Harold LAUNDER (1883-1958)

Family Stories > 4th GENERATION > Roberts Launder's Family

7. Harold Launder (1883 - 1958)

Spouse : Elsie Lee-Archer (1883 - 1951)

1. Nola Irene Warren

2. .... George Ernest Edward Warren & Iris Ella Ford

3. .... .... Burdett Launder & Leonard Leslie Warren

4. .... .... .... Roberts Launder and Mary Burdett Salisbury

... Children - 1. Sarah Burdett Launder & William Walter Bowie

2. Robert William Burdett Launder
3. Susan Burdett Launder & Henry Skene
4. Mary Burdett Launder & Charles Arthur Jackson
5. Gertrude Burdett Launder
6. Alice Hawthorn Launder
7. Harold Launder & Elsie Lee-Archer
8. Ernest Edward (Dick) Launder
9. Burdett Launder

Harold Launder

Birth                  1884, July 15 at home at McQuarrie Street, Prahran
Father              Roberts Launder
Mother              Mary Burdett Salisbury

Marriage           1909, Victoria
Spouse            Elsie Bridget Lee-Archer

Residences      1903-1949 166 Lord Street, Richmond

Death               1958, June 13 in Prahran
Burial                Fawkner Cemetery

Children        1. Leslie Michael Launder (1910 – 1977)

                   2 Harold Patrick Launder (1912 – 1922)

                   3 Patrick Launder (1914 – 1914)

Elsie Bridget Lee-Archer

Birth                 1883, October 16 in Horton, Tasmania
Father              John Lee-Archer (1842 - 1907)
Mother              Mary Ann Lyons (1842 – 1901)

Death             1951, February 9 at home, 166 Lord Street, Burnley (Richmond)

Burial              Fawkner Cemetery

Siblings            Ada Charlotte Lee-Archer (1865-1935)
                        Arthur Lee-Archer (1866-1866)
                        Emily Lee-Archer (1868-1945)
                        Ella Edith Lee-Archer (1869-1870)
                        Leslie Albyn Lee-Archer (1871-1902)
                        Henry Sylvie Lee-Archer (1873-1873)
                        Charles John Lee-Archer (1874-1935)
                       Eileen Mary Lee-Archer (1876-1938)
                        Cecil Vivian Lee-Archer (1877-1952)
                        Estelle Francis Lee-Archer (1879-1960)
                       John Lee-Archer (1880-    )
                       Wilford Lyons Lee-Archer (1882-1927)
                       Kenneth Lee Archer (1885-1885)

Residences    1903-1949 166 Lord Street, Richmond

Ancestors of Elsie Bridget Lee-Archer

I do not usually bother too much with the ancestors of a spouse, but Elsie Bridge Lee-Archer is a little different and her family is worth a look.

As you can see in the following chart -

In 1791, John Lee-Archer married Sophie Mattinson.
They had a son called John Lee-Archer, born in 1842
This son, in 1864, married Mary Ann Lyons
Mary Ann Lyons was the daughter of Michael Lyons and Bridget Burke
Mary Ann Lyons also had a brother, Michael Henry Lyons who married Ellen Carroll
Michael Henry Lyons and Ellen Carroll had a son, Joseph Aloysius Lyons, a nephew to Mary Ann Lyons
Mary Ann Lyons and John Lee Archer had a daughter, Elsie Bridget Lee-Archer
Elsie Bridget Lee-Archer married our Harold Launder

The reasons Elsie’s ancestors are worth examining are three-fold -

1. John Lee-Archer, Grandfather to Elsie Bridge Lee-Archer is famous in Tasmania for his work in architecture and engineering.

Elsie’s grandfather, John Lee Archer (1791-1852), was an architect and engineer. He was born on 26 April 1791, the only son of John Archer, an engineer of County Tipperary and Dublin, Ireland, and his wife Charlotte, née Lee, formerly of Kent, England.

