The Mulligans

Margaret Elsie was the 9th child, and 2nd of 3 daughters, of James and Agnes' Mulligan 10 children. She was born 25 November 1898. Her oldest brother, Francis Humphrys, was 18 years 9 months old when she was born. [See the Family Lists]

But when she was just 2-and-half years old her father died. The eldest son, Frank (Francis Humphrys) wrote a month later to his Uncle Jack (his mother's brother John McDougal Simpson) saying "As mother is not well enough to write to you, she has asked me to do so." He says his mother "broke down as they were carrying Father out, and has been up very little since. It was a very close shave at first, & no one thought she would get over it. The strain on her heart, which was never too strong, has been altogether too much this last 10 months." Her health apparently recovered somewhat, and with the help of her two eldest sons, Frank and Arthur (or AW as he was known) carried on. Frank reported to Jack that "She is now improving and is going away for a week or two. Aunt Mima (his mother's sister Jemima) is up from Invercargill looking after her." But, along with the trauma of losing her husband at age 53, Agnes was left with a large family to look after.

But her poor general health meant the outcome was inevitable. And the end occurred on 13 January 1904. Arthur described her final hours like this:

"... on Wednesday, about three o'clock I was called from work, & just as I got inside she asked for Frank & I to sing a hymn, but she was sensible enough to see that we were not able for it so she whispered that she wanted it read to her, so Frank & I read 'On the resurrection morning' verse about as we were able. And OH she was so happy to go, it was lovely to see her smiling in her semi-consciousness."

"She knew no one after 4 o'clock, & then slept on till 6 minutes to 12 when she slipped away to a well earned rest, on her 47th birthday." Margaret Elsie was just 5 years 1 month old.

Ever mindful of the practicalities, Arthur continued his letter "We all know, Auntie, that for her sake she is better where she is, & I think we all done our best, & have no reflections. She went away quite satisfied that we would be provided for. I think that we will get on all right."

But Margaret Elsie's future wasn't settled as yet. In early March, Frank wrote to Jack & Kate Simpson - Agnes (nee Simpson) Mulligan's Brother & Sister-in-law - responding to an offer from them of assistance to the family.

"Just a few lines in answer to your kind letter of the 18th. I have to thank you very much indeed for your kind offer. I have consulted Auntie and Uncle Robert and they have advised me to accept it, which merely confirmed my own view of the matter. I am going to send you a girl, Elsie, the second youngest, and I can assure you that your taking her will relieve me immensely. I feel and know that with you she will be looked after and brought up properly. While if she stayed here with us, there would be no one to take a real interest in her. Of course, while the girl [a domestic servant, evidently] we have at present, stays with us, things would be all right, but we never know when she will leave us, or whom we would get, in such a case. How to send her [Margaret Elsie] up to you I do not know at present, but I will endeavour to make some arrangements, and advise you later."

Clearly "some arrangements" were made and 5-year old Margaret Elsie was 'despatched' to live with an Aunt and Uncle she had never met in a city at the other end of the country. We don't know if she had ever been away from Dunedin, or her immediate family before. But we know she went because in early April, 1904, Arthur wrote a follow-up letter to Jack & Kate Simpson "By the time you receive this Elsie will, I hope, be safe with you. We got her photo taken the other day. I will send you one when we get them."

He told the surrogate parents "Elsie has just started going to school, so you will be able to get her started up there from the first A.B.C." Again, his practical concerns come to the fore, but with a wistful nod to his Mother's concerns.

"I hope you will find all her clothes satisfactory. Her luggage will consist of a box & a parcel. Her hair is not very long yet. I suppose when Mother was ill a certain person here asked Mother to let Elsie stay with them for a week or two, so Mother reluctantly let her go, & the result was that she had to get all her pretty golden curls cut off. They did not look after her & poor Mother went frantic & made me cut her hair close. You will know how clean Mother was. I will never forget that day. Her hair is growing again but nothing like it was before. It appears her head takes a little looking after. Of course you will understand."

And so Margaret Elsie leaves the companionship of her immediate family, and develops a 'new life' with a 'new family' living in suburban Auckland. One can assume she completed her schooling and then found employment. And in due course began to live an 'independent life'.

One can find Margaret Elsie in the New Zealand Electoral Rolls:

It appears that she got a job as a telephone 'operator' on a manual switchboard for the Post & Telegraph Department in Auckland, and displayed an uncanny aptitude for tracking down & fixing trouble-spots on the board.

In the late 1930s she ventured abroad, as did many Kiwis, reaching Canada, where she had family, on her way to England.

Unfortunately her sense of timing left a bit to be desired, as WWII cut short the possibility of casual passenger travel, and she was 'marooned' in Canada. She had to make a living, and found work in an ammunition factory, and then an airplane plant. That in turn lead to work with the National Research Council, before she landed work at McGill University as part of the team assembling a nuclear reactor. One Newspaper story described her as a 'tinkerer'. Indeed!

According to the newspaper article shown below, after finishing at McGill University in later 1947 she planned to go to Australia. Exactly where she was in Australia, and whether she worked or not isn't yet known. Nor how long she spent in Australia.

However she re-appears in the NZ Electoral Rolls from 1972. In that year and again in 1975 she is listed in the Remuera Roll as residing at 27 Aratonga Ave, and is a 'Spinster'. When she 'retired' she moved to a retirement home in Meadowbank. In 1978 & 1981 she is listed in the Remuera Roll as residing at 154 Meadowbank Road, and is 'Retired'.

She had come a long way from Caversham!