A Breakthrough, of Sorts?

After I found Gwendoline Sargent in the Thames Star in 1896, Isabel found a mention of a 1898 marriage between a Gwendoline Sargeant and a Colin Dunlop in an on-line family history site, at a location not too far from Thames. I checked that in the NZ on-line BMD and have now ordered the certificate of the marriage of Gwendoline Sargeant and Henry Colin Dunlop. So, we have to wait a week to see if this is "our Gwen". The papers from the area tell us that Colin Dunlop was a sporting man as well as a farmer, prominent in the local Hunt Club. Mrs Colin  Dunlop also appears to have been an accomplished horsewoman, but mentions of her riding the hunt fizzle out after about 1903.

There are indications that Colin drank a bit, so maybe it was about 1903 that our Gwen decided to move on. Colin died in 1926.
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Friday 28th. The marriage between Gwendoline Sargeant and Henry Colin Dunlop, in Gisborne, January 1898, was our Gwen. Parents' names match, some fibs about age and place of birth.

Also in the "Colonist" newspaper, Nelson, in June 1895 there is a shipping report of the arrival in Nelson of a Mr Sargeant and a Miss Sargeant on a ship that sailed from Picton and Wellington. An Edward Sargeant is mentioned in Electoral Rolls, and the Edward Sargent in the 1891 UK Census does not appear in 1901, nor is there a likely death registration for him. So maybe our Gwen and Uncle Edward migrated together.

(Emily Sargent also seems to disappear from the UK records - no apparent marriage, death, or presence in the 1901 census.)

Gwendolyn, Woman of Mystery?

I have written about Gwendolyn in the Great War Ephemera blog. However, there is much that is unexplained. Just who was she, this Gwendolyn (or Gwendoline) Sargent (or Dunlop)who married Vasco Loureiro in 1916?

Working backwards from her death registration and burial:
Death Reg: Gwendoline Vasco. Father: John Beckett Sargent. Mother: Elizabeth Mary Margaret Tregonning Cheynoweth.
Burial: Vasco Gwendoline 76 years 1953 Lutwyche
I suppose we have to assume here that there are no fibs being told on the registration. The age at death is consistent with the age given when a Mrs Gwendolyn Dunlop of Australia crossed the border from Canada into the United States around 1910. Strange thing is, the Canadian Passenger Lists 1865-1935 have a Gwendoline Sargent arriving there in a year that I cannot access because my subscription is for England and Australian records. If she arrived as Sargent and crossed the border as Dunlop, does that mean she married Mr Dunlop in Canada?

Peeking into FreeBMD, we find two possible births for John Beckett Sargent, both in Liskeard.
Births Jun 1868
SARGENT, John Beckett. Liskeard Vol.5c page 80
Births Sep 1871
SARGENT, John Beckett. Liskeard Vol.5c page54

However, the deaths for the same general period rule out these two names, as do the dates of birth which are too late for someone fathering a person born in 1877. One or both could be Gwendolyn's brother.

Deaths Sep 1868
Sargent, John Beckett. aged 0 Liskeard Vol. 5c page 38
Deaths Jun 1872
Sargent, John Beckett, aged 0 Liskeard Vol.5c page 47
Deaths Sep 1876
Sargent, John Beckett. aged 2 Liskeard Vol.5c page 43
Deaths Mar 1881
Sargent, John Beckett. aged 35 Liskeard Vol.5c page 49
This latter death is interesting, as it is of a person of an age consistent with being the father of Gwendolyn.

There is a very definitive death registration for Elizabeth Mary Sargent, born about 1845, giving the full name as per Gwendolyn's death registration:
Deaths Dec 1893
Sargent, Elizabeth Mary M T. aged 48 Liskeard Vol.5c page39

This supplied enough 'ammunition' to delve into the Census Records.

UK Census 1891, at Church Street, Liskeard.
Elizabeth Sargent, head, widow, 45, Hotel Keeper, born Liskeard
Marion Sargent, daughter, single, 25, Assistant, born Liskeard
Emily Sargent, daughter, single, 20, Scholar, born Liskeard
Gwendoline Sargent, daughter, , 12, Scholar, born Liskeard
Edward Sargent, brother-in-law, single, 48, Share Broker, born Liskeard
(This Edward is Charles Edward Sargent, born June Quarter 1842.)

