Ernest James LEY b. 1817, Plymouth, England son of ____ and ____ was married in 1841 in Surrey, England to Louisa Charlotte CHART, b. 1819 Mitcham Ferry, Surrey, England, dau of Sydney CHART and Penelope ____.

This couple appears to have arrived in the 1840s at Adelaide, South Australia and moved across to Casterton in South-Western Victoria in the 1850s. They were at Sandford in 1858 and Casterton in 1859 and both died at Casterton, Ernest in 1900 and Louisa in 1904.

Ernest James LEY & Louisa Margaret CHART had the following known family:

  1. Ernest William LEY b. 1845, Adelaide, South Australia, d. 1920, m. Elizabeth Fanny HUMPHRIES 1851-1902

  2. Louisa Charlotte LEY b. 1847, Adelaide, South Australia, d. 1921, m.1 Charles PEACHEY (1836-1864), m.2 Vincent MILLARD 1825-1883.

  3. Caroline Emma LEY b. 1851, Mount Gambier, South Australia, d. 1917, m. William HUMPHRIES 1846-1930

  4. William Hunt LEY b. 1855, South Australia, d. 1856, Vic, Aus

  5. Alice LEY b. 1856, Mt Gambier, South Australia, m. Thomas LEWIS 1847-1904, (large family at Casterton and Strathdownie)

  6. Alice Penelope LEY b. 1856, Mount Gambier, South Australia, d. 1910, m. Thomas LEWIS 1847-1904.

  7. Thomas Hunt LEY b. 1858, Sandford, Vic, m. Ellen COTTER. Lived in the Casterton area and had the following family:
    1. Catherine Ruth LEY b. 1890, Casterton, Vic, m. Charles Arthur ANDERSON
    2. Alice Myrtle LEY b. 1891, Casterton, Vic

  8. Charles Arthur LEY 1859-1943, b. "Dunrobin" Station, near Casterton, Victoria; d. Casterton, Victoria; m. 1885 to Annie COTTER 1864-1949, b. Branxholme, Victoria to Michael COTTER and Catherine McINTOSH; d. Casterton, Victoria. The family lived at Carapook and Dunrobin Estate, near Casterton from 1912, and had the following family...
    1. Ernest James LEY b. 1886, Casterton, Vic, m. Edith Agnes HOWLETT
    2. Donald Alexander LEY b. 1887, Carapook, Vic, m. Virue Mary Jane SEALEY
      • WW1 1st AIF, Dvr 5281, Enlisted 23-02-1915
      • WW1 1st AIF, Dvr 5281, 5th Division Ammunition Column, service
      • WW1 1st AIF, Dvr 5281, RTA 15-05-1919
      • Named on : Carapook School Honour Roll
      • Soldier Settler near Penshurst, S-W Victoria.
    3. Daphne Louisa LEY 1890-1943, b. Carapook, Victoria; d. Port Wakefield, SA; m. 1909 to Thomas George McGREGOR 1887-1977, b. Cavendish, Victoria to Gregor McGREGOR and Harriet BEATON; d. Port Wakefield, SA.
    4. Catherine Nancy LEY b. 1906, Casterton, Vic
    5. Thomas Vincent LEY b. 1908, Casterton, Vic

Obituary
Donald Alexander LEY 1887 - 1954

Penshurst Free Press

One of Penshurst's most prominent townsmen, Mr Donald Alexander LEY, passed away at Hamilton Base Hospital on May 27 (1954). He was a brother of Mr E. J. LEY of Casterton. The late Mr LEY was born at Carapook in 1887, a son of the late Charles and Annie LEY, late of Dunrobin. After attending school at Carapook he engaged in farm and station work in this district for many years. He was a keen footballer, a follower of the hounds and an enthusiastic coursing man. He was also a noted athlete, particularly as a long-distance runner. He won many events at Casterton and in many other parts of Victoria and during a visit to New Zealand won a championship there. He was a keen poultry breeder, exhibiting at many Victorian centres and he judged at Casterton for three years.

In 1912 the family moved to Dunrobin and in August 1914 he enlisted in the A.I.F. He was amongst the first three to enlist from this district and one of the original soldier settlers at Minhamite. On his return from a long period of service abroad he married Miss Virtue SEALEY, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. William SEALEY, of Corndale. They made their home at Penshurst where he engaged in farming and grazing pursuits for some time and finally became a foreman with the Country Roads Board Shire of Mount Rouse. He retired about two years ago due to ill health.

In addition to his widow he leaves a family of three. They are George ( wife Ina nee PARFREY ), Nancy and youngest, Dawn FORBES, wife of Douglas FORBES.

Following a service at the Penshurst Methodist Church, conducted by Rev. K. SHUEY who later conducted the burial service, the funeral took place at the Boram Boram cemetery on Saturday ( 29th ) afternoon. Over thirty returned soldiers formed a guard of honor and the burial ritual was read by Mr.C. ROSS. Mr I. W. GUNN sounded the" Last Post " and coffen-bearers were Messers Frank NICOLSON, L. McINNES, C. HUDGSON and A. L. KING. Mortuary arrangements were carried out by F. GREED and SON.

Donald Ley, Carapook, 1906 Donald Ley, Carapook, 1906
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