The residences of Carlo Catani

This post looks at the residences Carlo and Catherine Catani lived in after their marriage in May 1886.

Florence Cottage, 4 Mahoney Street, Fitzroy
Carlo and Catherine married on May 18, 1886 and their address on the marriage certificate was Marney Street, Fitzroy. This is a phonetic rendering of Mahoney Street. Whilst they were living in Fitzroy their first child Edward or Edoardo was born on June 2, 1886 and as noted on his birth certificate his place of birth was Florence Cottage, Mahoney Street, Fitzroy. Little Edward died on June 14, 1887 and the address on his death certificate was 4 Mahoney Street.

Catani entry in the City of Fitzroy Rate books, November 1886

From Ancestry.com.  Click on image to enlarge.

On May 31, 1888 their second child and first daughter, Elvira May (known as Vera) was born at Florence Cottage.

Birth of Elvira at Florence Cottage

The Argus, June 9, 1888 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article6131161

Carlo is in the City of Fitzroy Rate books dated November 1886 and December 1887. He is listed as the owner and the building is described as being of four rooms and constructed of brick.

116 Malvern Road, Prahran
Sometime between May 1888 - the birth of Elvira -  and before November 1888 - the date of the City of Prahran Rate book - Carlo and Catherine moved to a five room brick house at 116 Malvern Road, Prahran (later numbered as 468) owned by Reuben Jackson. Carlo is also listed at Malvern Road in the November 1889 Prahran Rate books.

54 Murray Street, Prahran
The City of Prahran Rate books show that in November 1890 the Catani family were at 54 Murray Street, Prahran (originally numbered as 16) renting a 6 roomed weatherboard house from William Davies. The Catani's third child, Enrico Ferdinando was born while they were living at 54 Murray Street on January 19, 1891.

Birth of Enrico at Murray Street, Prahran

The Argus, January 31, 1891  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8471316

Oak Avenue, Elsternwick
By December 1892, the Catanis had moved from Murray Street to Oak Avenue in Elsternwick. In February 1893, the Shire of Caulfield Rate books list Carlo in a nine-room brick house in Oak Avenue, Carlo owned the house with the mortagee, the Royal Insurance Company.  On March 15, 1893,  their third son and fourth child, Ettore Luigi was born there. 

Birth of Ettore at Oak Avenue, Elsternwick

The Argus April 1, 1893 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8532317

Dandenong Road, East Malvern
At some time they moved from Oak Avenue to a property on Dandenong Road, East Malvern and this is where their second daughter and fifth child, Eugenia Anastasia was born on August 13, 1895.

  

Birth of Eugenia at East Malvern

The Argus, August 31, 1895 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9372701

As we can see from the entry in the 1895 Sands McDougall Directory, below, the house was two doors up from the Turf Club Hotel, between  Clarence Street and Tooronga Road. 

Entry for Carlo Catani in the 1895 Sands & McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directory

From State Library of Victoria

Carlo had actually owned this land from as early as 1889 as he was listed in the Shire of Malvern Rate books for the property.   The Rate books have the notation - Build'g in Pro + 15 ft land vacant - presumably this means building in progress.  The 1893 Rate books list Carlo as owning a brick shop of six rooms leased to Thomas Miles, a draper and a vacant block.  By 1895, he had three parcels of land - 2 vacant blocks and the brick building of  six rooms; Carlo and family were still living there in December 1896. 

Catani entry in the Shire of Malvern Rate book, 1889.

From Ancestry.com. From Ancestry.com.  Click on image to enlarge.

It is clearly the same property as listed in the Sands & McDougall Directory, as you can see from the fuller entry from the Rate books, below, which lists Carlo in the same section as John Heywood, the owner of the Turf Club Hotel.  Heywood was also a  Shire of Malvern Councillor and you can read about him, here.  

Catani and Heywood entries in the Shire of Malvern Rate book, 1889.

From Ancestry.com.  Click on image to enlarge.

Glenluce, 4 Elm Grove, Armadale
In 1897, the family made the move to Glenuce, 4 Elm Grove in Armadale. This was a newly constructed weatherboard house of ten rooms. The last child of Carlo and Catherine, a daughter named Enid Marguerite, was born at Glenluce on November 3, 1899. They lived there until around May 1912, when the house was removed for railway duplication works - I have written about this here.

Birth of Enid at Glenluce. The suburb was listed as Toorak, but it was actually Armadale. 

The Argus, November 18, 1899  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9038456 

Orrong Road, Elsternwick

After the family left Elm Grove, the Electoral Rolls show they lived for a short time in Orrong Road in Elsternwick.

Wyndham, 39 Blessington Street, St Kilda

Carlo and Catherine's final home was at Wyndham, 39 Blessington Streeet, St Kilda (later renumbered as 61). This was a recently constructed brick house of nine main rooms and they moved there in 1913. Carlo died on July 20, 1918 and Catherine and her children remained at Wyndham until her death on August 6, 1925. The house was sold out of the family in 1926.  You can read more about Wyndham in Blessington Street,  here.

Death notice of Catherine Catani at Wyndham.

The Argus, August 7, 1925 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2152675

Sources: Victorian Rate Books on Ancestry.com; Victorian Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com; Sands & McDougall's Melbourne and Suburban Directories from the State Library of Victoria; Birth and death certificates and birth notices in the newspapers from Trove.