We have arrived home after a wonderful week. Left Victor Harbor last Tuesday morning had lunch in the park at Two Wells and coffee in Port Augusta , visited my cousin Heather Krebs nee Blinman. It was so good to catch up with her once again. Spent that night in Whyalla which is the next town on. Wednesday it was down to Tumby Bay , lunch at Cowell which was so good , they have a wonderful Patchwork shop, this establishment had been an old garage and the girls running the business have two old trucks borrowed by farmers in the back amongst the various craft , patchwork and the like that they sell. Thursday it was off to Port Lincoln. We were not able to stay in that town as everyone was booked for accommodation, but Tumby suited just as well. Our first visit was to cousin Gwen Richardson, that was a quickie as she is in the middle of sale and shifting.....been there , done that! Gwen and Les have lived on the property for quite a few years, I think she said it was bought by her parents. About 7 acres. The next visit was Brian and Ann Gibson, cuppa time , talk and as we had taken our own lunch , had it there with them , more cuppa's.
We had gone to visit Ralph and Noeleen Lange but sorry to say , not home! I did leave a note but guys hope to catch up in April. I also missed Annie Scholz, next time. Friday we left Tumby and headed for another night at Whyalla. I had asked my cousins if they would come have dinner at one of the pubs and it was so good to catch up with them. The cousins I met there Pam, Glenys, Steven are my first cousins on the Thornton side of my family. With them were spouses and children and grandchildren for Steve and Pam. I hadn't seen them since we left Whyalla last May.
Glenys has now finished her 4 yrs study and is now working full time as Registered Nurse at the Whyalla Hospital. Pam is also an R.N. and has been for some years.
Saturday it was off to my beloved Quorn. Not much has changed. We had such a wonderful time catching up with our friends , John and Rita , the Poms as I call them - but they are now Aussies ... the Dutchies Anne and Adrian with the most gorgeous dog Chico ...he is a Jack Russell and just precious. We had dinner at the pub as a birthday celebration for Joan , the Victorian part of our group she turned 80yrs young on the Sunday. Her four kids came with three spouses and one grandson. We had a ball. Went to bed about 1am on Sunday morning and I blame all those on the grog for that. Sunday , Rita was the only one who went to church.....shocker! we met at Joan's to continue the party mood , barbacue , good old Aussie style. Talking , talking , laughing , it was such fun. We made it to the pub again that night too. No wonder I don't want to cook anymore. Monday we came home and back to life as we know it. Joan's daughter Deidre and husband Gavin , plus their friends Alex and Muntah had also left Quorn on Monday and come down to Victor to see old friends. Deidre phoned Tuesday and said , meet us at the winery , which we did , they are a noisy bunch ,good to talk to. Would you believe, we also took my 80yr old sister Lorraine with us and she kept up quite well.
Murray and I are returning to Port Lincoln after Easter..... Glenys has her graduation on the 13th April so that day will be in Whyalla, my friend Ann has a birthday on the 14th and me on the 16th so another few days in Quorn too. Am sorry to say did not bother taking photos ......which is most unusual for me. Perhaps next time.
I came upon some questions one should ask parents, grandparents anyone breathing and I am going to give you number 14 because it impresses me. For those of you who read this letter , send me your answer.......

14 Who was the eldest person you can remember in your family as a child ?
What do you remember about them ? Okay , so it's two questions......

I think mine would have to be Grandpa Hull, Peter Hull, he lived with us for a time .....I would have been about three or four years of age, he asked me to cut his toe nails and I think I got the toe , I can remember running outside to get Dad , yelling " Grandpa's bleeding " ....then again I saw him when I was about 7yrs of age. My sister had this idea of taking me to visit the rellies with a gift for xmas....I was not impressed . We went to the house Grandpa lived in , he never talked to me ....but as we left Sis could see he was crying and waving to us down the street. Poor old thing ! Why is it grandparents did not talk to us ....or was it just mine? I grew up with a lot of old people around ....my Great Uncle, Arthur Blinman lived with us and I think he got the best out of me. Teased the Hell out of me , now that I think about it. He taught me to eat lemons with salt and was quite surprised when I liked it....still love lemons. His sister was my Grandma Thornton , Mum's Mum , her name was Elizabeth Ann Thornotn nee Blinman - she never talked to me either. I can talk the bottom off an iron pot .....didn't they know that about me ? Well , hope to hear from someone, one of you .....at least. Love from the cousins in Aus. Cynthia and Murray Hull

