Family Equiry - MOON

The Society has received an enquiry about the MOON family - John Hinton MOON (1858-1937) was at Maffra as a tailor by 1880. His father, James Hinton MOON died there in 1880 and was a clerk. John is said to have come to Maffra to learn tailoring from a relative, who we have not yet been able to identify.

One location that we have been able to tie him to is on the southern side of Johnson Street, just near the bridge. John married Wilhelmina RICHARDSON (c.1855-1947), a tailoress from Carlton in 1882. Their first child was born at Maffra in 1883, but the family was in Richmond by the birth of the next one in 1886.

However, about April 1894, John's younger brother, Alfred (Albert) Ernest MOON (1869 -1935) arrived in Maffra, and remained there, Maffra's tailor until his death. His shop, in McFadyen's Emporium (under what is now Slattery's/Cervus machinery yard) features in our first volume on Johnson Street.

 Maffra Spectator, 18 April 1894

A.E. Moon married Ellen Emma HARRIGAN in 1894, and they had a number of children in Maffra. By Christmas Day, December 1913, he was operating from further along Johnson Street, when his was one of the shops destroyed in the Great Fire of Maffra. As a result he moved back to McFadyen's, and held a fire sale.

Wilhelmina RICHARDSON has proved elusive in records, said to have been the daughter of Roland RICHARDSON, a farmer and Margaret MILLER, born about 1855 at Creswick, but this needs confirmation. Nothing is yet known of Ellen Emma HARRIGAN.

If anyone can assist with further details of this family, please contact the Society.