How some money may have come to Elizabeth Mashford

Latest research has thrown new light on just how Elizabeth Mashford (Lewis) Atkins could afford to buy land in her own right in Gladstone in the early 1870's.

Elizabeth was very close to her older brother, George May Mashford, who had been involved in a fight with her husband, Peter Lewis, in 1848, who, as reported in the newspaper, threatened to shoot George and accused him of all sorts of calumnies. http://roslyn-ross.blogspot.com/2010/12/almost-mashford-murder-story.html.

But just two years later he would be dead, as would her brother John and her mother and her remaining two sisters and brother would be living interstate.   In March of 1848 barely a year after the family arrived in South Australia, her sisters Mary Ann and Jane had sailed for Melbourne on the steamship Juno.

Her brother John Cann Mashford had died a year later in 1849 and, the following year, on September 14, her beloved brother and protector, George May Mashford died, and eight weeks later, to the day, her mother, Mary Cann Mashford died. Barely a month after losing her mother, her remaining brother, Josiah Labbett Mashford sailed for Melbourne on the schooner Amalia.

Sadly, it was a pattern which would be repeated for her daughter, Mary Atkins Ross, who would lose her husband, Charlie Ross and brother, James Haynes Atkins within weeks of each other in September 1907 and her mother, Elizabeth Mashford (Lewis) Atkins, barely nine months later.

Elizabeth had been living with George for a time but with his death, and the departure of her remaining family, she was very much alone. In 1850 Elizabeth had two small children and little Henry would be born four years later, sadly dying before the age of two, but clearly with Peter Lewis as his father.

It would take some six years for George's Will to be finalised and there is a good chance that Elizabeth had no choice but to return to her violent husband, for the duration. It is not confirmed but there is a possible death record for Peter Lewis in Melbourne in 1854, two years before the Will would be finalised, but one presumes Elizabeth if she had been living in her brother's house before his death, would have been able to remain there.

But we now have evidence that George left his estate to his mother and his three sisters and with Mary Cann Mashford dying two months later, the three sisters would have shared whatever he had. Eventually anyway.

The Will seems to have been contested on the basis that George May Mashford appointed a George Aldridge, storekeeper and presumably friend,  to be his executor. It is significant that he did not nominate his brother, Josiah Labbett Mashford and neither did he include him as a beneficiary. There is a good chance that it was Josiah who challenged the Will and hence was responsible for the delay in his sisters receiving their inheritance.

Given Josiah's later exploits in bankruptcy and failed entrepreneurship, one can guess that George did not trust his younger brother to be executor and saw no need to leave him funds, as he was doing with his sisters, which would only be wasted.

And given that Elizabeth would marry Edward Atkins on  January 12, 1857, and the Will had been settled less than 12 months earlier, it is a pretty good guess that once she had her money she took her two surviving sons and headed north. Whether Peter Lewis was dead or disappeared we do not know. But marry she did, and given how long it would have taken her to get to Bundaleer or the Clare Valley, depending on where she worked,  it looks like she met and married Edward within a ten month period.

It would have made sense to put her money into the bank, beyond what she needed for her travels, and perhaps this is why the funds were never shared with Edward and remained available until she was in a position, or had a need, to buy land in Gladstone. It is conjecture but the new information regarding George's Will, as provided by Luke, does give a credible answer to the question: 'How did Elizabeth Atkins get the money to buy land?'

It looks like George May Mashford had a reasonable estate to leave at his death and given the brevity of his stay in the colony, he was either very fortunate in his business dealings and a man of acumen, once arriving in South Australia, or he had money behind him when he arrived. Either way, the money he left to Elizabeth was no doubt instrumental in giving her the opportunity for a new life for herself and her sons.

Here is the exchange regarding the latest information we have, and Luke writes:

I had a look at the Gaol records for 1840 to see if any of the people who committed the assault against Thomas Wilson went to gaol and they did, but it seems it was for only for one day and got bail and were released on the same day. If the matter went to court then it would seems that they were found not guilty because there are no more records. I was hoping that the Gaol record may have had a record of Edward Atkins’ physical appearance or mentioned the tattoo to match him with Henry Edwin Atkins, but no such luck.

Kylie: I wonder if the case was dropped and that’s why it was never reported?  After investigation police may have found he started it etc.

However, I did find out some other information, but to get any results I will have to go to the Gepps Cross office where all the records are kept. There were no records for an Edward Welsh going to Gaol. Any Police report about Edward Atkins and the assault I will have to go to Gepps Cross. However, all the Police report for the Gladstone from 1877 through to the 1900s are in existence, but again I have to go to the Gepps Cross Office so again it is a working progress.

Some time ago I was told that any criminal Supreme Court records was not available to the general public. This has now changed and the general public can have access to them. So if the court case which involved George Mashford and Peter Lewis was in the Supreme Court we are allowed to have access to them. However, the law has only just changed and The State Archives does not know if they will create their own index list or use the existing index list developed by the Supreme Court so it may be a while before I can find out anything else.

Now, as for George May Mashford he has a will. I knew he might due to the newspaper article below. 

