RICHARD AND SARAH QUARMBY

TO AUSTRALIA

Richard Quarmby was born in Huddesfield about 1826 and we believed he was baptized on 28/4/1826 at Lockwood, Huddesfield. He was the eldest child of Joseph and Mary Ann Quarmby (nee Mellor)

Richard Quarmby, circa 1880

Census of 1841 shows Mary aged 36 and Joseph 39, Richard 15, Henry 12, Ruth 10, Ezra 4, Elizabeth 1. Richards father died in 1848 and was recorded as being a woolen manufacturer, in Huddesfield.

According to the U.K. census of 1851 Mary was a widow aged 45 and had five children, stating that Richard was unmarried and aged 24. He was a watchman, believed to be another word for Police in those days.

This census of 1851 also states that Henry was 22, Ezra 14, Elizabeth 11 and Edwin aged 8.

Note: daughter Ruth is not recorded

In December 1852 Richard arrived in Melbourne on the James Carson. The ship was badly damaged in a storm at sea on the way to Australia and limped into the Port of Melbourne. The James Carson was laid up for 6 months being repaired. With her cargo still in tact, she sailed some 6 months later direct for Bombay. (Ref 1852 – P10/11)

Richard may have stayed on board and helped with the repairs of this ship.

1854 Richard joined the crew of the coastal ships which sailed between the ports of Australia. As there was no railway everything and everyone traveled by boat or overland by horse/Bullock team. Melbourne at this time was heading towards being the largest city and port in Australia.(In the 1860’s it was listed as Australia’s biggest city being ‘rich from the goldfields.) The coastal ship Hellespont left Melbourne for Sydney , arriving on the 6^th February, 1954. Richard was listed as crew with age stated as 28 and that he was a fireman. He worked on the Hellespont, London and Wonga Wonga on coastal trips , either as a stoker or a fireman on the Melbourne to Sydney run. (Ref 1854 – P13)

Sarah and her sister Jane Edgar had arrived as assisted immigrants on the Australia on the 8^th June 1853. They were going to their Aunt Mary Richie (nee Alexander) who was living at Wollongong with her children and were listed on the passenger list as in good health, could read, and were farm servants. How long they stayed in Wollongong or when they moved to Sydney is a mystery. Sarah married Richard in May 1854. (Ref 1852- P12)

In the time that it took for the girls to come out to Australia, their Aunt may have moved to Sydney as there were Ritchies and Alexanders living in Sydney at that time. We presume that the two sisters stayed together and lived in Sydney after Sarah married.

Richard married Sarah Edgar on the 23^rd May 1854 at the Wesleyan Church (or Chapel) in Princes St, Sydney, while he was working on the London on the Melbourne and Sydney run.

Sarah Quarmby (nee Edgar), date unknown

From February 1855 Richard wasn’t working on the coastal ships. The next record for him is on the Wonga Wonga as a fireman in October 1855. There is a gap of 8 months that he either worked in Sydney or Melbourne. Most likely Sydney as he was married.

29/11/1855 as steerage passengers, Richard Sarah and Jane traveled to Melbourne from Sydney departing on 29/11/1855 on the Yarra Yarra

(Ref 1855 – P13/14)

They then traveled to Belvoir (Woodonga ) where Jane married Henry James Harrison on the 11/9/1865. Sarah and Richard being witnesses. By this time Sarah was 7 months pregnant.

Their first child Matilda was born in November, 1856 at Osborne Flat,Yackandandah.

We are not sure if Richard ran the hotel for his brother in law. The Crystal Palace was registered in James Harrison’s name and he also had a mining lease. There is no record of Richard having a mining lease but he is listed as a miner on the birth certificates of his children. Either way, the families most likely worked in together. ( Jane also had young children).Elizabeth, Edwin and Walter were born at Osborne Flat, bringing the family to four children.

Richard and Sarah moved on to Kiandra about 1860 to the gold fields there and increased their family to nine.Selina, Ezra, Sarah ( Lavinia), Henry(Harry) and Rowland.

Ref: 1862- 1868 – P15)

Around 1869 Richard, Sarah and nine children packed up and moved to Reedy Flat with baby Rowland carried on horseback by Sarah. Frederick was born there in 1870. The family occupied a mud/brick (Pise) hut and Richard once again mined for gold. Three more children Frederick, Richard (Herbert) and Maud, increased the size of the family to 13 children by 1875. Richard was still listed as a miner on the birth certificates.

SETTLING DOWN

Richard took up land, initially 100 acres on the road to Tumut probably in 1872- this tenure was formalised by ‘conditional purchase’ Crown Grant, in 1874. The family cleared this land and built their first home which was slab timber from the land they were clearing. Nothing was wasted in those days. Later in life another dwelling was built – see photo. (Ref 1872 – P16)

Richard later applied for an additional 40 acres across the road. This application was refused as a road separated the properties. N.B. This area later formed part of Edwin’s holdings.

Baldy hill was at the back of this property and the family attended church and school at Upper Adelong in those very early days. This small township is no longer there.

