The Goodliffe Family of Nottingham

Thomas Arnold Goodliffe - Eldest son of Thomas William Goodliffe - eldest son of Arnold Goodliffe

Arnold and Ann Goodliffe had 7 children. Their oldest son - Thomas William - was born in 1831 and he married Anne STAFFORD in 1853. They arrived in Melbourne in October 1853  where they had three children, the oldest being Thomas Arnold Goodliffe, born in1854.

The family returned to Nottingham in 1861.

Thomas Arnold is recorded in the 1871 census at 39-43 Snig Hill, Sheffield, working as a pawnbroker's assistant, aged 15.

Thomas Arnold returned to Australia on the ship Durham, arriving in Melbourne in March 1875, aged 20. He married Jessie Glen SINCLAIR in Hotham, Victoria in 1877.

The family of Jessie Glen Sinclair Jessie was born in Paisley, Glasgow, Scotland in 1852, the youngest of the 7 children of James SINCLAIR and Margaret (nee CRAIG). James & Margaret married in Paisley on 14 October 1830. They had 7 children: Margaret 1837 Glasgow Robert 1840 Glasgow Catharine 13 Feb 1842 Paisley Elizabeth 11 Feb 1844 Paisley James 15 Mar 1846 Paisley John 1850 Paisley Jessie Glen 1852 Paisley Margaret married John CLARK on 18/04/1857. In 1841, the family were at 18 Broomlands, Paisley. James was a salesman and baker. In 1851, the family, now with 7 children, are at 8 Broomlands, Paisley. Jessie was 1 month old. In 1861,  the family were at 3 Broomlands, Paisley. Margaret is listed as a Laundress, was Head of household, and married. Her husband James was not present. I cannot find him in Scotland at the time of the census. Broomlands is a street in central Paisley, dominated by terrace apartments. The street backs on to the cemetery and crematorium. A typical scene shows a multi-storey building of small apartments. A view of Broomlands Street, Paisley Emigration to Melbourne In July 1862 Margaret and the 5 younger children arrived in Melbourne aboard the ship Mistress of the Seas. Apparently, John was not on that voyage and there are no records of a Sinclair of appropriate age arriving in Melbourne. Nor is there a death record for James Sinclair in either the Scottish or Victoria records. I cannot find what happened to James.

The family of Thomas and Jessie GOODLIFFE

Thomas and Jessie had 4 children:

Thomas died on 15 April 1921 aged 65, at 53 Donald St, Prahran.
Jessie Glen died on 26 July 1933 aged 78,  at 53 Donald St, Prahran.
Norman Oswald died on 3 September 1968 at 24 Percy St, Balwyn, Heidelberg, Victoria

A summary of Norman's life:

• born 27 February 1890 in Prahran.

• Worked as a clerk for the AMP Society (insurance company).

• Enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 7 June 1917, aged 27 years and 4 months (see his enlistment form here), service number 7485.

• Married Flora MCCALL in East Melbourne on 15 Sept 1917. Both aged 26.

• His service record shows that on 21 November 1917 he embarked on HMAT "Nestor"  for Suez, embarked HMS "Sarnia" in Alexandria for Southampton via Taranto, arriving on 9 January 1918.

• Advised that his wife Flora had died of TB on 20 April 1918.

• Posted to France on 29 August 1918, to join the 8th Battalion.

• Granted leave to return to England on 10 November 1918 (the day before Armistice) but was soon admitted to hospital at Harefield, then being attached there until 1 February 1919.

• Posted to Admin HQ, London.

• Granted leave from 17 July 1919 to 17 October 1919.

• Married Donaldina Henderson MACLEAN on 9 October 1919 (see the marriage certificate here or the Army transcript of it here). Ina (as she was known) was born at Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis on 10 April 1894. She may well have met Norman at the hospital at Harewood.

• Norman returned to Australia on the "Konigin Liuse" on 4 February 1920, and discharged medically unfit (long sighted and chronic influenza) on 18 April 1920.

• Donaldina travelled alone to Melbourne on the ship "Bahia Castillo", departing London on 17 April 1920. 

• Son Kenneth Norman was born in Paisley, Scotland on 1 July 1920.

• Donaldina and Kenneth travelled to Australia departing 14 December 1922 on the ship Ballarat.

• Norman died on 3 September 1968 at 24 Percy St, Balwyn, Victoria.

Norman and Donaldina had three children:

Kenneth Norman enlisted with the Australian Army and was killed in Lae, PNG in 1944, aged 22. His enlistment form is here, and his Will is here

Kenneth Norman from his Army file

Jessie Glen Sinclair GOODLIFFE

Jessie Glen was born 27 Oct 1891 at 53 Donald St, Prahran. She married James ROBERTSON on 8 January 1929 at the Baptist Church, Geelong Rd, Footscray, Melbourne. She was a waitress aged 33 and he was a plumber aged 35, living at 5 Tiernan St, Footscray.

James Robertson was born in Melrose, Scotland on 16 December 1892, along with his twin sister Margaret Alice. Their parents were William and Caroline (nee TAIT) ROBERTSON, married 17 January 1873. In the census of 1891 the family was living at Hoebridge Farm, Melrose, Scotland.

I have not been able to find any more information about Jessie and James. Their deaths are not in the Victoria BDM records up to 1985.

Return to the family of Thomas and Ann Goodliffe

Last updated: 30/10/2008