“NOTICE: A11 Persons having any Claim on demand on the estate of the late George May Mashford are requested to send in their respective accounts to George Aldridge, Kensington, immediately, in order that the same may be examined and paid, if found to be correct.”^[1]

 

I bought a copy of his will and it is really interesting.

A lot of it I do not understand. I had problems trying to read what the will said. I have written it below. Anything in brackets are words which I think what the will states. Anything in brackets with a (?) I just cannot make the word out. It also does not help because there are no full stops or comers which makes reading difficult. I will photocopy the Will for the both of you, but I will need your address so I can post a copy of the will to you. I think, and I am not sure, but it may be the case that somebody made a challenge to the will in terms of George Aldridge being the executor.

As a result, the matter had to go to the Supreme Court to decide. The Supreme Court decided in the favour of George Aldridge.  As a result, the will was not finalised until long after the death of George Mashford. 

Re George May Mashford

I the Honourable Benjamin Boothley one of the Judges of the Supreme Court of the Province of South Australia Do by these present make known to all men that on the Twenty Third day of November in the year of our Lord one Thousand eight hundred and fifty five George Aldridge of Kensington near Adelaide in the Province of South Australia storekeeper the executor named in and by the last will and testament of George May Mashford late of Marryatville in the Province of South Australia shoemaker deceased (a time?) Copy of which said last Will and testament marked ‘A” is (here under written)? did appear in the Supreme Court (aforesaid? Makes sense) and claim probate of the said will Whereupon the same was proved and registered (and? makes sense) the administration of all and singular the goods and chattels rights credit and effects of the said George May Mashford deceased was granted unto the said George Aldridge (who?) the said George Aldridge having first sworn that he (proved?) the (paper?)(valid?) marked “A” then exhibited and filed in this honourable Court to be the last will and testament of George May Mashford deceased who died at Marryatville in the said province  on the fourteenth (should be the fourteenth) day of September one thousand eight hundred and fifty and that he would well and truly execute the said will and testament and that the said George Aldridge would make and exhibit unto this Honourable Court a [time and (file etc?)]  (could this be “true and perfect”?) inventory of all the goods and chattels rights credits and effects of the said deceased on or before the (twenty third day?) of April one thousand eight hundred and fifty six and also under a full and true account of the Executorship of him the said George Aldridge when he shall be lawfully called upon so do and Lastly that the goods chattels rights credit and effects of the said deceased within the Province of South Australia and its Dependencies did not exceed in value the sum of fifty pounds

(given?) at Adelaide this twenty eight day (of?) January in the year of our Lord One Thousand eight hundred and fifty six under my hand and seal of the Supreme Court of the province of South Australia Benjamin Boothley Judge.

Marryatville September 12^th 1850 I hereby certify that believing myself upon the point of death I do bequeath to my mother Mary Mashford and to my three sisters  Elizabeth Lewis, Mary Ann Mashford and Jane Mashford my house and land situated at Marryatville now occupied by (Mr Lavington Glyde?) the (same? Makes sense)  to be equally divided between them after all (my First?)(could this be “my just debts”) debts are paid I further wish to appoint George Aldridge as  executor to carry out the same I further bequeath the debt owing to me by (examined and?) (found?) Mr White to be equally divided to the (aforesaid?makes) parties to be a (covered?) probate this is my last will and Testament (whereto?) I (sign?) copy Dated this 12^th my name George May Mashford (witnessed?) Thomas (Day?) February (1850?) (Taylor?) (?) George Aldridge   

Could this last bit be:

Whereto I sign this copy my name George May Mashford, this 12^th day of September 1850, witnessed Thomas Taylor, George Aldridge.

All muddled up?  Can’t see so am only guessing.  The reason I say Sept is that he died the 14^th day of Sept.  if February – was this a earlier close call??

Debt “examined and found” = taken to court to claim it???  This could be another source of information.

I have no idea what a covered probate could be.  Google didn’t help with this one.   

I have not really had the time to study all the implication etc, but Mary Mashford died not long after George so any sale of the house and land he had would have gone to the three sisters.(I think)

(I agree unless Josiah tried for her share. If she had a will that would have come into force and her quarter would have been distributed according to her will)

I believe the will was finalised the 28/1/1856. George died 1850 so it took 6 years to fix the matter up. John Cann Mashford was dead so he is not mentioned and Josiah Lebbot (Labbett) Mashford is not mentioned at all. I wonder if he made the challenge.

 

If George owned a house, one would assume land.  Next trip to the land office try Mashford. John was married so if he owned anything his wife would have automatically received it so very likely no probate required. 

I would have no idea after George’s debts were paid what money was left to the three sisters. It may have been very little. I have no idea what amount of money Mr White owed George Mashford. However, What I find really interesting is the date 1856. If the court matter was settled in 1856 then the year 1856 corresponded to the year when Elizabeth Mashford went up north. If the newspaper story is correct. 


See below:-

The total net assets was less than £50 or at least anticipated to be less than that.  

1856 Elizabeth Lewis nee Mashford left Adelaide and moved to Booyoolee.[2]

And now some questions:-

·         If money was left to Elizabeth Mashford and Peter Lewis was still around did Elizabeth Mashford just pack up and left him? 