The letter I have added before this was written by Mary , she gave permission for it to be copied and placed on the website. I phoned Beth and Norman Hull today , Beth had mentioned their visit , today being 1st May here in Aus. I told Beth how wonderful Murray and I think it is that Bob especially has got to meet with his Hull cousins in their own part of this world. Bob, some of you call Robert , had begun this family journey years ago ....and it was through him I got to meet so many of our Aussie cousins. Folk I had no clue about ! I also met my darling husband , my cousin and yours Murray James Hull because of Bob. So we have much to be grateful for.
The Easter bunny brought our dear grandson to visit , Elliott Boyson Hull ....ofcourse he brought his parents , Murray's son Brett and his darling Mum Naomi.
Brett and family arrived Good Friday , which I might say brings to mind something I heard on the radio, Americans do not have this day as a public holiday. Is this so ? Grandpa and the Granma Hull were down there at the airport , very excited about the impending visit. Elliott is so lovely , eats and sleeps so well, typical Hull, we all say. It just amazes me the trust they freely give .
Saturday we went over to Goolwa , Sunday he had a visit with his parents to the park. Monday we all drove to the airport ......Elliott and his parents flew home to Melbourne , Murray and I waved them off and drove to Port Augusta.
Tuesday after Easter we headed down to Port Lincoln once again to meet with rellies. Tuesday evening we went to visit with Annie Scholz. Like me she writes family histories and collects family knowledge. Unfortunately it was late so unable to get a photo .....Annie, I should explain was nee Schlink , for those of you with the family tree for the Aussies let you fingers do the walking , go find her. If you look for Adam's son John Hull and his daughter Bessie Lynette Hull ....you should come across Annie. Murray and I had dinner at a lovely restaurant that does mean pasta .....so shall add the photo I took of Muzz.
Wednesday we went to see Gwen and Les Richardson, they were rushed getting ready to go to Whyalla as Les had had his okay from the surgeons for his second hip replacement. Murray advised me to go see Noeleen and Ralph ...just in case they were going out and he was correct so we went to see Brian and Anne Gibson where we had cups of tea , talking and I gathered some photos from Brian on that family. Saw Sonja their daughter in law again too. All looking well.
We had made a time to go back see the Lang's at 3 pm and it was wonderful to catch up . Ralph had been at deaths door a couple of years ago but appears to be healthy enough now. Noeleen had been going to a class to do Hardanger , so I got a couple of photos of her work . She is so amazing. Actually that family seem to be very gifted , all of them. For those who have seen Yvonne Berry's work you will agree I am sure .
After dinner that night I went to see Gwen Parkinson, this lady is not related but a kindred spirit nevertheless. She was nee Starkey and one of our Hull men , Uncle Toby married Mabel Starkey , Gwen's relative. Gwen is an avid researcher and member of that local History group for the South Eyre Peninsula.
Thursday we left Port Lincoln and headed back to Whyalla. Had dinner at one of the Football club rooms with an old friend Noel. Then he and Murray went star gazing with the telescope. Yes ! we took Murray's wonderful computerized telescope with us on that trip. Friday was the reason we were there in the first place. My cousin Glenys from my maternal side of the family ....graduated , after completing 4 yrs of hard slog .... is now an Registered Nurse in Whyalla.
Saturday off to Quorn where we once again met up with our dear friends. To the pub that night as it was Ann's birthday 14th April ......Sunday , Rita and John held a barbacue for me which was lovely
Monday we returned to Victor and back to reality , washing clothes .....cleaning up, putting away all those wonderful things I had packed earlier.....
Our love to you all ...........I am hoping we get a Canadian page on this web site , with stories from that lovely Torrie family.
I have just had a letter and data from Ray McGimpsey .....they are from the Booth and Irwin side ....he kindly sent me answers to my questions....and plenty of photos. Perhaps I may get permission to use some of this on the web. Cheers for now and as my Aunty Phyl use to say ............Be kind to each other !!!

Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2007 11:15 PM

Dear Folks....
Well we have had a busy time for about 3 weeks now.... Since we last wrote you we have had 2 and a half weeks going through Utah and Idaho, to see all of Roberts relatives in these two states.... The day before that, Betty and Norm took us down to Salome, Arizona to see the oldest of these relatives , Etmo Hull, who is spending the winter down in Arizona with his nephew and then they will both go back at the End of April to Idaho for the summer,,, He does this now as he is 91 years old..We spent the night there and in the morning were picked up by Carol and Jim Earl who are 2 of these relatives as they were returning home to Utah after a trip to Phoenix Arizona, so that turned out real lucky for us . Especially as they wanted to do some sight seeing on the way... We went all through canyon country, Red Canyon and Bryce Canyon,Glen Canyon Dam, and a dinosaur excavation region, with a museum on the different dinosaurs found there... This is fascinating stuff.... The journey took us 2 days, We had a nice hotel overnight, not too far from Bryce Canyon.... These Canyons are massive areas and all different from each other as regards the colours and shapes of the rocks and mountains.... We arrived at Dan and Linda's in Salt Lake City about 10 p.m. on the second night..... A bit of talk and then off to bed which we really needed by then...
..
Next day Sunday 25th March......Went to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at 9.30 a.m. This was not in the tabernacle as they are just finishing big repairs on the which are due to be finished for next week ..... so this week they were still using the convention hall, which in inself is something to see, as are all these buildings in Salt Lake City, so beautiful. After this we just spent a quiet day with the family and the young ones came over for teatime with Dan and Linda.... They are all such nice people and made us so welcome and comfortable.... the weather is like spring,,, daffodils are up and blooming,,,, Ornamental Cherries in flower Everything so lovely to look at.

Monday .... 26th March......Dan took us down to Ogden ,Utah .... to visit Dick and Belva Moyle ... Belva's own name is Hull. .... Dick is a retired professor of Geology and he could explain all about the geology of the area and show us a lot of interesting places in the 3 days we spent with them... I found this tremendously interesting....
This land is the home of the Shoshone Indians all along the entire length of the Salt Lake, which I believe is about 60 miles

Tuesday ...27 th March..... Snow this morning ,,,, You see how things can change so quickly..... But this was yet another dream fulfilled for Robert because he had never seen snow actually falling till now..... It was not a blizzard , just a gentle falling, and it did not keep us indoors because Dick and Belva took us up into the Canyon to see the snow fields and the skiers,,,, This was not far as they live right at the foot of the mountain..Robert walked about in the snow taking HUNDREDS of photos...

WEednesday .28 th March.....Dick does voluntary work for the railway museum in Ogden, where they live..... This is the town where the trans continental railway met when it was built from east to west and from west to east... He was on duty that day so we met him in the morning and he showed us all around explaining everythuing to us especially... There were not a lot of visitors that day so it turned out better for us, We saw rocks and fossils, gemstones and antique cars and guns, ( I chickened out on the guns as it was getting on to lunchtime and I was tired.... so I spent time talking to a nice man on the gift shop..... After that we all had lunch in the railway cafe... They put on a great meal there and I would reccommend it to anyone,,,, It was not altogether a fancy place just a railway cafe but the food was really good.

Thursday 29th March.... Carol came over and took us back to Salt Lake City to spend a few days with Dan and Linda...

Friday 30th March .....Dan took us to the Anchestry Dept where we spent the morning looking up dead relatives instead of living ones.... They have all the records of census from all over the world as much as is recorded,,,... I did an excercise and found the birth recorded of myself and my father,,, After this we had a ride round the city and up to the high point to overlook the whole place.... This is a surprise for me as I always imagined it to be flat, but it has hills and mountains all around...

Saturday 31st March...... The big annual conference is on television so we watched a bit of that and then took a walk round the park,,,, Spring has come back and it was nice and warm.... Went out tonight to a chinese resturant with Dan and Linda

Sunday 1 st April..... Just a quiet day with the family

Monday 2 nd April.....Carol came and took us halfway to Preston, Idaho...... ( She has been a constant Chauferre between the relatives in different areas and we do not know how she did it , it seems she spends her life on the road,,,,,and still found time for us ..... Gilbert Hull and son Danny Hull, met us halfway and took us home to Gilbert's house where his wife Marylin was waiting for us.... She is a really lovely person, . We had a while visiting and then a trip to the cemetery, and finished off the day with a dinner at Steak Corral. a place like sizzlers, Good food ...

