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The Edwards Family tree Kym
Edwards from Australia has traced his family background to the Edwards family
living in the Rooksbridge, Brent and Lympsham areas in the late 1700's. I
am most grateful to Kym Edwards for letting us share his family history notes.
And you will find many connections with local names and places. And this will be
helpful in building a picture of our village and local social history. Edwards
Family History - as of 13 Apr 2003 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
1800 Occupation: Farm Labourer Notes: Baptised at East Brent on 31st August 1800, Isaac EDWARDS was the sixth
child of John EDWARDS and the former Mary ESGER. Isaac married Elizabeth MARTIN on 1st April 1824 at East Brent. The
marriage witnesses were Joseph BENNETT and George LEWIS. Was living at Rooksbridge at time of his death in 1860. Spouse:
Elizabeth MARTIN Children: Ann
Eliza
Thomas
Fanny
Norden
Martha
Jane
Jane
Phoebe
William Martin 1.1a Ann EDWARDS* Birth Date:
1825 Notes: Born at East Brent in 1825, Ann EDWARDS was the first child of Isaac
EDWARDS and the former Elizabeth MARTIN. Anne married John MOORE on 26th October 1854 at Lympsham. The marriage
witnesses were Joseph HUNT and Eliza HUNT. John was Sexton of Lympsham for many
years. Anne married Addie DURSTON on 24th January 1871 at Lympsham. The marriage
witnesses were Charles VERRIER and Sarah
DURSTON. Spouse:
John MOORE Occupation:
Sexton Spouse Father:
Edward MOORE Marriage Date:
26 Oct 1854 Children:
Fanny
Emily
John
Eliza Jane Other Spouses
Addie DURSTON 1.1a.1 Fanny MOORE 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
1856 1.1a.2 Emily MOORE 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
1858 Notes: Emily married her cousin George "Thomas" HUNT on 30th August
1882 at Lympsham. The marriage witnesses were John HUNT and Phoebe HUNT. Thomas
was a stonemason of Bedwelty Mon.
(Wales?) at the time. At the birth of his fist child John Thomas in 1883 he was
living at Cefcord Breckonshire South Wwales. Spouse:
George "Thomas" HUNT Spouse Mother:
Eliza EDWARDS (1826-) Marriage Date:
30 Aug 1882 Children:
John Thomas 1.1a.3 John MOORE Birth Date:
1861 1.1a.4 Eliza Jane MOORE Birth Date:
1864 1.1b Ann EDWARDS* (See above) Spouse:
Addie DURSTON Birth Date:
1821 Occupation:
Laborer Marriage Date:
24 Jan 1871 Other Spouses
John MOORE 1.2 Eliza EDWARDS 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
1826 Notes: Baptised at East Brent on 5th November 1826, Eliza EDWARDS was the second
child of Isaac EDWARDS and the former Elizabeth MARTIN. Eliza married Joseph HUNT on 3rd April 1848 at East Brent. The marriage
witnesses were Thomas and Ann EDWARDS. In the census of 1861, Eliza and Joseph were living in Wick Lane, South
Brent. Spouse:
Joseph HUNT Birth Date:
1817 Occupation:
Laborer Spouse Father:
William HUNT Marriage Date:
3 Apr 1848 Children:
Mary
Ann Edwards
William Edward
John
Elizabeth Edwards
George "Thomas"
Henry
Harry
Walter
1.2.1 Mary HUNT 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
1849 1.2.2 Ann Edwards HUNT 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
1851 1.2.3 William Edward HUNT 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
1852 Occupation:
Laborer Notes: William married Harriet YOUNG on 25th December
1872 at Lympsham. The
marriage witnesses were John HUNT and Caroline YOUNG. William and Harriet were
both residents of Lympsham at the time but later resided at Wick Cottage, Brent
Knoll. Spouse:
Harriet YOUNG Birth Date:
1850 Occupation:
Servant Spouse Father:
Joseph YOUNG Marriage Date:
25 Dec 1872 Children:
Mary
John
George Edward
Henry
Albert
Martha
Charles
Frank
Alice Maude 1.2.4 John HUNT 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
1855 Spouse:
Phoebe Symmons MILTON Birth Date:
1855 Spouse Father:
James MILTON Spouse Mother:
Harriet SYMMONS (1812-) Spouse Notes: Phoebe married her cousin John HUNT on 14th April 1879 at Lympsham. The
marriage witnesses were Frank Henry MILTON and Mary Ann
PUDDY. Reside at Batch Lane, Lympsham 1884/1887. Marriage Date:
14 Apr 1879 Children:
Annie
Lucy Caroline
Walter John
Emily Jane 1.2.5 Elizabeth Edwards HUNT 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
1858 Notes: Elizabeth married George THORN on 23rd April 1877 at South BRENT. The
marriage witnesses were Henry and Phebe MILTON. Spouse:
George THORNE Birth Date: 1858 Occupation:
Laborer Spouse Father:
John THORN Marriage Date:
23 Apr 1877 Children:
Fred
