Name and preferred name, born in Ireland, married three times, had she thinks ten children, from Lee Goleby in a message dated 2 July 2020. Lee is the great-granddaughter of Margaret Scanlan, who is the sister of our James Scanlan that married Ellen Jury (1881-1950).

Lee Goleby writes that Elizabeth, “followed her brothers to the goldfields in Victoria Australia where she married Patrick Scanlan”.

Lee writes that first marriage was, “to Patrick Scanlan, then William Thornton, then Michael McSweeney”.

Lee goes on to say, “Patrick Scanlan and his brother John had a shop in Dunedin. After the shop burnt down, Patrick and Elizabeth moved to Auckland, where they had another shop. When that was damaged by fire, they went to Fiji to manage a sugar plantation. After Patrick killed a man, they returned to New Zealand”.

“Elizabeth was widowed a few years later, and married again, returning to Australia, where they lived in Victoria, managing a hotel. When she was widowed again, she married a third time, and moved to New South Wales. In her nineties (again widowed), she went back to Ireland, and died there”.

Year and country of first marriage from search on New Zealand BDM website in July 2020:
1866/7429. Bride: Elizabeth Campion. Groom: Patrick Scanlan

Full date of first marriage of 20 May 1866 from further searching in July 2020 on BDM Search by incrementally changing the date range for the marriage.

Year and country of second marriage from search on New Zealand BDM website in July 2020:
1883/3646. Bride: Elizabeth Scanlan. Groom: William Thornton

Full date of second marriage of 13 October 1883 from further searching in July 2020 on BDM Search by incrementally changing the date range for the marriage.

Year and place of birth, date and place of death, place of marriage, from Lee Goleby in an email dated 22 July 2020. Lee is the great granddaughter of Margaret Scanlan, which is the brother of our James Scanlan that married Ellen Jury (1881-1950).

In an email dated 7 August 2020, Lee Goleby writes that in 2012 she wrote an article for a family history journal about Patrick Scanlan’s wife, Elizabeth (Eliza) Campion. The article is titled, “Elizabeth McSweeney - formerly Thornton, Scanlan, nee Campion”. It talks about how ‘Grandma McSweeney lost three fortunes - through fire, earthquake and cyclone’.
Lee also advises that she hopes one day to write a book about Eliza.

Photo of Elizabeth McSweeney (nee Campion) sitting in a cane chair in Sydney ex Lee Coleby and published in August 2020 with permission of Elizabeth’s great-granddaughter - Margaret McKenna.