George Janes was born in 1829 in Dunstable, England. He married Mary Ann Dunton on 4.5.1854 in London. Together with their two sons, William (born 1853) and Reuben (born 1856), they left Southhampton, England on 4.5.1857 and arrived in Sydney on 23.6.1857.

They lived on the lower north shore after arrival. The family increased by 6, Elizabeth 1858, Julia 1861, Lydia 1863, Jane 1865, George Jnr. 1867 and Mary Ann 1869. These children were baptised at St. Thomas’s Church, North Sydney. Later they settled further north and built a house at 2 Orchard Street, Chatswood.

The property was large and included a brick kiln. George was a brick maker and labourer. A portion of the estate was sold to the Government to allow the north shore railway line to be built.

The family had connections with the Wesleyan Church, Pacific Highway and Mowbray Road, Chatswood (near their home) and also St. Stephen’s Church, Mowbray Road and Sydney Street, Willoughby.

Two girls, Elizabeth and Julia died young, but the rest of the family, married and had large families. Many of the family stayed in and around the Chatswood and Willoughby district. After the death of Reuben Janes in 1890 his wife Sarah remarried and moved to the Morpeth and Maitland district. Jane Janes married Charles Strong in 1882 and a short time later they moved with their children to South Melbourne.

This new publication provides additional information on all the families and some articles show the tragedies some families had to confront, especially the cause of death of children. Photographs included have not been previously published.

My mother Emily Mildred Herring celebrated her 100th birthday on 9th June, 2017. How wonderful! No one else in the family has achieved this milestone.

I wanted to commemorate this achievement and her long life so I have included some articles and photographs of her 90th and 100th birthday celebrations. Included is the letter she received from Queen Elizabeth II along with a lovely photograph of the Queen herself. The last page of the book is a family photograph taken on the 100th birthday celebration at Castle Hill, NSW.

The Janes family have been true pioneers of the Willoughby area. The men worked hard in their professions many of which were labour intensive. The women showed their true grit by dealing with sickness and death in some instances, limited medical help and lack of modern conveniences.

We owe them a great debt.

I hope you enjoy this publication showcasing over 160 years of history on the Janes Family. It has been wonderful being able to add so much information on our family with access to many records on the Internet and Google now available to us.

COST: $120.00 (includes postage throughout Australia)
Available from author – send postal note to:
Mrs. Catherine Williams, PO Box 4, CAIRNS, QLD. 4870
Enquiries: Email the author