 I suspect he would have been entitled to claim the money.  He certainly would have under English law.  Will have to check SA situation.

·         She may now have been a woman with money so why stay with him? 

She stated in 1848 when she left him that she would support herself.  I wonder if she was working for George.  She was certainly living with him at that time.  She would not have had access until after probate then it would have been up to the executor to decide if anything could be distributed to her.

There must have been a continuing relationship with Peter Lewis because John  was born October 12, 1850 - nearly a month after George May died and a month before Mary Cann Mashford died. You get the sense that perhaps Elizabeth and Peter had a sexually powerful relationship perhaps, given his violence and given the arrival of babies. They married November 9, 1847 and George arrived eight months later so she was pregnant probably, when she married.

It was early December 1848, the newspaper report was 7/12, when Peter tried to shoot George May and then John Mashford was born October 12, 1850 so Elizabeth and Peter must have made up by January of that year.  Or she was living with George but fell pregnant on a 'one night stand' with her husband. Henry Lewis was born, also at Marryattville, in 1854, so either Elizabeth and Peter had been reconciled after George's death, or again, an interlude which resulted in pregnancy.

Little Henry died in 1855 and by the following year, when Elizabeth left Adelaide, she would have had George turning eight in July and John turning six in October,  both ages easy enough for travelling. If little Henry had lived perhaps she would not have moved to the Mid-North, not met Edward Atkins and some of us would not be claiming her as an ancestor.

·         Or even with no Peter Lewis around was it a good opportunity for Elizabeth Mashford to leave Adelaide and start again?

May have been an opportunity to earn higher wages, fully found including children.  It would have been hard to find a job that she could keep her children with her in Adelaide but if they employed her on a run her children would have been included in the food rations etc.  This effectively increased wages that would have already been higher due to the isolation.

·         If the matter took a while to settle than what throughout 1850-1856 happened to George Mashford's house E.g tenants paying rent into the estate therefore more money?

It was being rented at the time of his sickness, according to the will, to a Mr Lavington Glyde (and yes that is his name) He came from Exeter in Devon by the way.  They probably continued to rent it out during this time.  Or they could have occupied it.

·         Did she tell dear old Edward about the money? 

 If she had any brains she would have made an agreement to keep the money herself otherwise it was his.  As a widow she would have had no problem opening a bank account and could have kept it with her husband’s agreement.  If she didn’t tell him he was entitled to it (English law, SA ??)

Perhaps after her experience with Peter Lewis, she was reluctant to 'put all her eggs in one basket' with another man. I know there is no evidence but within the conjecture as to why Elizabeth split with Edward, we have touched upon a possible drinking problem - very common in the times- which might be the real reason behind the 'senile decay' which killed him. But the point is, people often marry the same sort of person second time around and Elizabeth may have had two violent drunks in her life, not one.


I also recall that in the story of the convict Edwin Atkins, he was found 'having a drink' with his mate's wife and perhaps it may have been the drink which got him into trouble in the first place. But we have yet to confirm that Edwin is our Edward.

·         Was it her brother’s money which she eventually used to buy the land at Gladstone? 

 Who knows but it would explain how she could buy them in her own name whether she was still with Edward or not.

I had a look for wills under the names Elizabeth Atkins and could not find one. I also look for Mary Ross, Charlie Ross and John Mashford Lewis and did not find one. There was two people called James Atkins and George Lewis. The wills cost $19.00 each and I asked the lady how did I know if James Atkins and George Lewis were the same person I was looking for she had a quick look for me and the will which belong to George Lewis was a hairdresser which I had a laugh about because somehow I could not image George Lewis ever being a hairdresser.

James Atkins was the same person, but it was just Annie Atkins claiming administration on his estate. I told the lady I did not think he had any estate she said he may have had a small amount of money in the bank under his name. I asked how I could find out the results and she did not know. I said Elizabeth Atkins owned land in Gladstone. She said some people had wills and if the executor or anybody else had no problems then the matter would have processed. (I really did not understand this.)

The executor often just goes ahead and carries out the instructions contained in the will.  If no one argued or required probate it would have just been done and dusted and no one would have worried.  As soon as anyone insists on probate, you have to get probate.  Banks and most business people would have known the family in Gladstone so there would have been little problem with just going ahead with the details without probate.  If you need to fight someone in court for recovery of debts, the court would have required probate.  Sometimes land will not be sold or transferred without probate.  When did Elizabeth sell her land?? Or is that next trip info??

I went to the Land Title Office. However, it took me a while to understand their computer data base. I re-found Elizabeth Atkins title to her land, but nobody else. However, like I said the system is not straight forward so I will have to go back there another day as it may take a while to fully understand how their computer system works, but anybody can just walk in and sit in front of their computer and search all day if they want to.

It has been a long time since we have talked about the Mashford family from Devon, but has anybody done any research on George May Mashford middle name (May). It is not really a name for a male so it may have some connection to another branch of his family like the middle name of John Cann Mashford and Josiah Lebbot Mashford.  NB: Labbett is the correct name but Lebbot often comes up.
 

I never found the May link.

---

[1] South Australian Register Tuesday 27 April 1852 p 1.

[2] The Areas Express & Farmers Journal. Friday May 15^th 1908.

