Resource List thread - Inaccuracy in official records

[ThePope]

It looks like someone may have read my post from the other night (one of the many posts that unfortunately disappeared due to the "glitch" that occurred) and changed Geelong's Brandan Parfitt's DOB on his Wikipedia page.

If it was someone here thanks a lot for doing that. I was about to point out that it still wasn't quite right, as it said 24 April 1998 when it should be 27 April 1998, but it's just been changed again to the correct DOB!!!

It was WHL & me. On every Wikipedia page there is a history link, that shows every edit that's been made. Click on the "prev" link to see exactly what was changed.

A while ago I made a list of all the articles with a mismatch between afl tables and Wikipedia (will Wikidata actually, as you can't easily scrape dates of birth from Wikipedia articles, but they should match)

 

[WhiteHartLane23]

It looks like someone may have read my post from the other night (one of the many posts that unfortunately disappeared due to the "glitch" that occurred) and changed Geelong's Brandan Parfitt's DOB on his Wikipedia page.

If it was someone here thanks a lot for doing that. I was about to point out that it still wasn't quite right, as it said 24 April 1998 when it should be 27 April 1998, but it's just been changed again to the correct DOB!!!

That would have been me making the first "correction" - thanks to The Pope for tiding up my mistake!!!

Bobby Monk played for Melbourne and has date of birth 21 January 1886.
His full name was Miles Alexander Monk and his death record from Vic BDM reads:
Event Death
Event registration number 566
Registration year 1937
Family name MONK
Given names Miles Alexander
Sex Male
Father's name MONK Henry
Mother's name Susan Cree (Dobson)
Place of birth HASTINGS
Place of death PRAHRAN
Age 51

I went looking for a matching birth record and was struggling until I found Susan and Henry only got married late in 1886. Searching for births to Susan Dobson turned up:
Event Birth
Event registration number 29452
Registration year 1885
Family name DOBSON
Given names Miles Alexander
Father's name
Mother's name Susan (Dobson)
Place of birth TYABB

So - current DOB is incorrect.
1885 date also matches his enlistment record - see https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/browse/person/244524 which (if accurate) would suggest a Oct/Nov 1885 date of birth.

 

[rbartlett]

Was starting to re-work my LES ABBOTT bio on TigerlandArchive: https://tigerlandarchive.org/tiki-index.php?page=Les+Abbott

SUMMARY
Was starting to re-work my LES ABBOTT bio on TigerlandArchive: https://tigerlandarchive.org/tiki-index.php?page=Les+Abbott, and looking at Blueseum/Demonwiki/TA/AustralianFootball/Wiki they all have different entries for teams he played with.
If I combine all the entries from the websites, his teams are listed below.
Surely that isn't all correct.

I've bracketed confirmed with entries that I can correspond to newspapers.


1904 Collingwood (confirmed)
1905 Port Melbourne (Port's website doesn't list him)
1905 Carlton (confirmed)
1905 Brunswick (different Abbott)
1906 Collingwood Districts (confirmed. Permit received and played). Possibly still there in 1907 as per below post, which may affect his 'starting year' with Brunswick.
1906-09 Brunswick -Premiers 1909 (also called Pottery Workers). (An 'Abbott' is new played from 'local club' in 1906. Not sure if him. If he is still with Coll Dist in 1907 then when did he start with Brunswick)
1909 Pottery Worker's -Premiers 1909
1909 Nth Melbourne ?
1910–11 Richmond (confirmed)
1912 Melbourne (confirmed)
1912 South Melbourne (confirmed)
1913 Nth Melbourne (confirmed)
1914-1918 - ????
1919 Williamstown (confirmed)


NEW:
VFA Project also lists Abbott as playing Brunswick in 1905! Surely he didn't play 3 clubs in the one season. If it is this guy it says he was from Sale, which I don't think our Abbott was http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73254422

Be mindful of several 'Abbott' players during the 1900s

NEW: Plus no site lists what he did between 1914-1919.

 

[barrackers]

SUMMARY
Was starting to re-work my LES ABBOTT bio on TigerlandArchive: https://tigerlandarchive.org/tiki-index.php?page=Les+Abbott, and looking at Blueseum/Demonwiki/TA/AustralianFootball/Wiki they all have different entries for teams he played with.
If I combine all the entries from the websites, his teams are listed below.
Surely that isn't all correct.

