Laslett family history

John and Emma Lasslett of Elsternwick

John Vevers Lasslett was the third son of William and Sarah Lasslett (page 76). He was born on 29 May 1838 at Swalecliffe in Kent and was baptised on 1 July 1838 at St John the Baptist church in Swalecliffe.

On 15 February 1874 married Emma Southall at Christ Church in South Yarra. Witnesses were John’s brother Frederick and Emma’s Uncle Henry Rider. John gave his occupation as carpenter and his residence as Bridgewater on Loddon and Emma hers as Pine Street, South Yarra. Emma was a widow who had been born in Sydney on 30 April 1849 from Sydney whose maiden name was Rider and she was the daughter of Jonas Brown Rider, an Engineer, and Mary Lucy Rider, née Parkin. The family had moved to Victoria and Emma had married Richard Southall 0n 20 January 1869 at the Church of England in Malmsbury. Richard and Emma had three children. Richard died on 29 September 1872.

In the Bailliere's Victorian Directory for 1875 John Lasslett is shown as a Carpenter living at Bridgewater-on-Loddon a small township on the Loddon river, lying about 3 miles S.E. of Inglewood, "it is a place of little importance, except as being a roadside township between Dunolly and Inglewood." By 1880 the Melbourne P.O. Directory showns John Laslett living at 2 St. John Street, Prahran.

It appears that around 1890 John left Emma. His grandson Frank says that he was told that John went to Western Australia but we have found no record of him in that State and whether he actually went there is a matter for conjecture. Frank also says that Emma became a District Nurse and Midwife. The 1894 Post Office Directory shows a Mrs J. Laslitt, Ladies' Nurse, at 6 York Street, Prahran. The 1900 directory has a Mrs Emma Laslitt, Ld's Nurse, at the same address and a J. Lasset at 19 Arcade Street, Prahran. It seems more likely that he stayed in Victoria as in the 1908 Electoral Roll a John Lasslett, carpenter, of Ruffy appears. Ruffy is up near the New South Wales border on the Goulburn River near the town of Longwood. In the same Electoral Roll Emma appears living with her son, Alfred, in St. George's Road, Elsternwick.

John died aged 77 at Pakenham in 1915 while Emma died aged 82 at 14 Coleridge St, Elwood, St. Kilda on 9 June 1931. Her occupation was given as Home Duties and the cause of death ‘chronic heart disease’.

Family of John and Emma Lasslett

WILLIAM - born 1875 at Melbourne. Died 9 February 1907 at the Hospital for the Insane at Kew Vic. Cause of death was given by the Coroner as Broncho – Pneunomia and Cerebral Atrophy. The death record states that the names of William’s father and mother were unknown. When I mentioned this record to Frank Lasslett in 1988 it came as a complete surprise to him as his father Alfred had never mentioned an older brother to him.

ALFRED ERNEST - born 10 January 1879. Became a Bank Manager with the State Savings Bank of Victoria. Married Minnie McKay on 15 December 1910 at the Presbyterian Church in Warrnambool. Minnie had been born on 22 June 1880 at Mailors Flat, Woodward, to Mary McKay. Alfred died on 30 September 1938 and Minnie in July 1966.

See chapter Alfred and Minnie Lasslett of Caulfield on page 144.