Oliver 1.2.6 George "Thomas" HUNT 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 (See duplicate branch above) 1.2.7 Henry HUNT 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
1863 1.2.8 Harry HUNT 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
1865 1.2.9 Walter HUNT 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
1869 1.3 Thomas EDWARDS 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
17 Nov 1828 Occupation:
Labourer, Farmer Notes: Born on Monday 17th November 1828 at East Brent, Somerset England, Thomas
EDWARDS was the eldest son of Isaac EDWARDS and the former Elizabeth MARTIN. He
was baptised on Friday 20 February 1829 in the Parish Church. Thomas's father
was an agricultural labourer and being the eldest son, Thomas was not to have
the advantage of any schooling. To help with the support of his family he was
occupied at an early age with farm work. By the Census of 1841 Thomas, at the
age of only 12, is listed as a servant of Thomas COOK, a farmer in the hamlet of
Rooks Bridge situated about 2 km east of East Brent. At that time his parents
were living nearby in the hamlet of Edingworth. Two older sisters, Ann 15 and
Eliza 14, were living away from home and, like Thomas were probably employed in
the household of one of the local farmers. On Saturday 3rd April 1852 Thomas married Anne MILLARD in the South Brent
Parish Church. The ceremony was performed by J.H.STEPHENSON, rector of the
nearby parish of Lympsham and witnessed by Thomas's sister Anne and his wife's
brother Thomas. The daughter of Thomas MILLARD and the former Mary ROUSEWELL of
South Brent, Anne MILLARD had been born on Friday 14th July 1826. Her father was
an ex agricultural labourer who had managed to establish himself as a common
carrier and his wife as a grocer. In these fields they obviously prospered as
they were able to provide for their childrens education. Anne MILLARD bears
witness to this, she being able to sign her full name in the marriage registers.
Her husband could only sign as a "Marksman". Thomas EDWARDS never
forgot his early life's disadvantages and in later years stated his thorough
support for compulsory education. Thomas and Annes first child was a boy born at East Brent on Tuesday 5th
April 1853 and baptised Henry EDWARDS on Sunday 1st May 1853 in the local
church. Although no records have yet been found, this child is assumed to have
died in infancy, Thomas and Anne's fourth child born in 1860 being named Henry
in remembrance. They purchased passage on the "T.E.BOYD", a Clipper Barque of
277 tons. They boarded this ship on 10th October 1863, however, they didn't sail
until the 13th. Although keen to be underway, these few days in port would have
been useful to Thomas and his family while they became accustomed to shipboard
life. The "T.E.BOYD" was only a small ship and the family would
quickly have become acquainted with everyone on board. Besides the Master and
crew there were only 4 other passengers, Misses Clemantine FREANE and Miss M
FULLER in the cabin and two single men in the steerage.The "T.E.BOYD"
arrived in Hobson's Bay, off Melbourne in the evening of 17th January 1864, 97
days out from Bristol. No doubt eager to be ashore, Thomas's family had to wait
until the following day when they could be lightered to the wharf. The "T.E.BOYD",
with Melbourne as its base would sail on further voyages to ports such as
Adelaide, Java, Valparaiso and San Francisco in search of cargoes. In 1866 bound
for Melbourne with a cargo of tea, the ship struck a rock and sank off the
chinese coast. The Master and crew saved themselves but suffered the indignity
of being stripped of most of their clothes and possessions by the local
inhabitants. Thomas and Anne EDWARDS with their four children were settled in South
Australia within a few months of their landing at Melbourne, presumably having
made their way overland. For several years Thomas found employment on various
farms. At one stage he was working as a teamster at Long Gully near Auburn. By the birth of his 7th child, Annie Jane in 1867, Thomas was working as
a labourer at Port Wakefield. No doubt he had ample opportunity to consider the
farming possibilities of the land around the nearby Hummocks. With the birth of
his final child, Isaac in 1869, Thomas had commenced farming in the Hummocks
area. In August 1871 Thomas purchased 157 acres (sections 66 & 67) in the
Hundred of Kulpara at Government auction for 212 pounds. To enable the purchase,
a mortgage of 120 pounds was taken out with Josiah HUNT, farmer of Salisbury.
