Ernestina Alma (Mina) OTTO
married Thomas Henry MOSS
Ernestina was born 1860 in Zwickau, Germany - she was 14 yrs old when she sailed from Germany with her family. No record can be found of her death.
Thomas sailed from England on "Duke of Newcastle" in 1863 with his parents and four siblings. He was one year old when they sailed. He was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England in 1861.​
Father: John Wood Moss - Mother: Jane Phillips
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Ernestina & Thomas were married at St Thomas' Church, Toowong, Brisbane, Qld on 30 November 1882.
Children of Ernestina & Thomas
​Thomas Henry b. 18 September 1883 d. 27 February 1967
m. Kathleen Margaret O'Shea 19 April 1911
(Read about the wedding of Thomas & Kathleen)
Alma Mabel b. 21 January 1886 d. 6 April 1971
m. Frederick Christian William Kruger 17 August 1904
(Frederick was the brother of Albert Henry Kruger who married Alma's aunt, Matilda (Tilly) Otto)
Frederick b. 26 March 1876, d. 14 September 1918
​
Edwin Gordon b. 21 December 1887 d. 23 December 1887
Edwin was born prematurely and lived only 40 hours.
He died at home (William St Wooloongabba) of convulsions
MOSS - OTTO - On November 30, at St. Thomas' Church, Toowong, by the Rev. J. Houlbrook, Thomas Henry Moss, second son of John Woods Moss, of Woolloongabba, to Ernestina Alma Otto, eldest daughter of Frederick Otto, of Brisbane.
Telegraph (Brisbane, Qld) Wednesday 13 December 1882, page 2
No death record can be found for Ernestina. Handwritten family note indicates she "died on boat as stewardess 1900+". A further notation is "went to Canada".
Information from a descendant of Thomas Henry Jnr indicates that Ernestina died during the birth, or soon after the birth, of Edwin Gordon. There is also information about Thomas Henry Snr having been a ship steward and that he was a photographer.
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Edwin Gordon Moss was buried on 23rd Dec 1887 in South Brisbane Cemetery (location 10C-14).
There is an unnamed 'Moss' also buried in South Brisbane Cemetery (location 9A-149), however, this was on 12 Jan 1877 and noted as 'stillborn'.
​On 9th March 1888 Thomas Henry Moss was declared Insolvent by the Supreme Court of Queensland.
A list of Creditors was provided. Among them was "Mr Otto £â€‹8.0.0"
​(Click on image on right to enlarge)
Thomas Moss remarried, his second wife being Lucy Sands (nee Harman), on 8th October 1894 (BDM 1894/B/17038).
There is a second marriage to Lucy Sands in Holy Trinity Church, Fortitude Valley on 15 November 1910 (BDM 1910/B/9480).
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On the 1894 Certificate, Thomas Moss described himself as "Bachelor". There is a notation added some time later "prob bigamous". The BDM Reference No (1882/C/1149) of the marriage of Thomas Moss to Ernestina Otto is also noted on the Certificate. Thomas & Lucy Marriage Certificate 1894
On the 1910 Marriage Certificate, Thomas Moss described himself as "Widower". As mentioned above, no Record of Death for Ernestina can be found. How, then, was Thomas able to legally marry Lucy Sands a second time? Research was conducted with Holy Trinity Church who, although extremely helpful, were unable to provide any answers. Research is ongoing. Thomas & Lucy Marriage Certifiate 1910
Q. What triggered the discovery of the bigamous marriage?
Q. Assuming the second marriage to Lucy Sands was legal, what process was followed to enable this to happen? Was Thomas able to produce evidence of death of his first wife?
​Bigamy is a crime in Australia, however, research indicates that "You will not be guilty of bigamy if your original spouse at the time of your second marriage has been legally missing for 7 years and presumed dead or if you truly believed that your original spouse was dead."
Thomas & Lucy had three children:
Norman Phillips Harman Moss b. 24th April 1895
Dorothy Jane Moss b. 17th October 1896
Joan Marguerite Moss b. 7th June 1898
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Personal Notes
Telegraph (Brisbane Qld) Friday 7 March 1919
Mr. and Mrs. T.H. Moss, of Franklyn Street, South Brisbane, have received intimation from the military headquarters that their son, Quarter-master Sergeant N.P.H. Moss is returning to Australia per the ss. Ascanius, due at Melbourne on the 23rd instant. Q.M. Sergeant Moss, who is very popular in business and sporting circles, enlisted early in 1916, and was many months in the fighting line, before being wounded at Messines Ridge, in June, 1917. Upon recovery he was drafted for home service in England, and afterwards returned to France, where he was on active service at the time of the signing of the armistice.
Sketch taken from The Truth 2nd April 1911 - TH Moss was a witness in a Court case
It seems Thomas had a few occupations. He has been described as a Bricklayer, Insurance Agent and Photographer. He was employed by or contracted to The Telegraph Newspaper and there are many photos attributed to T.H. Moss on Trove (National Library of Australia). Below are some samples of his photographic work. In 1915 he travelled to Egypt. Below are photos of a military hospital in Heliopolis.
10th May 1913
New Building for Outpatients at Brisbane Hospital - 19th February 1916
Union Bank New Building, Cnr Queen & Creek Sts, Brisbane - 4th November 1916
10th April 1915
An interior view of the magnificent Palace Hotel, which has been converted into a hospital for Australian soldiers. 10th April 1915
Lucy died 30th May 1929
Thomas died 27th May 1932.
There are newspaper reports about him drowning in the Brisbane River. He had been living at the Salvation Army Eventide Home, Glenrosa Road, Red Hill.
They are buried in the same grave in Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, Qld.
Telegraph Friday 27 May 1932
Brisbane Courier Saturday 28 May 1932
Brisbane Courier Saturday 11 June 1932
Brisbane Courier Saturday 28 May 1932
Wedding of Thomas Henry Moss Jnr to Kathleen Margaret O'Shea
Thomas & Kathleen were married in St Joseph's Church, Nambour, Qld. There was quite a lengthy article in The Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser with a detailed description of the bride's dress and a list of gifts from the wedding guests.
"The bride wore a costume of rich white silk; the bodice had a transparent yoke and sleeves of silk lace with silk applique and richly braided, the skirt having the front panel braided to match the bodice; a wreath of orange blossoms surmounted an exquisitely embroidered tulle veil and she carried a bouquet of flowers; her handsome gold bangle was a gift from the bridegroom who also presented the bridesmaids with gold brooches."
The article then describes the wedding breakfast and bride's travelling dress.
"The Alhambra hall was afterwards the scene of the breakfast, which was attended by a large number of relatives and friends. The usual toasts were duly honoured.
The young couple left by the afternoon train to spend the honeymoon at Tweed Heads.
The bride's travelling dress was of the fashionable vieux rose shade trimmed with Paisley and cream rich insertion braided and tipped with black. She wore a hat to match the costume."
​By the time of Thomas' marriage, his father had married Lucy Sands and research has been unable to reveal what happened to his mother, Ernestina. However, Ernestina's father (Thomas' grandfather) attended the wedding. The article lists dozens of guests and their gifts. Among them was "Mr. F. Otto, breakfast cruet and sugar basin." His Aunt Tilly also attended with the entry "Mr. & Mrs. A.H. Kruger (Kilcoy), glass butter dish on silver stand".