Francis Collins Fanning 1893-1935 Victoria Australia

Francis Collins Fanning was the son of Edward Fanning and Sarah Collins. He was born in Bulla Victoria in1892 and became a builder. he lived in Essendon Melbourne. He married Ida Mackey in 1915 and they had four children. In 1932 he died aged 40.

 

Frank Fanning and Pat Kelleher

Frank Fanning on the left and Pat Kelleher in the middle at  Kilmore

Frank Fanning and Father Camperdown Presbytery 1930 maybe
Frank Fanning and a priest at Camperdown Presbytery 1930
Frank_Fanning,_centre.
Francis Collins Fanning center Victoria Australia

My grandfather Frank Fanning is in the center. I don’t know when this was taken but he is obviously in his work clothes.

He was a talented builder. He is said to have built the original St Theresa’s Primary School and quite a few of the local picture theaters around Essendon.

His son Jack, also a builder, built the Presbytery at St Theresa’s. One thing I remember my father telling me about him was that he played the violin I also have been told he liked to bet on the horses.

One story I heard was that one time he won a thousand pounds on the horses and wanted to buy his daughter Eileen a piano with it, but Ida my grandmother was opposed to spending the money in this way and wanted to buy property. Frank prevailed and Eileen got a piano.Given how strong willed my grandmother was, this was no mean feat!

Frank Fanning Advertisment Use
Advertisement for Frank Fanning Essendon Builder

Francis Collins Fanning, “Frank” Fanning, my grandfather was a builder in the Essendon area. This advertisement was in the local Church paper and may have been around 1923.

Frank Fanning The Argus 9 Feb 1924 House Sale 1
House built by Frank Fanning 1924
I
Ida Mackey Fanning and Francis Collins Fanning 1915 Marriage_cropped
Ida Theresa Mackey married Francis Collins Fanning on the 25th September 1915, in St Monica’s Church, Essendon, Melbourne
Ida Mackey and Frank Fanning Marriage
Wedding of Ida Mackey & Francis Collins Fanning 1915
Ida Mackey and Frank Fanning Weddinguse
Eileen Glass nee Mackey, Edward Francis Fanning, Francis Collins Fanning, Ida Mackey, Mary Breen nee Mackey, 1915

The wedding was at St Monica’s Catholic Church in Essendon, Melbourne, on Sept 25, 1915.

Hanging Rock John Edward Fanning, the boy in the middle,Nance Kelleher on the right, Jack Fanning on the left, Frank Fanning on the right next to Nance about 1928
Hanging Rock John Edward Fanning, the boy in the middle, Nance Fanning nee Kelleher on the right, Jack Fanningher husband on the left, Frank Fanning on Nance’s right about 1928

Ida Fanning was an avid card player and president of the card committee at St Columba’s College in Essendon, where she organized the card afternoons until the early 1960’s. She also held card afternoons at her flat “Collida” in Stanley St Essendon. The name being a combination of her first name Ida and Collins, my grandfather’s second name. On her flat at Stanley St Essendon there was a brass plate with Collida on it. She taught me to play euchre in her front room. She loved the British monarchy and had numerous royal memorabilia.

Frank died at the age of forty after a three year illness.

Francis Collins Fanning Death Cert 1932_use
Francis Collins Fanning Death Certificate 1932
Francis Collins Fanning Obit Kilmore Free Press 3 Mar 1932 cr
Obituary for Francis Collins Fanning in the Kilmore Free Press 3 March 1932

Ida Fanning died age 84 and they are both buried in Fawkner Cemetery Melbourne.

Francis Collins Fanning 1932, Ida Fanning 1974 & G.W. Fanning 1952 Fawkner Cem.
Grave of Ida and Frank Fanning Fawkner Cemetery Victoria

 

Francis Collins Fanning Ancestor Report 2015
Francis Collins Fanning Ancestor Report 2015

Author: Kathleen

I have done an Ancestry DNA test and also have uploaded my test results to GedMatch. My GedMatch kit numbers are A029138 and T470174. Please contact me if we are a match. kathleenmfanningAThotmailDOTcom

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