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Pearl Nichols, née Sternbeck (1886-1982) - Murrays Run resident. Part 1/1. Recorded 27 August 1980
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SummaryPEARL NICHOLS
Recorded 27th August 1980
Part 1/1
Mrs. Pearl Nichols née Sternbeck is of a very old Murray's Run Wollombi family. She was born in 1886. In 1884, her parents were the first couple married at the Church of England in Laguna. Mrs. Nichols discusses her family history and memories of schooling in Laguna.
Pearl was born on Anzac Day 1886 at Murray's Run, Wollombi.
1:22
Her father was James Sternbeck
1:29
Anne Thompson was her mother
1:40
Ernie Sternbeck was her father’s uncle - Ernie's father and Pearl's father were brothers. Her brothers died young and her sister got paralysis aged 40.
William Sternbeck was Ernie’s father
2:50
Harold Sternbeck, Lee Sternbeck were cousins.
She was also related to the Fernances through the Thompsons on her
mother’s side. Her maternal grandmother was a Fernance.
3:51
Murray's Run was named after Andrew Murray
4:15
Solomon, John, Andrew and George Wiseman bought the land from Murray.
4:45
Early Murray's Run residents/families were the Clarkes, Goldsmiths, Knights and Krafts.
Kraft had a sawmill.
6:44
The farmers grew wheat and corn at Murray's Run.
7:05
Frank Nichols was her husband, his grandfather was supposedly the first to come to Australia and Frank settled at Maitland.
8:05
Children of Pearl & Frank Nichols – 5 boys and a girl. They always lived in the Valley.
Recollection of early droughts - 1912 - and its effect on cattle.
Floods – at St Albans - there was water but no feed. Floods - 1893 - she was living in St Albans.
10:43
She attended school at Laguna
10:51
Teachers, Laguna Public School – Mr Duffy with 60 children.
She stayed with Uncle Ernie Sternbeck when she went to school.
11:44
Recollection of early bushfires in the latter part of winter. The farmers used to burn off to prevent bad bushfires.
12:14
Recollection of work duties on farm – killed and skinned their own meat, made their own bread. She rode a horse side saddle, bareback. She rounded up cattle with her father. The land wasn’t cleared, it was wooded.
The Drews, the McDougalls and the Blaxland had moved away in her youth. Dr Harrison married one of the Brown daughters and lived in Wollombi.
15:20
Hersel Nichols, her son.
15:30
Fernance’s stone fence near the ford. Ernie Sternbeck built it. Built using a wheelbarrow.
16:36
There were some convicts about when she was a girl. She recalls one called Smith, there was also Tom Harris and Wilson. Recollection of escaped convict. They weren't working because they were old by that time.
17:39
The Baldwins. Scott Harris' wife was a Baldwin.
18:11
Clarrie, Dick and Ozzie Harris.
18:53
To travel to Sydney one had to catch a boat from Gosford.
19:05
Dr. Harris boarded the boat but didn’t get off – became a missing person.
He possibly fell off the boat and drowned.
19:26
Stan Brown. The railway was built before she was born - her mother knew people who had worked on the railway.
20:57
Pearl recalls her father buying first motor car from Ernie Sternbeck.
Hersel said he paid £400 for it. Ernie taught him to drive.
22:44
Most houses were slab houses. Clark's Cottage was a slab house. They discuss pit sawn timber.
23:49
The wheat that was grown in the area went to Chapman's flour mill, Wollombi and sold the pollard or bran..
24:11
Ernie Willis – from the Watagans. Ernie had a store. The family was mainly all girls - 3 boys and 9 girls.
24:57
Jim Andrews had it before. He married one of the Brown girls and went into Cessnock after he sold the store.
25:16
George Brown built the store for his daughter when she married.
25:41
"Beau" (Godfrey) Stephenson used to work at Maitland Main.
26:00
Arthur Stephenson, Godfrey Stephenson were brothers.
26:47
Recording stops here.
Recalls running cattle on property
Location of Thompson's property
Early Laguna residents/families
Ted Burgess
Recalls Wollombi sporting carnivals
Gordon Williams
Neta Thompson, née Williams
Recollection of early ministers
Location of Wiseman's residence
"Lady Murray", father's racehorse
End (Tape 194/Side A)
Nichols née Sternbeck, Pearl, 1886-1982PersonJack DelaneyDepicts or Relates ToHersel Nichols (1919-1984). Recorded 27 August 1980. Part 1/1 CreatorNichols née Sternbeck, Pearl, 1886-1982Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010Date Created27th August 1980Location[1] Laguna, NSW[2] Wollombi, NSWIdentifier194A
Recorded 27th August 1980
Part 1/1
Mrs. Pearl Nichols née Sternbeck is of a very old Murray's Run Wollombi family. She was born in 1886. In 1884, her parents were the first couple married at the Church of England in Laguna. Mrs. Nichols discusses her family history and memories of schooling in Laguna.
