FatherPercival Anderson Fenton1 b. c 1861
MotherLucy Campbell McDonald b. 20 Sep 1864, d. 1948
Pedigree

Birth, Death, Marriage

May Frances Fenton was born in 1892 in Swan Hill, Victoria.1 
ChartsCampbell, John, descendant chart
McDonald, Archibald, descendant chart

Story

Father Walked Out
In 1894, the five Fenton children were abandoned by their father when he got into financial difficulties and left town.2
 
When Percy initially left, the children were aged from nine (Percy junior) down to two (May).

Three years later, it was clear Lucy would not get any support from Percy. Newspaper reports suggest that at this time, Percy junior, now aged 12, began working for Murray River paddle steamer operator, Captain Hunt.3,2,4
 

Citations

  1. [S270] Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, registry and index, May Frances Fenton entry, birth registration no. 36878, 1892.
  2. [S171] 'Divorce Court: Fenton V Fenton', The Age, 1854-, newspaper, 19 February 1902, p. 6, viewed 30 May 2019, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197252507
  3. [S545] 'Euston drowning fatality: Coroner's report', Riverina Recorder, 1877-1965, newspaper, Richard Beaty, 12 February 1913, p. 2, viewed 22 June 2019, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/134745324
  4. [S543] 'Drowning fatality at Swan Hill', Kerang New Times, 1901-1918, newspaper, George Adams, 29 November 1912, p. 2, viewed 22 June 2019, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/222476907