James Sylvester Cahill, Hubert Carl Hughan's grandfather.

I have been trying to trace a little of the life of James Sylvester Cahill in an attempt for me to gain a better understanding of his daughter, Lillian Elizabeth. Thanks to the wonderful National Library of Australia newspapers site, I have been able to locate several articles that fill in important details of the Cahill family and their movements.
James Cahill was born in Sydney in 1846, and at the age of 24 he married Jessie Isabella Nash in Orange in 1870.The Granville Postal Directory of 1872 has the following entry:
"James Cahill, compositor, Anson Street, Orange."
James worked in the newspaper business, both as a compositor and a journalist. He was associated with the 'Western Examiner', the 'Life' and the 'Town and Country' newspapers. It was noted that his brother was the one-time proprietor of the Western Examiner.This discovery gave me a possible link between the Hughans ans the Cahills, as Oscar Hughan also had connections with the 'Town and Country' and acted as a journalist whilst living at Bourke. This would have put him in the same circles as James Cahill, and the two men may have possibly been friends, or at least acquaintances.

Further investigation shows that a Michael Francis Cahill was associated with the Western Examiner.I could not find records of the birth of a Michael Cahill to parents William Cahill and Mary Ann Byrnes, but that may be explained by a shipping record from 1838.
In 1838 a family named Cahill emigrated to Sydney from Cork on board the ship 'Magistrate'. They consisted of father, William Cahill, a 31 year old joiner and carpenter from Cork City; his 29 year old wife Margaret; and their four children Michael, aged 10; Mary aged 9; Margaret aged 3 and William aged 12 months.
William Augustine Cahill, father of James Cahill, was also born in Cork City, in the same year as the William who emigrated on the 'Magistrate'. He married Mary Ann Byrnes in 1845...the NSW death index has a death of Margaret Cahill, aged 37, in 1845.On the shipping record, Margaret Cahill, William's wife, was noted as being of a "Delicate" state of bodily health and strength...I believe that the William who arrived on the 'Magistrate' was William Augustine Cahill, and that when he married Mary Ann Byrne in 1845, it was his second marriage following the death of his first wife Margaret.
After their arrival in Sydney, William and Margaret had three more children:- Elizabeth Cahill born 1840; Elizabeth born 1842 and John H. Cahill born 1844.
William then went on to have at least a further ten children between 1846 and 1867 with his second wife, Mary Ann Byrnes.

Despite being the editor of a large country newspaper, I can find no other details regarding the life of Michael Francis Cahill, but fortunately his brother James Cahill is easier to track.
On Friday, November 15, 1878, the Sydney Morning Herald published a report on a "Forgery and Uttering" trial, and James Sylvester Cahill was the main witness in the trail.Two men named Alfred George Hyman and Louis Lyons were charged, on the 21st July, 1877, with forging a warrant or order for the sum of 109 pounds, 12 shillings and 6 pence with intent to defraud. From the report:-
" James Sylvester Cahill, who was the chief witness for the Crown, newspaper reporter on the 'Life', served his time as a compositor on the 'Western Examiner', of which his brother was at one time proprietor; he was subsequently on the 'Town and Country."
An earlier hearing had been held in September 1878, and the Maitland Mercury had reported:
"James S. Cahill deposed that he was a constable in the NSW police force, stationed at Burrowa. He was well acquainted with the prisoners, Alfred C. Hyman and Lewis Lyons, and also a man named William Robertson, who was frequently in their company; he had known Hyman for about seven years, and Lyons for about 12 months, and he had always been on friendly terms with both prisoners, as well as with Robertson. Some time back he rented a printing office from Hyman, who occupied a store adjoining it. He (Witness) was then a printer, editor and reporter, also publisher and compositor; whilst working at the printing office he used to see the prisoners daily, and Robertson frequently."
Also from the report: " Witness (Cahill) cautioned Hyman, but he was threatened by Hyman that if he informed "he would get him(witness) into it for perjury"; witness subsequently told Stokes the detective the whole story; at the time he told Stokes he was himself in the Police force at Burrowa; witness had known Hyman intimately at Inverell, and slept in the same room with him; they were living together for nearly 12 months; as far as the forgeries were concerned, witness had nothing whatever to do with them; he was paid nothing.
Mr Cooper severely cross-examined this witness, who admitted that, prior to giving this information, he had a quarrel with Hyman respecting the latter trying to kiss his wife."

