29 August 2017 - A trip to Gore Hill Cemetery

I do enjoy when cousin Karen visits from Queensland as we always combine our Lutge family history research with a spot of lunch!  On her latest visit to Sydney, we had two outings...

The first was to the NSW State Archives at Kingswood.  Always an interesting place to visit as there's a treasure trove of information waiting to be discovered!  We looked at the Probate Packet for our patriarch, Peter Benson Lutge, who died on 17 May 1890.  Probate was granted on 07 August 1890.  It contained the signature of his oldest son, John Henry Lutge, and Peter Benson's partner in the stevedoring business, Richard Moran.  First time we'd seen our great-grandfather's signature!


Last Tuesday, we had a visit to Gore Hill Cemetery (at St Leonards on the Pacific Highway near the Royal North Shore Hospital).  How many times had we driven or walked passed it and never been inside!  We were on a mission to find the graves of Peter Benson and our matriarch, Mary Lutge (nee Bonner).  

From our prior research, we knew that it was a double grave site in the Old Roman Catholic Section of the cemetery.  Peter Benson is buried with his eight child and youngest daughter, Margaret.  Peter died in 1890 and Margaret died on 17 January 1895, aged 14.  Mary died on 25 June 1889 and is buried with her granddaughter Mary R Ritchie who was born on 16 March 1892 and died on 23 March 1892.  Mary was the daughter of Peter Benson and Mary's oldest daughter, Mary Ann Lutge, and William George Edward Ritchie.  

Sadly, any headstone that was erected has long since disappeared.  From the information we were given and a fair bit of deduction from the headstones that remain, we're thinking that the site is around the yellow flowers on the lower right hand side of the picture.  More investigation is required before we have a commemorative plaque erected to the memory of Peter Benson and Mary.

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Commencing our Lutge voyage of discovery - Peter Benson Lutge died on 17 May 1890

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We've set up this space to connect with Lutge descendants in Australia - to share stories and develop our understanding of the family in Australia and our Danish and Irish roots. Peter Benson Lutge was born on 15 March 1837 on Aabenraa, Aabenraa-Sonderborg, Denmark.  Peter was the oldest of the eight children of Johann Friedrich Lutge (Lytge or Lutje) and Maria Cathrina Jensen (Jensdr).  The various spellings demonstrate how difficult this research can be!  Equally, there can be absolute gems fall into you lap like this page from the 1855 Denmark Census. https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10258-1907202-/peter-b-lutge-in-1855-denmark-census?indId=individual-382609941-2000217&s=382609941 Dated 4 August 1855, Peter Benson, aged 17, is living at Vaegterplads in Aabenraa with his father, Johann Friedrich (47), his mother, Maria Cathrina (45) and his 2 younger brothers and 5 younger sisters - Cathrina Dorothea (16), Hans Jensen (14), Johann Friedrich (12)
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