The Wives of William McNamara

Starting Over

WILLIAM McNAMARA (1878 - 1979) was one of two brothers in the McNamara family to marry for a second time after losing a wife in tragic circumstances.

His younger brother Edward lost his first wife Annabella Fletcher to cancer in 1939 and married Yorkshire born school teacher Elsie Large in 1948.

Will's first wife Hannah Kenafacke was the youngest daughter of Jondaryan farmer Daniel Kenafacke while Mary² Lee her best friend became his second wife after Hannah's death in 1909.

Deathbed Wish

The women's lifelong friendship led to a remarkable request when Hannah suffered a deadly blood infection following the delivery of the couple's first child William Francis at Gowrie Junction near Toowoomba, Queensland in March 1909.

The critically ill Hannah asked Mary² to care for both her husband and baby son after her death. Ironically the child had been born on the eve of Will's thirty first birthday. What should have been a double celebration quickly turned to tragedy.

Hanna died from blood poisoning two days later, William Francis died from convulsions a month later while being cared for by his grandmother at the family home at "Rosebank", Jandowae.

It would take another two years before Hannah's dying wish was fulfilled when William and Mary² married at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Brisbane in 1911.

The couple had two children Sylvester William (1913 - 1993) and Anthony (1924 - 1994).

Hannah Kenafacke 1878 - 1909

HANNAH KENAFACKE was born 26 October 1878. Her birthplace was a tent beside the railway line at 130 Mile Camp near Mitchell, Queensland.

It was a temporary home for Queensland Railways construction crews building the western rail link to Charleville. Hannah was the eighth child and second daughter for the Tipperary born Daniel Kenafacke and Mary Maloney.

Railway Children

Hannah and Mary² Lee had common bonds, they were children of hard working railway families and they both knew Will McNamara who worked as a stockman at Cooindah Station.

Before her marriage Hannah had spent most of her early life living rough in isolated construction camps and cramped family living conditions at Amby, Mitchell, Charleville and Jondaryan.

Mary Lee 1881 - 1956

MARY LEE was born in Toowoomba, Queensland, 16 April 1881 and was the second female of the family to be named Mary.

The Lee family had sailed from Glasgow on 1 October 1875 bound for Brisbane but tragedy struck, 4 November when 13 month old Mary¹ died from convulsions. The emigrant ship St James was off the African coast near Libya at the time and the child was buried at sea.

Thomas Lee, wife Alice Todd and their six surviving children James, Bridget, Thomas, John, Kate and Daniel landed in Brisbane, 17 January 1876. Alice gave birth to twins Hannah and Patrick on 28 August 1876, sadly Hannah died three weeks later.

The family grew again with the birth of Mary² in April 1881, Edmond on 24 December 1882 and the youngest Alice on 5 February 1885.