Tuesday 3 rd April..... Off to visit numerous relatives in the area, then another cemetery, ( This is Gilberts special job for us ) All the relatives have been showing us a different aspect of the family history,,,, This has been good as nothing is being duplicated....and it is all interesting.... After this we were met by Bill and Kristin who were up from Utah for a funeral of one of their friends.....They spent the rest of the day with us and we all proceeded up the mountain to see Etmo's mountain cabin.... This is so cute, its like little house on the prairie,,,... He built it all himself when he was younger, and the floors are made out of rounds of small branches of trees cut crosswise and set into each other in the floor, so its all like circles.... some small , some bigger.....The cabin is small but it is in 3 floors, with the chimney built in boulders and going through all three floors,.....

Wednesday 4th April...... A trip with Gilbert and Marylin to Bear Lake,,,,,, Through Logan Canyon ....we had lunch there in a little cafe.... They had a mounted head of a deer on the wall.... It talked to you and sang a couple of songs,,,, We had a good laugh....Then Gilbert took us down to Carol and Jim"s home to spend a few days with them....

Thusday 5 th April..... Had a lunch out with Marian and her new husband Tom, at the rainbow cafe,,,,,and after some visiting with Ramona and Kenneth Hull, we finished up with dinner at Maddox ( great food also) After this Carol who had been busy on some meetings of her own, met us and took us back home with her....

Friday 6 th April..... Jim had the day off work so we all had a day out at the open cut copper mine and saw some blasting done,,,,, this is the largest man-made hole in the ground in the world so they say,,,,, We were looking down one mile to the bottom of the hole and things down there looked like ants.in matchbox trucks...We then spent the rest of the afternoon at the dinosaur museum, a different one .... This one has real skeletons of the ones found here in this area of the world .... The size of the Tyrannosaurus Rex is just unbeleivable ..... We have lots of photos, as you can imagine....Also the pleisiausauus, a marine animal just like the Loch Ness Monster, with a great long neck as long as its body, and a great long tail also..... Altogether it must have been much bigger than the biggeest whale....

Saturday 7 th April..... all the family came to Carol and Jims for tea..... There are so many of them , and all such great people and all so very good to us looking after us so well.

Sunday 8 th April.... Just a quiet day, getting ready to move on again tomorrow.....

Monday 9th April..... Carol once again transported us back to Salt Lake City to spend our last night with Dan and Linda before catching the Greyhound bus in the morning to return to Las Vegas where Betty and Norm will meet us ....

Tuesday... 10th April... 8 hours on a greyhound bus.... This was OK and we saw some more of the country in a different area..... more Canyons and gorges, and mountains... The ride was good but a few people had a cough .......Betty and Norm met us, and we saw one more Casino in Las Vegas, a new one , called the Wymm and it was pure luxury,,,,, We spent the night in the Stratosphere Hotel

Wednesday 11th April ....... headed back to Lake Havesu, via the Hoover Dam Complex..... That's something to see . We went underground on a tour...... Had a great day .... The weather has settled into what we would call spring..

Thursday 12th April..... Back in Lake Havesu.... but I have come up with a cold and cough which I hope will go away..,,,but keeps me indoors.

Friday 13 th April..... Well it sure is living up to its name because that cold developed into a bronchial spasm and I had to eventually get to a doctor,,,, well here it is now

Sunday 21st April...... and I am only just coming good....The medication has done a good job but I could not have done without it, as I found it hard to get my breath back after a spell of coughing... It is a few years since I had this kind of thing....I hope it is a few more before I see it again..... Betty has been waiting on me hand and foot like a queen.....

Monday 22 nd April..... We are off this afternoon on a trip to Tucson, Arizona .... This is for a wedding on Tuesday of a friend of Betty and Norm whom they have known since their time in Hawaii..... We also met him at that time, and he has asked us to join with them at the wedding. We will spend Monday night at Mary Chessik's house in Pheonix Arizona..... She is the daughter of Betty and Norm, and therefore my neice... So that us up to date, We will be away until Thursday 26 th April so look out for some more news after that...


Hope all is well with you all .... Love from Mary and Robert Hull

Well! at last you can see who we are. Welcome to the Hull family website, Aussie pages. I thought you would like to see our grandies....the girls Sophie and Evie are the daughters of Murray's eldest daughter Wendy, our little -big Elliott is the adorable son of Murray's son Brett. The photo of the three of them was taken last year in October when we were altogether in Melbourne. The girls are lovely, great fun. Murray and I took one each to a movie, we don't get to do that often.
Murray and I are off up north on Tuesday ,hope to remember to take photos and a diary of the folk we meet. All related ofcourse. I am in the planning stage of doing a story on Adam and Eliza with the help of Robert Parker. Will add that later. In the meantime be happy and kind to each other, love from your Ausy cousins.