We touched on this three years ago but found nothing concrete about the Mays but did about Canns and Labbetts.

http://roslyn-ross.blogspot.com/2010/11/cann-or-may-we-find-lost-labbets-and.html

Tinkering with the bits and pieces of information in a bid for better understanding....

It is the processing of bits and pieces of information and thoughts and insights which is so much a part of ancestry research and which leads ultimately, with any luck, beyond assumption, conjecture and speculation to realistic theories and sometimes, facts.

The following is a series of conversations between fellow family researchers with useful information for anyone on the same path and so I am posting them on the blog.

Luke wrote:

I think the problems is what did Edward Atkins mean when he said his place of abode was Bundalee. Did he mean Bundaleer Run, Bundaleer North, Bundaleer Springs or Bundaleer? Or did he live in the middle of nowhere and the nearest place was Bundaleer, what ever that was. That is why it would be very good to see if he had any land lease hold or freehold as that will tell us more information. If there are no records it could mean the records is now lost or he never had freehold or leasehold which could also mean he lived on the run with his family. As we now know people or families living in tents on runs was not neccessary a problem.

The other problem with Runs this. There is a difference between where the homestead was located and where the outstations were located. People may have lived on a run, but they were not necessarily near the main homestead and could have worked miles away from it, as long as they had a water supply, but still they stated they lived on a Run.

Kylie wrote:

I was referring to where the Homestead was as well as the time frame of farming starting in the Bundaleer area.  Farming and private ownership didn’t start until just before it did at Gladstone.  Bundaleer was “picked on” in the lead up to the Strangeways act, mostly because of the fact it was one of the best runs.  It was making tremendous money and paying very little in rent.  That’s why I am fairly certain there was no farming prior to 1869 or thereabouts.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92259543 

This article in very interesting – it is from 1864 but gives you a good idea of how big these stations were.

Booyooloo is VII had 29 huts and yards.  48000 sheep = a lot of shepherds,  1000 horses – that would take a lot of breakers and grooms.

Bundaleer is  XII had 38 huts and yards, 72000 sheep

I understand your point of the outstations,  the shepherds lived in the huts with yards.  I suspect the more outlying places would not have had families in the early days as the aboriginals would have kept the women and children to a minimum. It was a good way to make money though as the shepherd got a good wage but also the night watchman, often the wife’s job, also got about 15 pounds per year.  A nice bonus payment for a family.

Anyway I think the situation would have been the same as Gladstone – if Edward said he lived at Bundaleer in the 1840’s he worked for the station.

 Photo: Bullock teams were vital in the early years of settlement of South Australia. 

Luke wrote:

It can get complicated when people are talking about South Australian geographic positions or locations in the 1800s and especially the early 1800s and I will try to explain the best that I can the point Kylie is trying to make. 

 I will give you an example, because it took me awhile to work out where Cornelius Clavin and Margaret McGuire were living at the time of their marriage to each other. Then you can apply the same principle to Edward Atkins when he said he lived at Bundaleer.

At the time of Cornelius Clavin marriage, the residence of both parties was Alma Plains for Cornelius Clavin and Gilbert for Margaret McGuire.   Trying to find an exact address of where Cornelius Clavin and Margaret McGuire lived, I discover, was impossible because there is no town or village that ever existed called Alma Plains or Gilbert.

 To facilitate the selling of crown land by the South Australian Government in the 1800s all the land had to be surveyed first before the land could be sold off which is (freehold), or before land was rented by the government which is (leasehold). This way the government could decide what was the best land for sale so they could get the best price, or for whatever reasons, the government decided what land they wanted to keep for themselves either as crown land or leasehold.

As a result, at different times throughout the 1800s the government commissioned certain areas of SA to be surveyed and once that was done these surveyed areas of land were then proclaimed and people could move into them.  Counties and Hundreds were established, but only for surveying reasons.  Counties would incorporate number of Hundreds and these areas called Hundreds were further sub divided into smaller areas called Sections. Sections were then divided into lots (I think).

 Land could only be purchased within the proclaimed areas of Counties and Hundreds. However, just because a County was proclaimed not all the Hundreds within that County was proclaimed at the same time. For instance, the County of Victoria was proclaimed in 1857. Within County Victoria different Hundreds were surveyed and then proclaimed. As a result, within the County of Victoria you had the Hundred of Bundaleer which was proclaimed in 1869, but the Hundred of Booyoolie was proclaimed later in 1871. The two best websites that I know, to find the dates, are Barry Leadbeater SA Family history and “Lands Administrative Divisions of SA Wikipedia”

 Once people started to buy land (Freehold), or once they rented land (Leasehold) within a County, towns were then established by the government. When I say a town in some places it may only have been basic governmental services such as a post office or police station etc. However, People then started to buy land around these services and then Churches, shopkeepers, Hotels etc. started to buy land close to these areas to services the needs of the local community. It all started to grow into a town or village. Some were more successfully than others for a whole range of reasons.

As a rule, people would not normally settle in areas which were not proclaimed by the government because the land was still considered crown land and not ready for sale until the area was surveyed. If people did live in unsurveyed areas it would have been considered illegal to do so. However, this did not stop many people from doing this and these people were called squatters. Sometimes the government turned a blind eye to it at other time the government forced people off the crown land. 

