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My interest in the Dryden family history has taken many years to develop. It has come to me through three ladies.


1: Nana Moore descibed to me by my Mum as a real "Lady". "She was kind and cared about Nanny and us". I never really knew who this person was but I heard of her many times over the years.
2: An old lady we visited each summer holiday in the nursing home. My memory of this time was of the craft room where my Mum seemed more interested in the craft than this old lady did. I never really understood who this lady was but we continued to visit he until she passed away.
3: The name Ogle Moore that has niggled away at me for years. John James Ogle Moore (my grandfather) his Mum was a Dryden. I did not know who she was.

As it turns out Nana Moore was the old lady that we visited each summer in the nursing home and she was married to an Ogle Moore. My great grandfather in fact. She was my grandfathers mother. She was Mary Dryden and she is all of the aforementioned ladies and the woman who has bought me to the Dryden family history all these years later.

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Saturday, April 16, 2011

Drydens Find

Edward Dryden
B: Kyneton ,Victoria 1882.
Son of John Dryden and Mary McLeod.

In 1937 Edward (Ned) Dryden staked a new claim north east of Coolgardie. The West Australian newspaper reported on this event on two seperate occassion. the article stated that there were 100 men  on the place with 25 - 30 dryblowers. Ned put down a shaft 15ft - 20ft and had several holes nearby. The Mines Inspector reported in March that some alluvial gold was being found and a several pieces the largest to date being 27dwt.

MINES AND METALS

DRYDEN'S FIND.


Senior Mines Inspector's Report.


In his report on Dryden's new find
near Coolgardie, which he inspected to
wards the end of last month, the Senior
Inspector of Mines (Mr. A. W. Winzar)
states:-'"The find is situated approxia
mately one and half miles north from
a point in the pipe line, three miles
west of Mungari and can be located on
Plate I, Bulletin 56 of the Geological
Survey, being roughly three-quarters of
a. mile south of hill marked HK2. The
country is covered with the usual secondary growth
of gum saplings. N. Dryden
and his mate have been working a small
leader of their prospecting area and
have a potfew holes and one shaft about
15ft. deep. About 150ft. west of these
holes, they have dryblown a patch and
obtained a few specimens showing
rounded gold adhering to quartz and
Ironstone. The boundary of their area is
another 150ft. west of this patch. On
this boundary,and further west for, about
half a mile, dryblowers are working, and
have, up to date, got 20oz. of alluvial,
the biggest piece being 27dwt. and ranging down
to fine specks. A 12dwt. piece
was found while I was there. The run
Is in fairly flat. country and the gold
bearing material from 121n. to 24in. deep
and tails out west. The men working on
the lower end are getting nothing. There
is much quartz rubble about the locality
with odd reefs in which the stone showing is
not attractive looking. Not much
can be seen -but the country rock is nice
looking greenstone and suitable for. prospecting.
About 100 men are on the place with 30 dryblowers."
(TheWest Australian (Perth, WA : 1879-1954), Monday 29 March 1937, page 3)

Monday, March 7, 2011

Eucalyptus Poisons Mary

Mary Dryden nee McLeod
Born: 1846, Isle of Skye, Scotland.
Died: 1.13.1831. Perth, Western Australia
Buried: Karrakatta Cemetery
Married: 10 Jun 1864, Carlsrhue, Victoria to John Dryden.
Children: 14 - Ann, Margaret, Emma, Mary, Thomas, Sarah Jane, Annabella, Robert, Charlotte, Alexander, William Edward, Enerst, Susan and Elizabeth.

The following three excerpts from the "The West Ausrtralian Newspaper" tell the story of the shocking last days of Mary Dyden nee Mc Leod's life.

OVERDOSE OF EUCALYPTUS.
Mrs. Mary Dryden (85). of Lancaster street, Victoria Park, swallowed an over dose of eucalyptus on Saturday night, and when she -was brought to the Perth Hospital her name was placed on the danger list. She took the eucalyptus in order to obtain relief from a cold.
"The West Australia, 30 NOV 1931"

Little change was reported in the condition of Mary Dryden (85), of Lancaster street, Victoria Park, who was admitted to the Perth Hospital last Saturday night suffering from the effects of having acci dentally swallowed an overdose of eucalyptus. The names of the three victims are still on the danger list.
"The West Australia, 1DEC 1931"

OVERDOSE OF EUCALYPTUS.
Mary Dryden (85), of Lancaster-street, Victoria Park, who was admitted to the Perth Hospital last Saturday night, suffering from the effects of having accidentally swallowed an overdose of eucalyptus, died early- yesterday morning.
"The West Australia, 2DEC 1931"

DRYDEN.- On; December 1, 1931 at the Perth Hospital, Mary, dearly beloved wife of the late John Dryden, loving mother of Annie, Margaret, Emma, Sarah, Robert, Charlotte, Mary, Alexander, William, Edward, Ernest, Susan and Elizabeth; aged; 85 years.
"The West Australia, 2DEC 1931"

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

John and Mary

John Dryden married Mary McLeod in Carlsrhue, Mt Macedon, Victoria on 10 Jun 1864 in this little church.
 

John was born in Northumberland, UK in 1843 and died in Western Australia in 1923 aged 80 years. He arrived in Australia in 1851 with his parents and a brother William Edward Dryden
(1839 - 1914). They settled in the Mt Macedon area where his Uncle was a prominent landowner and orginal settler of the area known as "Drydens Run". John died 8th Nov 1923 in Perth Western Australia, aged 78 years.
His wife Mary McLeod was born on the Isle of Skye in Scotland in 1843 and migrated to Australia. Mary died in Western Australia in 1931, aged 85 years.
John and Mary had 14 children and spent part of their life in Australia in Newham, Victoria and the remainder in Western Australia. They are both buried at the Karrakatta Cemetery in Western Australia.

China Plate


This is the only remaining piece of my Nana's dinner set. It was bought for her in 1948 by her mother in law, Mary Moore nee Dryden. I remember eating many a Christmas lunch of this dinner set. It was a generous gift at the time.