When you ancestor is a little bit shocking

No matter how much we wish it wasn’t so, the fact is that many of our ancestors did not live exemplary lives. They may have been criminals or immoral, or just plain unlucky.

Mine, I think, was just plain unlucky.

Amelia Barrett was born on 1 March 1844 in the village of North Leigh, Oxfordshire, in England. She was the first child of James Barrett, a farm labourer and his wife, Caroline Randall, also the daughter of an agricultural labourer. Amelia’s birth was quickly followed by those of Isabella in 1847, William Nathaniel in 1847 and Maria in 1851. Each child was born in a different place, indicating the family was quite mobile for that time. In 1851, at the time of the British Census, the family were living at 51 Mill Lane, Folkestone in Kent, England. In 1853, the family came to Australia on board the ship “Trafalgar”. James had paid £10 for their passage, which was a considerable sum and indicates that the family was not destitute by any means. On arrival, the family went to Picton in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales to work for the Antill family on the property “Jarvisfield’ where they stayed for some years.

While the family lived in Picton, several more children were born, and by 1859, the family consisted of James and Caroline, Amelia, Isabella, William, Maria, Matilda and Joseph. Another brother, Henry, had been born and died in Picton in 1854. On 26 December, 1859 at St Marks Anglican Church, Picton, Amelia, aged 15, married a young German immigrant, Jacob Andrew Ihle (known as Andrew) who was also working on the Jarvisfield Estate. Andrew was 22 at the time of their marriage. Andrew and Amelia had two daughters while living in Picton (Louisa and Gertrude) and two sons (William Andrew and Charles, who died in infancy) before moving to south east Queensland to join Andrew’s brother, John Charles Ihle, at the new town of Fernvale. The Barrett family remained in Picton, and we do not believe Amelia ever saw her family again.

On 7 October 1868, Andrew died of a heart condition, leaving Amelia a widow of 24 years old with three young children and no family support of her own. Of course, there was no government pension paid to her. In only six months, on 12 April 1869, she married again, to another member of the German community, George Christian Muller. They had one child together, a daughter, Caroline Amelia.

By 1873 Amelia’s daughters Louisa and Gertrude were living permanently with their uncle, John Charles Ihle. We don’t know if George Muller died, if Amelia left him or he forced her out, but by 1879 she was living with Johann Haid (apparently not married to him) and bore him at least three children, of whom one is known to have survived. Amelia died at the age of 37 giving birth to her eleventh child on 1 October 1881 at Stanthorpe in Queensland and is buried in an unmarked grave in Stanthorpe cemetery.

Her career raises eyebrows today – in the 1870s she was a scandal and a disgrace. Certainly her grandchildren, many of whom I met in the 1960s and 1970s, did not know of her life history.

We now return to the Barrett family, who we left in Picton. At some timeafter 1868, James took the opportunity to move his family to Cootamundra in southern New South Wales, and opened a brickmaking factory there. That brickworks was still operational at least into the 1970s. The other Barrett children (including late additions Charles, Eliza, Annie Caroline and Fanny) all led exemplary lives and the family is extremely well regarded.

In the 1980swe were able to contact some of the Barrett descendants with interesting results.

Our first contact was with a grandson of Amelia’s brother William, who remembered his grandfather’s family stories. He had been told that Amelia was a prostitute, a disgrace to the family and had been disowned by the family. Certainly there is no acknowledgement of Amelia’s existence on the death certificates or obituaries of either of her parents, who both outlived her by many years.

Contact was later made with a descendant of Amelia’s youngest sister Fanny. The age gap between these two sisters was such that they never met, and Fanny was actually younger than Amelia’s three oldest children.

Fanny’s granddaughter had been told (as apparently had Fanny) that Amelia had actually died in the early years in Australia. They didn’t know that she had married or had children and descendants.

Amelia’s branch has now been firmly grafted back on to the family tree.

There are so many things we don’t know that could have affected her life.

Did her family agree with her marrying a German? Did the rift in the Barrett family happen at that time? Could Amelia have chosen to return to her family after her first husband died? What happened with her second marriage? Widowed again, left or thrown out? Did she have a say in the placement of her daughters with their uncle, or were they taken from her? Did she go willingly with the man who fathered her later children? Or was she out of options at that time?

So. Was Amelia a “bad woman” as her family believed or was she the unlucky victim of her times and circumstances?

