Coleman

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Jacob Wiltshire (1808 -1839) – Australian Convict

I had a surprise find the other day.  One of Emily Jane’s great-uncles was a Convict!

Details:

Jacob Wiltshire – Parents James and Jane Wiltshire (nee Evard).  Jacob was the brother of Michael Wiltshire, father of Jane Coleman (nee Wiltshire) ie. Jane’s Uncle.

Born:  1808  (Christened 13 March 1808 at Vernham Dean)

Convicted:  18 December 1830, at Southampton Gaol,  for ‘Riotous Assembly and sending threatening letters to Farmers’

Sentence:  Death, later commuted to transportation to Australia for the term of his natural life.

Departure:   2 May 1833 on the Sailing Ship ‘Captain Cook’.

Estimated arrival date in Sydney, NSW:  2 Jan 1834 (based on an estimated 8 month voyage)

Died:  15 Jan 1839, still a convict.  [Archives citation: 4/4549; Reel 690 page 227]   Aged 30 years.

Location:  District/Parish:   Bathurst, NSW.

Source of above information:  Australian Joint Copying Project.

 

The background to Jacob’s conviction can be found at:

The Swing Riots of 1830

 

From a brief internet search so far, it appears Jacob had requested a pardon, as many of the swing rioters transported to Australia had received pardons.  Unfortunately Jacob passed away before such a pardon was granted.

 

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Where were family members during Cyclone Sigma 26-27 January 1896?

Cyclone Sigma was severe, with 18 people in Townsville losing their lives.  Most of these drowned when the Ross River broke its banks, with parts of Town having a flood depth of 2m.

George and Jane Coleman, and their children, including Emily Jane (then aged 14 years), were living in North Queensland at the time Cyclone Sigma struck Townsville.  The family were either still living at Wyandotte Station (near Cardwell), but more likely had already moved to their home in Fifth Ave, South Townsville.  (To confirm,  I probably need to check where their children were born – Emily was born at Wyandotte, but many of her younger siblings were born in Townsville, its simply a matter of finding out which sibling was first born in Townsville to best work out when the Colemans moved there).

Abraham Wilson was still living in Rockhampton so was unaffected by Cyclone Sigma.

Joseph Raynor, as yet unmarried, could have been in Townsville, but this seems unlikely.

Isabella Smyth (nee Shiels), and her daughters, including Mary Jane Smyth (then aged 11 years) were living in Townsville somewhere, possibly in the City area, or at Stewart’s Creek (something I’m currently researching).

I’ve come across an old article in a scanned Newspaper on National Library of Australia, which describes Cyclone Sigma in detail, which I’ll include in a post soon.

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George and Jane Coleman (nee Wiltshire) – emigration to Australia

The source of information for this post is QLD Archives Immigration passenger lists 1800s, series ID 13086.

Soon after their marriage, on 12 May 1880, in Vernham Dean, England, George and Jane Coleman emigrated to Australia.

They sailed on the SS Carnatic, departing Plymouth 19 June 1880 and arriving Townsville.

 

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Jane Coleman (nee Wiltshire) June 1854 – 25 May 1922

Occupation:  Housewife, mother

Address prior to marriage

<1880 – Vernham Dean,  Hampshire, England

Family recollections:

– While at Wyandotte she used to keep a rifle near the house when George was out droving, to scare of the local aboriginals (who sometimes threw spears at the house).

Death:

On 25 May 1922, Jane died suddenly of heart failure.  Her death was reported by husband George.

George must have been devastated by her sudden death, given her cause of death was reported by George.  A year later, he wrote a ‘Memoriam’ post in the Townsville Daily Bulletin.

Her children also placed a Memoriam post in the Townsville Bulletin, in 1925.

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George Coleman – 14 Feb 1855 – 4 Sep 1943

George Coleman was the father of Emily Wilson.

George &amp; Jane Coleman(?)