  Alma is a Hundred which was proclaimed in 1856 and it is within the County of Gawler which was proclaimed in 1842.  Gilbert is Hundred located in the County of Light.  On a modern map of SA if you look closely you will find a place called Alma and the surrounding area is called Alma Plains located in the Hundred of Alma. (I have been Alma and believe me there is hardly anything there) There was no such village or town called Gilbert in the 1800s only the Hundred of Gilbert.

 Nevertheless, both the Hundred of Alma and Gilbert are located next to each other. As a result, when Margaret McGuire said she lived at Gilbert she just meant somewhere within the Hundred of Gilbert. Thus it is impossible to say exactly where she lived. However, I believed it was near Stockport because when her mother died an obituary appeared in the paper stated “Catherine McGuire of near Stockport” which is located in the Hundred of Gilbert. 

This just show the problems people had when they lived in country areas, but did not live in a town or village especially in the early 1800s and they had to declare they place of residence. All Margaret McGuire could say was that she lived at Gilbert. 

To make matter more complicated District Councils were established with different names and their boundaries did not always correspond with the boundaries of Counties or Hundreds. For instance, in 1869 Cornelius Clavin name appears on a Government petition to separate Alma Plains from the District Council of Stockport and Rhyine. Sometimes the District Council would have the same name of a particular Hundred of County. So when somebody stated they lived in Gawler did they mean the town of Gawler, The District Council of Gawler of the County of Gawler? They may have lived in the County of Gawler, but not in the town of Gawler itself, and not within the borders of the District Council of Gawler.

Now as for Bundaleer what did Edward Atkins means when he said he lived at Bundaleer

Below is a quick timeline:- 

1851: Baptism of Joseph Atkins. Father is Edward Atkins labourer and abode is Clare.

1853: “Dipkosey V Atkins.” Abode for Atkins was Bundaleer.

1854: Baptism of Emily Atkins in Clare. Father is Edward Atkins occupation blacksmith and abode is Bundaleer.

1854: Burial of Joseph Atkins at Saint Barnabas cemetery abode Bundaleer.

1857: Marriage of Edward Atkins and Elizabeth Lewis nee Mashford. Residence, Rocky River. 

As a result, sometime after 1851 the family moved from Clare to Bundaleer, by my reckoning, and by 1857 they were at Rocky River so we have anytime between a possible 7 years when they lived at Bundaleer. But what is Bundaleer? You have Bundaleer Run, Bundaleer itself, (i.e. the place I saw with all the old homes) Bundaleer North, Bundaleer Springs and Bundaleer Hundred. 

So what was around, between the years c1851-1857, called Bundaleer? Bundaleer Hundred was not proclaimed until 1869 so what Kylie is saying (I think) is that the Atkins family could not have lived at Bundaleer because it was not around between the years 1851-1857 But,  if Edward Atkins said he lived at Bundaleer there is no reason why he did not live at the place I saw because that was all the facts I had when asking questions of the historian. If I said he lived at Bundaleer between c1851-1857 she may have said that he could not have lived at Bundaleer because it never existed between those dates.  

As a result, what Kylie is saying is that between c1851-1857 the only place called Bundaleer was Bundaleer Run and hence the Atkins family must have lived nowhere else but Bundaleer Run. 

As a result, there are a number of possibilities that we need to eliminate and that is through the Land Title Office. I do not know enough about the history of Bundaleer Run and the surrounding areas. If Edward Atkins has no freehold or leasehold Certificate of Title in the area of Bundaleer Run then more than likely the family lived as tenants on Bundaleer Run or they lived for free on Bundaleer Run living in a tent, tin, wooden structure somewhere close to a water supply. (Unless they were squatters living on crown land or unless they were tenants renting a leasehold or freehold property close to Bundaleer Run. If they were tenants the Land Title Office would not have a record).

The other problems with Runs is that sometime the Run may be Freehold or it may be Leasehold or it may be a bit of both. For instance a Run and surrounding land where the main homestead is freehold, but hundreds of acres could also be lease hold and when the lease expired the government wanted the land back to sell as freehold. As a result, the areas of Runs have changed over time.

 For example, let’s say that somebody on their birth/marriage certificate might state that their residence was Booyoolie Station. The main homestead is just outside the town of Gladstone so hence you might then say my GGGfather lived on Booyoolie Station at Gladstone. However, Booyoolie Station was much bigger back in the 1800s than it is now and a person’s GGGfather may have lived closer to where Laura is today than let say Gladstone because back when GGGfather lived on Booyoolie Station, the Station had leasehold land close to Laura which the government took back and sold as freehold.  As a result, it can then be misleading to say GGGfather lived at Gladstone. It can all get complicated sometimes.

Kylie replied:

You pretty much have it right.  However before the land was surveyed and sold in small lots the runs were surveyed and leased from the govt.  I know a bit about this type of surveying because the owners of the runs were responsible for it and some employed Thomas Freeman Nott to survey their runs.  He arrived in 1849 so surveyed runs further north . You are right about the homestead being freehold.  They had to buy a certain amount of land and then could lease a proportional amount at a rather small rent.  They could be given just two months’ notice to give up the lease.  They could not cultivate the land (excepting personal food supplies) nor remove timber (which was done under a separate licence, the same applied to minerals), they could only graze it.

