Stories of Amy Jane Barrows

Immediatly after their wedding, in January 1907, Amy and Frank travelled by train and boat to Launceston, Tasmania, where they lived at what is now 1 Gorge Road, Trevallyn; in those days the address was just "Trevallyn Road".
Their house was listed in the Post Office Directories of the time, as the last on the right before the intersection of Trevallyn Road with Trevallyn Terrace, Creek Rd.
Today, 1999, Creek Road is called Gorge Road and Trevallyn Tce is now Bain Terrace. Mr Bain was the next door neighbour of Amy & Frank.
They lived there 1907 to 1911 inclusive. Frank was chief assistant at the Charles Street School. Two children were born to them while living in Launceston.

(Source - Post Office Directories 1907 to 1911)

Background information about Launceston at the time when Frank and Amy lived there.

In 1907 the population of Launceston was 23,000. The population of Trevallyn was 529, 251males and 278 females.

There was steam communication with Melbourne almost daily and bi-weekly with Sydney.

The Mayor's report of 1909 talked about the proposed tramway system for Launceston.
By early 1911 there was a tram up Trevallyn Road as far as Creek Road, so there was a stop just outside their house.

At that time Marasmus was the biggest single cause of death for infants in Launceston.
During 1909 seven out of seventy seven infant deaths between 2 and 8 months old were caused by it.

Infectious diseases notified during the previous year were Enteric Fever (Typhoid) 116, Diphtheria 24, Puerperal Septic (blood poisoning during childbirth) 2, Pulmonary Tuberculosis 7.

Causes of death over the years 1905 to 1909 were:-

From Ruth Payne nee Gratton, Dec 1999:

Grandma Barrows (Lucy) visited her daughter, Amy, and son in law Frank Gratton in Launceston sometime during the years they lived there, 1907 to 1911. She sent postcards to her grandson, Walter Parkes, showing Trevallyn as it was then. Grandma died in 1915 while she was staying with Amy and Frank in Adelaide. They lived at 40 Eton Street, Malvern since returning to SA from Tasmania. Amy and Frank named both the houses in Launceston and Malvern "Lymer" which was Frank's mother's maiden name.

In 1923 they moved to 33 Marine Parade, Seacliff, to a house named "Al Keri Li", meaning "Sunset Light".

Amy was called "Narnie" by all her grandchildren. Ruth believes that Peter decided to call her that when he was a small boy. He lived with her a lot at the time, as Reg, his Dad, was sick and Rose, his Mum couldn't cope.

In Launceston, in Jan 1907, she lived at Trevallyn Road, Trevallyn, Tasmania, Australia;
the address today, 2000, is 1 Gorge Road, Trevallyn.