Gold Rush

By Janet Glasser

There had never been such excitement in the house. It was a hard-working and unforgiving life on this small Humberside[1] farm with everyone over the age of five expected to contribute. It was clear as the children grew up that the commitment to hard wok and respectability would never leave them.

My Mother

My mother, born in 1899 was one of the youngest. She remembered that the youngest children were virtually raised by their elder siblings until they could fend for themselves. This was not unusual when hard-working parents were respected but quite remote from their children. She remembers well the day the telegram came from her uncle in Canada. After the death of his parents this light-hearted young man had come to live with his elder brother and had become a much loved part of the family. Like so many others he was captivated by the news of the Yukon Gold Rush[2] and had gone to seek his fortune. Either he was an amazingly confident and courageous young man or his life had been so restricted that he had no concept of the enormity of this adventure.

No word came from him, though none was expected, until the day that the telegram came. It explained excitedly that my great-uncle had made a big strike, that he would be sending over steam-ship tickets for all the family that he was buying a farm where they would all live in comfort.

The Iconic Image of the Gold Rush

There was some trepidation, but much excited planning until the second telegram came. This time it was from an official at the claim telling them, very bluntly, that my great-uncle had been found dead in the lake. Of course they wrote and asked about the claim but were told, after many weeks that it took for mail to travel, that there was no record of the claim and with their limited resources, that had to be accepted.

So this became the stuff of the Fussey family legend and now there is no-one left who could fill in the details. Still, it is interesting to speculate how different life might have been for this large family in Canada, and even more fascinating, what happened to the claim, and what was the cause of my great-uncle's death. 

The Macready Mystery

By Joan Duncan

Throughout my mother’s life, she believed implicitly that she was a descendant of William Charles Macready (1793-1873), the great Shakespearian actor[1]. I was brought up in a house full of memorabilia, including copies of the Macready Diaries.

After my mother’s death in 1971, I began sorting out her papers, and I was curious about the relationship with William Charles, because she never seemed too sure of the actual facts. I had assumed, as I think mother believed, that her grandmother Caroline Macready, also an actress, was the daughter of William Charles. Unfortunately, I was unable to follow up any research until the 1980’s, when I was at last able to begin some serious study of my family history.

I soon realised that dates were not typing up, and that I could not find any connections in the well-documented family history of William Charles. I knew that Caroline had been married to Edmund Elliott[2] (pantomimist and comic actor), my grandmother’s father, but I could not find her name in the public registers. I knew that names get changed over the years, so I began a search for other possible entries. I eventually found her real name- Caroline McCreevy, and I sent for her marriage certificate, and as I knew the date of her death and also her age at that time, I was able to send for her birth certificate. This gave Caroline’s father name as Michael McCreevy, “cigar maker,” and her mother as Jane “formerly Griffiths.” As all the families originated in Dublin, I wondered if William Charles perhaps had other family connections that I hadn’t found.

The Theatre Museum very kindly put me in touch with Sir Neville Macready, a definite great grandson of William Charles. He was also very intrigued by my story. However he agreed with me that he could find no links with my family, and I had to assume that Caroline had changed her name to advantage her career.

I have never understood why no one, to my knowledge, ever queried the relationship, even though it appeared in so many publications. I am very pleased that my mother never learned the truth; I think it would have destroyed her.

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[1] William Charles Macready, also a manager and a famous diarist, was a leading figure in the development of acting and production techniques in the 19^th century.

[2] Edmund Elliot’s father was a contemporary of William Charles.

 Joan’s mother Dorothy Maud Macready Inglis, born on the 9^th of October, 1887, was the daughter of Emily Inglis who was the daughter of Caroline Macready (McCreevy).