Wondering about my user pic?
Wondering about my user pic? It's my farthest flung/earliest born ancestor I have a photo of. Actually I don't have it - it's in the State Library of NSW. It took a bit to prove it, and HE - Thomas Trevithick - is an interesting man. not famous. in fact, not buried in a marked grave. he lies somewhere in the cemetery at Hill End - he was born in the Cornish parish of Kenwyn in Truro - a middling sized city. He father died when he was very young, and after marrying Elizabeth Candy (who lived on Lemon Row!) they sailed to Australia - to Belfast (now Port Fairy). The Cornish were miners, and Thomas chased gold during the rushes in Victoria then NSW, ending up in the famous Hill End. Now a ghost town - but the world's biggest piece of reef gold was found there and the finder was rich - he had hundreds and hundreds of photos taken of a town now missing (google 'Holtermann Collection').
He had a daughter, my ancestor, at Grenfell the year Henry Lawson was born there, the year after the Lambing Flat riots against the Chinese.
His wife died in Sydney in 1872. It's all covered in the SMH, and shows how poor these families were. While he was working in some meagre mine in Tambaroora, she and the children lived in the slums of Sydney, eaking out a living.
"Sydney Morning Herald.
Friday, 21 July 1871.
FOUND DEAD IN BED
"It was yesterday reported to the City Coroner that at about 8 o'clock that morning a woman, named Elizabeth Trevithathick (sic), thirty-nine years of age, residing in Linden Lane, off Parramatta Street, had been found dead in bed by her daughter, Elizabeth, nine years of age. It would appear that the deceased had been drinking for the last week, and complaining of pains in the chest, but had no medical attention. She was married and had a family of young children. Her husband is said to be at the gold-diggings. The City Coroner will hold this forenoon an inquest touching the woman's death."
CORONER'S INQUEST
DEATH FROM APOPLEXY, ACCELERATED BY INTEMPERANCE.
"Yesterday forenoon, the City Coroner (Mr Henry Shiell) held at the Australian Inn, Parramatta Street, an Inquest touching the death of a woman named Elizabeth Trevithick, who was found dead in her bed on the previous morning. Elizabeth Trevithick, daughter of deceased, deposed that she was in the service of Mr Abigail of Goulburn street; her mother, who had resided at 27 Linden-lane, off Parramatta Street, was 39 years of age, and a native of Cornwall (England); she had been in the colony nineteen years, and had been seventeen years married. Her husband (witness’s Father) was alive, and at present at Tambaroora, where he was employed at a crushing machine; deceased has left seven children, of which witness was the eldest; the last time she saw her mother alive was on Monday last at her residence; she then complained of a pain in the chest, of which she had complained for the last three weeks; she did not observe that she was suffering from cold; her father had not been in Sydney for the last eight months; believed that her mother was near her confinement; occasionally she drank to excess; for the last three weeks she had taken a little pale brandy for the pain in her chest; her children were the only persons living with her; witness and her eldest brother lived away from home; previous to the last three weeks she enjoyed good health; she had not been under medical treatment; she was not aware that she had taken any medicine; in consequence of something she heard on Thursday morning; witness went home and found her mother dead.
Emma Trevithick, twelve years of age, deposed that on Monday last, her mother took three penny worth of laudanum for pains in her chest; a woman in their lane gave deceased a bottle of medicine on Sunday; her mother had been confined to her bed since Monday last; she took a shilling’s worth of brandy daily; witness got the brandy and went twice daily for it; her other sister also went for brandy for her; she had had nothing to eat since Monday; she and her four sisters were the only persons in the house; witness prepared the meals; she got some corn flour on Monday for her mother, but she would not take it; witness had been at home since Monday; on last Wednesday night deceased would not speak; she was groaning; got up on Thursday, called her mother, but got no answer; found she was dead; some times she would have a glass of ale as well as the pale brandy’
Adele Fifer also gave evidence, which was corroborative. Dr Schuette deposed that, from his own observation and the evidence given at the inquest, he was of the opinion that death had resulted from pulmonary consumption. The jury found that death had resulted as above."
Grim. Intemperance is, of course, the drink. 'Near her confinement' meant heavily pregnant. Her husband arrived a few days later, and must have insisted on having his name added to her death certificate, as it's squeezed into a tiny corner. She's buried at Rookwood, no headstone, and now lies under a road that runs through the cemetery.
