Early families

G for Gard family

Miss W. 1821 and prior, 1821-1850, 1851-1880, Buildings, Early families , , , , , ,

Thanks to David Gard for writing this post for the A-Z challenge.

Blue links will take you to the digitized images from Libraries Tasmania website or newspaper articles from National Library website Trove. Clicking on the images will take you to the original article.

WILLIAM GARD, my great great grandfather was born in the village of Allington, Dorset, England in 1815. It is not sure when or how he immigrated to Australia but he was the only one of the seven (7) children in his family to migrate. His father Edward 1789-1823, a stone mason died in Dorset, England when he was only eight.

William somehow made his way to Pittwater, Tasmania (now Sorell) where he became one of the largest land holders in town, but after receiving more than his share of bad luck he was forced on a number of occasions to liquidate his assets. However, through sheer determination he managed to rebuild on each occasion.

His grandfather, Robert Gard was transported to Van Diemen’s Land as a convict in 1818 and buried in Richmond district in 1834 which would have been a few years prior to William arriving in the colony. He also had a brother, Joseph who was transported to Tasmania as a convict in 1838 and was pardoned in 1847. Joseph died in Sorell in 1866. It is not known whether they reunited. Williams uncle, Thomas Bennett Gard was also transported to Van Diemen’s land in 1822 after a reprieve from the death penalty and like his father Robert he was assigned to magistrate James Gordon to work his farm in Pittwater.

William was described as a hard working industrious colonist and built quite a large portfolio of properties and ran a number of business ventures in Sorell. He was on the board of the Sorell Causeway committee and a member of the Clarence council, and a justice of peace. A large farm he leased with a business partner Henry Clack was dissolved in 1840 when William ran off with Henry Clacks wife, Mary Ann Clack (nee Parsons) who he later married in 1848.

Williams financial troubles started in 1843 when he was declared insolvent and was forced to sell off much of his assets. After a 2 year struggle to re-build, a trading vessel he owned was maliciously set on fire (could it have been lit by Henry Clack ?) The Sorell community, which held him in very high esteem called on the government to assist him with his losses and help him obtain another vessel which he intended to trade between Hobart Town and Adelaide.

Community help after an arson attack

 

In 1853 William managed to purchased the towns iconic Bell Bell Inn, but his bad run of luck started again where in 1863 when another large fire destroyed the Inn and he lost all his possessions. He managed to raise a mortgage of 2000 pounds to re-build the inn however the financial strain was too much and for the second time he was declared insolvent and the Inn was passed back to the mortgagee, William Lindsay.

In 1855 William experienced another devastating fire on his farming property where he lost a large stock pile of wheat, grain, barley, oats and peas as well as live stock. William had not taken out insurance because of the way he was treated by the insurance company after the fire that destroyed the Blue Bell Inn 2 years earlier.

In 1864 his entire property holding of fifteen (15) properties in Sorell were put up for sale however because of his debts, it is not known whether he had any equity left after the sales. Lindsay died in 1866 and the Blue Bell Inn was put up for a quick sale and it was purchased by William Gard’s son, Edward (our great grandfather) for a bargain price of 300 pounds. Edward also experienced financial difficulties when he was forced to raise a further mortgage of 180 pounds. In 1869 Edward defaulted on the mortgage and lost possession of the Inn.

On 7 February 1867 William passed away in Sorell with cause of death noted as gout.

In 1874 Edward again managed to regain the family inn but found the financial burden too much and again after a short period of time he lost possession thus sadly ending the Gard connection with the Inn.

D is for Ralph Dodge

Miss W. 1821 and prior, 1821-1850, Early families , , , ,

Thanks to Judy Pearson (nee Dodge) for writing this post for the A-Z challenge.

Blue links will take you to the digitized images  from Libraries Tasmania website. Clicking on image in post will take you to the original at Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office (TAHO).

DODGES FERRY was part of the early settlement of the Pitt Water area and its name leads to the story of RALPH DODGE who was born in 1791 on Norfolk Island. He was the son of William Dodge, Superintendent of Convicts and Charlotte Simpson Hall (both arriving in the colony per Second Fleet ‘Lady Juliana’) and also to the new settlement on Norfolk Island in 1790. They had 3 children, the second son born 1793 did not survive and Sarah who was born in 1795 was a few months old when their father left the Island to return to New South Wales and eventually back to England, leaving his family behind. Charlotte became the partner of Hugh McGinnis with whom she had another 5 children, marrying in Van Diemens Land in 1810. Sarah was baptized as Sarah McGinnis.

Ralph was 17 years old when in 1807 the Norfolk Island settlement was disbanded and the inhabitants, productive farmers most having gained their freedom and with young families, were all relocated to Van Diemens Land. Ralph Dodge and the McGinnis family first had small plots of land at Clarence Plains (Rokeby), but the whole family eventually moved to fertile land near the Carlton River on Chaseys Creek, pioneering and contributing greatly to that community. Ralph owned a farm he named ‘Lovely Bottom’ and established the packhorse mail run through to Richmond and on to Port Arthur. In 1841 he built the rendered slab Carlton Post Office and was the first Postmaster at Carlton. This served the community until 1949 with many family members becoming Postmaster, including his step-brother John Hall McGinnis and later, his brother-in-law William Morris, whose daughters also served in the position.

Originally home of Ralph Dodge, TAHO, NS1553-1-417

Ralph married Charlotte Morris in 1824 and they had a family of 11 children. In 1831 he bought another farm property on the shores of Pitt Water opposite the sandy point of Seven Mile Beach and this home later became ‘Ferry Farm’ and by 1832 he operated a rowing boat ferry service across to the sandy point opposite. This service enabled early settlers of the district to cross the bay which gave them access to a much shorter route to Kangaroo Point (Bellerive). This transport was known as “Dodge’s” ferry, and his name became a destination, a name unique to our history and to the Southern Beaches of Tasmania.

