Joseph Keane Hitchcock

  Research Notes:

Maggie Wilson notes:
Our great grandfather JOSEPH KEANE HITCHCOCK was a bit of an historian. He was commissioned by the City of Fremantle to write 'The History of Fremantle' and that was published in 1925. He also wrote a series of stories about people and buildings in Fremantle and was a regular contributor to the Fremantle newspaper.

Joseph and his wife Sarah Maria Law lost 2 sons in WWI - 2 years apart. It really broke them - even my Dad who never knew his uncles would cry about them so I think the family talked about the boys often. The two boys have a plaque each in Kings Park at the foot of trees that were put there by the family. Also plaques at Pt Walter at the foot of trees -another beautiful spot in Perth. Their names are on a monument in North Fremantle where they were brought up and also in Fremantle.

In 2014 on Anzac Day the City of Fremantle unveiled names on the Fremantle Monument of the 849 'boys' from Fremantle who didn't return from the war. Our family - Geoff Brown, Vicki Brown (mum was a Hitchcock), Judy, Ian and Pauline Smith (their mum was Edna Hitchcock) and me and my brother Don plus some our grandkids - attended the dawn service and it was so moving. The boys were CECIL EDWARD HITCHCOCK and HUBERT KEANE HITCHCOCK.

So the Hitchcock family is a 'true' Fremantle family - arriving in 1842. In 1979 there was a huge Hitchcock family reunion - about 3,000 people turned up. My mum's family - Charlton - also Fremantle people but not that big.

Joseph married Sarah Maria Law. (Sarah Maria Law was born circa 1870.)