Pearl was born on Anzac Day 1886 at Murray's Run, Wollombi.
1:22
Her father was James Sternbeck
1:29
Anne Thompson was her mother
1:40
Ernie Sternbeck was her father’s uncle - Ernie's father and Pearl's father were brothers. Her brothers died young and her sister got paralysis aged 40.
William Sternbeck was Ernie’s father
2:50
Harold Sternbeck, Lee Sternbeck were cousins.
She was also related to the Fernances through the Thompsons on her
mother’s side. Her maternal grandmother was a Fernance.
3:51
Murray's Run was named after Andrew Murray
4:15
Solomon, John, Andrew and George Wiseman bought the land from Murray.
4:45
Early Murray's Run residents/families were the Clarkes, Goldsmiths, Knights and Krafts.
Kraft had a sawmill.
6:44
The farmers grew wheat and corn at Murray's Run.
7:05
Frank Nichols was her husband, his grandfather was supposedly the first to come to Australia and Frank settled at Maitland.
8:05
Children of Pearl & Frank Nichols – 5 boys and a girl. They always lived in the Valley.
Recollection of early droughts - 1912 - and its effect on cattle.
Floods – at St Albans - there was water but no feed. Floods - 1893 - she was living in St Albans.
10:43
She attended school at Laguna
10:51
Teachers, Laguna Public School – Mr Duffy with 60 children.
She stayed with Uncle Ernie Sternbeck when she went to school.
11:44
Recollection of early bushfires in the latter part of winter. The farmers used to burn off to prevent bad bushfires.
12:14
Recollection of work duties on farm – killed and skinned their own meat, made their own bread. She rode a horse side saddle, bareback. She rounded up cattle with her father. The land wasn’t cleared, it was wooded.
The Drews, the McDougalls and the Blaxland had moved away in her youth. Dr Harrison married one of the Brown daughters and lived in Wollombi.
15:20
Hersel Nichols, her son.
15:30
Fernance’s stone fence near the ford. Ernie Sternbeck built it. Built using a wheelbarrow.
16:36
There were some convicts about when she was a girl. She recalls one called Smith, there was also Tom Harris and Wilson. Recollection of escaped convict. They weren't working because they were old by that time.
17:39
The Baldwins. Scott Harris' wife was a Baldwin.
18:11
Clarrie, Dick and Ozzie Harris.
18:53
To travel to Sydney one had to catch a boat from Gosford.
19:05
Dr. Harris boarded the boat but didn’t get off – became a missing person.
He possibly fell off the boat and drowned.
19:26
Stan Brown. The railway was built before she was born - her mother knew people who had worked on the railway.
20:57
Pearl recalls her father buying first motor car from Ernie Sternbeck.
Hersel said he paid £400 for it. Ernie taught him to drive.
22:44
Most houses were slab houses. Clark's Cottage was a slab house. They discuss pit sawn timber.
23:49
The wheat that was grown in the area went to Chapman's flour mill, Wollombi and sold the pollard or bran..
24:11
Ernie Willis – from the Watagans. Ernie had a store. The family was mainly all girls - 3 boys and 9 girls.
24:57
Jim Andrews had it before. He married one of the Brown girls and went into Cessnock after he sold the store.
25:16
George Brown built the store for his daughter when she married.
25:41
"Beau" (Godfrey) Stephenson used to work at Maitland Main.
26:00
Arthur Stephenson, Godfrey Stephenson were brothers.
26:47
Recording stops here.
Recalls running cattle on property
Location of Thompson's property
Early Laguna residents/families
Ted Burgess
Recalls Wollombi sporting carnivals
Gordon Williams
Neta Thompson, née Williams
Recollection of early ministers
Location of Wiseman's residence
"Lady Murray", father's racehorse
End (Tape 194/Side A)
Nichols née Sternbeck, Pearl, 1886-1982PersonJack DelaneyDepicts or Relates ToHersel Nichols (1919-1984). Recorded 27 August 1980. Part 1/1 CreatorNichols née Sternbeck, Pearl, 1886-1982Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010Date Created27th August 1980Location[1] Laguna, NSW[2] Wollombi, NSWIdentifier194Aloading google map....
Delaney, Jack, 1919-2010, Pearl Nichols, née Sternbeck (1886-1982) - Murrays Run resident. Part 1/1. Recorded 27 August 1980, [194A]. Living Histories, accessed 24/09/2023, https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/view/55806