The marriage of James Oswald Woodlands and Margaret Essie Gersbach - 09 August 1919

It's 98 years since a 27 year old grocer from Stanmore married a 27 year old saleswoman also from Stanmore.  Yes, on 09 August 1919, James Oswald (Jim) Woodlands married Margaret Essie (Essie) Gersback at St Michael's Catholic Church in Stanmore.  

On the marriage registration, Jim shows his parents as James Woodlands, a baker, and Agnes Cahill.  Essie shows her parents as Francis Gersbach, a collector, and Margaret Killion, deceased. 

The witnesses at the wedding were Ettie Kane and Irene Gersbach, Essie's sister.  "Auntie Ettie" is very familiar to me amongst all the visitors to my "Grandma Woodie's"  home at 14 Yeo Street Neutral Bay.  She was a friend and not relative of Jim and Essie.  

Jim has enlisted in the First World War on 29 May 1917 in Newcastle and had been discharged on 23 June 1919 in Sydney.  I've wondered how long Jim and Essie knew each other before the marriage and whether Jim was a boarder in the Gersbach home at 19 Northumberland Street Stanmore.

On 09 April 1919, it's recorded in the local Newcastle newspaper that-

"Mr and Mrs Woodland of Junction Street have been notified that their son Signaller James Oswald Woodland of the First Light Horse is returning by transport Ullmaroa which is due in Melbourne on April 14.  Before enlisting he was employed in the tramways service."

I can't find any evidence that Jim was employed by the tramways as he records his occupation as grocer on his enlistment papers and also on his marriage registration.  There's no evidence that Jim returned to Newcastle after his discharge from the army.  

It had been a sad year for the Gersbach's prior to the wedding.  Essie's brother, Francis Joseph Macleay (Frank jnr.) Gersbach, died on 18 April 1919 and then Essie's mother, Margaret, died on 05 July 1919.  Both died from bronchial related illnesses during the Spanish Flu Pandemic that spread across the world in 1918 and 1919.  Frank jnr. had also served in the First World War and was wounded on 22 August 1915 when his battalion landed at Anzac Cove.  After this time, Frank jnr. saw little active service and, following his return tp Australia, was discharged "unfit" on 10 Jul 1918.

Jim and Essie had two children - Francis James (Frank ) on 31 December 1920 and Patricia Margaret (Pat) on 07 November 1930.  Frank is my Dad and Pat is mother to cousins, Deborah, John and Robert.  Jim was Lorna Bisgrove (nee Woodlands) brother although we now know that Jim's biological father was Cornelius Bray.
Family of Jim and Essie Woodlands
Frank Gersbach, Jim and Frank Woodlands at 175 Military Road, Neutral Bay circa 1935

Essie, Pat and Jim Woodlands circa 1945

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