Eliza Ann's story
Before embarking on this story I would first like to acknowledge the First Peoples of Australia and their elders past and present, especially the Mowgee clan of the Wiradjuri nation on whose country Eliza Ann and her family made their home. I would also like to acknowledge the devastation of Australia’s First Nations which was the result of British and other arrivals, especially the massacre of the Wiradjuri nation that was part of the settlement of Mudgee with orders being given to shoot on sight, and honour those who fought and died to protect their land, especially Windradyne who led the defence of Mowgee land – Australia’s first wars.
On 9th August 1841 Eliza
Ann Miller arrives in Sydney on the Cadet,
having left Liverpool on 10th March 1841[1]. The
journey had taken five months, probably a little longer than normal as the ship had been blown off course
off the Cape of Good Hope, ending up anchoring at Rio de Janeiro where it picked
up a large supply of fruit, and just escaped being wrecked coming out of port.[2]
Eliza had been brought out to Australia by A. B. Smith & Co, who had an arrangement with the commonwealth government to bring out immigrants under a ‘bounty scheme’; being paid 4,956 pounds for each safe arrival. Eliza’s details are listed as:
Age:
21[3]
No
registry of baptism
Character
certified by Mathewson and two others
Calling:
farm servant
State
of bodily health, strength & probable usefulness = Very good
Remarks:
can read and write, no complaint (attested by Samuel Mc Cropen & wife)
Episcopalian
religion
early years
Eliza was born in NewtownStewart,
Parish of Ardstraw, Co. Tyrone, Ireland to Jane and William Miller. Two other children, Thomas and Matthew, are
listed. Apart from William being a stonemason little else is known about the
family.[4] [5]
There is a will in existence which was written by a Matthew Barber of
NewtownStewart that lists a ‘Matthew Miller’ as a grandson and in one of
Matthew junior’s obituaries he is named ‘Matthew Barber Miller”[6]. It is likely that Matthew and Ann Barber are Eliza
Ann’s grandparents.
Eliza’s family could well have been poor. According to O’Brien[7] during the 1800’s Ireland was undergoing a period of rapid increase in population and the rural sector could not support it. The country was over populated, over cultivated and poverty was intense. By “the 1830’s there were two million chronically poor”[8] Eliza is listed as a farm servant and although she could read and write she would have been aware of the limitations a future in Ireland would have held for her. The fact that one of her brothers met her off the boat meant that she had family already in Australia and this would have been a major factor in Eliza’s decision to migrate.
the move to Australia
Matthew, Eliza's brother, had arrived in Australia on 21st
April 1840, a year earlier than Eliza, with his wife, Ann.[9] Their details are listed as:
age 22.
Can read and write.
Occupation:
Mason.
Religion:
Protestant.
Wife: Anne, age
21 yrs.
Can read
Occupation:
Dairywoman
Religion:
Protestant
Parents: James
(a farmer) & Mary Pinkerton.
No children.
Thomas also moved to Australia and is mentioned as ‘the late Thomas Miller’ in Matthew’s death notice[10], but no official record of his arrival has yet been traced.
When Eliza arrives she is picked up in Sydney by one of her brothers and driven through the wild bush to Scone. My mother said that the family story was that they travelled by dray.
soon married
Six months later, on 17th
February 1842, Eliza marries Edward Carter at Scone. The ceremony is conducted by Chaplain John Morse. According to early research recorded in Descent, 'Edward A. Carter' was born in Suffolk and came to Australia with
his father, George Carter, in 1831. Nothing so far confirms this and other research has produced conflicting information. My great, great grandmother's baptismal record names 'William Edward' as her father, and that he was a 'tailor'. [11]
Eliza and Edward have three recorded children. The first, William George, is born on 14th October 1842 at Scone[12]. The second, Sarah Jane, is born on 2nd March 1844 at Muswellbrook, so the family moved at some stage. The baptismal record for the third, my great, great grandmother Mary Ann, records she was born on 17th April, 1846 and baptised on 31st May 1846, also at Muswellbrook.[13]
In the 1851 gold is discovered around Mudgee and the town becomes a major supply centre.[14]
the move[15]
In 1852 the family moves to Mudgee
district. According to Eliza’s obituary,
the dray capsizes at Green Hills while
crossing the creek. Master Carter breaks his collar bone, and later again falls
off the dray, causing further damage. ‘Mrs. Carter’ has put her hip out while
righting the dray and at Mudgee Dr MacDonald attends ‘Mrs. Carter’, who only
stays a short time.