More questions than answers on this one.

John Strathearn – Soldier of the Queen

John Strathearn was born in 1850 in Paisley, Scotland. He was the oldest son of James Jamieson Strathearn and Mary Ritchie.

No record has been found of John’s birth or baptism, but we know he had the following siblings, born after the introduction of registration in Scotland in 1856:

• William (born 1857)
• Margaret (born 1858)
• Mary (b0rn 1861)
• James (born 1863)
• Janet (born 1866)
• William (born 1869)

For at least two generations prior to John’s birth, the Strathearn family had been working in the shawl weaving industry, which was the main industry in Paisley in the 19^th century.

However, John broke the mould, leaving home at 16 years old to join the Army. According to his obituary, he first joined the 79^th Cameronian Highlanders in 1867 and served in India for four years.  On his return to England he was at one time part of the Guard of Honour for Her Majesty Queen Victoria at her residence, Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight.   In 1881 he transferred to the Gordon Highlands and served the remainder of his career with that regiment, reaching the rank of Regimental Sergeant-Major.

In 1876, while stationed at Edinburgh Castle, he married Ellen Johnston, the daughter of James Johnston and Jessie McKenzie. Nothing is known of James’ family, but Jessie’s family seems to have several generations of service in the British Army behind them. John and Ellen lived in military barracks and most of their children were born in the barracks of the Gordon Highlanders of Aberdeen. Their family consisted of:

• James Jamieson (born 1877)
• Helen Crichton (born 1878, died 1883)
• An unnamed son (born and died in 1880)
• Jessie McKenzie (born 1881, died 1883)
• John Ritchie (born 1883)
• William (born 1885)
• Colin McKenzie Christie (born 1887)
• Gordon Cameron (born 1889)
• Ellen (born 1891)

John ended his career as a Regimental Sergeant Major in the Gordon Highlanders.  In 1886, he was awarded the Good Conduct Medal.  He retired on 31 July 1892 after 25 years and one month’s service. He and Ellen stayed in Aberdeen and John became a church warden of Greyfriars Church in the City of Aberdeen.  He occupied that position for 26 years, retiring in 1919, when forced by ill-health.  The 16th Century church was rebuilt during his time in that position, with the new building opening in 1903.

Ellen died in1907, and we believe John lived with his daughter and son-in-law, Ellen and Alex Morrison in Aberdeen.

With the outbreak of World War I, John, then aged 64, volunteered for service but was rejected. However, four of his sons saw active service. All survived, and two were mentioned in dispatches.

In 1926, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and an annuity of £10.  The following newspaper article was printed on that occasion.  Unfortunately, I do not know which paper the article was taken from.

Copy of article printed in Aberdeen newspaper c. 1926

R.S.M. STRATHEARN
HONOUR FOR A CITY ARMY VETERAN

In recognition of his services with the colours, Regimental Sergt. Major John Strathearn, late of the Gordon Highlanders, who resides with his daughter, Mrs. Morrison, 134 King Street, Aberdeen, has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and an annuity of (ten pounds).  R.S.M. Strathearn has received the decoration privately, as, owing to infirmity, he is unable to bear the strain of a formal presentation.

R.S.M. Strathearn attested for the 79th Cameron Highlanders at Castlehill, Aberdeen, as far back as July 2nd, 1867, when he was 16 years of age.  After undergoing his recruit training at Castlehill and Fort George, he was drafted out to the unit in India in November of the same year.  An alert old man, he has still vivid recollections of the journey, which was made by sailing vessel round the cape.  He was the youngest soldier in the contingent.  Nearly four years later (in 1871) he returned with the battalion to its home station in the Isle of Wight, where he was promoted to the rank of corporal in 1873.

While Queen Victoria was in residence at Osborne in that year he acted as corporal of the guard of honour during Her Majesty’s sojourn there.  A similar distinction fell to him on the occasion when the regiment received its designation as the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders.  He recalls the ceremony with singular clearness, even to the words used by Her Majesty.  On presenting the regiment with new colours and receiving the colours that had been carried through many an arduous campaign, Queen Victoria said:  “I will take these old colours for safe keeping to my dear old Highland home”:.  He was also corporal of the guard of honour to the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at windsor on their arrival after their marriage.