Going back to FreeBMD with this new information:
Births Dec 1846
Chynoweth, Elizabeth Mary Margaret Tregoning. Liskeard Vol.9 page 180

Births Jun 1877
Sargent, Jane Gwendoline. Liskeard Vol.5c page 63

UK Census 1881, at Castle Street, Liskeard.
Elizabeth Sargent, head, widow, 35, no occupation, born Liskeard
Marion Sargent, daughter, unmarried, 15, Scholar, born Liskeard
Emily Sargent, daughter, , 11, Scholar, born Liskeard
Gwendoline Sargent, daughter, 3, , born Liskeard
Edward Sargent, brother-in-law, unmarried, 38, Stock and Share Broker, born Liskeard
Jane Chynoweth, sister, unmarried, 27, Dressmaker, born Liskeard.

It would appear that Marion is the Marion Delphine SARGENT who married Charles Drummond SMITH in Liskeard in the December Quarter of 1892. They can be found in the 1901 Census at Liskeard, Charles a Railway Clerk aged 37, born in Chelsea, A daughter, Lizzie M SMITH, aged 7, is also in the household.

UK Census 1871, at Polyphant, Lewannick
John B Sargent, head, married, 26, Annuitant, born Liskeard
Elizabeth Sargent, wife, married, 25, , born Liskeard
Marion Sargent, daughter, , 5, scholar, born Liskeard
Emily Sargent, daughter, , 1, , born Liskeard.

Back to FreeBMD with a good estimate of birth date:
Births Mar 1845
SARGENT, John Becket. Liskeard Vol.9 page 189

It is no wonder the marriage registration proved difficult to find. John's name is wrong.
Marriages Dec 1865
Chynoweth, Elizabeth Mary Margaret Tregoning. Stoke D. Vol.5b page 633
Sargent, James Beckett. Stoke D Vol.5b page 633

It is quite easy to trace these people back through the Census years.
UK Census 1851, at Pope's Mill, Menheniot
William Chynoweth, head, married, 43, Blacksmith, born Germoe
Mary (Margaret in 1861) Chynoweth, wife, married, 39, , born Breage
William Chynoweth, son, unmarried, 16, Blacksmith, born Breage
Thomas Chynoweth, son, , 8, Scholar, born Breage
Elizabeth Chynoweth, daughter, , 4, , born Liskeard
James Chynoweth, son, , 2, , born Liskeard

UK Census 1851, at Parade, Liskeard
John Sargent, head, married, 44, Solicitor, born Liskeard
Elizabeth Vincent Sargent, wife, 30, born Plymouth
Anne Leigh Sargent, daughter, unmarried, 14, Scholar, born Liskeard
Charles Edward Sargent, son, unmarried, 8, Scholar, born Liskeard
John Becket Sargent, son, unmarried, 6, Scholar, born Liskeard
Courtney Doidge Sargent, son, unmarried, 2, , born Liskeard
Thomas Henry Ladd, brother-in-law, unmarried, 22, Articled Clerk, born Plymouth.

The graveyard at St Martin Parish Church, Liskeard, in Grave No. 27879 contains:

John Sargent aged 68 born 1805 died 1873
Bessie Sargent aged 44 born 1821 died 1865 wife of John Sargent
John Beckett Sargent aged 35 born 1846 died 1881 son of John Sargent

(Note: I requested a photo of this headstone, and overnight the owner of the relevant website contacted me to say that Isabel requested this photo last year. I think you call that "independent verification".)

So, there is Gwendolyn/Gwendoline's early life sorted out. We know a lot about her up to 1891.


What happened after, say, 1893 when her mother passed away?

Overnight Research: I stumbled upon a reference to Gwendoline Sargent, barmaid at the Royal Hotel, Thames, New Zealand in an April 1896 court report in the Thames Star. So, did our Gwendoline arrive here in Australia via New Zealand?