From Mudgee the family continues to Grattai, where they remain at Mr Cover’s[16] for about six weeks, then proceed to Avisford where Edward joins the mounted police under the Gold Commissioner Mr. Broughton.
According to the Prime Facts article, the discovery of gold “began a ‘rush’ to the area and the subsequent of many rich alluvial deposits along the creeks and gullies in the area, especially Meroo Creek, Louisa Creek, Long Creek, Dalys Creek, Clarkes Creek, Campbells Creek, and Oaky Creek.In the early 1850s between 124kg and 156kg of gold are said to have been sent away from the field every fortnight under police escort."
Edward remains in the force six months.
At some stage Edward moves to Maitland Bar[17] to join Eliza’s brothers, Matthew and Thomas, and remains gold digging with them for eighteen months.
Eliza’s brothers
Eliza’s brothers have moved from Scone to Maitland Bar and are doing well. At some later stage they move to Mudgee, where they erect a mill, and then return to Scone. Matthew stays there until he dies in 1902. From 1846 he is a prolific and respected stonemason and builder in Scone, a big landholder and has a street named after him. He has eight identified children with Ann and may have had nine in total.[18] It is suspected he has two more partners after his wife dies, Sophia Brown and Mary Ellen Reid, the latter whom he marries. His headstone at St. Luke’s cemetery Scone names Rose Ann as his wife. Thomas returns to Ireland, where he marries and has five children.
settling down
By 1854 the family is living at Market Street, Mudgee and Edward is working as a tailor. While there he begins to build his own house in Perry Street, which is believed to be the first brick house in the street, and opens a store. He seems to have had quite success as a builder, constructing houses, hotels (incl. the Miners’ Arms & Bushman’s Home Hotel), and stores around town.
In 1858 land around Burrundulla Creek/Spring Flat is broken into lots and given as crown grants.[19] Eliza’s son, William George receives a parcel of land of 30 acres 3 roads (Lot 36) in 1860. By 1861 Edward has moved to ‘Dam Creek house and farm at Burrudulla Creek’, so seems to have moved in with William George, where he resides until he dies. It is not clear if and when the rest of the family move with Edward but daughter Sarah Jane is living there when she marries Daniel Sawyers of Burrundulla Creek in 1861 and gives birth to William Edward while living there, and daughter Mary Ann is living there when her son George Edward is born in 1864.
Where Burrundulla Road meets Sydney Road. Burrundulla is on the right and Spring Flat on the left.
During the 1860’s Mudgee is an established town. St John the Baptist church is built and consecrated by Bishop Barker, assisted by Rev. Gunther, replacing the earlier building which had burned down, the first telegraph line opens, Cobb & Co sets up a base at Bathurst, servicing Mudgee and beyond, and there continue to be many bushrangers in the area, including Gypsy Brown, the Terror of Mudgee.
By this time Eliza’s son William George has expanded his holdings. In 1864 he conditionally purchases 50 acres of land[20], and then in 1867 30 acres and 3 roads of land, (Lot 29) at Burrundulla Creek is legally conveyed to him from John Walls[21]. By 1869 he appears to have just over 151 acres.
While William George is amassing property, Eliza’s daughter Mary Ann has her first child, George Edward, and Sarah Jane marries Daniel Sawyers of Burrundulla Creek, officiated by Rev. Gunther and they begin their own family.
At some stage Eliza Ann's grandson, George Edward Carter, begins living with her and as an adult begins amassing his own property not far from William George's. It appears that by 1869 he has over 300 acres.
