Arthur Aspinall - Background and Family

Background and Family

Arthur was born in Southowram, West Riding of Yorkshire, England and died in Turramurra, a suburb of Sydney, NSW, Australia. His ashes are interred in the family grave at the South Head Cemetery, Waverley. His family left Southowram in 1851 and settled in Aston-under-Lynne, Lancashire (about 20 km east of Manchester). He came to Australia in 1857 with his parents, John Aspinall and Sarah (née Ingham) and siblings (including Albert), aboard the Mary Ann. The family lived at 9 Arundel Terrace, Parramatta Road, Bishopthorpe, opposite Sydney University. In 1877 he married Helen Strahorn (daughter of pastoralist John Strahorn of Wandoo Wandong station, Obley, NSW). They had seven children the first two of whom, possibly twins, were never registered and died very young. The other five children became doctors, with his daughter Jessie Aspinall becoming the first female junior medical resident at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

After his retirement Arthur and his family still living at home moved to St Killians, 6 Challis Avenue, Potts Point (named after the original building of The Scots College in Bellevue Hill). His wife died during a trip to England in 1915. About 1919 Arthur moved to Eastwood for a short period, leaving his daughter, Jessie, and family to continue to live in the house for many years. In the early 1920s Arthur bought a house and 5 acres (20,000 m2) of land at Trentino Avenue, Turramurra, a property which remained in the family for many years. Arthur named the property "Morita" after his Japanese live-in servant. Eventually Arthur developed senility from which he died. In his confused state of mind he destroyed many of his personal papers and documents of archival value to both the Church and to the Historical Society of New South Wales of which he was a founding member.

When Arthur entered Camden College he was a member of the congregation of the Pitt Street Congregational Church, Sydney.