This mortgage was repaid on 3rd march 1876. Early in March 1874 section 183 of
80 acres in the Hundred of Kulpara was purchased from Robert STUCKEY, gentleman
of Adelaide for 180 pounds. It was on this section that Thomas built his
homestead. In August 1877 Thomas purchased the adjoining sections 64 & 65
from Charles JOHNSTONE for 973 pounds. To enable this purchase he took out a
mortgage of this amount with Robert STUCKEY which was subsequently repaid by
1882. Further sections of land were purchased until his holding was
approximately 1000 acres. On this property wheat was grown and later sheep were
grazed, Thomas having about 300 at the time of his death. The homestead had a
house cow & heifer. In 1875 Thomas, along with some of his neighbours, had been granted 1
acre of land at Kulpara. On this block the education department erected a
government school (with teachers residence attached) which was opened in January
1877. Thomas's family never attended this school, however, they could all read
and write quite well, obviously having received at least some education at home.
At this time farm labourers were scarce in the district and Thomas's growing
family would have been invaluable to him in establishing the farm. In 1878 Thomas and his son Joseph signed a Memorial to the government for
the formation of the council of the district of Kulpara. Another early settler at Kulpara was Anne's nephew, John MILLARD, who had
arrived in South Australia in 1866. He purchased land at the South Hummocks in
1869 and established a successful farm "Hillside". Both John MILLARD
and his wife, Charlotte COOMBS were from South Brent and no doubt many happy
hours were spent with Thomas EDWARDS and his family reminiscing over old times.
Other Millards to come to S.A. from Somerset were Jesse MILLARD 1831-1913 of
Georgetown, Joseph MILLARD 1846-1900 of Yongala, Thomas MILLARD 1853-1914 of
Napperby, and Simon MILLARD 1858-1904 of Salisbury. Thomas EDWARDS and his wife were to die within 12 months of each other in
1897 and 1898 respectively. Newspaper Extract - Chronicle 14 August 1897 page 16 BURNING FATALITY KULPARA 12-8-1897 One of the oldest residents of Kulpara, Mr T Edwards, fell into a fire at
the Kulpara hotel, on August 5, and was so severely burned on the lower part of
the back and thighs that he died yesterday morning in spite of all that medical
aid could do to save him. The deceased was left in a room by himself, and is
supposed to have stumbled and fallen into the fire. His injuries were of a
dreadful nature. The landlord and another neighbour were outside the hotel when
the deceased walked out with his garments on fire. Those present at once took in
the situation and freed the unfortunate man from his terrible position. The
funeral took place today, when a large cortage followed the remains to the
Kulpara cemetery. The deceased who was much respected, leaves a widow and five
sons and two daughters, all grown up. That an inquest was not held is the
subject of much comment. Newspaper Extract - Kadina & Wallaroo Times 30 July 1898 MELTON July 28th Mrs Edwards, wife of the late T.Edwards, Kulpara, died on Wednesday last
and was interred in the Kulpara cemetery on Thursday in the presence of a large
circle of Friends and Acquaintances, which would have been larger were it not
for the forced detention of many through influenza, which has been much in
evidence in this locality for some time past. The deceased lady had reached the
age of 73, and was highly respected. She was a great sufferer for some years
although bronchitis was the direct cause of death. Mrs Edwards left a numerous
family of grown up sons and daughters. Spouse:
Anne MILLARD Birth Date:
14 Jul 1826 Occupation:
Tailoress Spouse Father:
Thomas MILLARD (1785-) Spouse Mother:
Mary ROUSEWELL (1787-) Marriage Date:
3 Apr 1852 Children:
Henry
