Bit of a celebrity

When researching family history it is always nice to find either a celebrity or royalty within the family. What have you found?

I found the President of the Royal Australian Historical Society, A forensic Pathologist, A famous Artist and trustee of the Art Gallery of NSW.

Karl Reginald Cramp - Karl joined the (Royal) Australian Historical Society in July, 1910, became an original fellow in 1916 and a life member in 1918.  Honorary Secretary 1915-20, 1922-27, 1930-36, 1943-44, President in 1921, 1928-29, 1937-39, 1953 and Vice president in 1941-42, 1945-52 & 1955, also a director and Vice President of the NSW Institute for Deaf, Dumb and Blind and a secondary schools inspector from 1923 to 1943 when he retired. An exacting inspector, feared by the teachers, his style was florid, his tone chauvinistic and moralising.

Other important notes:  was a member of Captain Cook's landing place trust and the La Peruse monuments, a section President at the Australian and New Zealand Association for the advancement of Science Conference in 1937 at Auckland.  A member of Australian 150th Anniversary celebrations Council (1936-1938) and convenor of its historical exhibition.  First Vice President (1947) and President (1949) of the NSW branch of National Trust of Australia.  Karl received an OBE in 1933.

He was also past Deputy Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and accepted Masons in 1948.

Cameron Oliver Cramp - In the 1968 Medical Directory, Cameron is listed as RMO at Royal North Shore Hospital "Sydney" 1931, Women's Hospital 1932, Royal Alexandria Hospital for Children Sydney 1932, Hon MO Maitland District Hospital 1934-41, SMO Medico-Legal Lab, Department of Public Health NSW, member Australian Medical Association.
Various publications written by Cameron were "The Anti-Human-Globulin-Inhibition Test - A Simple technique", Medical Journal Aust Oct 24, 1959.  "An Indirect method of blood grouping - An illustrative Case” Australian Police Journal July, 1960.

Cameron was chief forensic investigator involved in the Bogle-Chandler murder case 1958-60 and was connected with Medical Legal Laboratory Department of Public Health.
See details of the case 

John Samuel Watkins (JS Watkins) exhibited regularly with Royal Art Society.  He is represented in the National Art Gallery of New South Wales, the National Gallery of South Australia and his work is also to be found in many private collections in Australia.  He was commissioned by the Commonwealth Government in 1940 to paint a portrait of John McDouall Stuart (Explorer 1856-62), which now hangs with the National Collection of Historical Portraits in Canberra.

He was appointed a trustee of the National Art Gallery of NSW in 1932, a position he held until his death on 25 August, 1942. 

A Convict?

In my research into the Christmas line which goes back to the early 1860's, I have only found three Mary Christmas births and four Marys who married into the Christmas family.

One Mary Christmas that I did find intriguing was Mary Cowcheral Christmas sentenced on 24 October, 1787, in Middlesex, England to seven years transportation to Australia (ref PRO-V0682 AO-0151).     She arrived in the Second Fleet on the Lady Juliana and was sent to Norfolk Island, arriving there on 7 August, 1790.   Here she gave birth to a daughter on 22 December, 1799 who was christened Mary Christmas.  Mary married the child's father Thomas Russel Crowder (alias Rysdale) three days before Christmas that same year.

[Note: Thomas Crowder marriage (1) to Sarah on 7 June, 1788 St Phillips Sydney].

Mary was sent from Norfolk Island to Hobart, Tasmania on Christmas Day 1807, aboard the 'Porpoise'(2).  I have no knowledge of what happened to Mary after she arrived in Hobart, nor have I been able to trace her daughter, Mary.  I often wonder if she survived infancy.