Sunday, 31 May 2026

Three Marriages




Walter Herbert Cross and Kathleen Ainsworth Malton married 10. 2.1891 (Registration 1891/C/175) 
Kathleen Ainsworth Cross died 29. 3.1892 in Queensland (Registration 1892/C/413)

Walter Herbert Cross, widower, age 35 yrs, born Ipswich Qld, usual residence Abingdon Downs Qld married Nelly, an aboriginal, spinster, aged 22 yrs, born Mitchell River, usual residence Abingdon Downs Qld, parents Jimmy an aboriginal and an aboriginal
Marriage 15. 3.1901 at the Office of the District Registrar at Georgetown, Queensland

Walter Herbert Cross, widower, age 46 yrs, born Ipswich Qld, usual residence Silent Creek near Georgetown Qld married Polly, an aboriginal, spinster, born Mitchell River Qld, age 22 yrs, usual residence Gum Holes Staaten River, parents Charlie and Maggie aboriginals
Marriage 22. 8.1913 Gum Holes Staaten River, Normanton, consent given by the Chief Protector of Aboriginals

 The following references are interesting

Chief Protectors Correspondence
A/58764 Queensland State Archives
Marriages Applications 1900 – 1904
Walter H Cross and  Polly married in 1901 at Croydon
NB Also mentions the employment of a Nelly at Abingdon Downs Croydon in 1900.

Chief Protector of Aborigines
Register of Marriage Applications
A/58981 Queensland State Archives
Polly and Walter H Cross applied to marry in 1911 at Normanton

Death Certificate Walter Herbert Cross

Name            Walter Herbert Cross, tin miner
Died             3. 2.1914 Abington Downs Station aged  47 yrs 7 mths
Cause           Dropsy, 12 mths
Burial           Burial Order dated 7. 2.1914, signed by G J McIvor JP
Parents         Walter Augustus Cross, Civil Engineer, and Jane Henrietta Steele
Details          Certified in writing by G S Shadforth, Manager, Abingdon Downs Station
Registered    C Storey, 18. 2.1914, Georgetown
Buried          4. 2.1914 Abingdon Downs Station by James J McIver
Born             Ipswich, Queensland
How Long   Since birth in Queensland
Marriages     1 - To Catherine Ainsworth Malton at Croydon Qld when aged 25 yrs
                     2 - To Nellie (Aboriginal) at Georgetown Qld when aged 45 yrs
Children       None living from either marriage
                     One deceased from first marriage

Director of Native Affairs Office
Subsidiary Control Register - Aboriginal Property Protection Account
1. 1.1914 -   .12.1983 A - R
A/58548 Queensland State Archives

This register records transfers of unclaimed monies to and from the Control Account
of the Aboriginal Protection of Property Account. The register was written up as 
at 31 Dec 1941, and was a record of all known balances that had been paid into and 
from the account from May 1914. At the end of the register, there are details about 
the operation of the Aboriginal Protection of Property Account. Details recorded in 
this register are: name of account, identity number of person, transferred from, 
inoperative or deceased, date transferred, amount, reference file, and action.
NB Deceased Accounts only extracted. Only A to R extracted in 1996.

Name                     Transferred From       Year transferred

W H Cross                Georgetown             1915

What happened to Nelly and Polly!!!