Museum Metadata Exchange

Names

Name PrimaryErnest Maurice Collection

Name AbbreviatedMaurice Collection

IDs

ID LocalWAM 27

ID UriOffline Only

Descriptions

Brief DescriptionA small and very poignant collection of personal belongings of Ernest Maurice. Alone in Australia, they were his sole possessions wrapped up in a bundle for return to his sister in London following his death from typhoid fever in 1891.

Full DescriptionA small and very poignant collection of personal belongings of a young labourer, Ernest Maurice. Alone in Australia, they were his sole possessions wrapped up in a bundle for return to his sister in London following his death from typhoid fever in 1891. This collection tells the less visible story of one of the many who came to Western Australia in search of a better life but never found the comfort and security they sought. Maurice migrated from London arriving in Albany in about 1890 and by mid-1891 had moved to Perth for work. He had found some success, saving enough money to send some home to his sister in London. His 1 July 1891 diary entry reports feeling unwell. On 26 July he died alone in the Colonial Hospital Perth of typhoid fever. He was aged just nineteen years. Maurice's wish that his belongings be returned to his sister were never carried out. His small bundle of possessions was discovered by historian Tom Stannage in 1976 in the Supreme Court whilst carrying out research.

RightsSome material may be subject to copyright.

Subjects

localBoarding House; Goldrush; Hospital; Labourer; Migrant; Migration; Typhoid

aptDiseases; Labourers; Personal effects

person_orgErnest Maurice; Tom Stannage; Western Australian Museum

scotGold rushes; Labourers; Migrants; Migration; Typhoid

pontPersonal effects

Coverage Spatial

TextAlbany; Brisbane Boarding House; Katanning; Colonial Hospital Perth; Perth

Coverage Temporal

From1890

To1891

Related Collections

isPartof

Dates

Date Record Updated2012-05-30 23:42

Date Created in MME2011-03-25 16:40