Note:  I have not confirmed the identify of the above, but I believe it is a photo of George and Jane Coleman on their wedding day.

George was born at Wilty and Birks, Shalbourne, England.  His parents were Thomas and Ann Coleman.

George married Jane Wiltshire 12 May 1880 in her home town of Vernham Dean.  They emigrated to Australia soon after, arriving by the time of their first child’s birth (Emily) on 8 May 1881.

George’s occupation was listed as labourer throughout his life.  However, on moving to Australia, 1880-1881, he was a drover at Wyandotte Station, near Cardwell Queensland, where he lived with Jane and his children.  By 1908, George, Jane and children had moved to South Townsville, living at 10 Fifth Avenue.

George outlived Jane by 21 years, eventually passing away 5 September 1943, in Townsville.

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Emily Jane Wilson (nee Coleman) 8 May 1881 – 7 Nov 1969

Emily was born at Wyandotte Station, near Cardwell in Queensland, in 1881.  She was the eldest child of George and Jane Coleman (nee Wiltshire).  There were ten children in total though the second eldest, Elizabeth, died in infancy (3 months old), and another daughter died at 4 years of age.

On living at Wyandotte Station, Emily later recalled that when her father was away droving, her mother would keep a rifle handy in case of trouble with the local aboriginals.  The aboriginals were known to throw spears at white settlers in the area, and Emily’s mother  would fire a shot or two to scare the aboriginals if they approached the house.

Emily was engaged to a man with the occupation of ‘ringer’, but he died before the wedding.  She later married Abraham Wilson at the Stoke St Church (Methodist) in Townsville, on 9 December 1908. One of Emily’s younger brothers, Fred, was one of the witnesses to sign the marriage certificate.

At the time, Emily was living in Fifth Avenue, South Townsville, with her parents.   After marriage, she moved, with Abraham to Railway Estate.

Emily and Abraham had five children.  Emily was known to be overly protective of her eldest son, according to her daughter-in-law.  When her son got married, Emily worried her daughter-in-law would not be able to look after him properly.

in later years Emily possibly suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, though it was not diagnosed, probably because Alzheimers was still relatively unknown.

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1900s post directories and electoral rolls

I discovered that the City and State Libraries hold various subscriptions to family research sites and hold many CD-ROMs on various areas of family historry/geneology.  As a library member I booked myself into the NT Library to use one of the research computers there.

I  thought I would check out the electoral rolls and post directories to see where everyone (ancestors) were living in early 1900s.  I am curious about a couple of moves:  When George Coleman and family moved from Wyandotte Station to South Townsville, and when/why Abraham Wilson moved from Rockhampton to Townsville in 1901.

1900 was pre-federation, and perhaps only land owners were allowed to vote (as I believe was the case).

Electoral Roll (1900):

Coleman, George:  Freehold Fifth Avenue South Townsville

Parker J. r.o:  Wyandotte Station  (not a relative, just curious who was living there after the Colemans moved from Wyandotte Station  to Townsville)

No Wilson family members listed anywhere in Queensland.

‘Post directory’ 1903: 

– George Coleman  – 5th Avenue South Townsville

– Abraham Wilson – Fairfield Townsville.

Electoral Roll 1903:

Coleman, George – Fifth Avenue Townsville

Coleman, Jane – Fifth Avenue Townsville

Coleman, Emily Jane – Fifth Avenue Townsville

Wilson, Abraham, Fairfield, Stewart Creek

Wilson, Catherine, Fairfield, Stewart Creek.

Possible relative:  Wilson, Roberts, Stewart’s Creek Penal Establishment.

Wilson, Thomas Andrew, ‘Pleystowe’ Walkerston (Herbert division)

Wilson, Fredericka, ‘Pleystowe’ Walkerston (Herbert divison)

Wilson, Ann Eliza (half-sister Catherine):   74 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley QLD (possible mis-numbering, should have been 714 Brunswick St)

Wilson, Eliza – 716 Brunswick St

Wilson Robert – 714 Brunswick St

Wilson, Walter – 716 Brunswick St.