Blood Is Thicker Than Water
by
Shirley Hardman

Before I married my husband from Brisbane, Australia, I knew that I would be moving to this intriguing continent sometime during our marriage. Sure enough, six years after our wedding I, along with my two infant daughters, left San Jose, California, and flew to Brisbane as Australian immigrants arriving 26 June1971. My husband, Reg Hardman, had arrived in Brisbane four weeks earlier to start his new job setting up the Marketing Department at Queensland Institute of Technology. It could have been the moon I was moving to, as far as I was concerned, because I left all my loved ones behind and was going on an adventure to a land far away. I was determined to be cheerful while following my husband to "wherever"-a commitment I had made as a nineteen-year-old bride.

In February 2004, I learned something incredible about my ancestry: I had a relative who also moved to Australia, a young pioneer who came in 1851! His name was Adam Hull. His descendants are presently living all over the country, but mostly in South Australia. I was very pleased to learn my family tree has roots in two continents!

I learned of a peculiarly interesting story about one of Adam's great-grandsons, Murray Hull. In 1977, while living in Perth, he had a strange experience. In the wee hours of the morning he was awakened by a terrifying vision of an old lady. He felt compelled after this dream to research his family lines and find out more about his ancestors. That was the beginning of his great thirst to do genealogy.

Several years went by and in 1985 Murray travelled to Utah and met several of his distant Mormon cousins for the first time. He saw many of the historic sites while in Salt Lake City, but it was while visiting the Settler's Museum in Franklin, Idaho, that he saw this old lady's picture on the wall. Abruptly, with shock and surprise, he declared that the woman in that picture was the same woman who had terrified him in his vision! Who was she? Why had she appeared to him in a dream?

The woman, Mary Benson Hull, was a woman of great faith in the early days of the church. Murray insisted that she was his ancestor! Amazingly, she is my ancestor, too-my great-great-grandmother! Unbelievable!!! Did that mean that I have relatives living in Australia? Little did I know! Here's how the story unfolds:

Thomas Hull II, my great-great-grandfather (on my mother's side) was first married to Mary McIlvenna and they had three very young children, Adam, Susanna, and Peggy Jane. Mary became very sick with dysentery and Mary Benson, a trained nurse and friend of the family, took care of Mary McIlvenna until she died. Thomas then married Mary Benson in 1834. He was 28 and Mary was 21 years of age.

Mary treated Thomas's three children as her own, and she and Thomas had four more children while in Ireland. In 1841 they moved their family to Dalry, Scotland, to a little town called "In the Den". Six more children were born during their twelve-year stay.

One day in 1849, Mary Benson Hull and some of her friends were in town and heard Mormon Elders preach about a new religion. Amidst much gossip, the word had spread that the Elders were trying to get young girls to go back to America with them to become plural wives for some of the men. Mary and her friends thought that those despicable motives were ridiculous and should be stopped! They showed their indignation by attending a missionary meeting. Equipped with spoiled eggs, potatoes and cabbages, they planned to hurl their rotten garbage at the poor missionaries! Mary, the instigator, was readied to give the signal.

Thankfully, that signal was never given. Evidently, the Spirit of the Lord came into Mary's heart. She became very interested and impressed in what the Elders had to say, and then hurried home to relay to her husband that she had found the true church!

Thomas and Mary Benson Hull contacted those Elders and invited them to their home to learn more. After hearing the message and studying it for a time, they wanted to become a part of the newly restored church. They joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1849 in Scotland. Feelings were bitter towards the Mormons at that time. For that reason, the Hull's were baptized in the River Garnet at night because of the persecution that could occur in the light of day.

Thomas was the first to be baptized 19 August 1849. Mary Benson and Adam (the eldest of her three step-children) were both baptized 25 September 1849. He was 19 years old at that time and had married Elizabeth Adams five months earlier in April.