Joseph Millard
William
Henry
Mary Elizabeth
Thomas
Annie Jane
Isaac 1.3.1 Henry EDWARDS 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
5 Apr 1853 1.3.2 Joseph Millard EDWARDS 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
31 Dec 1854 Occupation:
Farmer Notes: Born on Sunday 31st December 1854 at East Brent in Somerset, Joseph
Millard EDWARDS was the second child of Thomas EDWARDS and the former Anne
MILLARD. He was baptised in the parish church on Sunday 28th January 1855. In 1877 Joe purchased a 364 acre scrub block, section 109E hundred of
Kulpara under a Government Credit Agreement for 1 pound an acre. The property
was about 3 kms north west of his parents homestead and Joe put in a lot of hard
work clearing it for cultivation. It is probably this period to which the
following story, passed on by Joe's son Thomas, relates. "Joe cleared land
for 10 months once living on tea, sugar and flour and nothing else. He was a bit
weak at the end of it all, but he cleared timber on that". On 11th June 1879 Joe married Annie PHILBEY at the residence of their
neighbour, George DANIEL, the ceremony being witnessed by Joe's brother William
and Patience DANIEL. The eldest child of George PHILBEY and the former Mary Ann
SYMONS of Kulpara (refer Spouse Notes), Annie was born near Gawler on 14th
November 1854. Joe erected a modest home on his Kulpara block (section 109E) and here he
and Annie commenced their married life. Annie did not have any formal schooling
and, unlike her husband, she could not read or write. As for many pioneer
families, her education had been secondary to the development of a new land and
the provision of food and clothing for the family. Annie had been well schooled
in homemaking however, being a wonderful cook and a good housekeeper. In 1887 Joe sold his Kulpara farm to his brother Thomas and moved with
his family to Wards Hill, an area situated about 14 km south of Port Broughton.
His brother Henry had already been at Wards Hill for several years farming
section 94 hundred of Wokurna and Joe took up a Crown Lease of 480 acres
adjoining this property. No doubt the 2 brothers ran their properties with a
great deal of mutual co-operation. Joe must have become restless though, for in
1891 he was a member of a large party of farmers and government officials that
sailed on the "S.S. Musgrave" on a tour of inspection of the West
Coast of S.A. Subsequent to this he took up a Crown Lease on section 4 hundred
of Cohen near Penong. At an anual rent of just under 18 pounds his holding
amounted to 5647 acres but about 1000 was later sold to Blakiston & Arthur
SHIPARD. The story of the move to Penong is told in the following account by
Joe's daughter, Maud, who was 6 years of age at the time. Written by Hilda Maud HELBERG nee EDWARDS It was in January 1892 when my parents decided to leave their small
section on Yorke Peninsula to go on to a large selection on Upper Eyre
Peninsula. We were all happy and excited. Before leaving we had a sale. The
notice read, "Clearing sale of Joseph Edwards". This was exciting to
we children, we had never had a sale before. After the sale we were all up early
to make a start. There were six of we children including our baby sister Myrtle
who was only six weeks old. After two or three days with relations we boarded
our chartered sailing ketch. We were tossed with all winds for three weeks. One
of our horses died and had to be buried at sea. That left us only three of the
four much needed horses. Finally we arrived at Fowlers Bay. The jetty was not
then built so a sailor with a boat took a few of our goods ashore at a time. My
father led a horse at a time behind the boat. It was a long swim for them. I
came while father led Diamond. She pawed to get into the boat, my father had to
slap her head to make her keep back, I could see the danger and was terrified.