Note Ann Eliza was not married to Abraham’s brother Robert, but a different Robert who appears coincidentally to have had the same surname (Wilson).   . Ann and Robert possibly had son Walter, who married Eliza.  Or, Ann & Robert had two children Eliza and Walter, who lived next to them in Brunswick St Fortitude Valley.

 

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Family History – the story so far

Joseph Raynor:

Born:   2 November 1866 – Messina Sicily (no birth certificate to verify this)

Parents:  Joseph Raynor (Master Mariner), Rosa Cefaly  (no verification of parents names or Joseph’s name)

Arrived in Australia:  – circa 1897 (family oral history)

Naturalisation:  – 11 Jan 1899 – Supreme Court Townsville (register entry found only – no oath of allegiance – he would have signed –  exists)

Enrolled to vote:  24 Jan 1899 (not yet verified)

Insolvency:   17 June 1899

Married:  4 March 1905 – Mary Jane Smyth

Employment:   SS Bobby Towns (based in Townsville), Waterside Worker (member of Waterside Workers Federation)

Will written:   24 July 1923

Homes:  Initially lived on Palmer St South Townsville, prior to moving to McIlwraith St (1915-16) and later purchased a home 9 March 1927  (date listed in his Estate File held at Queensland Archives).  Possibly rented the same home he later purchased.

Age pension:  On the pension at the time of his death.

Died:   14 February 1937

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Mary Jane Raynor (nee Smyth)

Born:   10 April 1884, Knapp St, Townsville

Parents:  

John Smyth (born Edinburgh Scotland? circa 1846-47) died 14 December 1883

Isabella Smyth nee Shiels  born Strabane, Tyrone, Ireland circa 1847-50) died 12 April 1909

Family Tree:  Limited search conducted so far – no ancestors yet verified.

Arrived in Australia:  – Parents and older siblings arrived 1882 – SS Stirlingshire, disembarked at Townsville.

Married:  4 March 1905 – Joseph Raynor

Homes:     Appears to have grown up in Wills St, Townsville, prior to moving to South Townsville with Joseph

Died:   27 December 1956

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Abraham Wilson

Born:   27 June 1876, Portadown, Armagh, Ireland

Parents:  

Christopher Wilson:  Occupation Weaver, later Shipbuilder, born 1831, died circa late 1880s in Belfast in a Shipyard accident.

Catherine Wilson (nee McFall):  Born circa 1835, died 5 November 1922, at Dunwich Asylum in Queensland.

Family Tree search so far:

Most of Abraham siblings names are known, however there is one female unknown (deceased at the time of Catherine’s death) – the sibling was probably born before 1864, as this is the year Ireland Births commenced being registered (prior to this it is Parish Church records).  Parents of Christopher & Catherine not yet located, but surnames are known.

Christopher & Catherine married 14 March 1853 at Moyntaghs, Armagh Ireland.

Catherine’s father’s name was John McFall, and her mother (Mary Sturger) married a Thomas Bunting (after Catherine was born), and Catherine assumed the surname of Bunting.  Catherine had a half-sister, Ann Eliza, who also later married a Wilson – a Robert Wilson (not apparently related to Christopher Wilson)

Arrived in Australia:  – December 1891, SS Roma, disembarked Rockhampton.  Mother Catherine and Brother Robert also onboard.  Older brother  Thomas Andrew emigrated earlier, arriving Townsville on SS Dacca.

Married:  9 December 1908 – Emily Jane Coleman (Townsville)

Employment:   Painter, Signwriter – initially employed by a German resident in Rockhampton, then later the Ross River Meatworks. Other later employment in Townsville.

 

Homes:  Rockhampton, Oonoonaba (Fairfield), Ninth Avenue Railway Estate

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