My maternal 2nd great grandfather John Bede Murphy was born in Australia in 1851 in the Shoalhaven District, but his parents are both thought to have been from Ireland. John married Rebecca Gertrude Cassidy in 1880 and the couple had seven children.

His father James Murphy was from Ballydonfin/Ballynastraw, Glenbrien, Wexford, Ireland and emigrated to Australia in 1810. 

John’s mother Elizabeth Bateman or Kennedy is more of a mystery woman, believed to be from Limerick.  Her parents were Henry Bateman (a sea captain, probably English) and Maria Alphonso believed to be Spanish descent. The family story suggests Maria was a Castilian of noble birth. Elizabeth emigrated to Australia in 1841 with others by the name of Kennedy and Fitzgerald from Kildimo, County Limerick.

For more information:

• For more detail about Johns life, see his biography page at Wikitree:
• Click on the links in the pedigree shown above to go directly to each ancestors biography page at Wikitree;
• To view a tree showing up to 254 ancestors, including locations, click here;
• Access a list of John’s ancestral surnames here;
• If you have a subscription, you can also view the tree at Ancestry.

Projects relating to my maternal grandfathers family:

• Murphy line: ‘Murphy’s of Glenbrien‘.