I've bracketed confirmed with entries that I can correspond to newspapers.


1904 Collingwood (confirmed)
1905 Port Melbourne
1905 Carlton (confirmed)
1905 Brunswick
1906 Collingwood Districts (confirmed)
1906-09 Brunswick -Premiers 1909
1909 Pottery Worker's -Premiers 1909
1909 Nth Melbourne
1910–11 Richmond (confirmed)
1912 Melbourne (confirmed)
1912 South Melbourne (confirmed)
1913 Nth Melbourne (confirmed)
1919 Williamstown (confirmed)


NEW:
VFA Project also lists Abbott as playing Brunswick in 1905! Surely he didn't play 3 clubs in the one season. If it is this guy it says he was from Sale, which I don't think our Abbott was http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73254422

Be mindful of several 'Abbott' players during the 1900s

NEW: Plus no site lists what he did between 1914-1919.

Brunswick were nicknamed the pottery workers, so fair chance they're one and the same.

 

[35Daicos]

SUMMARY
Was starting to re-work my LES ABBOTT bio on TigerlandArchive: https://tigerlandarchive.org/tiki-index.php?page=Les+Abbott, and looking at Blueseum/Demonwiki/TA/AustralianFootball/Wiki they all have different entries for teams he played with.
If I combine all the entries from the websites, his teams are listed below.
Surely that isn't all correct.

I've bracketed confirmed with entries that I can correspond to newspapers.


1904 Collingwood (confirmed)
1905 Port Melbourne
1905 Carlton (confirmed)
1905 Brunswick
1906 Collingwood Districts (confirmed)
1906-09 Brunswick -Premiers 1909
1909 Pottery Worker's -Premiers 1909
1909 Nth Melbourne
1910–11 Richmond (confirmed)
1912 Melbourne (confirmed)
1912 South Melbourne (confirmed)
1913 Nth Melbourne (confirmed)
1919 Williamstown (confirmed)


NEW:
VFA Project also lists Abbott as playing Brunswick in 1905! Surely he didn't play 3 clubs in the one season. If it is this guy it says he was from Sale, which I don't think our Abbott was http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73254422

Be mindful of several 'Abbott' players during the 1900s

NEW: Plus no site lists what he did between 1914-1919.

The Port Melbourne website has a list of their all-time players and they have Abbott (no first name) debuting in 1903 and playing 19 games for the club, and Ern Abbott who played one game in 1910. So it's probably not very likely that he played there.

It's very hard to see how he could have played for Brunswick in 1905. He only got his permit to go from Collingwood to Carlton early in May 1905, and he played his one and only game for Carlton on 27 May. Abbott (from Sale) was playing for Brunswick on May 6 (from link you posted) so surely has to be a different player.

This 1906 article says "The Brunswick team included L. Leeds from Carlton Juniors and Abbott and Brown (local juniors)"
===============
This has "Abbott brothers" playing for Collingwood District in 1907: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/198607714

Could this have been Les and his brother Clarrie, who also played for Collingwood District?: http://demonwiki.org/Clarrie+Abbott

It looks like Clarrie Abbott went from Collingwood District to Brunswick in 1909. It would be nice to know for sure when Les went to Brunswick, but perhaps it wasn't until 1908 or 1909. It's also very hard to see that he would have played for North Melbourne in 1909.

 

[rbartlett]

Rodgers email reply update:

- Ernie McDougall.
We have noted the amended date of death. It seems someone forgot to tell him,
Beware the Ides of March.

- Phonse, now Alf (we think, more appropriate) Hayes.
All amendments noted.


- Kevin Hart
Thanks for that! Steve Williamson also didn't have the date of death, so he's appreciative too.
Col has confirmed that he's definitely not a brother of the 3 brothers Arthur, Eddie and Don.

- Lewis Alfred Jones; thank you for that. We've amended the dob to 20/12/1883
(I think we already had a dod recorded as 7/7/1960 - so that was Ok.)
The only other slight change we made was to the weight; up to 68 in a/w his service record.)

- York/Deas - no problem there. We already had previously amended those games, giving them to Jack Deas.
- Ess; yes, with respect to Round 3, 1901, we've taken out Martin, and given the game to Hastings, in a/w The Australasian.

