98 Molesworth Street

to:
Mr. Peter Hayes,
98 Molesworth Street
NORTH MELBOURNE

Dear Peter,
Thank you for your generous time yesterday, you certainly made my mother and her cousin extremely happy to be comfortable enough to enter your beautiful home and experience some of its now splendour and remember happier earlier days when their family was together. This span was over four generations so you can understand that the memories form a solid basis for many traditions that suppose continue today in each of its branches of the now family.

Mum is now 70 and the only survivor of the children of Agnes Smith (nee Casinellia) and Vera is in her 80’s and was the daughter of Frank’s brother, Harold but was brought up at “98” (as we have always called it) from the age of a teenager after her father remarried.

Anyway here is a little of the family history in regard to the house that I am aware of. I have been doing family history for some years and as we are living in the region where my family first commenced their lives in Australia I have found it very interesting.

The Cassinelli family (later changed their name to Casanelia) originated from Chiaveri in Genoa Italy.

Guiseppe Cassinelli, a farmer married Seferina Palermo these people were Angelo’s parents.

Angelo married Angelina Lavezzolo, I think they married in Sheffield England before migrating to Australia in 1858 with his in-laws John & Caroline Lavezzolo. Caroline was obviously English as her maiden name was Braithwaite.

John Lavezzolo was a wealthy merchant in Daylesfod and owned and ran the Victoria Hotel. You can still see it there today. He also had several arguments with council that is noted in many history books referring to that early period of Daylesford’s history with the Swiss Italian migrants in the area.

Angelo and Angelina had Joseph (Poppa Cass) born in 1870 died in 1954, a still birth in 1873 and John born in 1874 and died in 1876 at the age of 2 and a half. They then had a daughter Caroline born in 1877 and I have been unable to trace anything about her she must have changed her name after her fathers death I am not sure but I am not giving up.

Angelo died in a mining accident in 1877 and at this time Caroline’s family had also lost their fortune and her father had also died so I guess they had nothing and Angelina was a lost soul for some time.

The following is what I have gathered from the family over the past 15 years many of whom are now deceased.

A Mr. Leonard found an orphan aged about 4 to 6 it was our Poppa Cass and as I said he had a sister they called Carrie but they never found her. Mr. Leonard advertised for her but without success.

A Mrs Carr brought up Poppa Cass and he worked for a Dr. Black and became his coachman.

With regard to the change in the spelling of Cassinelli to Casanelia. I obtained Angelo’s Death certificate and Poppa (Joseph) was listed on the Death certificate along with Caroline (Carrie) and all the dates etc. matched up along with the fact that Poppa would not have been able to read and write at the age of 4 – 6.

He later became successful and married Agnes Shannon and fathered four children, Harold Angelo (Vera;s father), Frances (Uncle Frank) Agnes (my Mum’s mother) and Irene (Auntie Rene) who lived in 94 Molesworth Street when you bought 98 and James who we all called Jimmy and he lived further up the road around the corner but I cant remember the name of the Street, sorry.

All these families would meet at 98 on an almost daily basis, the main home, and there was a true sense of community with the horses and North Melbourne Football Club being prominent topics of conversation.

Poppa Cass and his sons ran the Amalgamated Dairy in North Melbourne and Agnes married Wallace Smith and they lived on a dairy farm in Druin and Wallace was killed in a shooting accident when Mum was about 5. This must have caused a hugh void in the family and Poppa would have felt a huge responsibility to his grandchildren and I guess he felt history was repeating itself. The family moved back to 98 and that is where they settled. My mum was the olny child to actually leave the nest and marry and move on.

The house property was divided up in about 1980 and the units (Abbotsford Terrace next door) that exist today were constructed on the connecting block.

What I remember when I was a child was the stables and climbing up into the loft and hiding with my cousins. I also remember lots of laughter around the kitchen table with plenty of lemonade, something that Mum always thought wasn’t  good for us, but this was the only time we could select what ever flavour we wanted and Uncle Frank never cared. You would sit there drinking your red lemonade and listening to the adults and there always seemed to be a constant flow of various relatives coming and going at all times of the day and night. You always felt welcome. Things did change when the old ones were no longer strong and had control of the home. The laughter stopped and the home looked sad.

Then you arrived. The laughter is back and welcome is firmly implanted in the atmosphere again. It was so important that both Mum (Joan) and Vera experienced that feeling just one last time.’

Thank you again Peter for your generosity.

The invitation is always open for you and your family to come to Castlemaine and try some country cooking.

Thank you again.

Regards,Marianne Waters.

source: Peter Hayes

Renovations works to hallway.

source: Peter Hayes

Restored Lounge room.

source: Peter Hayes

Restored Dining room.

source: Peter Hayes

Restored plaster work.

source: Peter Hayes

Completed rear garden area.

source: Peter Hayes

Site cleared ready for garden.

source: Peter Hayes

Demo works in preparation for garden works.

source: Peter Hayes

1984 before new garden.

source: Peter Hayes

Looking towards the back of the main house.

source: Peter Hayes

Previous owner, Frank use to house his jockey’s at the rear of the house.

source: Peter Hayes

Frank, one of the previous home owners on one of his trained horses in 1939. This photo was sold along with the house.

source: Peter Hayes

Sisters on the porch.

source: Peter Hayes

Sunday best.

source: Peter Hayes

Out for a ride.

source: Peter Hayes

Teaching the next generation.

source: Peter Hayes

A mothers loving devotion.

source: Peter Hayes

Enjoying the sunshine.

source: Peter Hayes

Samuel Thornton was the first Crown land purchaser in 1865.

source: The Argus 1865

If you know more about any earlier families who had a direct connection to this inspiring period home, we encourage you to contact us and share their stories and old photos today.