Quarmby homestead- December, 1913

(Now demolished).

We believe that Richard also sought help to clear this heavily wooded land from Napoleon Bonaparte Johnson and J. Adams. They had bullock teams and Richard hired them to help clear the 100 acres. Harry Quarmby could recall the ‘burning off’ of stumps at the early age of 8. Elizabeth Quarmby married Napoleon so she most likely met him when the land was being cleared.

With their family of 13 Richard and Sarah settled in at Rosedale, often referred to as Quarmby Hall by Richard when talking to the locals. They toiled from daylight to dusk, farming the land, growing potatoes grain, crops, wheat and oats, which they harvested with reaping hooks. They also had a small herd of cattle.

Bearing in mind that Richard died in 1884, all this work would have fallen thereafter to Sarah and the family. Matilda, Elizabeth and Selina married when young. This left Lavinia to help her mother with the household chores. Maud was a lot younger than her brothers and sisters. Some of the older boys took up land north and south of the family block.

Maud was possibly the only one of Richards and Sarah’s children to attend Upper Adelong School. She was noted for her glorious singing voice and natural aptitude for musical instruments. Musical evenings were often held at the Quarmby’s and often the Prowses attended as they were fellow members of the church.

We are indebted for this extract written by Constance Sullivan in her book There’s Gold (Edited by Kitty Barnes). It is an insight into the lifestyles/hardships/determination that these early pioneer’s of the Upper Adelong/Reedy Flat (Batlow) district endured. They are our ancestors and we should always carry our name with pride.

The Quarmbys used to attend the Union Church in the centre of the village which served the needs of all protestant denominations. It was a fine sight to see the family on Sunday, when they rode to church. Mrs Quarmby’s Sunday dress was of black silk, “so rich that it would stand alone”, covered by a long, wide-sleeved corded silk dolman. Her boots were of black cashmere, the usual womans wear, with patent leather V shaped toe-caps and elastic sides. They were fitted with loops to help in putting them on and the loops had to be pushed inside the boots. Her bonnet was of black straw, with upstanding aigrettes tipped with jet. Its strings of black silk ribbon were long and wide.

Miss Lavinia, small, quiet, dressed in grey, attended her mother. They rode in a farm waggon behind a brisk bay horse. Two of the big sons rode on either side, and the rest of the family either shared the wagon or brought up the rear on horseback, horses and riders alike all spick and span.

Having alighted, Miss Lavinia quietly straightened her mother’s garments, and removed and folded the square of black gossamer that had protected her head while driving. The old lady waited on the wooden steps of the church until the family had gathered, and then, holding her train in one black—gloved hand, she moved in state up the aisle, spread her skirts and sat, her family standing respectively by until she was quite ready, before they seated themselves. They almost filled the little church. Their singing did fill it.

Constance Sullivan attended school with Maud, known as Maudie. Maud used to sing at Upper Adelong with Florrie Basham and the Sullivan family. She notes that the Prowses were industrious, always doing, and doing well. When two of the Prowse brothers decided to go to W.A. where land could be purchased for 6pence an acre, Maudie married one of them and went away forever.

In 1878 Henry Quarmby arrived on the Aconcaqua at Port Phillip. He married Ann McCallum in 1881 in Paddington, Sydney. This could have been Richards brother or cousin There were no children to this marriage although he did have children in England. He died at Parramatta in 1896 certificate states that his mother was Mary Miller and father was Richard Quarmby Quamby). (Ref: 1896 – P17)

Richard died in 1884 at St.Vincents Hospital in Sydney . He had been ill for 2 months according to his death certificate. Certificate states that his mother was Marian Miller and father was Joseph Quarmby. Walter his son was present when he died. Walter was 24 at the time and must have gone to Sydney with his father probably by horse and cart to Gundagai station then on to Sydney by train.

The Quarmby boys

Back: Rowland, Harry, Fred

Mid: Ezra, Walter, Edwin

Front: Albert. Missing: Herbert

(back row discrepency –

Richard (Herbert), Harry, Fred

Missing: Rowland.

1896 Henry Harrison died and is buried in an unmarked grave at Batlow. Jane Harrison died on the 30^th October 1915 and she is buried also in an unmarked grave at Batlow.

Sarah died 4 years later in 1919 and is buried in Adelong Cemetery along side of daughter Matilda. She was at her daughters home, Elizabeth, when she passed away. Matilda had died in 1917.

So ended the lives of two very courageous sisters, Jane and Sarah. As very young girls, they left their widowed mother and ventured to a strange land. The journey from Northern Ireland to Plymouth by boat, no doubt, daunting enough, let alone waiting in a holding house before the long journey to a new land. The Australia left Plymouth for Sydney on the 27^th February 1853, arriving on the 8^th June. All passengers were assisted migrants – one could not imagine what it was like in those days of rather small ships and very cramped conditions.

The two sisters stayed together with their families for most of their lives. They raised large families, were fine citizens and we may be sure they would be proud to see the results of their efforts.