On landing we had our first meeting with the natives, there were several hundred
on the beach. They were friendly and loved our little baby sister so we loved
them. As we left Fowlers Bay for our selection a man called out to my father
"Look out for the camels tonight !". I was terrified thinking we might
be eaten up by big camels. In later years I understood that it was a warning to
watch the horses. Horses are terrified of camels and if they had broken their
tether ropes with fright they culd have gone for miles into the bush. Our first
night out was an anxious one for my parents but by the second night we were away
from the camels (Camel teams carted goods to the goldfields at Tarcoola). By the
third night we were sleeping on our very own selection. We were happy to be
there and were happy together there for many years. The block was uncleared. I
can still hear the ring of my father's axe as he chopped down the first tree. It
seemed a big undertaking. My father put up three iron rooms to which he added later. The land had some grass plains. On these our horses grew fat. My father
made a plough from a forked tree which he crossed with heavy logs. Into these he
bolted spikes. We all helped clear the bushes and trees to make a plain into a
square paddock. Father had a light iron basket hanging from a strap around his
neck and shoulders and in this he had his seed wheat. From this he would throw a
handful of wheat, first to the right, then to the left. He would do this for
half a day then after a midday dinner he would plough it in. He planted nearly a
thousand acres in this way and we had a really good crop. Water shortage was
always the problem, of course. We had wonderful neighbours. Mr Murray lent us a quiet school pony.
School was held in his Woolshed. Mrs Rickaby would send a free bottle of milk every day for our baby until
we could get a house cow. The little we had we all shared one with the other and thanked God that
all the barrels of meal were not empty at the same time. Joe and his family lived for about six weeks in the Woolshed of Mr A.B.C.
MURRAY at Penong while their house was being built. George MURRAY of Yalata
Station also loaned Joe two horses to help with his first seeding. In 1898 Joe and his family had to leave the West Coast, journeying
overland back to Kulpara. In September 1900 the family returned overland to the
West Coast, the drought having broken. During this journey they came to a
wayside dam one night, man and beast so thirsty that the decaying carcass of a
beast on one side of the pool didn't deter them from boiling and drinking the
water on the opposite side. Joe was a member of the local Agricultural Bureau on the West Coast and
was strongly in favour of rotation and fallowing. The Bureau had a meeting at
his homestead in August 1908, inspecting the garden and crops and finding
everything in a flourishing condition. In late 1910 Joe's original home was
replaced by a large stone homestead built by Mr WEISE of Gawler which the family
named "Somerset House". Joe's wife Annie was a strict Methodist, on Sunday, newspapers were not
allowed to be read, children only allowed to play with dolls and only necessary
farm work allowed. She lived for the church and her garden. She always had a
beautiful flower garden. Annie also had a gift and talent for crochet, she was
most patient and taught her grandchildren the craft. On 5th May 1912 Joe passed away at "Somerset House" at the age
of 57 years. He had been ill for some time with T.B. which he is thought to have
caught on a long ketch trip to Adelaide while tending a man who had it. Joe,
like his wife, was also a hard worker for the Methodist Church. He was a trustee
of the Methodist Parsonage built at Penong in 1902. However, he hadn't lived
long enough to see the building of the church completed later in 1912. Annie continued to live at "Somerset House" and died on 7th
August 1936 at the age of 81. Reminisces of my childhood, Phyllis A. HELBERG 1911-1978 Extract "All the families would gather at grandmothers, Somerset House for
Christmas. The huge range oven came into its own. The star item was a suckling
pig roasted golden brown with an apple in its mouth. Fowls and geese, home cured
hams, cakes and puddings. The Edwards girls certainly knew their culinary arts.