After saving enough money, Thomas and Mary Benson Hull left for America in 1854 with most of their children. Adam chose not to go to America with his parents and siblings. He had learned that the British Government was giving free passage to all young men who would settle in Australia. Adam and his young wife, Elizabeth, pregnant with their second child, sailed for Australia on the Osceola in 1851. Their son, Thomas Cameron, was born during the voyage. They settled in the Adelaide hills in South Australia, taking up land at Springton near Mt Crawford, Mt Pleasant and the Barossa Valley.

LDS Church records show that Adam's three eldest children, Elizabeth, Thomas and Robert, were given blessings as young children 16 February 1854 at the Morphett Branch, South Australia.

Attending church on a regular basis would have been extremely difficult in the early 1850's. The Mormon missionaries from America were baptizing and establishing branches where they could, but there wasn't anything established near where Adam's family lived. He eventually drifted from the church.

Adam Hull has an extremely large posterity spread all over Australia. He actually fathered 19 children -- ten with Elizabeth (his first wife), six with Bridget Tully Mohr, and four more children from unknown mothers. I understand he was quite the womanizer!!

It was interesting for me to learn why Mary Benson Hull appeared to Murray Hull and not to any of her American Latter-day Saint descendants living in Utah. Murray learned from our common cousin in Salt Lake City, Dan Hull, that the spirit had prompted Dan to relay a special reminder to Murray about Mary Benson: She had promised Adam's first wife, Mary McIlvenna, she would watch over Mary McIlvenna's three children. Murray is Mary McIlvenna's descendant, and it was only fitting that Mary Benson appear to him! Mary Benson was watching over the first wife's children by opening the door for Murray to learn about Adam Hull. Murray accepted that response just fine. The more I have learned about Mary Benson Hull, the more I know she was a great, strong woman and if anyone would keep her promise, she would.

Murray Hull and his wife, Cynthia, who now live in Whyalla, South Australia, "eat, sleep and drink genealogy." I feel the powerful, driving force behind them as they seek to know their kindred dead. They have been extremely generous to share all their 25 years of hard research with my cousins living in Utah-and visa versa.

Even though there is a wide ocean between distant Hull cousins, blood is thicker than water and Mary Benson Hull has at last bridged the continents. It's exciting for me to learn more about my ancestry! I have been inspired by Murray and Cynthia Hull. I feel that I, too, can play a significant role in binding our families. This thought gives me added purpose to personal challenges I have faced since uprooting from my homeland 35 years ago.

The work-connecting my relatives in Australia to my family tree in America-has begun!
here.

For those of you who take researching seriously you will know what I have been going through. As you will see I have written the story , of Samuel Hull. Here is more.
Back in 2003 when we travelled in that area with Dan and Linda Hull , and Carol Earl Hull . We came across the grave of Samuel Hull, and some of his family. On one side of the very big headstone was John and Phyllis Irwin. MmmmH ! I thought , the Irwins kept in touch with this Hull family, that's lovely .....you see , my own Adam's sister Susannah Hull ,youngest child of Thomas Hull 2 and Mary McIlvena had also married an Irwin . Hugh Irwin , son of Samuel Irwin and Maria nee Hull . Dan has recently informed me of this revelation, so there he is , tearing his hair out , saying , where ! oh! where does this one come from. I received an email recently from a Margaret Scott who lives in Ireland and is related to John and Phyllis. Margaret was an Irwin . Phyllis you see, was a Hull .
This next bit I have taken from Margaret's emails , she says, " Uncle Johnny married Phyllis Hull who lived in Seymour St. He was a chemist and worked for Gallagher's Tobacco Factory in York Street, Lisburn. Phyllis had been educated at a convent school in England. She was very musical , played piano and had a good singing voice". Margaret can remember as a child going to the Irwins' home for Musicla Evenings. She goes on to state that the Hull and Irwin families were involved in local operatic". Bless this woman for writing go me. We need to go meet with her Dan........!!!!!!!!!
Margaret has an uncle who is in his 80's now but he and his wife have no memory of the old days. However ! she goes to a craft group once a week and shall ask some of the oldies there. She will also get her grandson to scan a copy of her wedding photo ....in it is her Aunt Phyllis.
To continue on with this family .....I have found Melissa Stodart Hull , would you believe. Daughter and not the only one of John Willard Hull who was a son to Samuel. Melissa did indead receive an O.B.E. , which to some will mean very little. All papers that stated the reason why she received it were destroyed when she received the honor. On 22 July 1941 Miss Melissa Stodart Hull was awarded by the Kings Representative in Rio de Janiero. Melissa was a Professor at the University of Brazil , had also earned herself a Ph.D as well as M.A. - a bright little lady. Bless her heart ! she has raised more questions for me. I received her whereabouts , Melissa had been living for a time and subsequently died at Milbrook House, Child, Okford, Blandford , Dorset .......her death date was 5th November 1970 . However ! having recently received a copy of her Will, I find that she had lived or retired to Leamington Flat, Goreyf, Jersey , in the Channel Islands for pete sake. From this Will ,I find that she had had one sister at least , Miss Agnes Muriel Hull who lived at No 18 , Metropole Court, Minehead, Somerset. Why had Agnes left home , what profession was she in , governess, school teacher....? Ah ! the mind boggles. So you see , we find this information and think , this will put an end to it , but no ! it provides us with more questions...
I have found a bit on Fred's son Eric Randall Hull but I really think this is enough for now. Cheers Cynthia and Murray

