Martha Anne Warby

  General Notes:

Martha Anne Warby was the seventh child of Joseph Warby and Elizabeth Fowler. Alas she followed the first son after six daughters, and then was caught with her parents having another son straight after. It must have been as if she almost disappeared into oblivion between the two boys, as they were still the 'chosen ones' even in 1850; and even as much as Martha had very loving parents.
Most of her siblings were married in their early to mid twenties which was quite different to the norm for those days. Parental permission was not required after the age of twenty one. Certainly the poorer classes tended to be married much more often in their later teens with the 'permission of their father or guardian'.
Martha married John Rush when she was 23 years old in 1873. John was the son of Isaac Waltham Rush and Mary Clay. It is thought that John was born in Essex and came to Australia with his family about 1850.
Their first child, Horace Charles, came along soon after they were married, however only survived until he was four years old, dying at their home in Park Road, Paddington. Meanwhile Arthur John, and May were born in Paddington in 1875 and 1877 respectively - both of whom went onto have three and two children each.
In 1879, at the almost obligatory timing of two years between babies, along came Harry Harold who was also born at Paddington. Sadly Harry only lived until his twenty first birthday.
The next son was Clifford who was born in 1881, however he also died in 1900 only a few months after Harry, as a result of a boating accident on Sydney Harbour after one of Sydney's infamous southerly squalls came up and capsized them, drowning four of the thirteen young men onboard.
Two other children were born - Leslie in 1883 and Burton Warby Rush in 1884 - however nothing is known as to what became them. Whether they died in infancy or lived on has been a mystery. However, it is suspected they died at a very young age as no record of them has been found.
Poor Martha had a funereal time as the end of the century came to a close. Possibly three of her children died between 1877, 1883 and 1884. Then three years later her husband, John Rush, died in 1897; and her youngest two sons living died within a few months of each other in 1900 at the peak of their young lives. It must have been an extremely sad time for her.
Martha really enjoyed the new century with her two children left living; her five grandchildren; and her three great grandchildren - even though her descendants went onto produce more after she was gone. She survived the First World War and the Great Depression before finally going to her rest one day before her eighty eighth birthday in 1938. A fine innings, with such a struggle of grief and mourning.

  Noted events in her life were:

• source. Lorna Sharf from "Warby Book - My Excellent Guide" by Michelle Vale

• connection. Susie Griffith is the daughter-in-law of Jill Poutney (1922) who is linked to Les in this way:

Susie Griffith . . .
Jill Poutney (1922)
Her father was Cyprus Poutney (c1900) who married Enid Macpherson (1902) who also married Clifford Rush (1904)
His father was Arthur Rush (1875)
His father was John Rush (1836) who married Martha Warby (1850)
Her father was Joseph Warby (1818)
His father was John Warby (c1767) & he also had Elizabeth Warby (1802) who married James Layton (c1804)
They had Eleanor Layton (1821) who married James Keighran (1808) who also had John Joseph Keighran (1845)
He had Joseph Keighran (1879)
He had Leslie William Keighran (1904)
He had Mary Keigrhan (1927) who married Mervyn Collins (1924)
They had Les Collins (1950) who married me - Robyn Bray (nee Davies) (1950)

Martha married John Thomas Rush, son of Isaac Waltham Rush and Mary Clay, on 25 Jan 1873 in St Davids Presbyterian Church, Campbelltown, Sydney, NSW Australia which is in the Parish of St Peters. (John Thomas Rush was born in 1836 in Maldon, Essex England, died on 2 Oct 1897 in Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW Australia and was buried in Rookwood Cemetery, Lidcombe, Sydney, NSW Australia.)