The men carved the meat, the women served the veg from great bowls and piping
hot gravy completed the serve. The family stood and sang their grace with
sincerity. The meal continued through to the pudding dotted with silver coins
and charms. After dinner, while the women cleared away, the men played quoits,
darts or roller skating. After tea there would be a sing song around the
organ". Spouse:
Annie PHILBEY Birth Date:
14 Nov 1854 Spouse Father:
George PHILBEY (1832-1913) Spouse Mother:
Mary Ann SYMONS (1831-1902) Spouse Notes: George PHILBEY was baptised on 9th December 1832 at Weston Turville,
Buckinghamshire England, the son of Nathaniel PHILBEY and the former Hannah
EDMONDS. George arrived at Port Adelaide in June 1852 as an emigrant labourer on
the sailing ship "Surge", his first employer being Bishop A. SHORT. He
later worked for a time as a roustabout and cook on the Victorian Goldfields. On
his return to S.A. he took up farming where the Roseworthy College now stands
and put in a lot of hard work clearing the land for cultivation. On 29th January
1855 in the Holy Trinity Church Adelaide, George married Mary Ann SYMONS who had
arrived the previous year from Plymouth England. George and Mary resided near
Gawler until about 1876 when they moved to a new property at Kulpara. Here
George turned his land into a nice farm which he successfully cultivated for
over 30 years. On 26th August 1902 Mary died at the age of 71 years leaving a
family of 4 sons, Joseph Henry and Frederick George PHILBEY of Wiltunga, William
George of Victoria, John of Glanville and 4 daughters, Mrs Annie EDWARDS of
Penong, Mrs Eliza Ann Daniel of Kulpara, Mrs Lucy Anne HILLARD of Kerang
Victoria, and Mrs Sarah Jane BURTON of Adelaide. George remarried on 25th
October 1904 at Kadina to Mrs Elizabeth ANTHONY nee BENNETTO, widow of the late
Charles ANTHONY. George sold his farming interests at Kulpara to his son-in-law
John A. DANIEL, and retired to Kadina where he died in June 1913. His second
wife died on 5th July 1919. Marriage Date:
11 Jun 1879 Children:
Thomas George
Florence May
Hilda Maud
Bertram
Matilda
Olive Myrtle
Henry Francis
Gladys Rubina 1.3.3 William EDWARDS 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
23 Nov 1857 Occupation:
Farmer Notes: Born on 23rd November 1857 at East Brent in Somerset, William EDWARDS was
the third child of Thomas EDWARDS and the former Anne MILLARD. William would have taken over the running of the family homestead on the
death of his father in 1897. In February 1909 William sold his Kulpara farm (section 183) to his
brother-in-law Daniel PRIDHAM for 640 pounds. Presumably this sum was invested
and he lived off the earnings. William would return to Kulpara at times and did odd jobs etc for
Pridhams, Millards and others in exchange for meals, and is remembered for
having had a good apetite. He lived for a time in a small building on Daniel PRIDHAM'S farm.
Evidently he may have had a nickname of "Tingles" or
"Tinkles". On 7th February 1925 at the age of 68 years William died from bowel
cancer in the Royal Adelaide Hospital and was buried in the Payneham Cemetery. 1.3.4 Henry EDWARDS 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
8 Jan 1860 Occupation:
Farmer, Councillor, Agent Notes: Born on Sunday 8th January 1860 at East Brent in Somerset England, Henry
EDWARDS was the fourth child of Thomas EDWARDS and the former Anne MILLARD. He
was baptised in the Parish Church on Sunday 12th Frebruary 1860. Not even 4 when
his family sailed for Australia he probably remembered little of the country of
his birth, however the long sea voyage would have left its impressions. As far as known Henry did not attend school.He was well educated however
probably due to tutoring at home from his mother. On 29th September 1891 Henry married Marie Agnes "Mary" SCHULTZ
at Summertown, the ceremony being performed by Rev. John DINGLE, president of
the Bible Christian Conference. The marriage was unusual in that there were
three witnesses, Henry's brother Ike, his wife's sister Tena as well as John
LAUBMANN, a Schultz family relative. A son of this John LAUBMANN became a
founder of the well known opticians "Laubman and Pank". Mary was the
eldest child of the late Julius Wilhelm Eugene "William" and Mrs
Charlotte SCHULTZ nee MATTE (refer Spouse Notes) and had been born at Summertown
on 1st November 1866. When Henry and Mary first met is unknown, however it may have been via
Henry's sister in law, Annie PHILBEY in view of her connections with the
Summertown area. She was related to the Cobbledick family who were gardeners at