Then, on 5th
January 1870 William George dies at Spring Flat at the age of 27 years. It must have been a terrible shock to the
whole family and Eliza Ann organises a memorial plaque to be placed on the wall
of St. John the Baptist, Mudgee.
a history of devotion
Eliza Ann appears to have been quite devout. According to a newspaper article[22] about her travels to Sydney in May 1910, she mentions her close friendship with the Rev. Archdeacon Gunther, having loaned him her cart to convey his luggage to Sydney when he left for England to complete his scholastic training. It is quite possible this was soon after 1841 when he consecrated the earlier church. The Archdeacon dies in 1879 and Eliza Ann would definitely have been part of the huge crowd that attended the service and internment. When Mrs. Gunther dies some years later Eliza Ann appears on the subscription list for her memorial.
the later years
On 22nd July 1889 Edward Carter, farmer of Burrundulla Creek, dies at 85 years. By now Eliza Ann would probably have been 74 years of age.
Around 1897/8 to 1902/3 both her grandsons, S. E. Sawyer and George Carter, are listed as living with her at Oakey Creek house. By this stage George Edward has obtained a number of parcels of land in the area.
In 1901 Eliza Ann goes to visit her brother Matthew, accompanied by her daughter Sarah Jane. Matthew and his then wife Mary Ellen and family are living at Belmore House, Scone, which Matthew built. He remains there until he dies one year later.
1902 also saw her grandson, George Edward Carter of Spring Flat, dying from an infection.
The 1906 Electoral roll lists Eliza as living in Mudgee, domestic duties.
In 1910, at 95 years of age, she travels to Sydney by train, accompanied by her great, great grandchild[23] to visit her granddaughters, one being Mrs. A. H. Stuckey at Mansfield St. Rozelle.
And a few months later, on 17th July, after a few weeks of feeling unwell, Eliza Ann of Denison Street Mudgee, dies at home. As the obituary lists 'Mrs. Warner (Denison St)' and if this refers to grandson Walter's wife, it could be that she has moved in with her grandson's family (Mary Ann's son) and that Mary Ann is staying there as well.
According to Eliza’s obituary, Mrs Jaz Smith (Eliza’s granddaughter Matilda Esther), and William and James Sawyers (sons from Sarah Jane’s first marriage) are in attendance in her last hours. She is also looked after by her daughters Sarah Jane and Mary Ann (who is in Sydney when Eliza Ann dies). Many wreaths and tributes are sent, incl. from William and Walter Warner (from Mudgee & Sydney…Mary Ann’s sons), Mrs. (Mary Ann) Warner (Denison St), and great granddaughter Miss Florence Smith (Inglis St.).[24]
Eliza Ann leaves 15 grandchildren & 50 great grandchildren, the eldest of whom is 21 yrs. She is buried in the Church of England section of Mudgee Memorial Cemetery.
©
A. Maie, 2021
[1]This story is based on research my mother, Madge Rups (nee Rope), undertook of birth, death, marriage, church and land records, arrival records, obituaries and other sources from 1970’s to 1990’s (prior to internet), supplemented by information from Mudgee Historical Society, other descendants of Eliza Ann and my own searches. Eliza Ann's full name was 'Elizabeth Ann', which appears on her will. However it seems that Eliza Ann is what she preferred as it is used in other records and newspaper articles.
[2] There were 48 Protestants and 66 Catholics on board.
[3]
I have Eliza’s birth date as 26/3/1815 and she died in 1910 at 95 years, which
means she should have been 26, so there may be a mistakes in the travel record.
[4]
For Irish records Madge researched marriages, deaths, births and census records
available through the Church of Latter Day Saints, but was not successful in
finding information about Jane, William or their children for a number of
reasons. Miller, William and Jane are
common names in Ireland, the Church of
Ireland records pre-1882 were destroyed in Dublin in 1922 with not a single
church record in the Parish of Ardstraw surviving pre-1820 (correspondence with
the Association of Professional
Genealogists, Belfast, Ireland, 4/3/1999), and registration of marriages
was only compulsory for Protestants after 1845.
More recently the will of Matthew Barber suggests that Jane’s parents
were Ann and Matthew Barber
[5]
As the name Miller is more English than traditional Irish and the children
identified as Protestant it is reasonable to assume Eliza had British paternal
ancestry. As no birth records for her
parents have been tracked down there is nothing more known of Eliza’s maternal
ancestry, except for the information contained in Matthew Barber’s will, a copy
of which descendant Barbara N. Dennis Bennett provided in 2021.
