The Secret Love Letters. Dolores San Miguel

      Soon Harrison, San Miguel had added ‘Specialties and Requirements for Aerated Water Manufacturers, Bottlers, Confectioners, Machinery and General Merchants and Importers and Bakers’ Supplies’ to their profile, and moved to Little Collins Street. Business was booming and they now had branches throughout the Australian Colonies and New Zealand, a Spanish house and cork factories in Seville, plus agencies in London, Hamburg and New York and their Sydney House of Mauri Bros. & Thomson, at 36 York Street. At the beginning of February 1905, Harrison, San Miguel became a public company. Listed as partners in the firm dated 3 February 1905 were Antonio San Miguel, Ninian Miller Thomson, Edwin Charles Guttridge and Harold Furley Harvey with no mention of Harrison.¹³

       FOOTNOTES

      1 Cipriano and Francisca San Miguel’s firstborn daughter, Carmen, was stillborn in 1841. They also christened their second daughter Carmel, who was born two years later. Salvadora Casilda Teresa, born in 1854, and Jose Jaime Benito, born in 1856, both died in infancy.

      2 The Franco-Prussion war (19/07/1870-10/05/1871), was a conflict between France and Prussia that signalled the rise of German military power and imperialism. It was provoked by Otto von Bismark (the Prussian chancellor) as part of his plan to create a unified German Empire.

      3 Martin Arenas was declared bankrupt in Sydney in 1894. He was married with three children, although the youngest, Arthur, died aged two in 1892. In September of 1902 the family moved to Melbourne and in 1908 Arenas became the licensee of the Kennedy’s Family Hotel in Elizabeth Street, remembered as a ‘gloomy hotel’. It is highly likely Antonio would have financially helped Martin out. On April 4 1892, a John Powell was arrested for larceny of some dress clothes belonging to James Gray and W. Nicholson, taken from The Sydney Coffee Palace in 1891. The accused stated the clothing had been given to him by Charles Marlett and Martin Arenas at the Coffee Palace. The clothing answered the description given by the Sydney police and John Powell was remanded in Sydney. The Sydney Coffee Palace Hotel at 393 George Street, Sydney has gone; however, next to the current building is Temperance Lane. Number 395 is still the original building and is now a clothing store.

      4 James Albon Jr. returned to England around 1878, and in 1880 married Sarah Ann Mead. They had four children — James, Jessie, Stanley and Olive — and immigrated to Australia, arriving on board the Orotavia on 19 July 1890.

      5 Jane (Jenny) Albon married John Moss, a widower, in 1878. She was twenty-three years old and he was sixty. Her baby son, John Albon Moss was born in 1879. In 1880, she died aged twenty-five, cause of death unknown; however, it’s possible she may have died during childbirth and lost the baby. Her son was only a year old when she passed away, and her husband married for the third time not long after her death. His new wife, Charlotte, raised the baby boy. John Albon Moss died in 1918 at thirty-nine — it is possible he died in World War I.

      6 Uncle Tom was Rebecca Albon’s brother, and he owned a boot shop. Martha was Tom’s wife.

      7 Jenny refers to her sister-in-law Jenny Moss and her father-in-law, Mr Moss.

      8 On 24 February 1982, Burns Philp and Company Limited bought Mauri Brothers and Thomson. Burns Philp was delisted in 2006 with its business assets acquired by a number of companies. It remains in the private ownership of a New Zealander.

      9 1 Victoria Street, Mont Albert, became 3 Beatty Street in 1917. The original house still stands.

      10 Antonio and Birdie were both generous in their donations to charity. Harrison, San Miguel Pty Ltd also made regular monetary gifts. Birdie worked for a number of charitable organizations.

      11 Milson’s Point, the land that Antonio San Miguel owned was sold to the NSW Government when the Sydney Harbour Bridge was being constructed in the 1920s. Birdie received a large amount of money from the sale.

      12 In early July of 2012, I went searching for Hartland, as Elmie Street is within walking distance from my home. I had no idea of the number or house. After walking up and down the street hoping to find the name, I noticed a woman weeding in her front garden. I told her my story and she said that although her home was the right period it was not the one. She took me to another house and that too was another name. Just as I’d given up hope she suggested we try a house across the road. She knew the owner, Ann Simpson and her husband, and when Ann opened the door she introduced me. I briefly told her my story, and said, ‘I am looking for Hartland.’ Ann grabbed my hand, and replied, ‘Welcome to Hartland, come inside!’ It was an overwhelming experience walking through the magnificent home my family had dwelled in all those years ago. I also learnt the Simpsons were selling the property, and on the 25 August 2012, Hartland was sold for $3.2 million.

      13 After much research, I have found no record of T.S. Harrison leaving Harrison, San Miguel, apart from him not being listed in the 1905 partnership. Although he is mentioned in the 1908 sale advertisement for the selling of the Harrison, San Miguel Co. in Perth. It is also possible T.S Harrison was related to James Harrison (1816-1893), the Scottish born Australian printer, journalist, politian and pioneer in the field of mechanical refrigeration. In 1913, the Harrison, San Miguel Adelaide branch installed machinery which consisted of a powerful refrigeration plant, capable of treating 200 hogheads of beer per week. Interestingly, the company continued under the name, Harrison, San Miguel up until the 1950s.

      Little Jaime San Miguel loved his family and was close to all his siblings. It was an exciting life for a young boy, travelling the world on fine ships, visiting exotic ports and capitals and spending time with Grandpapa Cipriano and Grandmamma Francisca, Aunt Carmen and Aunt Maria, plus his cousin, Agapito. In 1906, aged eight years, Jaime was placed in boarding school at the College of Valldemia in Mataro, Barcelona.

      As the business grew and grew, Antonio and Rebecca travelled extensively. By now, both Tony and Lionel were boarding at Xavier College and Francisca and Ines at Genazzano in Melbourne. Jaime missed his family very much although his parents visited him as often as they could, bringing butter and sweet treats and sending him postcards.

       Alella

       February 1 1907

       Dear Jaime,

      We are not able to come to Mataro before February 17, that is next Sunday, two weeks, so I am sending you this little girl and lovely doggie to see if you are quite happy and well. If you want butter tell the Director to buy you a tin. Hope your books are good and have no holes. With fondest love besos y abrazos from Papa, Patricia, and loads from Mother.

      Jaime returned to Australia with his father and 12-year-old sister, Ines, on board the Mongolia on August 22 1907. This was the first time he had seen the new family home. In 1906, Antonio had purchased a 3.5 acre property, St Abbs¹ in York Street, Mont Albert from Mr John Lothian of Lothian Book Publishing Co². The house, a slate-roofed weatherboard villa was built around 1875 and contained nine rooms. Beginning with a 6 foot wide hall, four generous bedrooms, a large dining room, drawing room, sewing room, bathroom with a porcelain enamelled bath; there was also a large pantry, scullery and kitchen. The out buildings included a laundry, man’s room,