- Richardson.
Michael Riley has responded; and I've onforwarded it. (see below)
While he's pretty ambivalent, as you can see -
he didn't say, for sure, Leopold 1900 (and thus St Kilda 1901) -
and Richmond 1903 are the same man.
So at least we can note that.
As we've said, player movement wise, they CAN'T be the same man.
(esp. with the WA 1904 reference)
Hopefully we'll have some sort of breakthrough eventually.
(Col is putting something in the Record about it, in coming weeks.)

Earlier, Stephen Rodgers told me that:
- The ONLY time Richardson is in the clearance book, is
A.Richardson
St K to West Australia
6/5/04
(ie. nothing from St K '01 to Rich '02 - but you already knew that.)

- If nothing else, at least we have points of origin
1898 - ex West Beach (St K Junior League)
1900 - ex South Yarra ( I'm doing that from the biog data; if the guys find something more precise, great!)
1901 - ex Leopold

- Col's initial reaction, when he saw the photos, was
"They're definitely the same man"
Just pretty much like you, on Post 725.

But are they?
Or, rather, how can they be?, with the player movement we know about!!

But to try to settle this once and for all, we are sending it to Michael Riley in the AFHG, who is a facial recognition expert. Col said he'll know, for sure!!

For what it's worth, he is just:
A.Richardson
(not, for example, H.A.)
on the original pages of all 3 St K years. (compiled, as we know, by R.H.Campbell)

(But that's wrong, as we know:
should be W., for 1900)

For some reason, I put down the Christian name as Arthur -
on the sheets, when I did this 30-odd years ago; don't know why.
(before the amendment to Archie)

As I just mentioned to you; could Archie, the main man, Rich 1902-04, have also been St K 1898?
(If he's not, as we now believe, St K 1901)
Well, could he?

Michael Riley's response below
It is difficult to be definitive with only two poor quality photos. I would prefer to have a larger pool of photos to work with. This can be important as people can look different in photos and more photos can help establish those differences.

In this case, my first reaction was that the players highlighted were not the same, But on consideration, I believe that the match is close enough that it could fit in the natural variation between photos.

So unfortunately I am undecided.

I could not find a reference between this player moving from StKilda to Richmond.in 1902

I note that the 1924(ish) letter in the sporting globe mentioned that he was a Richmond player and living 17 years in America (so since c1908 ...

----

WAFL Historian Greg Wardell-Johnson replied
In looking at the knowns I have record of Richardson (no initial given) receiving a clearance from St Kilda to Perth FC in the West Australian on 11 May 1904. There are also previews of his appearing such as this from WA 14 April 1904:

Perth have lost but few of last season's men, and will, probably, have, in addition, Orr from the Trafalgar Club, Bailes from Bendigo, Baxter from Miners F.C., Richardson from St. Kilda, and Wells from Cue.

So this all suggests pretty strongly that the bloke at Perth was the St Kilda player 1898 and 1900-1901, 17 games. But who exactly was he? I had been prepared to accept that that player was Henry Archibald (known as Archie) Richardson who moved to the USA in about 1907 and became a special correspondent for the Sporting Globe and lived to be 101 years old. But now I am having doubts. These doubts arise from the fact that the many references to H Archie Richardson in the Sporting Globe refer to him having been a former Richmond footballer in 1902, 1903 and 1904 but never mention any involvement with St Kilda. Here is an example from the SH 12 July 1924

Richmond club records have Archie Richardson playing 47 VFA games between 1902 and 1904 as a centreman and kicking 2 goals. Trouble is my man at Perth (ex St Kilda) was a ruckman defender as per the quotes below:


West Australian 18.06.1904

Richardson, of the red and blacks, gives every indication of being a good player, but he discounts all his work by clumsy play in the ruck. A little more coolness would give more effectiveness. A man who gives away "frees" has to play remarkably well to make up for it.


WA 28.05.1904

Richardson although at times over zealous, also marked well and played when following with evidences of good form.


Mail 24.06.1904

Perth were certainly without Richardson, whose high marking was so effective against East Fremantle


Just to add to the intrigue another reference here suggested ex Richmond player Richardson was a likely player for Subiaco in 1904 as follows:


Daily News 22 April 1904

Fisher, who kicked a few goals for East Fremantle last season, Richardson, from the Richmond (Vic), Club, and Geo. Spilker, late of West Perth, are among the others regarded as safe to don the maroon jerseys this season


I can say however with some certainty that Richmonds Richardson never played with Subiaco. There was one game played by a Richardson at Subi in 1904 but it was played by Jack Richardson who had played with them the year before as per this quote:


DN 15.7.1904

Subiaco are taking on one of their old last season's players in their match to-morrow. I refer to J. Richardson, who played with them part of last season, but discarded the game for the time being for that of tennis. The fascination, however, of leather hunting has proved too strong for him, and he how returns to the fold with renewed ardor. He is a good man in the back lines, and should prove useful to the maroon men.