Transferred to Gordons:  In 1874 he was promoted sergeant, and about five years later he received the rank of colour-sergeant.  He was transferred to the 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders in 1881, and was made a Regimental Sergeant Major in 1886, in which year he was also awarded the Good Conduct Medal.  Later he was transferred to the 3rd Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders (Militia), from which he was discharged on pension on July 31, 1892, after 25 years and 1 month’s service.

On leaving the Army he was appointed Church Officer of Greyfriar’s Parish Church, Aberdeen, which position he occupied for 26 years, retiring in 1919.  He is not in his 76th year.  Two of his sons have also served in the Army.  The eldest saw service with the 1st Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in the Boer War, and was invalided home with enteric fever.  On the outbreak of the late War he rejoined his old regiment and served in France and in the near East, being wounded in Macedonia.  We went back to France with the Labour Battalion, and was again wounded on the day before the Armistice.  Another son, Colin, was mentioned in dispatches.  R.S.M. Strathearn offered his services on the outbreak of war, but as he was then 65 years of age he was not accepted.

John died on 4 September 1927 at the home of his daugher and son-in-law, 134 King Street, Aberdeen.  The following obituary was published.

Copy of article printed in Scottish newspaper (Aberdeen) September 1927

EX-R.S.M. JOHN STRATHEARN
ABERDEEN

The death occurred on Sunday at the residence of his son-in-law, 134 King Street, Aberdeen, of ex-Regimental Sergeant-Major John Strathearn, who was for 26 1/2 years Church Officer of Greyfriars Parish Church.  He was 78 years of age, and had been an invalid for eight years.

A native of Paisley, Mr Strathearn joined the 79th Queen’;s Own Cameron Highlanders at the age of 18, and was immediately drafted to India.  He returned after four years’f oreign service.  In 1873 he was transferred to the Royal Aberdeenshire Highlanders (later the 3rd Gordon Highlanders) being promoted colour-sergeant the following year and warrant officer in 1886.  He was discharged in 1892 after 25 years’s service, in possession of the medal for long service and good conduct.  Two years ago he received the Meritorious Service Medal.

Until his ill-health eight years ago Mr Strathearn was Church Officer of Greyfriars Parish Church, where he was appointed in 1893.

Mr Strathearn was pre-deceased by his wife 20 years ago, and is survived by a family of four sons and one daughter.

Immigration

There were many reasons why families in the 19^th century chose to emigrate to Australia. Of course, in the early days of Australian settlement, many immigrants didn’t come voluntarily, but were transported as convicts. Very few of the convicts were able to bring their families with them, and few returned to Britain. Some were able, once they had served their time, to bring their family out to Australia. For most, however, the separation was permanent and they often established a new family here.

However, that’s not my family. We have found three likely reasons for immigration in my family:

1. Industrialisation of agriculture in England, rural depression and urbanisation. Agricultural labourers weren’t needed on the farms in the south of England (where my English ancestors lived) in the numbers they had been in previous centuries. Many moved to live in the large industrial cities, and others chose to emigrate – to Canada, New Zealand, the United States or Australia. The Government paid the travelling expenses of the emigrant family to Australia, in exchange for two years’ work in the colony on arrival, making this a popular choice. The two years’ work could be either for the Government in the colony directly, or for an already established immigrant.

2. Religion. In Germany, from the 1830s, Lutherans were a group that was being persecuted in their homeland for their religion. Many chose to leave Germany and came to Australia – settling in South Australia and Queensland in large numbers. While we don’t know for sure, we assume this is the reason our German Lutheran ancestors came to Queensland.

3. Health. After World War I, many soldiers returning to the United Kingdom were in precarious health. Many had been affected, to a greater or lesser degree, by the use of mustard gas in the trenches, which permanently affected their health for the rest of their lives. Men were advised, for the sake of their health, to move to countries with kinder climates. My Scottish grandfather, his wife and three children arrived in Sydney in 1921 as a direct result of this advice.

When my ancestors immigrated, from 1848 to 1858, then in 1921, the decision was not undertaken lightly. 19^th century immigration to Australia was a long and difficult journey, involve three months on a small ship that probably wouldn’t be considered seaworthy today. Conditions were harsh and many immigrants, especially babies and children, died. For most, their passage was paid by the Government, and immigration was permanent. Even in 1921, my grandparents travelled six weeks to get here, with no expectation of ever returning.