This way the land was being productive until such time as enough people arrived to fill the farms.  They also wanted labourers to assist on existing farms for three years before going it along.  Partly to provide labour to existing farms, partly to provide experience to the labourers to increase the chance of success.  This scheme was set up in 1835 by the Commissioners in London.

Improvements on the runs were taken into account in the leasing fee so that it was still worth improving it with stone buildings as doing so reduced the lease fees.  The link to Trove I sent  shows how many huts were one these runs.  Some of these huts would have been very isolated others would have been close to the homestead.  There was plenty of building materials so they would not have lived in tents around the homestead for very long.

As the hundreds were surveyed and released the runs moved further north, until at last they released land beyond the Goyder line.  Most of this land had to be handed back after the first drought  and was leased back to the runs as it was not suitable for cultivation only large scale grazing.  That was the end of the expansion north.  Some of the runs were taken back after the first world war for soldier settlements.  I believe Bundaleer had some of these.

Normal people didn’t do a lot of squatting in South Australia as the land was officially leased to people who would not have put up with it.  They couldn’t risk the work and money it takes to clear the land for cultivation only to be moved on.  Also by putting the runs in first they moved the aboriginals into small communities and made them rely on handouts thus reducing the risk of attacks on farmers.  Most attacks took place on the runs before the farms moved in.

So yes I do think that Edward lived on the run.  You are right about where on the run we will probably never know.  If he was still employed as a smith at this time it is more likely he lived near the homestead.  Smiths were often trained as farriers at this time and looked after the horses as well as built stuff and made the tools that were needed.  Whilst he may have worked over the different areas of the run he was most likely based at the homestead. 

I found another snippet of info that is very interesting concerning Hutt River.  I knew this was an undefined area from Penwortham to the river Broughton running through Clare.  Edward was there very early on stating that as his residence in Jan 1843.  During this time it was inhabited by all the usual suspects, Gleeson, Horrocks, and Hawker and it turns out JB Hughes

Mr John Bristow Hughes, of the River Hutt"

Friday 11 March 1842

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71620951

So it is possible that Edward was already working for him before his marriage to Hannah and moved with him to Bundaleer when that was set up.

I also have a suspicion that we need to be cautious about the ”labourer, Clare”  Most men would not downgrade their occupation from blacksmith to labourer even if they were only labouring at the time.  This minister couldn’t be bothered putting dates on the records, did he just look at Edward and label him and the same as the place of abode. 

From the email from Clare history group:

BAPTISMS - a James Haynes Atkins in St Michael's C of E Bungaree church in 1862 and his birth is on state records as 2 January 1862 at Charlton which is in the district of Wirrabarra with Elizabeth as the mother. Three others baptised in St Barnabas C of E in Clare - child of Edward & Anne with no name or date shown in 1850 father shown as a labourer, abode Clare;  Joseph baptised 30 August 1851 son of Edward and Hannah, still a labourer and still Clare;  Emily baptised 11 August 1854 and born 10 March 1854, daughter of Edward and Hannah, abode Bundaleer and Edward is now a blacksmith. Rev.William Wood officiated at this last one. The other two were baptised by Rev. Bagshaw. These are from the original church records.

Notice how the two baptised by Rev Bagshaw have so many less details.  The first one has no name and only has a year!!  I would like to have a look at the actual page this is on to see if other entries are as brief. 

Luke replied:

It can get very complicated sometimes but, as mentioned, it is a working progress researching family history and sometime a Birth, Marriage or Death Certificate does not necessary give the full picture and you have to dig deeper and explorer or research the history of South Australia or the surrounding places where a family use to live. 

Getting back to Mary Atkins and her first son Edward Atkins.  You are right, now  knowing when Elizabeth Mashford first went to Gladstone that dear old Edward may not have been around and hence had nothing to do with her pregnancy so that is a good  observation  on your part. Again assumptions were made on my part without having all the facts on hand so to say, but sometimes making assumptions can weed out theories and can lead to the truth. 

This leads onto another assumption on my part and I do not think it has been mentioned before or addressed and that is was Mary Atkins raped while she was living in Gladstone? As a young teenager she may have been a victim of some worker who worked on Booyoolie Station. There would have been more males living at Gladstone at this time than females. 

If she was raped was it reported to the police? If so, does a police report still exist? Or is there a criminal record for the so called father Edward Welsh? I am going to the State Archives this Tuesday so I will make some enquiries into the matter. On the other hand she just may not have any knowledge of sex and consented not fully realising the ramifications of her actions. Who knows? 

If I find out any information at the State Archives I will let you both know. I am going to have a look at the gaol lists and see if there is an Edward Atkins listed for 1840 or any police reports still in existence about the fight he had while he lived along the Para River in Gawler. I will also go the Probate Office to see if there are any wills.

Kylie replied:

 “On the other hand she just may not have any knowledge of sex and consented not fully realising the ramifications of her actions. Who knows?”