From 1809 to 1812 he was trained in the office of Charles Beazley, a London architect, and then worked for five years under John Rennie, who designed the London, Waterloo and Southwark bridges across the River Thames. Returning to Ireland, Archer spent the next eight years on architectural and engineering works, including the Royal Canal, Dublin. (source - article written by Roy S. Smith, 'Archer, John Lee (1791–1852)', Australian Dictionary of Biography)

On 2 December 1826 he was appointed by the secretary of state for the colonies 'to fill the situation of Civil Engineer in Van Diemen's Land'.

Arriving at Hobart Town in August 1827, he was instructed by Lieutenant-Governor (Sir) George Arthur to take up the duties of civil engineer and colonial architect. He served in those capacities for eleven years, in the first nine being responsible for all government buildings including those for penal and military purposes.

Among the buildings designed by Archer are Parliament House, (formerly the Customs House), the public offices used by the Treasury and the Audit Department in Hobart, the Ordnance Stores in Salamanca Place, several buildings at Anglesea Barracks; St John's Church with the orphan schools and the parsonage at New Town; the nave of St George's Church at Battery Point; Old Trinity (the Penitentiary Chapel) in Hobart; St Luke's Presbyterian Church at Bothwell, St Luke's Church of England at Richmond, the gaol and gaoler's house at Richmond, and parts of the gaol in Campbell Street, Hobart.

In the engineering field his outstanding work was the stone bridge which still carries the Midland Highway over the Macquarie River at Ross. With a committee he prepared in 1827 a plan for improvements to Sullivan's Cove which laid down the main lines for development of the port of Hobart. On another committee in 1835 he provided designs for the causeway in the River Derwent at Bridgewater.

Archer's buildings possess the virtues of simplicity and good proportion, combined with a satisfying sense of stability. His public buildings in the Georgian Renaissance manner contribute to the interesting architectural character of the city of Hobart.

Archer was married on 3 September 1833 to Sophia Mattinson of Hobart and made his home at Jutland, off Augusta Road, New Town.

After the arrival of officers of the Royal Engineers in Van Diemen's Land in 1836, works for military purposes were taken over by Captain Roger Kelsall. Two years later, as a measure of economy, Lieutenant-Governor Sir John Franklin abolished the position of civil engineer and colonial architect, giving its remaining duties to the director-general of roads and bridges.

In October 1838 Archer accepted an appointment as police magistrate for the district of Horton. He filled this office, living at Stanley, until his death on 4 December 1852. His grave is in the Church of England section of the cemetery at Circular Head.

2. Hon. Joseph Aloysius Lyons, 1st Cousin to Elsie Bridget Lee-Archer became Australia's 10th & longest serving Prime Minister

The Hon. Joseph Aloysius Lyons

Joseph Aloysius Lyons was born on September 15 in 1879 at Stanley, Circular Head in Tasmania. He became a teacher before entering politics. A pacifist, Lyons campaigned for a ‘No’ vote in the conscription referendum of 1916-17.

Lyons became Premier of Tasmania in 1923 - 1928 and worked closely with the conservative government in Canberra. Then in 1929, he successfully stood for the Federal seat of Wilmot.

During the Depression years Lyons advocated orthodox finance, opposing the policies of Treasurer Ted Theodore. Prime Minister Scullin took over the Treasury portfolio in 1930, leaving Lyons as acting Treasurer from August 1930 to January 1931. Lyons' cautious economic approach won him public support but infuriated the Labour Caucus. When Theodore was reinstated as treasurer, Lyons defected.

Supported by businessmen, citizens and Robert Menzies, Lyons joined with the Nationalist and the Australian Party to become leader of the new United Australia Party.

In 1931, Lyons became Australian Prime Minister and became one of Australia’s longest serving and most popular prime ministers. His commitment to Australians during the extreme conditions of the Great Depression, led him to abandon the Labour Party for the conservative side of politics. This did not impact on his electoral success, as he won three elections in a row in the 1930's.