Vasco Urbano Loureiro, A Potted History of the Man and his Family.

1881 - Artur Loureiro, born Oporto, Portugal, marries Marie Therese Huybers in Lambeth District, London.
1882 - Vasco Urbano Loureiro born in Lambeth District, London (Brixton).
1884 - Arthur (Artur), Marie and Vasco Loureiro arrive in Melbourne in September on the "South Australian".
1885 - Arthur, Marie and Fauvette Loureiro recorded as being in Tasmania - Fauvette Loureiro's christening.
1896 - Inez Loureiro born in Melbourne.
1901 - Arthur returns to Europe.
1897 - "Tasma" (Jessie Catherine Couvreur, formerly Forbes, nee Huybers), older sister of Marie Therese, dies in Brussels.
1906 - Vasco Loureiro in Sydney, 'working' the sketching opportunities on the Sydney Harbour Ferries.
1906 - December. Vasco Loureiro travels to New Zealand. Does he meet Gwendolyn there?
1907 - Marie Therese Loureiro dies.
1907 - Vasco Loureiro sets out on his "Around the World on a Pencil" trip.
1907 - Vasco Loureiro arrives in New York (Ellis Island) on the "Cedric" in October.
1908 - Charlotte Huybers, mother of Marie Therese, dies in Hobart.
1909 - Vasco Loureiro at the Panama Canal.
1910 - Vasco Loureiro residing in Livermore, California, sketching in the Hub Saloon.
1911 - Renee Fauvette Erdos, daughter of Fauvette Loureiro and Philippe Erdos, born (3rd January) at High Cross, Colpetty, Colombo, Ceylon.
1913 - December? Vasco Louriero (and Gwendolyn Dunlop) arrive back in Melbourne.
1914 - April. Vasco Loureiro and Gwendolyn arrive in Brisbane from Melbourne and Sydney.
1915 - Inez Loureiro and Philippe Erdos die of Spanish Influenza at 35 Southlands Road, Bromley, Kent.
1916 - Louis Vasco Loureiro marries Gwendolyn Sargent in Brisbane.
1916 - Vasco Loureiro enlists under the name Louis Vasco and trains at Fraser's Paddock, Brisbane, with the 11th Field Coy Engineers. Embarks from Sydney in November 1916.
1917 - Louis Vasco arrives in Davenport, 30th January. Marched in to France 16th May.
1918 - Louis Vasco dies of meningitis following wounds, 3rd August at Napsbury Hospital and buried in Soldier's Corner, Hatfield Cemetery, St. Albans. Buried as L V Loureiro, a.k.a. Louis Vasco .
1925 - Gwendolyn Vasco in Darwin.
1926 - Gwendolyn Vasco in Sydney.
1932 - Artur Loureiro dies.
1953 - Gwendolyn Vasco dies and is buried in Lutwyche Cemetery, Brisbane, in an unmarked grave.

(Further details to be filled in when the spirit takes me.)

The only images of Vasco Loureiro that I know of are the self caricatures held by the New South Wales State Library, two of which are reproduced in  Ann Homan's book. They show a rather impish face, no doubt exaggerated by the artist.

My Vasco

My Vasco comes to me courtesy of my grandfather, Sgt. Samuel John Drew, of the 29th Battery, 8th Field Artillery and later the 42nd, 44th and 43rd Infantry Batallions. Unike other Vasco caricatures, mine is reproduced in negative on a glass plate. I do not know whether this photographic work was done by my grandfather - he certainly knew how to do it - or by someone else and grandfather acquired the plate later.

It depicts someone called Les, other details lost in time, and was created at Fraser's Paddock, one of the camps that made up Enoggera Army Camp. It was at Fraser's, in 1916, that Vasco's company of Engineers was camped while in training. Grandfather was also at Enoggera Camp at that time. The Australian War Museum has some photographs of the Engineers' encampment at Fraser's. One such photograph shows the 'tent city'. Another shows men marching near another style of tent. Patient searching of the Australian War Memorial's photograph collection will reveal other photos of Enoggera Camp and the Field Companies, Engineers, in action. Unfortunately, these do not include a photograph of Vasco himself.