Samuel married Agnes Smyth on 21st April 1845 at the Bovevagh Meeting House , near Dungiven. The witnesses to his marriage were Adam Magil and ? Hunter or Winter. That name I could not decifer. According to his daughter Emma the family moved from Limavady to Lisburn around 1860 where her father was Master of the first public school.
On our trip to Ireland we had found his death notice which stated Samuel Hull, late of 21 Seymour St., Lisburn, retired National , occupation - school teacher, died 10th April 1901 , his effects were 52 pounds
Later in Lisburn Murray found his headstone , which included some of his children, all in all 9 or 10 people I think , plus two of the Irwins. This means he had kept in touch with his neice Susan's in laws.
Back in 1856 Susan Hull had married Hugh Irwin , Sam was one of their witnesses. Soon after their marriage they had sailed to Australia , but that's another story.
I had intended to do just excerpts of Emma's letters but felt it would be easier to give you a list of all of Sam's kids , so here goes

1. John Willard Hull - he had a son who lived with Emma so I am thinking he may have not married
John also had a daughter Melissa Stoddard Hull - who Emma says received an O.B.E. - I am in the process of trying to find out why. John Willard Hull and Melissa left Ireland in the late 1800's or early 1900's for South Africa or South America . Help!
John also had a grand daughter who was a dentist and married a chap ? London , who was also a dentist.
2. Elizabeth Hull - she had a grand daughter who was a doctor in the Ballymena area.
3.William - died as a child
4. Mary - did not marry
5. Anna - did not marry
6. Louisa - did not marry
7. Robert - I think he may have married and had children so my aim is to find them , here in Australia
8. Harry - not sure about him
9. George - he came to Australia but died , I think of Typhoid 21st January 1890 , he was a clerk , and worked for the Tramways in Melbourne . I have been to his grave in the Melbourne cemetery.
10. Alfred - he had a son who was a doctor before he was 21yrs of age ....Emma states he took up mental work and became head of a great colony at Colchester, England. He died at 48yrs of age of cerebral hemorraghe and his name was Dr. Eric Randall Hull. Help!
11. Samuel Edwin - died at birth
12. Emma - she lived to into her 80's died in 1951. She states she was a good painter, did portraits and was very good at watercolours. She wrote to Gretta Rallison in the 1940's and this is where I have got this information. Thanks to Sonja Isaacson.
13 Agnes Sarah - did not marry.

I need help with any or all of this ....please

John Hull born about 1810, son of Thomas Hull 1 and Elizabeth Millar....brother to our Thomas 2 . He was born in Ireland , we presume around the area of Dungiven. Married Margaret Jane Quigley either in Ireland or perhaps Scotland. He came to Australia , according to his neice Elizabeth, with his brother James ,she said her father ( James ) had been away for 3 yrs. I have been unable to find the ship they arrived on so need help with this. If any one is interested please contact me.
John and Margaret had 4 sons , James, William , Robert and John. I think I may have found John's family and perhaps even Robert , we have the Limavady Hulls who I think came from James so there is a lot we need to know to piece this family together ...and what a story !
John and James were carpenters and came to the gold fields to make money building barrows and puddling machines ....a requirement of the gold diggers .
In April 1856 there had been dysentery in the camp due to unhealthy conditions , John would not take the cure his brother perscribed and died on the 21 st April of that year. Murray and I found his headstone some years ago and this hopefully I will be able to put on the page . Cheers Cynthia