Generation 2.

AHERN
Family History

The second generation

John Ahern b.6th Aug 1862 d.23rd Dec. 1935. Married Sophia Crawley & their children were........

Name	Born	Died
Annie	1886 Rushworth	1978 Parkville, Melbourne
John	1889 Rushworth	1825 Euroa
Rebecca Jane	1891 Rushworth	1966 Mooroopna
Frances Elizabeth	1894 Rushworth	1967 Mooroopna
Victor Clarence	1896 Rushworth	1966 Euroa
Clarence	1899 Rushworth	1965 Wangaratta
Ellen Constance	1902 Rushworth	1964 Fitzroy
Kathleen Mary	1906 Rushworth	1994 Rushworth

        John Ahern founded Ahern & Sons, Contractors in the late 1890’s & operated in the Rushworth-Euroa districts until around 1940. The company was dissolved in the early part of WW2 when labour was difficult to procure. The Euroa Shire purchased & continued to operate the plant & equipment.
    Other members of the Ahern family that are known to be partners, or worked for Ahern & Sons were Victor (John’s Son), Herbert Henry (John’s brother) & Leslie John (Herbert Henry’s son). It is not yet known if John’s other son, John Jr. was part of the company, but it expected so. It was on one of the road building contracts at Strathbogie that Herbert Henry Ahern was fatally injured.
    One of the earliest references to the company is in "They All Came To Rushworth" written by Val Sheehan. (Quote). The following has been taken from a book entitled 'Waranga Shire 1865 - 1965'.

This was part of the construction of the ‘Waranga Basin’ irrigation scheme.

Elizabeth b.1864. Rushworth. d.1954 Gilgandra. Married Arthur Lummis & had five children.

Name	Born	Died
Herbert Arthur	1892 Mooroopna
Gladys Ann	1895 Mooroopna
John Samman	1897 Mooroopna
Julia May	1889 Mooroopna
Albert George	1901 Mooroopna	1901 Mooroopna

On the 26th December 1864, Elizabeth Ahern was born in Rushworth & after the death of her father in 1881, moved to Mooroopna with her mother & younger brother George Michael, according to the date given in Ann’s obituary this would have been around 1887. It is believed that Elizabeth worked for some time as a storekeeper, possibly in the greengrocery business that her mother owned. In 1888, she married Arthur Robert Lummis, a grain dealer of Mooroopna.

They settled on a farm at Undera, near Shepparton. After their family had grown up they moved once more, this time to Gilgandra NSW. Elizabeth died there age 81 on the 18th June 1945. Arthur died 15th December 1954 aged 92. Both Elizabeth & Arthur are buried in St Ambrose Anglican cemetery Gilgandra.

Herbert Henry b.1869 Brighton Victoria.d.1929 Euroa. Married Catherine Florence Muller & had 10 children.

Name	Born	Died
Jean	1903 Rushworth	1913 Mooroopna
Ivy	1904 Rushworth
Herbert George	1905 Rushworth	1966 Windsor, Melbourne
Leslie John	1907
Eileen	1909 Rushworth	Prahran, Melbourne
Freda	1911 Rushworth	1911 Rushworth
Gladys	1913 Rushworth
Joyce	1913 Rushworth	1982
Doreen	1919 Rushworth
Keith Francis	1922 East Prahran	1999 Melbourne

Herbert worked for his brother John in the road contracting business & died at the age of 60 years near Strathbogie Victoria on the 29th November 1929 under suspicious circumstances. The Rushworth Chronicle printed the following report.

Accidental Death Friday December 6, 1929

Mr. Herbert Ahern killed.

Mr. Herbert Ahern, brother of Mr. J. Ahern of Rushworth, was accidentally killed on Friday last week while engaged at work on a road construction at Fernhills, some miles from Euroa. With his brother [Mr. J. Ahern of Rushworth] and Mr. J. Ahern’s sons, he was engaged in making a wad. Mr. J. Ahern and his sons went to have their diner leaving Herbert behind. A short time after they found Herbert lying on the ground with a wound in his head. He was taken to Euroa Hospital where it was found that his skull was fractured. It is not known definitely, how he sustained the injury, but it is surmised that he accidentally fell on the road. An Inquest was opened on Friday last, and adjourned for one week. The remains were brought to Rushworth and interred in Rushworth Cemetery on Saturday last, Rev. Father Tehan conducted the service. The deceased leaves a wife and a grown up family of eight.

George Michael b.1872 Rushworth d.1937 Mildura, married Ellen Jane HILL in Mordialloc & they had four children.

Name	Born	Died
Gladys Ann	1903 Mooroopna	1960 Yallourn
John Henry	1905 Mooroopna	1991 Sydney
George Raymond	1906 Mooroopna	1982 Ballarat
Thomas Naughton	1908 Mooroopna	1976 Sydney

    George Michael Ahern. Was born on the 22nd May 1872 at Crockers Reef, Rushworth & married Ellen Jane Hill on the 24th April 1901 at Mordialloc, they had 4 children. After his father’s death in 1881, he accompanied his mother & sister and moved to Mooroopna, this was more than likely to be in 1877.
    Later after his marriage, he & his family went to live in Numurkah sometime before October 1920, probably because of his job with the railways. [He was living in Mooroopna in 1902. According to John Kennedy Hill’s Obituary]. According to the information on his death certificate George Michael was employed as a railway lineman. On the 17th June 1937 he died in Mildura, Victoria & was buried in the Rushworth cemetery three days later.
   The following item is reproduced here as it was supplied to me.
    Not long before George died he had been in a rail accident on the job. He was on one of the little carts that move along railway lines by a push & pull lever. He collided in a tunnel with another such cart. At that time he was living in Ascot Vale Vic. In his usual obstinate way he took a holiday whilst recuperating in Mildura where he died.