Lyons died unexpectedly of a heart attack while in office on April 7, 1939. He was buried in the Mersey Vale Lawn Cemetery in Devonport in Tasmania, Section L5 Row A, Plot 0

3. Dame Enid Muriel Lyons, 1st Cousin by marriage to Elsie Bridget Lee-Archer - prominent in Australian politics in her own right.

Dame Enid Muriel Lyons AD, GBE

Joseph Aloysius Lyons’ wife was born Enid Muriel Burnell in Smithton in Tasmania, one of three daughters of William and Eliza Burnell (née Taggett). She was educated at the Burnie State School then went on to the Teacher’s Training College in Hobart to train as a schoolteacher.

Her mother was an activist in Labour and community groups in Tasmania and was one of the first women appointed as a Justice of the Peace in Tasmania.

At the age of 17, Enid married politician Joseph Lyons, who was almost 18 years her senior. They would have twelve children together, all but one of whom lived to adulthood. As her husband's career progressed, Enid began assisting him in campaigning and developed a reputation as a talented public speaker.

In 1925, she became one of the first two women to stand for the Labour Party at a Tasmanian state election. She followed her husband into the new United Australia Party (UAP) following the Labour split of 1931.

After her husband became prime minister in 1932, she began living at The Lodge in Canberra. She was one of the best-known prime minister's wives, writing newspaper articles, making radio broadcasts, and giving open-air speeches. Her husband's sudden death in office in 1939 came as a great shock, and she withdrew from public life for a time.

At the 1943 Federal election, Enid successfully stood for the UAP in the Division of Darwin. She became one of the first two women elected to federal parliament. Lyons joined the new Liberal Party in 1945 and served as Vice President of the Executive Council in the Menzies Government from 1949 to 1951 – the first woman in cabinet.

Enid was honoured as a Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the Coronation Honours of 1937.

She retired from parliament after three terms but remained involved in public life as a board member of the Australian Broadcasting Commission from 1951 until 1962 as a social commentator.

On Australia Day, 1980, she was made a Dame of the Order of Australia (AD). She died the following year and was accorded a state funeral in Devonport, Tasmania, before being buried next to her husband at Mersey Vale Memorial Park.

Documentation Ancestors of Elsie Bridge Lee-Archer

1842 – Birth of Elsie’s Father, John Lee-Archer

Name: John Lee Archer
Birth Date: 9 Nov 1842
Birth Place: Tasmania
Registration Year: 1842
Registration Place: Horton, Tasmania, Australia
Father: John Lee Archer
Mother: Sophia Mattinson
Registration Number: 368
Ancestry.com. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922

1852 - Death of Elsie’s Grandfather, John Lee-Archer

Name: John Lee Archer
Death Age: 62
Birth Date: abt 1790
Death Date: Dec 1852
Cemetery: Stanley Old Pioneer Cemetery
Cemetery Location: Circular Head, Tasmania
Ancestry.com. Australia Cemetery Index, 1808-2007

1863 – Death of Elsie’s Grandmother, Sophie Lee-Archer, nee Mattinson

DEATHS.
At her residence, Stanley, Circular Head, on the 30th July, 1863, Mrs. Lee Archer, in her 50th year, relict of the late John Lee Archer, Esq., C.E., and for many years Colonial Engineer of Tasmania, and late Police Magistrate of Circular Head.
Launceston Examiner (Tas. : 1842 - 1899), Saturday 8 August 1863

1864 – Marriage of Elsie’s parents, John Lee-Archer & Mary Ann Lyons

MARRIAGES.
At Circular Head, on the 24th Sept., by the Rev. M. Burke, John Lee Archer, third son of the late John Lee Archer, C. E., formerly Police Magistrate of Horton, to Mary Ann, eldest daughter of Michael Lyons.
Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston, Tas. : 1835 - 1880), Saturday 8 October 1864

