Today I will continue with part two of my “Lisnagar” story. If you missed part one, where I showed some photographs of the house itself, you can see it here.
The old homestead of “Lisnagar” is in the quiet country village of Kynnumboon, on the banks of the Rous River. The home itself appears upon entering to be “the house that time forgot” and the very same can be said for the surrounding grounds.
Various farming implements and carts once drawn into town by draught horses are dotted throughout the property, unused, weeds growing through any crevices where they can manage to find light.
The old garden shed would have likely seen many days of hard toil, perhaps carried out by Edward Twohill himself, the Irish immigrant who built the homestead in the early years of last century, to house himself, his wife and their large family.
The look and size of some of the trees within the grounds would suggest that they were already on the land when Edward chose the property for his future home. Perhaps Edward planted some of these large trees himself. Who knows?
Nowadays, this tree provides shelter for farming equipment which has long since passed its used by date. I wonder whether the Twohill children and their friends once climbed this tree, back in the glory days of “Lisnagar”.
Edward Twohill was one of the early settlers in the Tweed area. He is also the great-great grandfather of my children. I don’t think any of my children realise just how fortunate they all are, knowing that this property was built and owned by one of their ancestors, but one day they will, when they have children of their own to show the house to.
Here at “Lisnagar”, my children have the opportunity to not only know who their ancestors were, but to see how they lived, walk inside the rooms of the home they once called home and catch a glimpse of how their lives may have been.
I can imagine it must be quite some experience to know you are walking along the same roads, through the same grounds, that your own ancestors once walked upon!
I know there was one area of the grounds that both of my girls got a kick out of seeing and being in, but that story will have to wait until tomorrow. 🙂
In My World 
“Lisngar” is very beautifuly, I remember visiting there when I was very young, I was about 10 years old. Edward Twohill’s wife Ellen Jane, was my Great Aunt, she was a older sister of my Grandmother. Mary Harriett Neylan. I also paid a vist in later years, when Emma and brother were still living.
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Dawn, I’m so glad you found me here and thank you for leaving a few words about your own “Lisnagar” experience. I’m sure there are quite a few relations around as they all had such large families back in those days. Emma’s brother’s name was Kevin and during the years my husband and I lived in Sydney, my husband would always pay them a visit when we were up north. I felt hesitant about visiting them as they were old and, as I hadn’t met Emma and Kevin, I didn’t want them to feel I was a stranger, intruding on their home. I now regret not having met them.
I hope you come back and read my latest post, about the “Lisnagar” bamboo, as I have included a wedding photo of Esther and Percy. You will be sure to know which one Ellen Jane is in the photo!
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