So its over to you Steve. Was your Saints player also at Richmond from 1902-1904 and why did H Archie Richardson never mention being an ex St Kilda (VFL) player as well as Richmond as I would have thought the VFL was a better achievement than VFA even at that time and with the Saints being a weak team. I suspect we are dealing with some other A Richardson although I don't actually have definitive indications of his initial when playing as a ruckman defender at Perth.

 

[35Daicos]

Rodgers email reply update:

- Ess; yes, with respect to Round 3, 1901, we've taken out Martin, and given the game to Hastings, in a/w The Australasian.

I'm pleased to see they've made a change with George Martin losing that game, as it was clear that he wasn't entitled to it. They obviously had to find a replacement for him; last I knew we still hadn't found a decent answer, so I'm interested to see just what they found (in The Australasian it seems!).

 

[the croucher]

I'm pleased to see they've made a change with George Martin losing that game, as it was clear that he wasn't entitled to it. They obviously had to find a replacement for him; last I knew we still hadn't found a decent answer, so I'm interested to see just what they found (in The Australasian it seems!).

Ah...found Hastings - just a handful of lines above the heading OTHER LEAGUE GAMES
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/...imits=dateFrom=1901-05-18|||dateTo=1901-05-18

 

[rbartlett]

...
It looks like Clarrie Abbott went from Collingwood District to Brunswick in 1909. It would be nice to know for sure when Les went to Brunswick, but perhaps it wasn't until 1908 or 1909. It's also very hard to see that he would have played for North Melbourne in 1909.

Slowly making sense now.
Les Abbott did play for Coll Districts in 1907
"Les Abbott soon struck form , and showed some of his old form against Beverley"
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242556902

Coll Distircts are pleased Les Abbott back again (May 24 1907)
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242551796

Les Abbott is listed here for Brunswick in Sept 17 1909. So we know he was there that year.
"Les Abbott and Heaphy received minor injuries in the Prahran game, but will be afield on Saturday with Brunswick greatly strengthened by the fortnight's spell" http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article241966018

It just leaves 1908 where he was either still at Coll Districts, or came across to Brunswick that year.
There's an Abbott listed here in Brunswick in 1908, but unsure if Clarrie or Les. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222983525 He is listed at Fullback which was predominantely where Les played http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73259570

There's still a gap between 1914- 1918 unaccounted for, but might have to leave that be for a while until my papers are digitised.

I'll move onto my next player bio which is Paddy Abbott (I'm going through each bio one by one)

 

[35Daicos]

It just leaves 1908 where he was either still at Coll Districts, or came across to Brunswick that year.
There's an Abbott listed here in Brunswick in 1908, but unsure if Clarrie or Les. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222983525 He is listed at Fullback which was predominantely where Les played http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73259570

I did post this up the page a bit (the part you've quoted): "It looks like Clarrie Abbott went from Collingwood District to Brunswick in 1909", but I didn't include a link. You can see here that C. Abbott was a new player for Brunswick in 1909: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10691476 (2nd column, top of page)

Still not sure about when Les went there, but probably had to be 1908 or 1909.

 

[the croucher]

Slowly making sense now.
Les Abbott did play for Coll Districts in 1907
"Les Abbott soon struck form , and showed some of his old form against Beverley"
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242556902

Coll Distircts are pleased Les Abbott back again (May 24 1907)
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242551796

Les Abbott is listed here for Brunswick in Sept 17 1909. So we know he was there that year.
"Les Abbott and Heaphy received minor injuries in the Prahran game, but will be afield on Saturday with Brunswick greatly strengthened by the fortnight's spell" http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article241966018

It just leaves 1908 where he was either still at Coll Districts, or came across to Brunswick that year.
There's an Abbott listed here in Brunswick in 1908, but unsure if Clarrie or Les. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222983525 He is listed at Fullback which was predominantely where Les played http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73259570

There's still a gap between 1914- 1918 unaccounted for, but might have to leave that be for a while until my papers are digitised.

