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Mary Whelan was recorded in the ‘Aurora’ logbook as a 16-year-old house-servant from “Ennistown”, who could read and write.
On 23 February 1852 in St. Francis' Church Mary married Bryan Brody, from Tulla, County Clare, the son of Michael Brody.
For the first four years of their marriage, Bryan and Mary lived in Melbourne, but by March 1859 were living in Chewton, near Castlemaine.
When gold began dwindling in the area, many miners left to try their luck on the new fields, in Otago, New Zealand. In 1863 there are shipping records of a Bryan “Brodie” sailing to Otago on the ship ‘Lawrence Brown’. Also on the ship was a Michael Brodie – possibly a relation of Bryan - and James, Thomas and Michael Whelan, who were Mary’s brothers.
Bryan's sojourn to the Otago gold fields was short and he returned to
Australia to be reunited with his wife and children. In 1864, we find a “Brodie”
family paid rents of 4/- for a cottage right next door to Mary’s parents, Thomas
and Bridget Whelan, on the Moonlight Flat/Pennyweight Flat gold field. However, the “Brodie” family had moved from the
cottage by 1866.
We next find them in 1873 in Darlington, Shire of Braybrook, Melbourne, possibly in an area close to the Kororoit Creek, where Bryan was a farmer.
Bryan Brody passed away on 2 July 1873, aged between 50 and 54 years. Mary went on to live for another 40 years, eventually residing with her daughter Mary and family at 95 Lygon Street, Carlton.
Mary Brody died at 85 years of age, on 21 December 1917.
Mary and Bryan bought four children into the world:
Michael Brody born c1853
Thomas Brody born c1854
Bridget Mary Brody born 17 Sept 1856 (became Mary Sheahan)
Patrick Brody born 5 March 1859, died of Scarlet Fever in February 1876.