Immigration today is different – the modern immigrant arrives by plane and, unless a refugee, knows that he or she can return home relatively easily for a visit, or permanently if they choose. The process is reversible and, with improvements in technology, the internet, Skype, etc, contact with family and friends left behind is much easier to maintain..

The Documents in the Case

A large number of documents have been consulted in the research into John Eastment’s life. They include

1.   Registration of Birth Death and Marriage records, England

2.   Parish registers of St Michael’s Church, East Coker, Somerset, England

3.   Registration of Birth Death and Marriage records, England

4.   Registration of Birth Death and Marriage records, New South Wales, Australia

5.   Indexes to registration records for South Australia and Queensland

6.   The Northern Star, Lismore, various issues from the early 1900′s to the 1980′s.

7.   Shipping records in the South Australian archives showing the passenger list of the Shackamaxon, 1853

8.   Letter from the Religious Instructor on board the Shackamaxon to the South Australian Colonial Secretary

9.   The South Australian Register, 26th January, 1853

10.  New South Wales Land Titles records Will and Probate of John Eastment, 1926

11.  Interview with Elsie May Taylor (nee Eastment) held 11 August, 1979

12.  Family photograph collection

In Loving Memory of
SLOME
beloved wife of John Eastment
died 27th January 1921
aged 77 years
“Safe in the arms of Jesus”

JOHN EASTMENT
Beloved husband of above
died 2nd August, 1826
aged 87 years

In God’s care
(East Lismore Cemetery)

On the 23rd October, 1920, John Eastment made his last Will and testament.  In that will he is described as a Farmer of Wyrallah near Lismore.  Two of his sons-in-law were appointed as executors – Edward Moehead (married to Florence) and Rupert Reginald Read (married to Maud).  The will gave all of his property to his surviving children – Edward James, John William, Charles Richard, Henry Thomas, Alfred Ernest, Mary Jane, Florence Emily, Alice Salome and Maud Cedelia (the oldest child, Ann Elizabeth, had died in 1902).  It is specifically provided in the Will that the share of his estate belonging to each of his daughters is for that daughter’s “sole and separate use and benefit independing of and free from the debts, engagements interference or control of any husband”.   The will makes no provision for John’s wife, Salome, who was still alive at the time of its making.  However, she died only three months after the will was made, so possibly her death was expected.

On the 8th February, 1926, only six months before his death, John signed a codicil to his will which removed Rupert Read as executor and instead appointed a family friend, Sidney Tucker Selwood.  Edward Moehead remained as executor.

Probate of John’s will was granted on 29 September, 1926 to Edward Moehead and Sidney Tucker Selwood and the estate was valued at  £5192.1.1.

According to family story (again related by Elsie Taylor), there was a great upset within the family over John’s will, as he didn’t leave anything to his daughters, but instead left everything equally divided amongst his sons.  (This is obviously incorrect, considering the terms of the Will as probated).  Henry Thomas purchased the farm at Wyrallah from his brothers.  The other sons suspected there was more acreage there than had been paid for.  Henry Thomas (who was a keen businessman and fairly unscrupulous) made the offer that if the brothers paid for a surveyor and there proved to be more land than had been paid for, Henry would pay the extra money for the extra land without a problem.  However, if he (Henry) had to pay for the surveyor, then he would not pay anything extra no matter what the surveyor found.  The brothers would not pay for the survey and accordingly Henry did.  It was found that were 27 more acres than he’d paid for, and of course, the brothers tried to make him pay for the land, despite what had been said.  Henry refused, and his brothers took him to Court, lost, and eventually took it to the High Court.

However, I don’t know how much of this story is true and I am currently working to try and verify it.

So far I have found that Henry Thomas did indeed purchase John’s farm at Wyrallah.  This purchase did not take place until 25 November, 1931, five years after John’s death and the grant of Probate of the Will, which gives some support to the story of the family dispute.  Henry Thomas paid £2329 for the land – the same acreage as was originally purchased by John in 1866.

Henry Thomas apparently had no intention of keeping or farming the land (he lived in Queensland at that time) and by February, 1933, the farm had been split into two portions and sold out of the family.

John Eastment – Later Life

In 1896, John and Salome travelled to Freestone Creek, Warwick, Queensland, to attend the wedding of their son Henry Thomas to Emily Smith, daughter of Henry Smith and his wife Elizabeth, of Freestone.  The Smith family had also emigrated from Somerset in 1858 and had settled immediately in Queensland.  Emily was their ninth child and had been born at Freestone.  This photo was taken at that wedding and is taken from a larger group photo, showing many members of the Eastment and Smith families.