I'll move onto my next player bio which is Paddy Abbott (I'm going through each bio one by one)

This list, from The Argus issue of 18 June 1908, has
"Permits granted: ...L P Abbot, Carlton to Brunswick; ..."
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10665015

 

[rbartlett]

This list, from The Argus issue of 18 June 1908, has
"Permits granted: ...L P Abbot, Carlton to Brunswick; ..."
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10665015

Thanks.
Most likely him Leslie Pearce Abbott.
But peculiar he was granted from Carlton, and not Coll Districts which he where he played in 1906 and 07. I gather Districts not being a senior VFL side, he need a permit from his last Senior VFL side.. which was Carlton.

Edit: Looks like there was a Permit issue initially when he applied from Brunswick to Richmond, relating to his Carlton to Brunswick permit http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10859067


I think we've now sorted his 1904-1913 career pretty well now
https://tigerlandarchive.org/tiki-index.php?page=Les+Abbott

 

[35Daicos]

Thanks.
Most likely him Leslie Pearce Abbott.
But peculiar he was granted from Carlton, and not Coll Districts which he where he played in 1906 and 07. I gather Districts not being a senior VFL side, he need a permit from his last Senior VFL side.. which was Carlton.

I think we've now sorted his 1904-1913 career pretty well now
https://tigerlandarchive.org/tiki-index.php?page=Les+Abbott

Yes, there has to be some explanation as to why he still needed a clearance from Carlton after all that time. I suppose it's still quite possible that he played for Collingwood District in the early part of 1908 before moving to Brunswick, given that it was well into June when he did move.

I've had a good look for him in those "gap years" and can't see anything, so that remains a mystery (for now at least)!

 

[rbartlett]

Looks like there was a Permit issue initially when he applied from Brunswick to Richmond, relating to his Carlton to Brunswick permit. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10859067

 

[the croucher]

Looks like there was a Permit issue initially when he applied from Brunswick to Richmond, relating to his Carlton to Brunswick permit. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10859067

Well it seems it was resolved a night or two later:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10859742
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/184304910

Those reports don't indicate that there was any more discussion about the Abbott case, simply noting that the permit was granted,
so perhaps concerns that may have been expressed about the Carlton to Brunswick issue were overcome
without the need to officially record anything further.

 

[the croucher]

Have just discovered that the 2018 Season Guide has an error in the list of Stawell Gift winners on page 1197.
Harry Rigby (Carlton, Melbourne) is shown as winner of the 1909 Gift. He was CH Rigby and died in 1924, various reporters at the time making false assumption and crediting the wrong person.

The 1909 Gift winner was in fact HF Rigby of Burnie (died in Tas 10 Sept 1967)
and who is pictured here in a group portrait taken on 1 Jan 1952:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/69241446

Here too is an extensive interview with him in 1946:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/69060132

 

[rbartlett]

Well that's a turn up for the books croucher.
Even on our site I listed him as Stawell Gift winner - and that was based off contemporary report in a couple of papers. But further researcher does show that the Rigby who won was a Tasmanian, of which Harry Rigby was not.
I'll change it on my site. Can you email the Season Guide dudes

 

[the croucher]

Well that's a turn up for the books croucher.
Even on our site I listed him as Stawell Gift winner - and that was based off contemporary report in a couple of papers. But further researcher does show that the Rigby who won was a Tasmanian, of which Harry Rigby was not.
I'll change it on my site. Can you email the Season Guide dudes

Okay Rhett, will do so. I'll also alert couple of other sites which have to be updated.

 

[rbartlett]

Stephen Rodgers came back with some more info on the Ahern/Ahearn player
Keep in mind, we are skeptical here that it is even his surname, but for what it is worth here we go. This is from Steve W:

"He believes the man could be William Joseph Ahern born Cork, Ireland (doesn't have a year) married a Cath McGilligan or McGettigan married 1891 in Vic.
had children in 1896 and 1900. He was living in Coburg in the 1890's to 1900. That, in Steve's eyes, "links" him to the fact of playing for Preston in 1893 (which Steve is sure of). No death details at this stage."

