Biography

The child's father, Peter John McGrath, was born in Hillgrove, New South Wales, about 1868.  He married Agnes Mary Herbert in 1895 in Uralla, New South Wales (Marriage Registration 1869/1895, Uralla). Their son, Eric E, was born in 1896 in Uralla (Birth Registration 8085/1896, Uralla).  A daughter, Lilly, was born to the couple in 1897 (Birth Registration 3800/1897, at Hillgrove) but died the same year (Death Registration 1452/1897, Hillgrove).

It is not known when the couple moved to Western Australia but Peter McGrath was a very popular member of the community as a hairdresser in Kookynie and later in Leonora, where he died in 1907.  Peter McGrath left an estate valued at £345 10s to his widow, Agnes Mary, when he died from typhoid fever after an illness of some three weeks.  His condition became so critical after three weeks that his mother, sister and brother were sent for and, together with his wife and only son, were in attendance at his deathbed.