H is for Hotelkeeper

Henry Ponting was a hotelkeeper living at Temora, north-east of the Riverina. Ponting was originally from Bristol migrating to Australia, in the 1850s, probably during the goldrush period. His first marriage was to Maud Foster in 1858 and Henry was registered as a hotelkeeper.

Following the death of his first wife in 1882, he then married Louisa Richey in 1884, who was 20 years old, more than 30 years his junior.

Their children were Florence Amelia born 1886, my Great Grandmother, Harry Francis 1888, Alice Maude 1890, Phoebe Louisa 1892 and Lily May 1893 and at each of the births, Henry’s occupation was recorded as hotelkeeper.

IN BANKRUPTCY. (1897, May 21). NSW Government Gazette, p. 3533. 

Just a few years after Lily’s birth, Louisa left Temora and took her children and moved to Sydney. Lily was only about 4 years old at the time. Louisa had either met Alfred Petty in Temora or moved to Sydney, as she was pregnant with his child by 1898. Louisa and Alfred had four children born between 1899 and 1905. 

In 1896, Henry Ponting was bankrupt, he died on 3 April 1903 at Temora.  Louisa and Alfred were free to marry, which they did, six months later, in 1903 in Sydney.  

This is my contribution to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (#AtoZChallenge)