 

[the croucher]

Stephen Rodgers came back with some more info on the Ahern/Ahearn player
Keep in mind, we are skeptical here that it is even his surname, but for what it is worth here we go. This is from Steve W:

"He believes the man could be William Joseph Ahern born Cork, Ireland (doesn't have a year) married a Cath McGilligan or McGettigan married 1891 in Vic.
had children in 1896 and 1900. He was living in Coburg in the 1890's to 1900. That, in Steve's eyes, "links" him to the fact of playing for Preston in 1893 (which Steve is sure of). No death details at this stage."

Well he certainly isn't named in Preston's teams for 8 July & 15 July 1893
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241460942
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241441046

and all of us searching for team lists cringe at the sight of this text for the 1 July match:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241454862

!!

 

[GreyCrow]

Stephen Rodgers came back with some more info on the Ahern/Ahearn player
Keep in mind, we are skeptical here that it is even his surname, but for what it is worth here we go. This is from Steve W:

"He believes the man could be William Joseph Ahern born Cork, Ireland (doesn't have a year) married a Cath McGilligan or McGettigan married 1891 in Vic.
had children in 1896 and 1900. He was living in Coburg in the 1890's to 1900. That, in Steve's eyes, "links" him to the fact of playing for Preston in 1893 (which Steve is sure of). No death details at this stage."

There is a William Joseph Ahern who dies 1938 aged 73 in Prahran. BDM gives birth as County Cork Ireland

EventDeath registration number4626
Registration year1938

Personal information Family name AHEARN Given names William Joseph Father's name AHEARN William Mother's name Catherine (Dixon)

Place of birth CORK COUNTY IRELAND Place of death PRAHRAN

Age73

There is a report of an accident in May 1938 that may have contributed to the gentlemans death 'Other Mishaps' http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11167967

Obit under Ahern http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11174006

If the above is correct it seems to be a 2nd marriage

Event registration number8482 Registration year 1920
Personal information Family name AHERN Given names Wm Jos Spouse's family name KILMARTIN Spouse's given names Eliza Anastasia

Of the children born to William and Catherine Mcettigan Veronica born and died 1900 , William Joseph born and died 1896 , Rosaline Mary 1892 married as Rosalind Mary to a Basil Hardy in 1921 linking back to the daughter Linda ( Mrs Murphy )in the Obit , phew

I cannot find appropriiate death details for Catherine Ahearn/Ahern/Mcettigan , Based on the below I found her death in Perth http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26865573

 

[35Daicos]

Well he certainly isn't named in Preston's teams for 8 July & 15 July 1893
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241460942
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241441046

and all of us searching for team lists cringe at the sight of this text for the 1 July match:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241454862

!!

I did have a bit of a look for that name at Preston (in 1893) the other day and (I think) this was the only reference I found: and for the losers Patterson, Stranger, Rule, Carew, Forrest, O'Connor, Ahern, Briscoe, Watson, and Smart played best.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66165300 (4 August 1893)

Edit: The Herald name him in the lineup for that game ^ here: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241466122 (29 July 1893)

And (as Ahearn) the following week: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241464897 (5 Aug.)

There's also Ahern playing for Preston in 1895: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241287754
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241288235

 

[rbartlett]

Thanks all. I'll pass that Ahern info on to Stephen.
I know here at BF we are still skeptical of Ahern/Ahearn/O'Hearn .
I suspect Rodgers /AFL will run with the info from Steve W and post #1546 in the meantime, until something else comes up

 

[GreyCrow]

Addition to the above

In the Obit it states he served in the 44th AIF the AIF page says he enlisted in Perth and gives all the correct information

Maybe look to Perth for any football/bio info

An Ahearn played in Kalgoorlie/Boulder in 1901 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article89027165

That seems to be the only football reference to an Ahearn/Ahern in the west.

 

[the croucher]

I did have a bit of a look for that name at Preston (in 1893) the other day and (I think) this was the only reference I found: and for the losers Patterson, Stranger, Rule, Carew, Forrest, O'Connor, Ahern, Briscoe, Watson, and Smart played best.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66165300 (4 August 1893)

Edit: The Herald name him in the lineup for that game ^ here: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241466122 (29 July 1893)

And (as Ahearn) the following week: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241464897 (5 Aug.)

There's also Ahern playing for Preston in 1895: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241287754
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/241288235

Well done, good digging there.

It is unfortunate (but understandable from logistics point of view) that the Preston Leader newspaper which covers the suburb's general and sporting news is only on Trove for 1914-1918. On microfilm at the SLV it seems to cover late 1880s to 1938.