Thomas and Emily's Family

In the last few posts, we've traveled with my great great great Uncle Thomas Rankins from San Francisco to Australia; met his wife to be, Emily Stanbury; and learned about her voyage from England to Geelong, Victoria, Australia. 

Thomas and Emily married in Victoria in 1855. Thomas was 25 and Emily was 19. Over the next 23 years, they had nine children:


William Stanbury Rankins, 1856-1932

Thomas Reginald Rankins, 1858- ?

Mary Florence "Minnie" Rankins, 1860–1944

Joseph Edward Rankins, 1862–1947

Emily Stanbury Rankins, 1864–1953

Ernest Rankins, 1867–1943

Ada Rankins, 1870–1951

Eva Evangeline Rankins, 1872–

Mabel Edith Rankins, 1879– ?

Beyond these bare statistics there are, of course, a great many stories to be told. I think of all those children, growing up as pioneers in that raw great land. But then I read a newspaper story like this one about Mabel Edith, which doesn't sound at all raw and pioneer-ish:

Yes, Mabel sounds like she lives in a very civilized manner. But, wait! One of her brothers and his wife had previously appeared in a great many newspapers, and their story certainly raised some eyebrows...

Next time: Australia, 1901: Alice Makes a Name For Herself