[6]
The obituary cited by Mudgee Historical Society.
[7]
O’Brien, M. & C.C. (1972) A Concise
History of Ireland. London, Thames
& Hudson
[8]
Ryan, M. (1991/1994) Irish Archaeology
Illustrated. Dublin, Country House
[9] Mudgee Historical Society research lists Matthew as being born in Ireland and marrying Ann (or Rose Ann) Pinkerton (daughter of James Pinkerton and Mary) in England.
[10] 28/10/1902 smh – cited by Mudgee Historical Society
[11] Descent , 1979, p. 105. So far I have found no corroborating evidence for Edward from his birth to his arrival in Australia, or on their marriage certificate, or that lists his parents and siblings. There is a 'Certificate of Freedom' (No. 402/1800) dated 14th October 1842 for an Edward Carter, born in Suffolk in 1807, who was a 'tailor' and 'soldier' and who arrived as a convict in Australia in 1834. The information on this document contradicts the earlier research. If this is the same man he received in 'Certificate of Freedom' eight months after their marriage. Madge’s research of church records showed that there were many other Carters around Mudgee at the time and it was difficult to determine who was who, so she was willing to go with the information in Descent. My own searches for Carter arrivals to Australia from 1831 onwards indicate similarly large numbers of Carters, many from Surrey. I could not find an Edward and George on the same ship in 1831, but did find on different ships in the same year. There are ‘Edward Carters’ that appear on community based sites that purport to be him, but until this information is corroborated from primary sources nothing is certain.
[12] the birth date on his memorial on the wall of St John
the Baptist church, Mudgee. Scone’s
First Peoples were the Wonnarua and Gamilaroi.
The first European arrived in the area in 1824 and the name Scone given in
1831, developing into a pastoral area.
[13] As with
Scone, the First Peoples of the area were the Wanaruah and possibly the Kamilaroi
as the two tribes had trade and ceremonial links. The first European arrived in 1819 and by
1824 land along the banks of the river was being allocated for settlers. By the time of Sarah Jane’s and Mary Ann’s
births buildings included houses, inns, shops, a flour mill, and the area was
developing into a town.
[14] “In July 1851 an Aboriginal stockman in the employ of Dr Kerr found a large mass of gold and quartz, weighing about 136kg and containing a hundred weight of gold (50.8kg) on the western side of the village of Hargraves.” (NSW Dept of Primary Industries newsletter "Prime Facts", Feb 2007)
[15] Most of this information comes from Eliza’s obituary.
[16] According
to Greg Lewis on Mudgee Family History
Connections Facebook page, there was an Edward
Cover, born in 1798, who was sentenced to 7 years transportation in 1829 for
stealing a watch. After obtaining his certificate of leave he married Susannah
Christie in 1842 and “was the licensee of “The Jolly Farmer” at Grattai by 1855
and had land south of “Grattai Station” and land at Piambong”
[17] Grattai, Avisford and Maitland Bar are all along, and west of Hill End Road. Between 1851 and 1890 a number of large gold nuggets are found in the area of the Hargraves Goldfield, including the famous Meroo and Louisa creeks.
[18] Mudgee Historical Society research and Bill & Sarah Howey, Geraldton Scone: A History, Chpt. 1. . Bill and Sarah Howey also refer to the Scone Heritage walk around Matthew's houses and buildings organised by the Scone and Upper Hunter Historical Society.
[19] Early explorers had followed the Cudgegong river into Burrundulla and it was one area where battles between the original inhabitants (Mowgee clan) and settlers took place over access to the river and food sources. According to the Budgee Budgee site Burrundulla is the Indigenous name for 'a type of reed found in a swamp'. https://budgeebudgee.wordpress.com/2015/02/09/aboriginal-place-names/
[20] which is willed to Mary Ann on Eliza’s death.
[21] which is willed to William Edward, Sarah’s son, on Eliza’s death
[22] We have a copy of the article but have not been able to trace the source.
[23]
I wonder if this was my
grandmother. She would have been 16
years old at the time. This information
came from the newspaper article about her visit.
[24]
Matilda Esther is my great
grandmother and Florence Smith is my grandmother.
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