Summertown quite close to the Schultz family property. So it was probably during
an Edwards family holiday and visit to the Cobbledick's that Henry was first
introduced to his future wife. After their marriage they made their home on Henry's Wards Hill property
which they named "Homelea". In 1892 Henry enlarged the size of the
farm to 1203 acres by purchasing the adjoining Section No. 91 from his brother
Joe who was leaving the district for the West Coast. It was on this enlarged
property on 19th July 1892 that their first child, Francis Henry was born. There
being no hospitals, Mary was attended by Mrs ANDREWS, a midwife who came from
Port Broughton for this and her later children. Henry was very successful as a farmer and besides growing wheat, in later
years sheep and a few cattle were raised. We can perhaps gain some insight into
early farm life at "Homelea" from the following account by Henry and
Mary's third child, Annie May who was born in 1897. Letter by Annie May FLETCHER nee ROUTLEY nee EDWARDS pre 1962
"Extract". "My Dad first walked and broadcasted his seed, and people thought
him crazy when he bought the first 5 furrowed plow with a seat on it, they had
strippers and put all the grain in heaps, and then had to winnow it by hand, the
husks were called Cockychaf. This was put in a shed, and then during the year
mixed with molasses to feed the stock, the land was all cleared by hand, using
an axe, the timber put in heaps and burnt, some people took this timber to the
mines at Kadina, Moonta and Wallaroo, some was used as fuel, the taller white
mallee was used to timber up the mines. Most of the timber in our district was
Mallee, some much heavier than the majority, the stumps were picked up, some put
in heaps & some to make fences and some for the walls of the horseyards etc,
the timber taken to the mines was carted on the old waggons, drawn by horses,
and was a very big trip taking several days for the return trip, there was
plenty of hard work, heartache and worry, the method of travel in those days
would break the heart of the modern people, there were no buggies or light
horses, mostly those old heavy tip drays, we were somewhat luckier as my Dad had
what was called a spring cart, almost the same to look at as the heavy dray,
only much lighter. The worry that the mothers had for cooking, and the where
with all to cook must have been great, for there were no stoves nor ovens only
camp ovens for many years. The butcher used to come once a week, and he came
from Mundora, can you imagine the meat, Mother said often fly blown, and bad,
and mostly had to be cooked almost as soon as you got it, the farmers didn't
have sheep in those days for water, as well as feeding them was the blow, you
may remember the old dams, that was the only supply for years, and every year
there was water carting, and the supply would only last a few days, and back the
poor men had to go for more water." Henry had a kindly personality which won him many friends and on 5th July
1897 he was elected to the local council. As a Councillor Henry generally
interested himself in all movements relating to the welfare and advancement of
the district. He was a very forward thinking man and was a great worker for
compulsory education. Mary was also much respected, being honest and truthful and would help
anyone, she was an active worker for her church and district. An accomplished
seamstress, she made all her own and her children's clothes. She was a good cook
and homemaker, making jams, preserves and pickles etc. For relaxation Henry owned a small boat, believed to have been called the
"Iona" in which he would go fishing. Mary not liking being on the
water never accompanied him, however their children would go or sometimes a
neighbour. Henry also probably would have played with the local Wards Hill
cricket team "The Coastal Warriors". In February 1902 Henry and his family left Wards Hill and moved into Port
Broughton because of his health. The running of their farm was handed to Mary's
brother Carl who moved there with his family from Summertown. It is not clear
what Henry's problem was, but maybe some sort of respiratory infection or
allergic reaction. In Port Broughton Henry purchased a large comfortable stone
house in Harvey Street. He became the local agent for the South Australian
Farmers Union and quickly built a reputation as a good businessman. On 17th April 1904 Henry died suddenly after a short illness from gastro
enteritis. He was buried in the Port Broughton Cemetery, the services being read
by Mr Bainger, Methodist Minister, and Mr Eley, on behalf of the I.O.R.