Mary was a country girl, you cannot grow up in the country and not know how babies are made.  It is front and centre every day, every year.  It is openly talked about and most children have it all worked out by age five or six.  You know the various gestation periods by heart.  You see the animals mate and you see the babies born.  You cannot be sheltered from it.  No one can tell you that a kiss will make you pregnant. 

If she was raped it probably would have been made known to the relevant people and action would have been taken, not necessarily through the courts.  The resulting discipline was often reported as an accident so that everyone knew the consequences of this sort of behaviour.  So as a result it was not common.  Still worth checking out for criminal records or any records that show an Edward Welsh.  There were definitely Welsh’s in the area so I have always considered the most likely explanation is that an Edward Welsh is the father.  I also think it most likely she just got herself into trouble.

On another subject – I have been thinking some more about Elizabeth buying the 5 lots.  I doubt whether there would have been access to a bank at Gladstone at such an early date.  The government lots may have been done on credit – farms were but I am not sure about the town lots. Bank representatives may have travelled to the town in the weeks prior to the Government sale. However Elizabeth was buying the private side of town.  I would guess it was more likely that it was vendor finance.  It is very uncommon in Australia that the seller supplies the credit to the buyer, but it is much more common in some other countries even these days with banks on every corner.

However it is still done occasionally here as a way of getting a sale that the banks would not approve.  You can put a mortgage on a private sale so there is no risk of loss, the risk is on the buyer rather than the seller as even if you have paid off a lot of the money the seller can reclaim the land under mortgage and resell them including improvements.  They can keep all money outstanding including interest and all costs.  Only the leftover goes back to the buyer. 

So I don’t think that credit would have been such a problem for her if she needed it.  The real question is why did she buy them all herself when John and George were both old enough to own the land themselves.  Perhaps the creek did have something to do with it.  With five blocks with water a garden would have been a real possibility or at least growing a large portion of your own veg.

I replied:

I agree with Kylie here. If Mary had been 'simple' which we know she wasn't then ignorance may have played a part but otherwise, I suspect a lot of these girls were more streetwise than some today.

I wasn't assuming anything in regard to Mary's money and did not mean to give that impression. I simply said that if James died before his mother, which he did,  then his widow, Annie, would not have gotten anything unless Elizabeth specified, which she may well have done. Then again, we do not know if she had a will and if she did not, I am presuming the situation then was the same as now and that her estate would have been divided amongst her living children: George, Elizabeth and Mary.

I don't know enough about the law to know that if Elizabeth had a Will and left her estate to her four children, including James, and did not change it after his death, if it would automatically go to Annie. My understanding of Wills today is that you must specify if it is to be handed down the line from your child, but, as I said, my knowledge of what happened then is seriously minimal.

Kylie replied:

Then as now a lot depends on who is the executor of the will or estate, usually a family member.  He can decide that his mother would have decided to give it to the widow and do so.  Unless it was contested by other family members it was his decision that counted.  If everyone agrees there is no reason to follow the will.  The only time it becomes an issue is if contested.  Even when contested, courts can decide that the literal interpretation of the will is not what the person would have wanted and overturn a perfectly legal will and do the fair thing. 

I just meant that most families would want the heirs to inherit their share so that is what would have happened.  Chances are that they would have been helping her out anyway, her youngest was a baby, she had five kids under ten years old. 

Perhaps that why there were no headstones.  It was considered more important to support the living than glorify the dead.  They may have thought they would do it later but never got around to it. 

A trip through old family haunts... Gladstone, Jamestown, Bundaleer, Laura, Gawler, Clare and Wirrabarra

Photo: An old house on the White Park Road, Wirrabarra.

Fellow family researcher Luke has just made a trip through the mid-north looking for more information about the Mashford/Atkins family and has sent this report which I shall post for other family researchers.

He also took some photographs which I will include.

Luke wrote:

 

I stopped off at Gawler to the public library and had a talk to the local historian. I told her about the Edward Atkins who lived along the Para River in 1840. She said that if the assault took place on the property of Ross Thompson Reid then Edward worked for him because that was the only work available at the time in Gawler. She said the early colony was in a state of chaos at the time and I was lucky that the newspapers reported the assault. She said they did not have any records going back that far, but to try the state archives.

I got to the Clare Valley late Monday afternoon. I stayed in Clare Monday night and Tuesday night. Ion the way to Clare I saw St Marks Church, in Penwortham where Elizabeth Mashford and Edward Atkins got married. It is not on the main road and you can easily drive pass it. You have to turn right onto a dirt track as you are heading towards Clare. I drove up and down the main Street of Penwortham before I found the church. The church is up on top of a hill surrounded by tall gum trees, but I managed to find it. I also went to St Barnabas Church were some of the Atkins children were baptized and buried.
 I left Clare Wednesday morning and headed for Jamestown because you have to go through Bundaleer and I wanted to have a good look around.  Bundaleer is an interesting place to visit and I managed to find out a lot of information.  You turn left from the main road before you get to Jamestown. There is a sign that states Bundaleer Picnic Grounds which is a dirt road and it takes you into the Bundaleer State Forest. There is a picnic ground and an oval with a small sporting stadium for the local residents. That told me straight away that there is still enough people living in the area to have an oval and sporting stadium to maintain and use. However, I did not see many modern homes in the area.

