My family tree

The following is an extract from a history of Henry Truelove by Joan Truelove of "Elmavale" Illabo NSW. Joan is the youngest daughter of Harry Truelove, Henry's eldest son.

Harry Truelove, the oldest son of Henry and father of the present Illabo Truelove family was born in Bendigo in 1866 and was a lad of about 11 when his parents and family came to Cunjigong. For a short time he, and possibly his elder sisters Kate and Sarah Ann attended a school run by the Miss's Wards at Cunjigong.
Soon Harry was on the job of delivering bread and supplies to railway workers along the line, at first not infrequently getting lost in the rough bush ! This delivery he continued to do after the family moved to the quarry and kiln site west of Illabo.
For some time Harry was a volunteer in the Murrumbidgee Light Horse Militia.
Harry moved out on his own and went into the baking business in Junee. Later in the early 1900s, he began a new enterprise - he bought a threshing machine with which he worked on a contract basis for district farmers. He settled to farming about 1901 -3 when he bought 378 acres (160 hectares) from a Mr McDonald. This was the beginning of "Elmavale", named for his eldest daughter, Anne Elma.
On the 13th September 1903, Harry married Mary Ann Rebecca (Polly) Nicholls of "Willie Ploma", Gundagai. They reared a family of seven, Anne, James, Harry, Don, Joyce, Fred and Joan, all of whom attended the Illabo school for their primary education.
Over the next 15 to 20 years Harry purchased 107 acres (50 hectares) from Joe White, 288 acres (140 hectares) from a sub-division of "Bethungra Park", then owned by Westmacott and finally 320 acres (150 hectares) from Robert Hamilton in the early 1920s.
Harry died in 1949 at the age of 83 and his wife Polly lived until 1964. Both were buried in the Illabo cemetery.

Harry Trueloves Record.