In about 1908, John and Salome decided to retire.  They purchased land at 16 Elliott Road, South Lismore, close to the Wilson River, and transported a cottage from their farm at Wyrallah to the land in Lismore, by bullock dray.  The house still stands at 16 Elliott Road, and has not been altered very much, except to raise it above the level of most floods.

In 1912, John and Salome Eastment paid a visit to their son Henry Thomas and his family, where they lived at Sladevale, just outside Warwick in Queensland.   Their granddaughter, Elsie Taylor (nee Eastment, daughter of Henry Thomas), who was four at that time, remembered Salome as a “little old lady in a black bonnet”.  Her older brother Eric, who was eleven, remembered her as a “cranky old bugger” who “gave me the rounds of the kitchen”, but admitted that he probably deserved it.

In 1915, at the age of 77, John Eastment was one of 166 registered owners of motor vehicles in the Northern Rivers district.His granddaughter, Elsie lived in Lismore at this time, and remembered him learning to drive.  She loved to tell the story of how he drove his new car into the garage, shouting “Whoa! Whoa!” to it.  Of course, the car went straight through the back of the garage and into the back yard.  Undaunted, John built doors for the back of the garage as well as the front and continued to drive, becoming a competent driver despite his age.  Of course, with only 166 cars on the road in the district, traffic wasn’t a problem, and licence testing also wasn’t an issue at that time!

On 25th January, 1921, Salome died, at the age of 77.    She was buried in the Methodist portion of the East Lismore Cemetery.  On 27th March, 1921, a memorial service was held at the Methodist Church at Wyrallah in her honour.  The church was draped in black and purple and many beautiful wreaths were placed in the Church.

After Salome’s death, John’s daughter, Florence Emily, ran the house at 16 Elliott Road as a boarding house and took care of John and also took on the raising of her niece Elsie.  Elsie described the John she knew during this time as a “gentle old man”, who would say, “Sizzle-a-bob (sic) here you are girl, here’s two bob, don’t tell your Auntie Flo I gave you two bob”. and  give her two bob (two shillings, or twenty cents) to spend.  “He was a dear old man, I loved grandfather”.  At this time, he was well over eighty years old.

John died 2 August, 1926, at Warrawee Hospital, Lismore, of senile decay.  He was buried with his wife, Salome, at East Lismore Cemetery.  Their daughter Florence and sons Charles Richard and Henry Thomas are also buried at the East Lismore Cemetery and their oldest daughter Ann, is buried at the North Lismore Cemetery.

John Eastment – Wyrallah

John Eastment still owned the land at Wyrallah at the time of his death in 1926  The land is described by the Land Titles Office of New South Wales as Portions XVI and XVII in the County of Rous and Parish of South Gundurimba, comprising one hundred and thirty seven acres.  By 1884 John had paid the complete purchase price of 137 pounds and met all other conditions of the original Crown Grant and received a clear freehold Certificate of Title to the land.  The land was mortgaged to the Bank of New South Wales in 1887 and the mortgage was discharged in 1891.  In 1925 the land was leased to James Quillian Kernaugh of Wollongbar, Farmer.

Two views of the Eastment farm at Wyrallah (1979)

With the acquisition of farming land on the Richmond River at Wyrallah, John and Salome’s life became more settled, although John did re-enter the carrying trade for a short time from about 1872.  The land at Wyrallah was virgin land and considerable effort from the entire family went into clearing the land and developing it as a viable farm.  In the early days, the main crop was maize, but in later years he took up sugar growing, and even later, dairying.  John was well known as a breeder of draught horses, and for many years was a successful exhibitor at local agricultural shows, being rarely beaten in draught horse classes.  The district grew to be one of great prosperity, and John was one of the leaders of the community.  Salome’s parents also selected land at nearby South Gundurimba and lived and farmed there until their deaths.

The Eastment family also grew during these years, Ann, Edward and John being joined by Charles Richard (1867), Mary Jane (1870), Henry Thomas (1872), Florence Emily (1876), Alice Salome Letitia (1878), Alfred Ernest (1881) and Maude Cedelia (1888).  An unnamed daughter was born and died in 1884, and there were also two stillborn sons.