The New South Wales State Library has another Vasco sketch of a "Les":
69. `Les' from Ashfield, 1916 but whether it is the same Les is something that needs to be checked out. The library also has another sketch using the C J Dennis quote "Could you keep one down?":
136. Our boatswain's mate - `Could you keep one down?' 1917 [caricature]
so it is obvious that Vasco would re-work a theme when it suited the subject.

The quote "Could you keep one down" is, of course, from the pen of C.J.Dennis and applied to Australian Soldiers in his work Digger Smith, specifically VII. A Digger's Tale. A similar quote appears in The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke. However, the Digger Smith quote was not published until 1918, whereas The Sentimental Bloke was published in 1915. Or maybe the saying was just in general circulation.

Welcome to the Vasco Club

What is the Vasco Club? 

To be completely honest it is just a little silliness on my part, prompted by the fact that Vasco was taking over my Great War Ephemera blog.

How do you become a member of the Vasco Club?

A full member of the Vasco Club is deemed to be anybody who has a caricature drawn by Vasco Urbano Loureiro, also known in the last few years of his life as Louis Vasco. There are no membership fees. There are no benefits, either, apart from the joy of owning a Vasco sketch and being able to contact other Vasco owners.

An associate member of the Vasco Club is deemed to be anyone who has an interest in the life, times and/or works of Vasco Urbano Loureiro, his father Artur Loureiro, or in any member of the wider Loureiro family.

Just drop a comment here, stating your eligibility. A link to a scanned copy of your Vasco would be icing on the cake.


Who is currently a full member of the Vasco Club and why?

1. Me, by owning a caricature of "Les at Frasers" collected by my Grandfather.
2. Alison Miller, author of Death Sat on a Pale Horse (Midland Heritage Press), by owning a caricature dated 1906 of "Stevo", her father Harold 'Hal' Stephens, done on a Sydney Harbour ferry.
3. Tamara, by owning a caricature of her great-grandfather "Moss", France, Christmas 1917.
4. The Town of Livermore, California, by possessing some 40 caricatures produced in 1910 and reproduced in Anne Homan's book Vasco's Livermore, 1910 - Portraits from the Hub Saloon (Hardscratch Press).
5. State Library of Victoria, by owning a collection of postcards from the Meet Me, Boarding House and  Tarts series plus a couple of personal caricatures.You can find these by a search on his name at Picture Australia.
6. State Library of New South Wales, by owning over 200 works, mostly from the World War One period. Unfortunately, these are not viewable on-line.The two reproduced (self caricatures) in Anne Homan's book are wonderful and whimsical; one dates from only a short time before Vasco's death.
7. Someone who has displayed a Vasco Australian Rules player card on-line on an AFL footy card webpage.
8. Australian War Memorial, an honorary member because it has Vasco's effects sent back to Australia after his death and possibly some of his sketches.
9. J S Battye Library of West Australian History, by owning an undated “ Pencil caricature, man in felt hat, Vasco Loureiro.” 

Who might be a member of the Vasco Club?

1. Whoever came into the possession of the Vasco caricatures of early 20th Century "bohemians" of Melbourne that once graced the walls of Fasoli's. I do so hope that these survived.
2. Anyone whose ancestor (usually male) travelled on a Sydney Harbour Ferry in 1906 and was willing to pay a shilling for a sketch.
3. Anyone whose ancestor was a WW1 soldier at Fraser's Paddock, on the ship with Vasco to France, or served with him in France.
4. Postcard collectors. Series: Boarding House, Tarts of ..., Meet me at the ..., Australian Rules Football cards.

Who is currently an associate member of the Vasco Club?

1. Isabel, who is known to be researching the Loureiro family. Note: Isabel has offered to be Honorary Translator of Portuguese. She could possibly also be a full member, by virtue of a sketch from Panama where Vasco was known to be around or just before 1910.

Upcoming posts: My Vasco, The Story of Vasco, The Adventures of  Gwendolyn, and more

So, let us see what comes out of the woodwork.