The sad- and strange- story of Minnie Hughan's marriage.

Jean Gaston de Greslan, the husband of Minnie Hughan, was 14 years younger than Minnie, so when they married on December 10, 1908, Minnie was 41 and her husband 27.
Jean Gaston was the son of New Caledonian settler and farmer Joseph Maximilien Prosper Evenor Henri de Greslan( 1839-1900) and his wife Minnie Martha Beck ( 1852-1921), the latter of whom was an Australian, born in Maitland, NSW. Jean Gastons's father farmed at Dumbea, and it was from here that he and Minnie were married.
I would like to think that Minnie found some happiness in the short time that she and Jean Gaston were married, for only three years were to pass before he abandoned her.
A lovely descendant of Jean Gaston de Greslan named Lise Cuvilliez made contact with me, and through sharing information some of the gaps in Minnie's life have been filled in.
It seems as though Jean Gaston de Greslan deserted his wife Minnie in 1911-12, and left for Madegascar. Without divorcing Minnie, once in Madegascar he took up with another woman, Marie Henriette Ernestine Therese LENOBLE( known as 'Therese') (1882-1968), and with her had a son in 1916, named Jean Jack Hughan.
Herein lies the mystery...why on earth would Jean Gaston's son be given the surname "Hughan"??? He was illegitimate, but that still does not explain why a child would be given the name of the father's first estranged wife!! Marion Ellen Hughan was actually named as the mother of the child on the certificate- I just can't see the benefit gained by anyone in perpetuating this lie.
Poor Therese fared no better than Minnie... Jean Gaston again felt the necessity to pack up and leave, and Therese returned to France to raise her son without his wayward father.
Jean Gaston de Greslan still wasn't finished with women and relationships- Helena ROCHAS (born in 1914) was his third partner/wife.They lived in Brazil, and together had a daughter. Helena de Greslan is still alive, but Lise Cuvilliez suggests that Jean Gaston tended to burn his bridges behind him, and spoke very little of his previous lives.
That deals with Jean Gaston de Greslan, but what did Minnie do with the remaining 24 years of her life? She was soon the sole remaining member of the five daughters of Allan and Phoebe Hughan, as her sister Aline died in England in 1914.
Minnie left Noumea to make a living teaching music in Sydney.
When she died in 1935, a newspaper report published details of her life, but as many of these details are known to be incorrect, it is difficult to know if other parts are factual.
The article states that she eventually started to gain recognition as a teacher after moving back to Sydney, and in about 1930 had saved enough money to retire.In about March of 1934, Minnie had moved to reside at Twilight House, Mosman, and it was reported that she had seemed "perfectly happy", spending much of her time tending to her little patch of garden.
Marion Ellen Hughan de Greslan died on June 24, 1935, aged 68. The terrible circumstances of her death will be discussed in the oncoming blogs.