On 25 November, 1874 John purchased a parcel of land at the corner of Hoof and Bruce Streets, Grafton.  On the Transfer document he was described as “John Eastment, of the City of Grafton, Carrier”.  This land was sold on 25 February, 1875.

John’s signature, 25 November, 1874

Then, on 30 December, 1884, he purchased a block of land in Dawson Street, Lismore,  for the sum of 200.  This land was held in its entirety until 1911 when a part of the land was sold to his son-in-law, Alfred Edward Latter.

During these years, Salome developed her talents as a nurse and midwife, in addition to raising her own large family.  Many babies in the Wyrallah, South Gundurimba and Tucki Tucki districts were delivered by Salome, without the assistance of a doctor, and the Eastment home also served as the district’s hospital, to enable Salome to more closely care for the sick and injured in the community.  For so many of her own children to survive to adulthood, at that time and in such a remote locality, is a testament both to Salome’s skills and to the hardiness of the family.

John was involved, with many others in the community,  in the establishment of the Methodist Church at Wyrallah in 1885

The Eastment sons appeared to inherit their father’s itchy feet.  They eventually settled and raised their families in places far removed from Wyrallah, John in Charleville, Queensland; Edward in Ipswich, Queensland; Charles in Byron Bay, NSW; Henry in Warwick, Queensland; and Alfred in Port Douglas, Queensland.

By approximately 1908, at the age of 70, John was ready for retirement and the next stage of his life.

Wyrallah Village (1979)

John Eastment – the Early Years in Australia

Of John’s early years in Australia, almost nothing has been discovered yet. By 1859, the family were living in the Hunter River district of New South Wales. We do not know why they left South Australia, although it has been suggested that conditions in South Australia were not as promised by the immigration agents in England. Jobs were not available for immigrants, and living conditions in Adelaide at that time were poor. This is, however, conjecture and we do not know the Young/Eastment’s true reasons for travelling to New South Wales or when they made the move. At Maitland, John was apprenticed to the blacksmithing trade, but did not complete the apprenticeship. Instead he was involved in the carrying trade between Maitland, Armidale and Tamworth.

Mary Eastment was married on 12 July, 1859 at Hinton in the Hunter Valley, to John Partridge and on 22 May, 1860 John was married at Holy Trinity Church, Lochinvar, Hunter Valley, New South Wales, to Salome Whitney. John was 21 years old at the time, and Salome was 16. Salome was born on 8 August, 1843 in the village of Chicheley, Buckinghamshire, England, the oldest child and only daughter of James and Ann (nee Brooks) Whitney. The Whitney family emigrated to Australia in 1848 on board the vessel “Walmer Castle”. (The photograph shows Holy Trinity Church, Lochinvar, built in 1890. This church stands on the same site and has the same name as the church in which John and Salome were married). A sketch of the original church appears below.

For the next few years John and Salome lived in rural New South Wales, apparently gradually heading north along the coast.. The birth of their first child, Ann Elizabeth, was registered at Morpeth in the Hunter Valley in 1861. The next two children, Edward James (born 1864) and John William (born 1866) do not appear to have been registered, suggesting that the family was perhaps living in isolated areas at those times. During this period he apparently owned a horse team and again took up the carrying business, basing himself in Grafton, and carrying merchandise from Lawrence to Glen Innes and Tenterfield.

In 1866, John Eastment acquired land at Wyrallah on the Richmond River where he settled.

Plan and description taken from New South Wales Land Grant Volume 727 Folio 249

John Eastment – Immigration

The "Shackamaxon" was described as a frigate-like vessel of approx. 1200 tons (various tonnages ranging from 1119 to 2500 quoted by different sources) belonging to the Port of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was launched on 10 July 1851 and went to sea on 2 August. Length 175 feet overall, 37 feet 6 inches beam. Height between decks 7 feet 3 inches.  On 7 Feb 1853 an auction of her fittings was advertised, so she may not have made further runs as an immigrant ship. But she was obviously very new at the time. There is also reference to a change in the English law about that time regarding the conditions under which immigrants could be carried, and that was given as a possible reason she left Liverpool hurriedly with a number of passengers who were already sick/dying. -

The Shackamaxon in Liverpool Harbour

The United States Ship "Shackamaxon" (Capt. West) sailed with almost 700 passengers from Liverpool, England on 4 Oct 1852, arriving Adelaide, South Australia on 19 Jan 1853. Included in that number was the combined Eastment/Young family.  On the shipping records the family appeared as follows:

• YOUNG, John, Agricultural Labourer, from Somersetshire, aged 35
• YOUNG, Jane from Somerset, aged 44
• YOUNG, Elizabeth, aged 5
• YOUNG, Thomas, aged 2
• EASTMENT, John, aged 12
• EASTMENT, Mary, aged 10

Listed separately, travelling as a single adult, is:

• EASTMENT, (Eastman), Edward, Farm Servant, from Somerset, aged 15

The ages of the Eastment children as given are incorrect.  At the time of embarkation John was actually 14, Mary 12, and Edward approximately 16.

