52 Ancetors #19 - Emanuel Vero - a great-grandfather

This post is for Week 19 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge - 2015 - by Amy Johnson Crow from No Story Too Small. Prompt for Week  -  there's a way.

I have often wondered about my paternal great-grandfather Emanuel Vero. I know little about him, he died in 1905 in Newcastle, New South Wales after all. Emanuel arrived in Australia from Portugal, the Azores Islands, before 1874 when he married Dorothy Oswald in Newcastle, New South Wales. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find an accurate shipping record for Emanuel, perhaps he swam!

Emanuel & Dorothy had nine children, five boys and four girls all born in the suburbs of Newcastle. Emanuel worked at the coal-loading port as a coal trimmer, and that is where he met his future son-in-law Arthur Connor. 

Life was hard in the suburb of Carrington for families and in 1894 Emanuel applied for bankruptcy as noted in the Maitland Weekly Mercury of 7 Jul 1894, he was aged 58 at the time. Emanuel and his family were obviously respected by the local community as in April 1902 the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate reported that a meeting was held to make final arrangement for the Vero Family Benefit with the Mayor Alderman Light occupying the chair.

This was obviously successful as the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate reported on Wednesday 23 April 1902.

Emanuel and Dorothy lost a son, William Joseph, in March 1902, he was 20 years of age.

I wonder what exactly were the hard times that befell the Vero family in the later part of the 19th century, first causing Emanuel to apply for bankruptcy and then for the community to hold a benefit concert. I hope that the proceeds from the concert and the obvious kindness of the local community helped the family.