Diana Kupke > Canet Family

Brick wall

My great grandfather Robert Canet arrived in Australia precipitously in 1863 at the age of fifteen or sixteen when, as a crew member on board the Camperdown, he jumped ship in company with two other lads. As a deserter he promptly vanished and nothing is known about him for some fifteen years.

On his daughter’s death index reference he was called Robert O’Brien Canet and it is thought he may have gone under the alias of O’Brien and possibly worked on the goldfields.

Robert was born at 63 South Moulton Street, London and was christened, on 7 March 1847, at St Mary’s Staining Church, Marylebone, London. His parents were Zacharias Theophile Canet (known as Theophile) and Margaret Turnbull. Little is known about Zacharias’ family except that his father, Bertrand, was born around 1790 and was a linen cloth manufacturer, probably in Portugal. It is understood he never visited England and it is thought his children all had schooling in Portugal. Nothing is known about Bertrand’s wife.

Zacharias was born approximately 1813 and died, aged 37, in 1850 in Lisbon, Portugal from yellow fever. He was a tailor and it is believed contaminated cloth or clothes, which had been imported from Brazil was the source of the infection. His son, Theophile also died. Zacharias married Margaret Turnbull on 18 January 1841 at St Anne’s Church, Westminster, London. She may have been the daughter of Algernon Robert Turnbull who was born in 1770 in Alnwick, Northumberland, England and who died in 1843 in London. He was married to Margaret Morgan who was born in 1772 and died in 1857 in Marylebone.

At the time of their marriage they lived at Frith Street, Westminster and four years later their address was 63 South Moulton Street, Hanover Square, London. Their children were Catherine Honorine (1841-1909), Theophile ( (1843-1848), Robert (1845-1936), Philip (1847-1917), Theophile (1849-1916) and Margaret (1851-1907).

The only other child to have children was Theophile who married Hannah Elizabeth Bennett on 9 ctober 1881 at Camberwell, a London suburb. They had Margaret born in 1878 who married George Harrington Bovett and they had five children, Margaret (1901-1998), Louise (1903-1998), May (1909-2002), Elizabeth (1911-?) and George (1913-1944). All my information on this branch of the family comes from cousin Chris Cutting who lives in England.

Margaret Canet marries George Harrington Bovett on April 15 1900. Many thanks to Chris Cutting for this photograph

So Robert married Elizabeth Ann Montgomery (1859-1948) on 20 May 1878 at Mooroopna and they had thirteen children of whom my grandmother, Elizabeth (1880-1955) was the second eldest. The other children were Henry (1878-1953), Honorine (1882-1883), Albert (1883-1955), Rosa Honorine (1885-1965), Robert (1886-1956), Violet (1888-1889), Daisy (1889-1986), John (1891-1969), Honorine Renee (1893-1978), Charles (1895-1978), Jessie (1898-1974) and Pauline (1898-2001).

My grandmother Elizabeth Ann Canet, always known as Lily, married William Charles Dudley, always known as Charles, on 2 November 1911 at Yalca in Victoria.

A number of us Canet-descended cousins have shared information for many years but our very high brick wall remains with Bertrand. Any information would be gratefully received.

Canets and Morgans

Above is a lovely cheerful photo sent to me by my cousin Amanda which shows her mother, Josephine Rodger (nee Canet), Cecelina Morgan (Josephine’s maternal grandmother), Agnes (Sadie) Constable (nee Morgan) and Lesley Young (nee Canet).

Sandilands, Wilkinson, Dudley, Green, Canet, Montgomery and Turnbull

John Montgomery and Elizabeth Sandilands

Lovely to meet more new cousins, this time Nell and Rosie from the Shepparton area, who sent me the above photograph of the gravestone of my great great grandparents, John Montgomery and Elizabeth Sandilands. Their daughter, Elizabeth Ann, married Robert Canet, son of Zacharias Theophile and Margaret Turnbull.

John, whose parents came from Aberdeen, Scotland, was born in Downpatrick, Ireland, in 1815 or 1816. Elizabeth was born in Harrow on the Hill, Middlesex in 1829. They died in Tallygaroopna, Victoria (near Shepparton) in 1892 (John) and 1903 (Elizabeth).

It is a wonder I have any imagination at all as Elizabeth Anne named a daughter Elizabeth Anne (Montgomery) who named a daughter Elizabeth Anne (Canet). Happily Elizabeth Canet, who married William Dudley, broke this chain and called my mother Merlyn.

Cousin Lesley Canet

My cousin, Lesley Palmer nee Canet died in 2008.. She was the daughter of Albert and Linda (nee Miechel) Canet and grew up in Tallygaroopna, just across the lane from my mother and her family. Thanks to my cousin, Judy, for the photograph of her mother, Lesley, and also thanks to my cousin Amanda for the photographs of Albert, Linda and Ronald. Just move your mouse over the photographs to enlarge them.