Alberta Grace Lawrie

Born: 4 Sep 1882, Long Plains, South Australia
Died: 27 Jan 1954, Claremont (Bethesda Hospital), Western Australia
Buried: Morawa Cemetery, Morawa, WA
Father: Robert Dunlop Lawrie (1850–1917)
Mother: Caroline Hosking (1851–1920)
Spouse: George Alfred Carslake (1881–1974)
Also known as: "Gracie" or "Grace"

Biography

Alberta Grace Lawrie (known as Gracie or Grace) was born on 4 September 1882 at Long Plains, South Australia, the fifth child and fourth daughter of Robert Dunlop Lawrie (1850–1917) and Caroline Hosking (1851–1920).

She grew up on the family farm "Bleak Farm" at Long Plains, in a large family of nine children: Catherine Leah, Janet Stevenson, Alberta Grace, Hugh John, Frank Lindsay, Jeanette, Marion Vida, Caroline Edna, and Robert Dunlop Lawrie (jnr).

Marriage and Move to Western Australia

On 6 September 1904, Alberta Grace married George Alfred Carslake (born 10 April 1881 in Windsor, SA) at her father's home in Long Plains, South Australia. George was the son of Henry Acland Carslake and Celena Wyatt.

The marriage is recorded in the South Australian marriage register (District of Gilbert, Book/Page 220/972), which names the groom's father as Henry Acland Carslake and the bride's father as Robert Dunlop Lawrie.

The couple moved to Western Australia, where they farmed in the Arrino district (Dudawa / East Arrino). In the 1932–1934 period, George was secretary of the Dudawa Tennis Club. They left the Arrino district in September 1934 and shifted to Gutha in the Mid West region of Western Australia.

Children

Alberta Grace and George Carslake had five children — two sons and three daughters:

Death

Alberta Grace died on 27 January 1954 at Bethesda Hospital, Claremont, Western Australia, aged 71. She had suffered a stroke in 1953 and only partially recovered, remaining bedridden until her death. She was buried at Morawa Cemetery in Morawa, Shire of Morawa, WA; the funeral service was held on Friday 29 January 1954, with Frank Fewster officiating at the graveside.

She was living at Gutha at the time of her death, and her death is recorded in the WA death register as registration 100300/1954, District of Perth.

Note on her age: The WA death registration records her age as 70. However, she was born on 4 September 1882 and died on 27 January 1954, which makes her 71. The newspaper report of her death ("Pioneer passes aged 71") also gives 71. The age on a death registration is supplied by the informant, and the registration figure appears to be an error of one year. The date of birth and date of death are the more reliable figures.

Correction: Earlier versions of this page recorded her death as 27 June 1953, sourced from a FindAGrave memorial. That date is incorrect. The primary record (WA death registration 100300/1954) and the family history written by her grandson Graham Carslake both give 1954, and 29 January 1954 was a Friday, matching the newspaper's report of the funeral. The FindAGrave memorial has been retained below as a secondary source with its error noted.

Connections

Alberta Grace Lawrie is a paternal great-great-aunt of Mark Kenneth Telfer. Her sister Caroline Edna Lawrie (1890–1957) married William Henry Parker and was the grandmother of Shirley Edna Parker, who married Murray John Telfer (1924–2009), the paternal grandfather of Mark Kenneth Telfer.

Alberta Grace's grandson Graham Carslake authored the family history Our Story in Australia, 1800s on, which traces the Lawrie family from Ayrshire, Scotland to South Australia.

Sources

• Source (primary): Western Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages — Death Registration 100300/1954 — CARSLAKE, Alberta Grace, female, age 70, father Robert Dunlop LAWRIE, mother Kathleen HOSKING, died Claremont, registration district Perth, 1954. View — accessed 11 September 2026
• Source (primary): South Australian marriage register — CARSLAKE, George Alfred and LAWRIE, Alberta Grace — married 6 September 1904, District of Gilbert, Book/Page 220/972; groom's father Henry Acland CARSLAKE, bride's father Robert Dunlop LAWRIE. Genealogy SA online database. View — accessed 11 September 2026
• Source (primary): South Australian marriage register — HEIER, Conrad Cord and CARSLAKE, Ivy May — married 31 March 1928, Congregational Church Loxton, District of Wellington, Book/Page 314/1012; groom aged 31 (single), bride aged 22 (single); groom's father Conrad HEIER, bride's father George Alfred CARSLAKE. Genealogy SA online database. — accessed 11 September 2026
• Source (primary): South Australian birth register — HEIER, Conrad Cord — born 2 May 1896, Port Pirie, District of Clare, Book/Page 582/421; father Conrad HEIER, mother Selina ANEAR. Genealogy SA online database. — accessed 11 September 2026
• Source (primary): Western Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages — Death Registration 104082/1972 — HEIER, Ivy May, female, age 67, father George Alfred CARSLAKE, mother Alberta Grace LAURIE, died Perth, 1972. — accessed 11 September 2026
• Source (primary): Western Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages — Death Registration 100685/1977 — HEIER, Conrad Cord, male, age 80, father Conrad HEIER, mother Lena ANNEAR, died Leederville, 1977. — accessed 11 September 2026
• Source (primary): South Australian marriage register — ISAAC, Henry George and CARSLAKE, Joy Grace — married 1931, District of Adelaide, Book/Page 329/161. Genealogy SA online database. — accessed 11 September 2026
• Source (primary): Western Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages — Death Registration 2900090/1973 — CARSLAKE, Robert Henry, male, age 66, died Gutha, 1973. — accessed 11 September 2026
• Source (primary): Western Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages — Death Registration 2900092/1974 — CARSLAKE, George Alfred, male, age 93, died Morawa, 1974. — accessed 11 September 2026
• Source: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum, 'Alberta Grace Lawrie / Carslake' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs — born 4 Sep 1882 Long Plains SA, daughter of Robert Dunlop LAWRIE and Caroline HOSKING, married George Alfred CARSLAKE 6 Sep 1904 at her father's home. View — accessed 24 July 2026
• Source: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum, 'George Alfred Carslake' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs — confirms marriage to Alberta Grace Lawrie. View — accessed 24 July 2026
• Source: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum, 'Robert Henry Carslake' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs — confirms son of George Alfred CARSLAKE and Alberta Grace LAWRIE. View — accessed 24 July 2026
• Source: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum, 'George Dunlop Carslake' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs — confirms son of George Alfred CARSLAKE and Alberta Grace LAWRIE. View — accessed 24 July 2026
• Source: Graham Carslake — Our Story in Australia, 1800s on — family history written by her grandson. Records her birth at Long Plains on 4 September 1882 and her death at Bethesda Hospital, Claremont, Western Australia on 27 January 1954; names her five children as Ivy May, Robert Henry, Joy Grace, George Dunlop and Selina Faith; records her stroke in 1953 and quotes the newspaper report "Pioneer passes aged 71". (See Lawrie Family - Carslake Connection)
• Source (secondary — contains an error): FindAGrave — Mrs Alberta Grace Lawrie Carslake (1882–1953), Memorial 205169924 — buried Morawa Cemetery. The death date given on this memorial, 27 June 1953, is incorrect; the primary register and the family history both record 1954. View — accessed 24 July 2026

See Also

• Robert Dunlop Lawrie (1850–1917)
• Caroline Hosking (1851–1920)
• Caroline Edna Lawrie (1890–1957)
• Lawrie Family - Carslake Connection