Stephen Vine and Lavinia Ford

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Comment From Fred Mitchell

Lavinia Vine died at College Street Hawthorn on 24th June 1904, following the death of her husband on the 22nd March 1894 at Williamstown.
Stephen Vine held the licence for Butcher's Arms Hotel in Beechworth from 1874 to 1880 when it was transferred to Grace Vine then Lavinia Vine in 1881. The records are not clear from then on but Hanna's wedding certificate on 6th November 1890 describes her father as `Publican' Beechworth. Elsie Rowley said some members of the family also had the hotel at Tarrawingee which she pointed out in the 1990's, but I do not know whether it was this couple or one of their children.
Liela Mitchell's early years were probably in the household of her grandmother, as she became friends with the Stapleton girls with whom she went to school in Hawthorn. This friendship lasted all their lives

Jessie Beagley Interview

The following notes were taken by Jenny Mitchell from an interview perhaps 20 years ago
Stephen Vine was born in Camborne, Cornwall in 1829 of parents Stephen Vine and Catherine, nee Evea.  In 1851 he came to Australia.  He married Lavinia Ford at Beechworth in 1855.  Jessie said that Lavinia came out with Stephen and suggested that they were probably married after the sea journey because the single quarters were better than the ones for married people.  She said that they both came from the mining village of Pindurra, near St.Austel, Cornwall.  But the gap of four years between arrival and marriage possibly lessens the likelihood of there being an established relationship between Stephen and Lavinia in 1851.  Stephen and Lavinia Vine from at least 1874 to 1888 held the license of the new Butcher's Arms Hotel, Beechworth.  A photograph in the Beechworth Museum (May, 1975) is titled "Albert Road, Beechworth, showing the Spring Creek Bridge, Ovens and murray Home, the Butcher's Arms Hotel, Slaw Brothers' first store and early mining cottages."

Extracts from records held at the museum:
"Quarterly Licensing Transfer Sitting and Annual Sitting of the Licensing Court at Beechworth for the licensing district of Beechworth, Stanley, Woolshed and Yackandandah, the tenth day of December, 1888, Wm. H. Foster Esq, Chairman, G. M. H. Patterson Esq, G. L. Dobbin Esq."
    Nov 30, 1868:     Charles Morrison/Joseph Duncan, transfer of license. B. A. H.
    Dec, 1874:     Stephen Vine, renewal of license Butcher's Arms Hotel, Spring Creek.
        1878:     renewal, Stephen Vine, granted by H. Foster.
    Aug 14, 1880:     Stephen Vine/Grace Vine, transfer of application.
    Dec 3, 1881:     Grace Vine/Lavinia Vine, transfer of application, fee paid 3/12/81, Foster police magistrate.
    Dec 12, 1887:     Lavinia Vine, license fee 30 pounds.
    Dec 10, 1888:     Lavinia Vine, license fee, 30 pounds.

Records were unavailable immediately prior to 1874, between 1881 and 1887, and after 1888.  Jessie described the hotel as a long, low building with a main hall surrounded on all sides by smaller rooms.
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One corner room was "a big blue room lined with blue brocade.". The hotel was standing in 1956, but it has since been burnt to the ground. Lavinia used to make elderberry wine and only elderberry trees remain on the site.  Between 1854 and 1875 the present "Ovens and Murray Advertiser" building was the closest state school to the Butchers Arms Hotel, so it is likely that the children attended school there until the school moved to a new (present) site, the centenary of which was celebrated early in 1975..
    It used to be said that every tradesman who came to the hotel got a Vine daughter: Amplet a baker married Grace; Conacher a grocer married Anne; Meston a butcher (?) married Jane; and Mitchell a wheelwright married Katie.  Stephen met Catherine Martin because she was among the Vine girls' circle of friends.  Dick Roach, who married Hannah, came from South Africa where he had worked in the mines.  In Victoria (Australia) he was a bricklayer.  He met Hannah at Beechworth.

Jenny Mitchell's notes

Beechworth Museum Photograph 'Albert Road Beechworth in 1863 showing the Spring Creek Bridge, Ovens and Murray home, the Butchers Arms Hotel and early Miners Cottages'
Albert Road is the road from the main intersectio, going down the hill with the Beechworth Bakery on your right. That Creek is Spring Creek
Another Note (Not sure of source) Says Stephen Vine came from Pindurra
Butcher's Arms at the head of the Buckland Gap, Standing 1956, now gone for road - misleading in view of  Beechworth Museum Photograph. Is on the road to the Buckland Gap?
Dec 1874 Stephen Vine, renewal of license Butchers Arms Hotel, Spring Creek
        1878 renewed
Aug 1880 Transfer Stephen Vine to Grace Vine
Dec 1881 Grace Stephen Vine to Lavinia Vine
Dec 1888 Lavinia vine paid licence fee 30 pounds

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Jenny and Fred Mitchell for the input above, and to Jenny Grainger for some Vine and Ford Dates

Research Notes

See George and Grace's page for a discussion of Lavinia's origins