Mabel Caroline ALFORD

1891 - 1971  (79 years)

• Name	Mabel Caroline ALFORD
  Born	05 Oct 1891	Teviotville, Queensland, Australia   [1]
  		ALFORD Mabel Caroline Birth certificate
  Gender	Female
  Died	03 Feb 1971	Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia   [2, 3, 4]
  	General Hospital, Stanthorpe
  		ROSSOW Mabel Caroline (nee ALFORD) Death certificate
  Buried	05 Feb 1971	Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia   [3, 4, 5]
  	Stanthorpe Cemetery
  		ROSSOW Mabel Caroline (nee ALFORD)
  		ROSSOW Wilhelm and Mabel Caroline (nee ALFORD) Graves side by side at Stanthorpe Cemetery
  Notes	Mabel was the youngest of six children, and at age 21 she married Bill Rossow in 1912 at Mabel's family home at Anthony in the Fassifern Valley. They started their lives together in a home at Birdwood Street, North Ipswich where Claven and Iris, their first two children were born. At this stage, Bill worked as a fitter and turner at the Ipswich Railway Yards, but soon they were on the move to Raceview where they bought a residence with a mixed grocery business shop attached, at the corner of Cascade and Ripley Streets. Here, their youngest child, Relma Dawn was born in 1925. The other two children attended Raceview Primary School for all their primary school education, whereas Dawn attended the North Ipswich Primary School for hers. Not long into their marriage, around 1915, Bill and Mabel were baptized into the Christadelphian faith, and worshipped at Booval. Bill and Mabel worked as grocers from their shop at Raceview until 1930, when they moved, this time to Hill Street, North Ipswich where a shop was attached to the house. The reason for the move was prompted by the fact that Bill's parents, Johann and Doris Rossow lived next door. As well, Mabel's aged father George Alford was a widower by this time, so Mabel took him into their home and looked after him for the rest of his life. By 1936, they were on the move again, this time to Thomas Street, Saddler's Crossing, where there was another shop attached. The Depression years were in full swing and Bill and Mabel gave away food to needy families, accepting the fact that many families would never be able to repay them. Mabel was the business head of the two, and she signed for ownership of another venture in 1937, this time a milk bar at Ipswich Road, Booval in partnership with her brother, Will Alford and his wife, Eva. In 1945, Bill and Mabel legally adopted a baby boy they named Ross Alford. In 1951, the three moved to Cottonvale, north of Stanthorpe on the Granite Belt after selling up their businesses, and entered into a business partnership with their daughter, Dawn and husband Lance in their fruit orchard venture. Bill worked on the orchard alongside Lance and Dawn. After three years, Mabel and Bill moved six miles away to a home they bought at The Summit, near Stanthorpe and lived there until 1971 when Mabel, aged 79, passed away of a coronary occlusion as a result of left ventricular failure, in the Stanthorpe General Hospital. She was buried at the Stanthorpe General Cemetery. Bill sold up and went to live with Lance and Dawn, where he worked with them on their orchard until his death in 1976, of a coronary occlusion. He was 87, and was laid to rest next to Mabel. Data from oral history by Dawn birth marriage and death certificates of Bill and Mabel.
  Person ID	I41	Rossow-Beitzel
  Last Modified	10 Mar 2020

  
  

