My great grand-aunt Kathleen Mary Ross was born on the 20th of April 1899, in Greytown, South Wairarapa, New Zealand. She was the result of an affair between her mother Mary Ann Ryan (1876-1953) and father Arthur Edward Ross (1867-1927). From my knowledge, Mary Ann was disowned by Arthur’s family following the affair and birth of Kathleen.

Kathleen’s mother Mary Ann was born on the 23rd of January 1876, in Greytown, South Wairarapa, New Zealand. She had one sister and one brother: Thomas Ethelbert and Catherine Mary Ryan, from parents – John Ryan (1838-1908) and Catherine Cunneen (1855-1882). At around seven years old, in the mid 1880s, Mary Ann and her siblings were sent to children’s homes. Their mother Catherine had passed away when Mary was only 6 years old. Catherine Ryan (née Cunneen) died, of consumption, aged 27 years, in Greytown, South Wairarapa, New Zealand.

Mary’s brother Thomas Ethelbert Ryan at 10 years old, was charged with having entered a house and stolen trinkets valued at £2 3s. Thomas was sentenced to 48 hours’ imprisonment, and an order was made for his detention in the St. Joseph’s Industrial School, until he reaches the age of 15. Mary Ann and Catherine, sisters, were charged with being children without a home. The girls sent to St. Mary’s School, Wellington, until they reach 15 years old. Their father, was ordered to contribute to the sum of 8s each child weekly towards their maintenance. In answer, John Ryan said he could not pay that for their support as he was not always in work and was suffering from a bad hand.

It appears John couldn’t look after the children on his own. In August of 1886, John Ryan was sued for the sum of £64 14s for maintenance of his three children, Catherine, Mary and Thomas. He was told that he could be committed to gaol if he could not support them. John Ryan as a result tries to take his own life by cutting his throat with a razor at some time before 1903. In March of 1903, John Ryan was in Greytown’s Magistrate’s Court charged with attempting to take his own life. John pleaded guilty and was dealt with leniently. John Ryan dies in 1908 after lingering from inflammation of the lungs, brought on by the wound of his suicide attempt. He died at 70 years old.

Kathleen’s life certainly seems to have been of a different kind… at about age 19 in 1918, she left Victoria from her mother Mary Ann, with her step-father Thomas Charles Marriott, to be with him… and later the two would have 6 children together! Mind you, Kathleen was also the step-sibling of six other siblings born between Mary Ann and Thomas (one sibling named Sheila, who is my great-grandmother, you can read my blog post on her here). It appears that Thomas Charles traveled to New Zealand some time after his first divorce in his home town in Victoria, he then brought Mary back with him to reside in Armadale, Victoria. Kathleen and Thomas’ children would carry the surname Thomas however… as Thomas Charles would change his name into an alias name; Gus Thomas. He would be known by this name in Goulburn, NSW, and Kathleen known as Kathleen Thomas. This was because he was wanted by the police for his desertion.

Thomas Charles (or Gus Thomas) and Kathleen Mary moved to New South Wales, Australia in 1918, and in 1919, a year after she fleed from Victoria with Thomas, their first child, a son, would be born. They would have six children together: Mervyn Clarke, Iris, Kevin, Noelene, Arthur and Jack.

During her residence in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia, Kathleen was a prominent member of the Harry Walker section of the Dral’s Lodge and at various intervals had held all the chairs.

Gus Thomas died in July of 1933, following an extensive illness, and later Kathleen remarried to Roy Joseph Charles Mungovan. Roy and Kathleen also had 2 children together: Barbara Caroline and William Roy Mungovan. Gus Thomas passed away at his residence “Mon Repos”, Bradfordville, New South Wales, aged 54.

Kathleen Mary Mungovan (née Ross) passed away on the 27th of September 1935 at Goulburn District Hospital, New South Wales, Australia, aged 36, as a result of complications after childbirth, of her second child to Roy Mungovan. The only photo known of her is the one above where she is pictured with Thomas Marriott and her mother Mary Ann. She died of ‘puerperal septicaemia’. Roy survived her, together with a 12-month old daughter Barbara Caroline, and 11-days-old son William Roy.

Barbara and William never knew their mother. Below are pictures of the two. Barbara is still living, however William passed away in 1968, aged 33.