Thomas lived on, in a town becoming forgotten. He married Margaret Hosier, a widower. She died. Then he married again when he was 64 - Mary Green was 29 and had just had an illegitimate child. Maybe his. He kept mining gold before dying in 1913 in Hill End of old age and cancer of the bladder. As I said, buried in an unmarked grave. Father: unknown. Mother: unknown.
That's Thomas Trevithick, my little icon up there in the corner. Born in Cornwall. Sailed to Victoria. Travelled overland to Hill End. Lost his love in the slums of Sydney.
He had a daughter, my ancestor, at Grenfell the year Henry Lawson was born there, the year after the Lambing Flat riots against the Chinese.
His wife died in Sydney in 1872. It's all covered in the SMH, and shows how poor these families were. While he was working in some meagre mine in Tambaroora, she and the children lived in the slums of Sydney, eaking out a living.
"Sydney Morning Herald.
Friday, 21 July 1871.
FOUND DEAD IN BED
"It was yesterday reported to the City Coroner that at about 8 o'clock that morning a woman, named Elizabeth Trevithathick (sic), thirty-nine years of age, residing in Linden Lane, off Parramatta Street, had been found dead in bed by her daughter, Elizabeth, nine years of age. It would appear that the deceased had been drinking for the last week, and complaining of pains in the chest, but had no medical attention. She was married and had a family of young children. Her husband is said to be at the gold-diggings. The City Coroner will hold this forenoon an inquest touching the woman's death."
CORONER'S INQUEST
DEATH FROM APOPLEXY, ACCELERATED BY INTEMPERANCE.
"Yesterday forenoon, the City Coroner (Mr Henry Shiell) held at the Australian Inn, Parramatta Street, an Inquest touching the death of a woman named Elizabeth Trevithick, who was found dead in her bed on the previous morning. Elizabeth Trevithick, daughter of deceased, deposed that she was in the service of Mr Abigail of Goulburn street; her mother, who had resided at 27 Linden-lane, off Parramatta Street, was 39 years of age, and a native of Cornwall (England); she had been in the colony nineteen years, and had been seventeen years married. Her husband (witness’s Father) was alive, and at present at Tambaroora, where he was employed at a crushing machine; deceased has left seven children, of which witness was the eldest; the last time she saw her mother alive was on Monday last at her residence; she then complained of a pain in the chest, of which she had complained for the last three weeks; she did not observe that she was suffering from cold; her father had not been in Sydney for the last eight months; believed that her mother was near her confinement; occasionally she drank to excess; for the last three weeks she had taken a little pale brandy for the pain in her chest; her children were the only persons living with her; witness and her eldest brother lived away from home; previous to the last three weeks she enjoyed good health; she had not been under medical treatment; she was not aware that she had taken any medicine; in consequence of something she heard on Thursday morning; witness went home and found her mother dead.
Emma Trevithick, twelve years of age, deposed that on Monday last, her mother took three penny worth of laudanum for pains in her chest; a woman in their lane gave deceased a bottle of medicine on Sunday; her mother had been confined to her bed since Monday last; she took a shilling’s worth of brandy daily; witness got the brandy and went twice daily for it; her other sister also went for brandy for her; she had had nothing to eat since Monday; she and her four sisters were the only persons in the house; witness prepared the meals; she got some corn flour on Monday for her mother, but she would not take it; witness had been at home since Monday; on last Wednesday night deceased would not speak; she was groaning; got up on Thursday, called her mother, but got no answer; found she was dead; some times she would have a glass of ale as well as the pale brandy’
Adele Fifer also gave evidence, which was corroborative. Dr Schuette deposed that, from his own observation and the evidence given at the inquest, he was of the opinion that death had resulted from pulmonary consumption. The jury found that death had resulted as above."
Grim. Intemperance is, of course, the drink. 'Near her confinement' meant heavily pregnant. Her husband arrived a few days later, and must have insisted on having his name added to her death certificate, as it's squeezed into a tiny corner. She's buried at Rookwood, no headstone, and now lies under a road that runs through the cemetery.
Thomas lived on, in a town becoming forgotten. He married Margaret Hosier, a widower. She died. Then he married again when he was 64 - Mary Green was 29 and had just had an illegitimate child. Maybe his. He kept mining gold before dying in 1913 in Hill End of old age and cancer of the bladder. As I said, buried in an unmarked grave. Father: unknown. Mother: unknown.
That's Thomas Trevithick, my little icon up there in the corner. Born in Cornwall. Sailed to Victoria. Travelled overland to Hill End. Lost his love in the slums of Sydney.