Wyandotte

by

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.

by

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.

by

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.

by

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.