born in either Cork, Ireland, or perhaps in England, around 1800. We do know he was married in Cork, and records on the children we have identified say they were born in Passage West, Cork. The crest seems to be that of Lord Aston of Forfar, who was also Vicar of Tardebigge, Worcestershire, and Tamworth, Warwickshire.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

This is the crest found just above the inscription on the silver lid. The original only measures less than one centimeter in height, so it had to be photographed for anyone to make out the detail. It seems to be a stylization of the bull's head crest of Lord Aston of Farfor. I'll be sending along photos of the full engraving, as well as an image I found of the crest of Lord Aston of Farfor, from documents on peerage. Holders of this particular title also served as the vicar of both Tardebigge, Worcestershire, and Tamworth, Warwickshire. The last in this line died in 1845, so this piece most likely predates that year. It was given to Richard Bull, whose daughter Eliza married Henry Holt, of Cork. Eliza's sister, Esther, was my gr-gr-grandmother, and this piece was passed down to our family. We're trying to find out more on the exact origins of these Holt and Bull lines. I have a collection of photos, documents, etc., passed down in my family, and we're trying to make send of them.

Contributed by: Allison Hoopes

Harold Fullerton's letter written in Australia and sent to Mary Jane Smith (nee Holt) his aunt. This made me laugh as there is a Liverpool song here sung by The Scaffold (one of their members was Paul McCartney's brother Mike) called 'Lily the Pink'. In this letter Harold was asking his aunt Mary Jane if his cousin Lily was still in the pink and it just made me smile.

View transcript of letter (opens in new window).

Contributed by: Carole Parks

Rose Lily Smith (b 1803), daughter of Mary Jane Holt and Henry Smith (plumber b 1857 Liverpool). She is with her fiancé/husband Edward Reddington.

Contributed by: Carole Parks

Annie and Thomas Ray her second husband who she married later on in life. I had his 30 years post office service award until I sent it to his descendants in Australia. The other female is her daughter who she had with her first husband William Henry Fullerton, a post office worker. He died in 1914 and Annie emigrated to Victoria with two of her children in 1915.

Contributed by: Carole Parks

Annie Holt, about 1871-2

Contributed by: Carole Parks

Letter from Annie Holt, whose photo is already posted, to her sister Mary Jane Holt (married name is Smith). Annie had just been to Liverpool visiting her family and was returning to Victoria Australia. The letter is on the ships headed paper and was posted in Fremantle whilst still on the voyage to her home.

View transcript of letter (opens in new window).

Contributed by: Carole Parks

The lady in question is Jane Holt (b 7/2/1891 and c 18/2/1891 at St Peter Liverpool; she is the daughter of Thomas Joshua Holt (b 1860) and Jane Harper (b about 1864). She was also cousin to my father's aunt who was Rose Lily the young child in the photos previously posted.

Contributed by: Carole Parks

This is their grandfather's trade plaque; it belonged to Joseph Holt b about 1796 in Ireland). It is his ancestry I am trying to trace. He came to Liverpool about 1826.

Contributed by: Carole Parks

This I believe is their brother. They had five brothers so I'm unsure which one it was; Joseph Holt (b 1858) a mariner, Thomas Joshua (b 1861) a dock labourer, John Holt (b 1870), Richard (b 1875) and William (b 1880).

Contributed by: Carole Parks

Annie's older sister Mary Jane Holt, born 1865 (Carole's direct ancestor). She married George William Smith and is seen here with her youngest child Rose Lily Smith born 1903.

Contributed by: Carole Parks

Annie Holt, born 1872 in Liverpool, the daughter of Thomas Joshua Holt and Ann Booth. She was widowed in 1914 and emigrated in 1915 to Merrigum Victoria.

Contributed by: Carole Parks

William Holt Born in Londonderry Ireland 31 March 1853 and migrated to Australia with his parents James and Eleanor Holt on 31 October 1854. He married Harriet Stockdale 15th May 1878 in Murrurindi and had 11 children. He died 13th July 1940 in Quirindi NSW.

Richard thinks the photo was taken around 1930.

Contributed by: Richard Holt