Ralph with his island heritage and seamanship skills was recorded in 1832 as having saved an English sailing ship with 200 women immigrants on board, which had been driven towards Pitt Water and certain disaster in a violent storm. Ralph Dodge died in 1871 after a life which made the best of his opportunities by then owning over 2,000 acres of land including the four farm properties which he left to his four sons. Two of the sons operated the ferry boats until the completion of the Sorell Causeway in 1874. In the late 1930s part of the ‘Ferry Farm’ property along the attractive foreshore of Dodges Ferry Beach, was sold in allotments for seaside shack development. Thus beginning a new era and the evolvement of the continually growing Dodges Ferry of today.

I grew up with the knowledge that my childhood was special because of the bond I felt for the place and the life I was able to live when at my beloved Dodges Ferry. I have felt a fierce protection of its environment and watched and experienced many changes in this beautiful location by the sea, and now in my 80s I have fulfilled a lifelong dream to write a book telling the early life of my great-grandfather and through the years of ‘The Dodges Ferry I Knew’.

PS: The book is available through the Sorell Historical Society. Also check this post for other places to purchase the book.

Women of the district

Miss W. 1821-1850, 1851-1880, Early families, General information , , , , , ,

The topic for the one place study this month is looking at women in your study. So I sent out a post on Sorell Historical Society Facebook page asking for women you think I should write about and why. One person replied and I have her permission to copy direct from her:

Elizabeth ALLANBY nee CUMMING arrived in VDL with her husband and two day old daughter on 2 July 1824. Shortly after arrival the family purchased land on the Iron Creek at Pittwater and named it Flimby Park, after the town John ALLANBY grew up in. John and Elizabeth had 10 more children before John passed away in 1847.

John’s will gave Elizabeth the choice to sell everything and return to England or to remain in Tasmania. She decided to stay and raised the children on her own. The youngest was only 4 when John died.

Elizabeth completed a claim for the land grant that had been given to John, she ran both the Flimby Park farm and the Clifton Hill farm, the land grant, at Bream Creek and ensured all the children were well educated.

While Elizabeth did not make a mark directly on the world, her children did make an impact, a solicitor, bank manager, Arch Deacon of the Church of England, several JPs. All the ALLANBYs I know of in Tasmania can trace their line back to this strong caring woman.

Karlena Nagle – Elizabeth was my 2xgreat grandmother.

Here are a few links to things mentioned by Karlena – arrival in 1824, birth of daughter at sea, John’s will, John’s death, land grant gained in 1858

At the time of her husband’s death, Elizabeth was about 45 years old. She had given birth to the following children I could find using the Tasmanian Names Index:
1824 – Jane Georgina – born at sea on voyage to Van Diemens Land
1826 – John Walker – died at 5 days old
1827 – Mary Anne – died aged 4 months
1828 – John Walker
1830 – Thomas Walker
1834 – William Smeeton
1836 – Christopher Gibson
1838 – Alfred Wilkins
1839 – Barbara Elizabeth
1843 – Llewellyn Robert

At the 1842 census, the family were living at Clifton Hill property. The building was unfinished but built of both wood and stone. There were seventeen people on the property of which thirteen were free. One visitor was there that night Mr F Spotswood. Of the people there that night: 6 single males born in the colony, one single female born in the colony, 1 married male arrived free, 1 married and 1 single female arrived free as well as some convicts and servants. So according to the census, in my list above I am missing the birth of another male child prior to 1842.

The eldest daughter Jane married George Spotswood in 1846 so was not living at home when her father died in 1847.

So I then decided to check out how Elizabeth was represented in the newspapers of the day.
Looks like the local thieves or bushrangers decided to enter her house shortly after her husband had died.

In May 1855, she was seen donating one pound and one shilling to the Patriotic Fund.

In April 1864, Elizabeth was present with one of her sons, at the laying of the cornerstone of St Thomas’s Church in Sorell.

There was a lot of discussion in 1868 about a bridge or causeway to be built across the Iron Creek relating to part of Elizabeth’s property.

Also in 1868, Elizabeth closed the dairy at her farm.

In November 1868, Elizabeth and many of her children and their spouses attended a tea meeting regarding Reverend Brammall now becoming the incumbent at St Georges Church in Sorell. There was a very large writeup in the local paper.

Elizabeth and her daughter Barbara (Mrs Marshall) were often noted in the papers as travelling to and from Melbourne.

She was often in the advertising section whenever land grants were mentioned as she owned a lot of property that would border other land grants being settled.

At the time of her death in 1878, Elizabeth had at least 6 of her children married, and at least 33 grandchildren mainly living in Sorell. Her son William had married and moved to Launceston and her son Alfred had moved to New Zealand but had died five years before Elizabeth. Her son Thomas had also pre-deceased her in 1872. In her will she left her goods and chattels to both of her youngest children Barbara and Llewellyn. The properties had already been handed over to her sons.

Elizabeth was buried with her husband John William Allanby in the Henry Street Cemetery in Sorell.

 

Judy Hurst (3xg granddaughter of Elizabeth) on the Sorell Historical Society Facebook page  mentioned there was also quite a bit about Flimby Park and the Allanbys in “Home and a Range” by Leonard Dimmick which covered the Hean family who were related by marriage to the Allanbys. ISBN 0646338099  Dewey Number 929.209946

Readers: Have you any more stories about Elizabeth Allanby that you could share in the comments below?