Alice Mary Wilkins

Date of Birth: 5 July 1872

Place of Residence: 44 Frankland Street Launceston Tasmania Australia

Spouse Name: Claude Ernest Weymouth James

Children's Names: John Aubrey, Trevor Claude, Eric Wilfred, Alan Bonython & Max Weymouth

Notes:

Alice Mary Wilkins was born in Launceston on 5 Jul 1872, the elder daughter of Josiah Wilkins (1846-1875) and Mary Esther Rankin who married on 8 Dec 1870. Her sister Amy was born in 1874 and her father died in Jan 1875 when Alice was two and a half. Her mother Mary married again in Jun 1885 to James Douglas Lindsay. They had one surviving son and two daughters.

Miss Wilkins was fond of music and sang alto in the Exhibition Choir in 1891-92, and was also a member of the Paterson Street Methodist Church Choir. She was a member of the Northern Tasmanian Bush Nursing Association for many years and a member of the Launceston Committee for the Blind, Deaf and Dumb. She was an early member of the Victoria League.

Alice married Claude Ernest Weymouth James on 15 Dec 1900 in Launceston. The couple had five children born between 1902 and 1909. The eldest, John Aubrey, died when he was nine days old. Her husband Claude, who also appears in the Album, was an MHA for Bass, served as attorney-general for Tasmania in London during the 1930s and 1940s and received a knighthood in 1941. Alice spent several years in London, but returned to Launceston in 1939 just before the outbreak of the Second World War. She remained in Launceston after the War due to her declining health. Claude also had another family in London during this time. Lady James died in Launceston on 4 Aug 1948. Her cremated remains were placed in a rose garden at Carr Villa.

Contributors: Marion Sargent & Kim Simpson Oct 2011