McEVOY FAMILY

Julia O’Keefe (Keefe) like Michael, was also of Irish descent. Her father James O’Keefe was born in Tipperary, Ireland and came to New South Wales in the late 1830s.

Julia’s mother, Catherine (nee McEVOY) was born in Kilkenny, Ireland. Her parents were Patrick (Snr.) and Catherine (nee DILLEN). She had two brothers, Thomas, Patrick (Jnr.) and a sister Ellen. Ellen married Mr. L. Darcey

Patrick McEVOY (Snr.) was born in Ireland and died at Appin, NSW.

His wife Catherine (nee DILLEN) was born in Ireland and died in Appin, NSW.
 

MARRIED - James Keefe and Catherine McEvoy

James and Catherine were married in All Saint’s Church, Appin by John Grant, Roman Catholic Church Minister. Witnesses to the wedding were Patrick McEvoy and Julia McEvoy, both of Sydney.

JAMES & CATHERINE’S FAMILY

James and Catherine had nine children - John, Julia, Patrick; Thomas (married Helen Dunn); Catherine (married Fred Higgins); Mary (married Ronald Rankin); Ellen; Elizabeth(married A.Brown) and James Jnr.

DEATH OF JULIA’S MOTHER, CATHERINE

Julia’s mother, Catherine was accidentally killed when she was only 40 years old. She was killed by the upsetting of a cart.. At the time she had 9 children, the youngest child, James Jnr. was only 5 months old. Catherine was buried in the Roman Catholic section of the Tumut Cemetery.
 

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION (1860s - 1870s)

After their marriage, Michael and Julia moved to the area north of Sydney where Michael found employment during the building of the Great Northern Railway.

By the late 1860s there was already 22 kilometres of rail lines between Sydney and Parramatta. This was the first Government owned steam railway to be opened in the British Empire.

MAIN NORTHERN RAILWAY LINE BUILT

Further north the Hunter River Railway Company had been incorporated in 1853 to establish a rail line from Newcastle to Maitland and beyond.

Michael worked on the main northern line until late 1871 during which time the line passed through the flat, agricultural districts to Singleton, then ascended into the Liverpool ranges with grades of 1 in 40 and then into Muswellbrook.

NEW RAILWAY LINE OPENED

The line opened for rail traffic on 19 May 1869 and from Muswellbrook the line was extended to Aberdeen.

The northern rail system did not link up with the Sydney rail system until the completion of the Hawkesbury River Bridge in 1889.
 

The Victoria Railway Bridge between East and West Maitland, NSW.