"... When Mr Stokes came to him (Cahill) and asked him to give certain information about these forgeries, he told him that he had the choice between the witness box and the dock; witness at that time was a trooper,but it had since been suggested to him that he should resign; he was getting nothing from the banks for giving this information."
The end result of the trial was the Jury taking five minutes to decide that Hyman was guilty and Lyons innocent, and the Judge sentenced Hyman to seven years on the roads or other public works.
From this information and other sources, we can construct a timeline for James Sylvester Cahill in the 1870s:-
1870: Married Jessie Isabella Nash in Orange.
1871: Unnamed first child born in Orange.Could be Hubert Austin Stanley Cahill, whose birth has not been located in the index, but who died in 1951, the son of James Sylvester and Jessie Isabella Cahill.
1872: Greville's Directory- James Cahill, compositor, Anson Street, Orange.
1872: August 1872: New Insolvents; James Sylvester Cahill of Palmer Street, Woolloomooloo, compositor. Liabilities of 79 pounds, 4 shillings and 11 pence. Assets: 4 pounds.Late of Nicholson Street. Printer out of business.
1874: Daughter Lillian born in Parramatta.
1877: Re-established printing business in Queens Place, Sydney.
1878: Joined the NSW Police Force. Registers of Police: James Sylvester Cahill, No. 3128. Born 1848. Native of NSW. Appointed 2 January, 1878.
NSW Police Gazette: Probationary Constables: Cahill, James S. No:3135. January 15, 1878.
NSW Police Gazette: Ordinary Constables: Cahill, James S. No: 3128. June 1st, 1878.
Stationed in Burrowa,NSW.
NSW Police Gazette: Resignations: James Sylvester Cahill, ordinary constable, number 3072. September 2, 1878.
1878: September and November, witness in forgery case.
1879: Daughter Ada Amelia born, Sydney.
1880: Ada Amelia Cahill died, Sydney.
1883: Sands Directory- James S. Cahill, Fisher Street, Petersham.
1884: James Cahill, 233 Walker Street, Redfern
1886: Sands Directory- James Cahill, compositor, 233 Walker Street, Redfern
1888: James Cahill, Swanson Street, Macdonaldtown.
1889: James Cahill, compositor, Swanson Street, Macdonaldtown.
Wife of James Cahill, Jessie Isabella Nash Cahill, died.
1890: James Cahill, compositor, 3 Park Cottages, Swanson Street, Macdonaldtown.
1891: Death of James Sylvester Cahill, Picton, aged 45 years.

HUBERT AUSTIN STANLEY CAHILL:I have only just discovered the existence of this Hubert, Lillian Cahill's brother. It was through finding his death in the NSW death index in 1951 that I was alerted to his presence, as his birth is not in the NSW Birth index. That is, unless he was the "un-named child" who was registered in Orange in 1871, and who I had assumed had died at birth or soon after.
This Hubert, the namesake of his sister Lillian's illegitimate son, married in 1900:
"MARRIAGE: CAHILL-FERRIER. On January 31, by the Reverend F.M. Dalrymple, Hubert Austin Stanley Cahill, to Blanche Ferrier."

This marriage took place just under three weeks before Lillian gave birth to Hubert Carl.It looks as though "Uncle Hubert" lived his married life at 19 Royalist Street, Mossman. A Sands Directory for 1901 has him living at this address, as do further directories and electoral rolls right up to 1949, two years before his death.
Electoral rolls give Hubert's occupation as 'civil servant' for the years 1930, 1933, 1936 and 1937. For the years 1943 and 1949, it was stated he had "no occupation". His wife Blanche was always 'home duties'.
Blanche Ferrier Cahill died in 1943. It was noted in the death index that she was the daughter of Frederick and Margaret Rachel. Consulting the birth index, we find the birth in 1876 of Blanche Ferrier, daughter of Frederick and Rachel Ferrier, in Sydney.
The marriage index has a marriage in 1861 of Frederick Ferrier to Rachel Lanff. The Sydney Morning Herald has references to Frederick Ferrier in the 1880s and 1890s re. issuing of billiard licenses and him being the proprietor of the Freemason's Hotel in York Street, Sydney.
I can find only one child belonging to Hubert Austin Stanley Cahill and Blanche Ferrier- a daughter named Yvonne, who in 1934 married Henry J. Farrell in Sydney.
Hubert died in October 1951:
"DEATHS: CAHILL-Hubert Austin Stanley (Joe), October 14, loving father of Yvonne, father-in-law of Harry, and grandfather of John, Colin and Chris. Privately cremated, October 16, 1951." -SMH, Saturday, October 20, 1951.