1870 – Marriage of Elsie’s Uncle, Michael Lyons and Ellen Carroll

Name: Michael Lyons
Spouse Name: Ellen Carroll
Marriage Date: 07 Sep 1870
Marriage Place: Tasmania
Registration Place: Horton, Tasmania
Registration Year: 1870
Registration Number: 339
Ancestry.com. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950

1901 – Death of Elsie’s Mother, Mary Ann Lee-Archer, nee Lyons

Name: Mary Ann Lee-archer
Death Date: 1901
Death Place: Tasmania
Registration Place: Launceston, Tasmania
Registration Number: 0081
Ancestry.com. Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985

1907 – Death of Elsie’s Father, John Lee-Archer

Name: John Lee Archer
Gender: Male
Death Place: Australia
Inquest Date: 23 Apr 1907
Inquest Place: Melbourne
Cause of Death: Cancer of pancreas and liver
Public Records Office Victoria; Victoria, Australia; Coroner Inquest Deposition Files

1907 – Inquest into Death of Elsie’s Father, John Lee-Archer

DIED OF CANCER IN A CLAIRVOYANT'S HOUSE. MELBOURNE - This Afternoon.

At an inquest held on John Lee Archer, a resident of Tasmania, who died at the house of Madame Turner, a clairvoyant in Fitzroy.

The evidence showed that the deceased had been under the care of Mrs. Turner, for ten days.

A daughter of the deceased brought the matter under the notice of the police. The coroner found that death was due to cancer, and that no blame was attachable to anyone.
Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1950), Tuesday 23 April 1907

A TASMANIAN DIES OF CANCER IN A CLAIRVOYANT’S HOUSE. (' NEWS ' SPECIAL WIRE.) MELBOURNE, Tuesday.

John Lee Archer, aged 64, a Tasmanian, died at the house of Madame Turner, a clairvoyant, at Fitzroy.

The police went to the house, and saw the body coffined. At the inquest today Turner said the deceased had been in the house ten days for treatment at £1 per week, and 5s for medicine.

A doctor was called on Saturday, when he died. A verdict that death was due to cancer, and no blame attached to anybody, was returned, as demise was merely a matter of time.
Tasmanian News (Hobart, Tas. : 1883 - 1911), Tuesday 23 April 1907, page 4

And now, back to Harold Launder and Elsie Bridget Lee-Archer ....

1883 – Birth of Elsie Bridget Lee-Archer

Name: Elsie Lee Archer
Birth Date: 16 Oct 1883
Birth Place: Tasmania
Registration Year: 1883
Registration Place: Horton, Tasmania, Australia
Father: John Lee Archer
Mother: Mary Ann Lyons
Registration Number: 1197
Ancestry.com. Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922

1883 - Birth of Harold Launder

Name: Harold Launder
Birth Registration Date: 1883
Birth Registration Place: Victoria, Australia
Father: Robert Launder
Mother Maiden Name: Salsbury Reference Number: 18855
The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1909 – Marriage of Harold Launder
Name: Harold Launders
Spouse Name: Elsie Bridt Archer Lee
Marriage Place: Victoria
Registration Place: Victoria
Registration Year: 1909
Registration Number: 8256
Ancestry.com. Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950

1951 – Death of Elsie Bridget Launder, nee Lee-Archer

DEATHS – LAUNDER
On February 9. at her home, 166 Lord Street, Burnley, Elsie, beloved wife of Harold, and loving mother of Leslie, loved mother-in-law of Betty, and grandma of Colleen and Lesley.
Requiescat In pace.
Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Saturday 10 February 1951

1958 – Death of Harold Launder

Name: Harold Launders
Death Date: 13 Jun 1958
Cemetery: Fawkner Memorial Park
Burial or Cremation Place: Fawkner, Moreland City, Victoria, Australia
URL: https://www.findagrave.com/mem...
Ancestry.com. Australia and New Zealand, Find A Grave Index, 1800s-Current