Henry's headstone is unmarked except for the following inscription, no
doubt considered appropriate by Mary and her family, the youngest of whom had
been born only three months previously. DADDY "Around his grave we silent stood, With heart all crushed and sore,
Which through the gloom the sweet words stole, Not Lost but gone before." In 1990 a further headstone was placed on the site by Henry's
grandchildren. Although now alone with a young family to raise, Mary remained an ardent
worker for the Port Broughton Methodist Church. She taught the Sunday School and
was a member of the choir. Mary enjoyed gardening and also found time to
cultivate her keen interest in growing flowers. Early in 1913 Mary left Port
Broughton and took over the Wards Hill farm from her brother.She became an
extremely good and astute businesswoman. She converted the farm to freehold and
enlarged it to 1565 acres by the purchase of an adjoining section from Ike
EDWARDS. By 1916 with her son Clem in the AIF, the farm was being run by her
eldest son Frank, as she and her daughters had moved to Adelaide. On 25 th March 1916 Mary remarried to Alexander John MILLER at the
residence of her cousin, Miss LAUBMAN, 28 Stepney Street St Peters. Alex was
well known to Mary's family as he had been a storekeeper at Port Broughton for
many years. The family made their home at "Fortis Green" Smith Street
Walkerville but Mary's happiness would have been shattered later in the year
with the news that her son Clem had been killed in France. Mary and Alex lived at Walkerville until 1920 when they moved to38
Clifton Street Goodwood. In 1931 they moved again when Mary purchased land at
Acacia Road Hawthorndene. The property was in a quiet bushland setting and here
a large house was built and a well cared for garden established. After suffering declining health for several years Mary died on 22nd
April 1945 in the Wellingford Private Hospital. She was buried in the Centennial
Park Cemetery. Alex died on 17th February 1951 at his daughters residence (Mrs
E. Behenna), Leslie Street Kilkenny at 85 years of age. He was buried in the
Payneham Cemetery. Spouse:
Marie Agnes SCHULTZ Birth Date:
1 Nov 1866 Spouse Father:
Julius Wilhelm Eugene SCHULTZ (1846-1888) Spouse Mother:
Charlotte MATTE (1847-1924) Spouse Notes: Julius Wilhelm Eugene SCHULTZ or William as he was known was born in
Prussia around 1846. According to family legend he went to sea at an early age
to avoid military service. In January 1865 he was already an experienced seaman
when he signed on board the merchant ship "Mary E RAY" of London. The
ship was bound for South Australia however the voyage did not prove a happy one.
At one stage William's rations were stopped on the Captain's orders. On 14th
July 1865 William and 9 of his shipmates deserted at Port Adelaide rather than
face the return voyage. In Adelaide on 28th June 1866 William married Charlotte
MATTE, the eldest daughter of Carl Wilhelm and Mrs Caroline Wilhelmina MATTE nee
KLETTNER. Charlotte was born in Woldenberg Prussia and had arrived in South
Australia with her parents in 1855 on the "Peter Goddefroy". William
established himself as a successful gardener on land at Summertown owned by his
wife's father. On this property a large family was raised, however on 15th July
1888 at the age of only 42 William died. Just 2 months later Charlotte gave
birth to a son who she named after her late husband. Charlotte was evidently
very capable with horses, as to her is assigned the honour of having driven the
first dray down the Green Hill Cutting with a load of timber. Charlotte died on
30th December 1924 at the age of 77 years leaving a family of 14 children, Mrs
Marie Agnes MILLER of Goodwood, Mrs Bertha PETERSON of Forest Range, Carl
Wilhelm of Summertown, Friedrich Wilhelm of Hd. of Tickera, Mrs Caroline Sophie
EDWARDS of Noora, Frederick August of Miltalie, the late Mrs Anna Dorothea MATTE
of Kent Town, Frank Herbert of Summertown, Hans Herman of Lenswood, Mrs Margaret
TRENORDEN of Summertown, George Henry of Forest Range, Walter Edward of
Summertown, Richard of Summertown, and Julius William Eugene of Royston Park. Marriage Date:
29 Sep 1891 Children:
Francis Henry
Clem Charles
Lottie Eugenie
Annie May
Marie Agnes
Jean
Elizabeth Jane 1.3.5 Mary Elizabeth EDWARDS 覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧覧 Birth Date:
4 Dec 1862 |
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