  Father	George ALFORD,   b. 01 Sep 1856, Catcott, Somersetshire, England ,   d. 09 Mar 1950, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia  (Age 93 years)
  Mother	Maria Caroline SOLWAY,   b. 05 Dec 1862, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia ,   d. 18 Apr 1930, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia  (Age 67 years)
  Married	03 Aug 1881	Queensland, Australia
  Family ID	F197	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Wilhelm Anton ROSSOW,   b. 04 Jun 1888, Milbong, Queensland, Australia ,   d. 19 Mar 1976, Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia  (Age 87 years)
  Married	04 Dec 1912	Anthony, Queensland, Australia   [6, 7]
  	Wilhelm was aged 24, living at Roadvale, and Mabel was aged 21, living at Teviotville, when they married at the Lutheran Church Anthony according to the Rites of the Lutheran Church. Witnesses were Dora Christina Auguste Rossow and William John Alford. The Brisbane Courier, Wednesday 18 December 1912, page 17 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19846029 Rossow-Alford A quiet but pretty wedding took place at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. G. Alford, Anthony, on December 4 (writes our Roadvale correspondent), when Mr. William A. Rossow, of Ipswich (third son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Rossow), was married to Miss Mabel Caroline Alford (youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. G. Alford of Roadvale) The Rev. T. Monz (pastor of the Coulson Church) officiated. The ceremony took place in the drawing room. The bride, who was given away by her father wore a pretty gown of Ivory silk, the bodice made with joke and sleeves of fine silk all over lace, and finished over shoulders with soft embroidered lace in fichu effect, the high waisted skirt was trimmed with silk insertion. She also wore a veil and wreath of orange blossoms Miss D. Rossow (sister of the bridegroom) acted as bridesmaid, and wore a cream Shantung linen frock, trimmed with cream silk embossed insertion and buttons, and a hat to harmonise. Mr. W. J. Alford (brother of the bride) acted as best man. The bride's gift to the bridegroom was a set of gold sleeve links and the bridegroom's gift to the bride was a heavy gold bracelet. To the bridesmaids the bridegroom gave a gold brooch set with rubies. After the ceremony the wedding party adjourned to the dining room where the wedding breakfast was served. On the centre of the bride's table was a handsome wedding cake (made by Mr and Mrs Dunn Roadvale) Mr and Mrs W A Rossow subsequently left for Warwick. Mrs Rossow wore a travelling dress of blue resilda, with yoke and sleeves of cream tucked net, and sailor collar of silk guipure, and a large black hat trimmed with cream lace and wreath of pink roses. The presents were numerous and handsome.
  		ROSSOW Wilhelm Anton and Mabel Caroline (nee ALFORD) Marriage certificate
  		ROSSOW Wilhelm Anton and Mabel Caroline ALFORD Wedding photo 4 December 1912
  Children	+ 1. Claven Percival ROSSOW,   b. 14 Sep 1913, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia ,   d. 22 Oct 1994, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia  (Age 81 years)   2. Iris Mabel ROSSOW,   b. 19 Oct 1919, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia ,   d. 26 Nov 2009, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia  (Age 90 years) + 3. Relma Dawn ROSSOW,   b. 11 Aug 1925, Raceview, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia   4. Living
  Last Modified	10 Mar 2020
  Family ID	F26	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 05 Oct 1891 - Teviotville, Queensland, Australia Married - 04 Dec 1912 - Anthony, Queensland, Australia Died - 03 Feb 1971 - Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia Buried - 05 Feb 1971 - Stanthorpe, Queensland, Australia  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		ALFORD Mabel Caroline
  		ALFORD Mabel Caroline
  		SOLWAY Samuel and Elizabeth (nee HOUSTON) Family photo Front: Elizabeth SOLWAY (nee HOUSTON), Edna Amy GRAY, Samuel SOLWAY Back: Maria Caroline ALFORD (nee SOLWAY) and Mabel Caroline ALFORD
  		ROSSOW Wilhelm Anton and Mabel (nee ALFORD) November 1970
  		ALFORD Maria Caroline (nee SOLWAY) and ALFORD Mabel Caroline Photo taken 1916
  		The Rugby car photo taken in 1926

  
  

• Sources

  [S2] Queensland: Registry Birth Deaths Marriages, 1891/005019. [S2] Queensland: Registry Birth Deaths Marriages, 1971/C1418. [S32] Headstone transcription, from headstone photo taken by Carolyn Noon. [S18] Queensland: Dern Index, copyright David & Julie Dern 1999, Monumental Inscriptions. [S2] Queensland: Registry Birth Deaths Marriages, 1971/004041. [S2] Queensland: Registry Birth Deaths Marriages, 1913/001143. [S128] Newspapers - Australia NLA, National Library of Australia, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article19846029.