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Your connection with Scotland in the 1700s, and with pioneers in South Australia in the late 1800s
Jessie & Alexander GORDON - family tree & stories
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 1884 - 1985 (100 years)
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| Name |
Bessie Pearce Graham BURNS |
| Born |
6 Oct 1884 |
Hyde Street, Adelaide  [1] |
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| Gender |
Female |
| Notes for biography |
Bessie Pearce Graham was born at the Hyde Park house in Adelaide in 6th Oct 1884, three months after her parents, Robert and Letitia Burns, arrived from Britain. The family lived in Hyde Park and then Park Street in Unley, at a house called 'Wonford'. She started nursing training at Miss Hand's private hopsital in Hutt Street. While there she had an attack of scarlet fever and lost all her hair.
She didn't finish her training because he marrried Lav on 1st Feb February 1903 at Park Street Church of Christ in Unley. The two met at the Point Sturt CofC and when the Burns fammily were holidaying in Strathalbyn.
The family stayed at Watulunga.
The rest of Bessie's biography is on Lav's profile. [2] |
| Died |
15 May 1985 |
Mitcham [1] |
| Buried |
Centenial Park Cemetery |
- Bessie and Lavington were both buried at Centenial Park. The lease runs out in 2016. (Source = Rosemary Saltmarsh - email dianna@activ8.net.au on 29th Dec 2014)
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| Person ID |
I412 |
Alexander & Jessie |
| Last Modified |
16 Nov 2025 |
| Father |
Robert Williams BURNS, b. 1859 |
| Mother |
Letitia Russell GRAHAM, b. 1858, Hoxton, England , d. 1919 (Age 61 years) |
| Married |
26 Dec 1883 [1] |
| Note about marriage |
Lettie's sister, Sarah arrived in South Australia in 1884 - three weeks after Lettie and Robert. Sarah lived with them in Oxford Street and was kind and attentive to them both especially when Robert was ill. [3] |
| Residence |
* Park Terrace in Wayville
* In the late 1890s, the Burns family moved to 26 Park St Unley. They named it 'Wonford', originally called 'The Olives'. It was a good move because Robert was much nearer 'The Register' office. The house stood on three and a half acres. They kept a cow. Soon after moving in, they made many improvements to the house and added a spacious verandah. Later, surrounding blocks were built on.
* 'Wonford 2' - 15 Northgate St, Unley. [3] |
| Family ID |
F144 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
Lavington Alexander Lindsay GORDON, b. 18 Aug 1877, Torrie Banks, Strathalbyn, SA, Australia , d. 9 Jan 1958 (Age 80 years) |
| Married |
1 Feb 1908 |
Christian Chapel, Unley, Adelaide, SA, Australia |
| Children |
| + | 1. Mary Jean Graham GORDON, b. 24 Nov 1908, Milang SA , d. 23 Jun 1998 (Age 89 years) |
| + | 2. Robert Burns Graham GORDON, b. 9 Apr 1910, Nurragi , d. 12 Jan 1996 (Age 85 years) |
| + | 3. Lavington Graham GORDON, b. 17 May 1913, Unley , d. 10 May 1998 (Age 84 years) |
| + | 4. Arthur John GORDON, b. 13 Sep 1919, Algate , d. 4 Nov 2009 or 2008 (Age 88 years) |
| + | 5. Dorothy Champion GORDON, b. 17 Feb 1925, Kadina , d. 24 Nov 2017, Forrestdale WA (Age 92 years) |
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| Last Modified |
20 Jul 2019 |
| Family ID |
F143 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Photos
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 | Albyn Gordon, Elva (nee Scott) & Bessie (nee Burns)
In Blackwood about 1968 |
 | Lavington & Bessie
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 | Bessie
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 | Lav & Bessie at Mills Street in Clare in 1934
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 | At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
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 | Lav, Bessie, John & Robert (with Dorothy just a dark spot in front of Bessie), about 1927-28
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 | Bessie, Dorothy & Graham about 1930
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 | Lav, Graham, Dorothy, Ella Miethke, John & Bessie about 1931
Ella Miethke was Graham's tutor when he was in hospital with hip problems. |
 | John, Gay Burns, Bessie & Dorothy at Police Barracks
* John was based in the Police Barracks - in which town?
* Was Gay a sister of Bessie? |
 | Lav, Graham, Bessie, Dorothy & Robert in Clare about 1938
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 | Back are Robert, Jean, Graham, John - Front are Bessie, Dorothy & Lav - in Clare 1937
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 | Park St Wayford - Lettie with Bessie, Florrie & Gay - photo in 1888
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 | Wonford - 26 Park St Unley - Robert, Letitia & Bessie in nurses uniform - photo taken in 1900
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 | Bessie Burns - photo taken for uncle Henry Graham, Old Farnham Lane, London
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 | Lavington, Bessie & Jean
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 | Bessie & Florrie Burns
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 | Robert, Robert, Arthur, Kathleen, Letitia, Bessie, Lettie & Gay
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 | Robert, Bessie, Lettie & Robert - with Jean in front
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 | Sarah Burns, Joan Gordon, Lettie Pentelow, Dorothy Gordon, Bessie Gordon, Graham Gordon with Elizabeth
* Who was Graham Gordon?
* Who was Elizabeth? |
 | Lavington Gordon, Grace Burns, Bessie Gordon (nee Burns), Letitia Pentelow (nee Burns), Robert Burns & Sarah Burns
Photo in 1940s at 8 Clark St Waysville. |
| At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
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 | Dorothy and Bessie
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 | Unknown lady & man, Grace (Gay), unknown lady, Lav Gordon & Bessie, nee Burns
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| Our places
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 | Homes of Lav & Bessie - before 1834
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 | Homes of Lav & Bessie - after 1834
* CLARE - Mills Street in 1834 & 1835: This was a new home rented by the Gordons. When they first moved in, water had to be carted from the Presbyterian church up the hill, until the rains filled the tank. The tent in the back yard (Dorothy & Bessie peepoing out) would have been used when visiters came (pictured at top right).
* CLARE - Charles Street from 1835 to 1938: (Top left) Lav & Bessie are photoed in front of this house.
* WAYVILLE 8 Clark Street from 1938 to 1953: (Photoed on the right) This home was rented for 17/6 per week The family took in boarders and foster children. Rosemany Wall (foster) and Dorothy played an April fool joke on Mr Johnson. Bessie was cross and made the girls apologise.
* PLYMPTOM - 24 Neston Avenue from 1953 to 1964: (Bottom left) This was Lav's last home. He had a stoke while helping a neigbour lift cement bags. He was bedridden and died in the house after 12 months - on 9th Jan 1959. Bessie stayed there until 1964 when she moved to Sunset Lodge in Mitcham where she died on 15th May 1985, aged 100 years. |
 | Shifting the Gordon home from Pearsons to Gardners
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 | The Gordon's home at Aldgate
John was born here. |
 | Sunnyvale church in Feb 1955
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 | At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.
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| Sources |
- [S75] Barbara Regan, nee Wilson - scrap book - see STORIES directory, From Barbara's family history scrap book, Requires evidence.
- [S75] Barbara Regan, nee Wilson - scrap book - see STORIES directory, From Barbara's scrap book.
- [S75] Barbara Regan, nee Wilson - scrap book - see STORIES directory, From Barbara's family history scrap book. Requires more evidence.
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