Ancestors Profile Photos Index for SWINNERTON

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Eva Swinnerton was born at 51 Lowther Street in Liverpool on 20 November 1902. She was baptised at St.Peter's church on 14 December the same year.

By the time the census of 1911 was taken the family had moved to 101 Ponsonby Street in Liverpool which would remain the family home. Eva's education was at Tiber Street school which she left in 1916 at at the age of fourteen. After school, Eva found employment as a Domestic Servant. Her name has not been found in the 1921 census.

In August 1924 she decided to emigrate to Australia but before she went she had a photograph taken with all her brothers and sisters. The passenger list shows that she embarked at London then sailed 3rd class for Brisbane on Australian Commonwealth Line ship Esperance Bay. It is thought that she may have worked her passage due to not having enough money to pay for the voyage. She continued in Demestic Service in Australia but was treated quite harshly there.

Eva was living in Manly when she married John Herbert Dugdale Pottage at the Methodist church at 139 Castlereagh Street in Sydney on 14 April 1927. Son Frankie was born the following year. The family took up a wandering life as croppers, living and travelling in an old gipsy caravan.

In 1934, Eva made the trip to England with her son Frankie, sailing from Brisbane aboard the Aberdeen and Commonwealth ship Hobsons Bay and arriving in Hull on 30 March. She and Frankie returned aboard Orama which departed London on 27 October the same year. She visited England again in 1951, staying with her sister Emmie in Menlove Gardens. Returning home, she left London aboard the P & O ship Strathmore and arrived in Sydney on 1 March.

In 1954 Eva and her husband were living at 46 Welsford Street in the Shepparton district of Sydney. In 1958 they were at 62 Clarke Street in Narrabeen district. Herbert died in 1959 when the couple were living at 15 Upper Gilbert Street in Manly. Eva is shown at 25 Stewart Avenue in South Curl Curl and at 22 Stewart Avenue in 1968. After her husband died, she rented the bungalow out during which time she made a home for herself in the garage.

Eva came over by aeroplane in 1972 and stayed for a year, visiting her family at their homes throughout the country. She was endlessly praising the virtue of the weather in Australia and saying that she could not understand why anyone would want to live in England as it was so cold and grey. Eventually her sister Edie suggested she ought to go back there.

The electoral registers of 1977 show Eva living at 23 Stewart Avenue, South Curl Curl. She died in Australia in 1976, leaving a bequest to her sisters Emmie and Edie.