2nd from the left is “Jack John Edward Heneker” at work on the East-West Railway Line.
Born July 25, 1889, at Beltana, South Australia, John Edward Heneker was the son of Joseph and Christina Heneker.
“Jack” was one of eleven children, and spent much of his life in the far north of South Australia. In 1913 he married Edith May Grimwood on 23 July 1913, at Hawker, South Australia, in the residence of Edith’s father James Grimwood.
The couple had 8 children in 18 years, Jack Grimwood Heneker (b. 22/05/1914), Harold Claude Heneker (born 10/12/16), Ivy Lucy Christina Heneker (b. 9/6/1919), Mavis Ethel Pearl Heneker (b. 23/7/1921), Elva Florence Lily Heneker (b 28/9/1923), Allan James Heneker (b. 12/4/1925), Mabel Edith Gladys Heneker (b. 23/10/1926) and Lyle Arnold Heneker (b. 16/11/1932).
Whilst not a huge amount of information is known about John (Jack) Edward Heneker (at least not to me personally!), I do have some wonderful photographs that have been forwarded to me by a cousin Mr Peter Chapman, and other sources. Research has shown that Jack did get himself into a small amount of trouble in 1934 in Hawker, South Austalia where he was living. According to the “South Australia, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1927-1947 for John Edward Heneker 1934”, John Edward Heneker on complaint, charged with a breach of the Licensing Act, Section 205, at the Royal Hotel, Hawker; fined 5 pounds (reduced to 1 pound) and costs 25 shillings. Evidence obtained by M.C. Ross. Tried at Hawker on 1/10/1934 (C. 7498). [So far I haven’t been able to find out what this section 205 of the act is about so I am not sure of his crime, although it appears to not have been too serious).
Following are a series of photographs of Jack John Edward and Elsie May Heneker. I found these particulars photographs quite fascinating.
John Edward Heneker – aged 20 years
Edith May (nee Grimwood) and Jack John Edward Heneker with 1st born Johnny Jack Grimwood Heneker in 1914.
Edith May (nee Grimwood) Heneker 1913.
Jack John Edward (aged 52) and May (Elsie) (49) Heneker at home in Hawker, South Australia
Edith May (nee Grimwood) Heneker and son Allan Heneker
“More photographs to follow: all photographs from my private collection [Vicki Lovell (nee Heneker) 1916”
Working now as a nurse, I previously worked as a Library Technician at the State Library of South Australia and then Noarlunga Library Services. I was lucky enough to work at the State Library in the Archives department, which is now a separate entity and housed at a suburban site. then Noarlunga Library Services. I always loved English and Australian history, and began my Heneker family history in about 1980, well before the advent of the internet, and now of course with so many digitised records online there is a treasure chest of information out there, and it just keeps growing. One of the most wonderful treasures we have here in Australia is the Trove website, the free digitised newspapers of nearly every place in Australia, provided for free by the National Library of Australia. This has opened up so much day to day information for people searching for further information about their ancestors. I chose to write a blog as a way for me to put down a lot of information I had that wasn't necessarily easy to slot into a "family tree" as such. And I wanted to record some of the stories of the Heneker clan, and especially James Heneker (1826-1917) who arrived in South Australia as a 12 year old boy with his family. Like most of us in the genealogy community I have become obsessed, and of course, this is really a never ending story. The community of bloggers, and also Facebook specialist pages has allowed me and many of us to learn from each other, and to use some of the many amazing tools that are out there now for us to use and enhance our research. I just want to stay awake at night reading or researching or just browsing online for more and more information and I am sure I am not alone. My one wish?? Dad Neville Laurence Heneker 1929 - 1987, this is for you, for all the things you told me, and the stories you related, often when we were up north in the Flinders Ranges, at Beltana, Hawker, Blinman and many other amazing places. I wish you were here, so I could share all this new information that has come to light. And of course for you Pa (Laurence Douglas Heneker), your stories were incredible and watching you sleep out under the stars at Arkaroola with a rock for your pillow is an image I will never forget. Oh if only we had digital cameras back then...I think of you both every time I write my words and read my books. I love you both.
