August 26, 2001. From Lucy
Nuttall – Australia.
I found your site while doing a search on the internet for the
"Jericho on the Jordan" book.
I maintain the Vic History site, which includes a searchable database of
many books relating to the history of Victoria(including this one). I have been updating the site, listing
libraries, archives and free lookup offers for all the books on the site, so
was looking for any references on the web to the Jericho book when I came
across your site.
Jericho is in the Gippsland region of south-east Victoria,
Australia. My ancestors were pioneers
of this region, and a picture of them actually appears on the front of this
book. No Lynskey connections though.
Jericho was, and still is quite remote, in very mountainous country.
There is nothing left of the town, the surrounding bush having swallowed up
Jericho, and the many small mining communities that once lived in the
area. The gold rush which began in
about the late 1850's was nearing it's end by the turn of the century, when
most residents of the area had moved on.
The Jordan Valley is now 4WD only country, and only accessible in dry
weather. If you're looking on a map, Jericho is about half way between
Aberfeldey and Woods Point. If neither
of these towns are marked on your map, it is north-west of Walhalla.
Now to the Lynskey references.
All references occur in:
Page 199 - GAZETTING OF JERICHO CEMETERY.
The earliest records pertaining to Jericho Cemetery
itself, are held by the Health Department but give only fairly brief historical
data. One document was a petition
(thought to be in 1868) addressed to the Minister of Lands containing the names
of Jericho residents, seeking the gazetting of their cemetery:
"Sir, - We the undersigned,
storekeepers, publicans and other residents in the Jericho Division of North
Gippsland Mining District, pray that you will be pleased to have the burial
ground of Jericho gazettedas a cemetery, it being in the most central position
in the Division and has been used as such by the inhabitants, ten miles of each
side for upwards of six years.
cont. Page 200
Jericho is a town ship consisting of ten business houses, Bank, Police Station and a great many residents, and there have been forty persons interred in its burial ground, and substantial fences placed a round the graves, and as there are familise, permanently settled residents, whose children and relatives are buried in it, it would be a source of painful annoyance at a future time to change their burial ground."
Regrettably, the list of trustees selected
for the cemetery was not enclosed, yet the inventory of petitioners names was
available and consisted of most of Jericho's first citizens. These were:
........Patrick Lynskey.........
LYNSKEY Elizabeth (2 yrs).
b. Lower Jordan d/o. Margaret McGrath and Patrick Lynskey, miner. d. 30 October 1867 at Lower Jordan, of infantile fever.
J.H. Alley conducted a magisterial inquiry
at Matlock into the death of this child. First witness was the girl's father.
His evidence was as follows: For the
last twelve months or since she got her eyeteeth she had suffered from hives or
blotches on the skin breaking out all over her body. At about 12 o'clock on Saturday 26, she became unwell, being hot
and feverish. The child continued ill off and on for the next four days.
Lynskey himself nursed her, gave her oil and a bath, and later some honey and
vinegar, but she died shortly after on the 30th.Jericho chemist Charles Oliver
also attended the child, giving her "James' Fever Powder" along with
other medication, noted she was in a high fever, and apparently
suffocating. As the child was not
improving he wrote a note for Lynskey to take to Dr Nash at Wood's Point, but
Elizabeth died before the letter reached the doctor. Buried by Lawrence Hannan, John Gannon and Dennis Kelly.
LYNSKEY Mary Elizabeth (24 yrs)
.b. Jordan d/o. Margaret McGrath and Patrick
Lynskey .d. 9 June 1888 at Jordan, of inflammation of the bowel.
Mary was unmarried and worked as a
housekeeper. She was the eldest of the Lynskey children and died at her
parents' residence. The surname Lynskey
has been documented as both Linskey and Lynskey. This family eventually moved
to Walhalla where Patrick Lynskey died in August 1901from acute pneumonia. He
was described then as among the early settler on the Jordan and one who did his
share in developing mining resources in that region. Following a graveside service Lynskey was interred in the
Walhalla Cemetery as are other members of his family.
McCULLA Dennis (50 yrs) Miner. Co.
Roscommon, Ireland. 12 years in Vic. s/o. Margaret and Owen McCulla, d. 6 June
1871 at Lower Jordan, from fall of earth.
Taken from the proceedings of an inquiry
held at Jericho on June 7 1871 by E.B. Chandler J.P: At the Lower Jordan on June 6th, four mates, Patrick Lynskey,
Dennis McCulla, Patrick McGrath and Riely(sic) commenced work at their sluicing
claim. After some consultation, Riely
was sent off to clean the water race, while the remaining three continued with
the work of sluicing away a bank of earth.
Once operating, the sluicing boxes created a great amount of noise, and
McGrath who was standing nearby, had difficulty in understanding Lynskey
who began shouting loudly.
McGrath hurried to Lynskey's side
only to be told that McCulla had been covered by a fall of earth. Lynskey had
tried to warn McCulla of the impending fall, but had also been struck and
thrown down by the force of the fall, but was uninjured. Without delay the two men started to sluice
the tomb of earth away in the hope of releasing McCulla alive. After some 15 or 20 minutes hard work they
freed McCulla.
Two Chinese miners and other men came up and
placed the body of the stricken man on the bank, but he was badly bruised and
beyond all possible help. Lynskey
for-warned Constable Edward O'Toole at the Jericho police camp of the accident,
and under O'Toole's direction the deceased was removed back to his hut. The
policeman then proceeded to search a carpet bag finding a pocket book, some
papers and#1-5-6d, these possessions all belonging to McCulla. Bernard McCulla, brother of deceased, also
gave additional information, and said he lived at B. B. Creek, and he further
believed his brother came by his death accidentally and did not attach any
blame to his mates who were working with him.
McCarthy B James (11 yrs).b. Red Jackets/o.
Ellen Guess and Daniel McCarthy, miner .d. 3 January 1887 at Jericho, of
peritonitis.
McCarthy Michael (7 yrs).b. Red Jackets/o.
Ellen Guess and Daniel McCarthy, miner .d. 19 October 1887 at Red Jacket, of
slow fever.
The above boys were two of the eight sons
and two daughters born to the McCarthy family during their stay on the Jordan
Goldfields.
Ellen and Daniel McCarthy both natives of
Co. Cork, Ireland, initially traveled from their homeland to America, but soon
after returned to Ireland. Their next
destination was Australia; a voyage made in 1865on the Queen of the
North.......
When young James first showed signs of
serious illness Dr Henry C. Jee was called to administer to the lad, but to no
avail, and the boy rapidly succumbed to the ailment peritonitis. Three local
miners, Henry James Bennett, David Lane and Patrick Lynskey are recorded
as carrying out the boy's funeral. [Henry James Bennett is my ancestor]
That's the four references to the "Lynskey" name in the book. There are also a couple of references to the name McGrath, possibly relatives of Patrick Lynskey's wife, Margaret McGrath.
All the best Chuck,
Lucy Nuttall