Unfortunately, the voyage was not a smooth one for many of those on board.  Approximately 10% of the passengers, mostly children, died during the trip.  One of those was young Edward Eastment, then aged 16 years.  A report was written by the Religious Instructor of the Shackamaxon to the South Australian Colonial Secretary complaining about the incompetence of the surgeon Superintendent of the ship (Dr Allison).  In that report Mr Fawsett quotes from a letter from one of the sailors, Thomas Moore, as follows:

"… Underneath the Steward (?), lay a boy named Richard Eastment (sic) about 15 yrs old, if he had been a dog he could not have been worse looked after by Dr. Allison. On the Wenesday (sic) night I asked for something for him, he gave me one powder for him – from that time till Monday afternoon he did not get one single thing from the doctor. Several times I sent his mother off to ask for some sago or medicine for him but she could not get anything. I one day sent her off to him for some sago; he told her to give him biscuits; she said her son was dying and could not eat biscuits. "Soak it, woman." & he contemptuously walked away from her. The poor woman’s son died about 27th October a complete skeleton…"

The South Australian Register of Wednesday, 26th January, 1853, reported as follows:

"THE SHACKAMAXON" – We hear  that a petition signed by more than 100 of the adult emigrants by the Shackamaxon, has been presented to the Governor, praying for a investigation into the manner in which the Surgeon-Superintendent of that ship discharged his duties during the voyage. The circumstances certainly warrant the strictest enquiry, and the Surgeon-Superintendent will probably see his own interest in supporting the application which is said to have been made; while the new Immigration Agent is called upon to establish such a character  for  the effectual discharge of the duties of his office as may afford the public a guarantee for his future career."

An enquiry was held into Dr Allison’s competence, but I have not found any published results of the proceedings.

John Eastment – One Man’s Life

John Eastment was one ordinary man who lived an interesting life in the development of Australia. It has amazed me how much information is available on this man’s life and I have tried here to describe his life and times, in words and pictures.

John was my great great grandfather, born in England in 1838 and died in New South Wales in 1926. His lifetime encompassed great changes in his world. Please, join with me in my look at his life.

EARLY LIFE

John Eastment was born on 20th August 1838, in the small village of East Coker, just outside the town of Yeovil, Somerset in the southwest of England. He was the second son of Richard Eastment and his wife, Jane, formerly Cox.

Richard and Jane had also been born in East Coker, Richard in 1812 and Jane in 1809. Richard gives his occupation on John’s birth certificate as a weaver.

East Coker is a typical west country village, but has two claims to fame. Firstly, it was the birthplace of the English pirate and adventurer, William Dampier (1651-1715), who was the first English man to set foot on the Australian mainland. Secondly, it is the ancestral village of the American poet, Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965), who named one of his poems after the village. There is a memorial to T.S. Eliot in the parish church at East Coker.

Richard and Jane Eastment had five known children:

Edward, born 1836
John, born 1838
Mary, born 1840

There were also Francis and Martha, who both died in 1846

Richard Eastment died on 5th July, 1845 of a chill, leaving his widow Jane, with three small children. Little wonder, then, that she quickly remarried, to John Young, also of East Coker, on 13th October, 1845. Two more children were born to Jane, namely Elizabeth in 1847 and Thomas in 1850.

Thus, by 1853, when the family made the decision to emigrate to Australia, the family consisted of:

John Young,
Jane Young
Edward Eastment
John Eastment
Mary Eastment
Thomas Young
Elizabeth Young.
We do not know why John Young made the decision to bring his blended family to Australia, although the most likely reason for that time and place would be agricultural depression in England, which led many farm workers to leave the country and travel to Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

NOTE: This post is taken from the website One Man’s Life which I made many years ago. There is no breach of copyright.