Photo: Ruined cottage near Bundaleer.

I have read on the internet that Bundaleer has some sort of festival each year so I imagine it takes place on the oval. If you keep driving up the dirt track you get into the heart of the Bundaleer State Forest. However, what was really interesting is that I counted about seven different old ruined homesteads all within reasonable walking distance from each other and close to the Picnic Grounds and oval.

At some stage, Bundaleer was a small village, but the ruins are scatted. Some of the old ruin homes are right on the road side and others were in the distance. I do not know how many others there were located around Bundaleer because I could just could not see them, or they have now been destroyed. Thus at one stage Edward and Hannah lived somewhere there and they were not isolated from other people, but lived in a small community with other people.
I got to Jamestown to have a look around and it is a nice place and I was surprise by its size.As I was driving around I saw a sign that stated “Jamestown Historical Society” which I have never heard of before. I found the society and the sign on the front door said it was closed. However, the door was open and I knocked. A lady answered and she was the head of the society and she was only there for about half an hour, but she let me in.

I quickly explained I came from Goolwa and was looking for information about the Atkins family who lived at Bundaleer. She said she did not have a lot of time as she had to get back to farm, but I got her email address and I will email her with some information to see what the society has on the families who use to live at Bundaleer. Their society not only covers Jamestown, but also Bundaleer. She told me that there is no official published history of the Bundaleer area only private research of which she has copies. She said she would send me some copies so I can learn more about the area.

Photo: Ruined cottage near Bundaleer.

What she did say was that Bundaleer was a village in its own right back in the 1800s, but it was a village of scatted farms. There was no church, but there was a school for the children which has long been destroyed. The school was used as a meeting place for the local residence. There is a cemetery (which I knew) and I asked her where it was because I was looking for a record of Hannah Atkins nee McLeod.  She said the graveyard is now in private hands and you need permission to go there.

I told her that Edward Atkins lived in Bundaleer with his family after moving from Clare. She said she would do some research for me. I told her I would send her all the information I had about the Atkins family when they were in the area. She said she did not know of the name Atkins, but there were a lot of families in the area living on their own land. I said that I thought Edward Atkins may have been too poor to own his own land and she said no that may not be true. She said that in her mind if Edward Atkins lived at Bundaleer then he may have had his own land there and hence there may be records available.

  She explained that most of the people who lived in the area were farmers and owned their own land. Most of the farmers had small plots of land where they had market gardens growing all sort of fruit and vegetables and they did not necessary grow large cereal crops. Hence they did not have to have large blocks of land. As a result, poorer people would be able to afford to buy their own land in the area. 


A possible scenario was that If Edward Atkins was poor he would not have been able to afford land in the Clare Valley where land was expensive to buy, but land around Bundaleer was not that expensive to buy. This may have been a reason why he moved to Bundaleer. The picnic area, which I passed, was the centre of the town where I saw a number of old ruins.  She said the way people survived in the area was threefold.

·         They survived on their own crops.

·         They traded with each other. For example somebody may have a few cows and somebody else grew vegetables. The Vegetables would be traded with milk and vice-versa. Edward Atkins may have used his trade as a Blacksmith and traded his skills as a Blacksmith for milk and other food produce and he could have lived in his own house on his own land with his family.

·         However, the people at Bundaleer were also seasonal workers. There was sheep run in North Bundaleer (which we know about) and during different times of the year they would work on the station and would be paid. During peak times the farmers around the Bundaleer area would sell their vegetables etc. to the workers who came from outside areas who were working on the station. This way they made an income.

Photo: Colonial cottage near Bundaleer.

 As a result, there was a large community living in the Bundaleer area. The lady also said it was the same for the people who lived in Bundaleer North and Bundaleer Springs. There was one house in Bundaleer which the SA Forest Department is restoring and I went right on the property. There was a telephone number which I wrote down and I will ring the Forest Department to see if they have any records of the people who lived in the area back in the 1800s.

While I was at the Jamestown Historical Society I had a quick look at the birth records they had and I noticed something which I have not noticed before.

As we know Edward Atkins and Hannah McLeod had at least 5 daughters and one of them was called Sarah Atkins who married Walter James Stacy in 1872 at St Marks Church in Penwortham. They had 11 children (which we know about) and one of they was called Edwin Henry Stacy DOB 31 Mar 1882 Bundaleer Springs  DOD 08 Apr 1882 Bundaleer Spring. He was listed in their birth register, but it his name that really stood out and I have never made the connection before.

Did Sarah Stacy nee Atkins named her son after her father Edward Atkins who was really the ex-convict. Is this just another clue that links our Edward Atkins and the ex-convict Henry Edwin Atkins.  

I arrived in Gladstone Wednesday afternoon. Gladstone was not what I was expecting it to be. I suppose my family talked about Gladstone so much over the years that in my mind I built it up to be something that it is not. Do not get me wrong, it is a lovely town, but Jamestown is bigger than Gladstone which surprised me.
Before I left Goolwa I spoke to a lady called Thea who is a volunteer in the Discovery Centre which is on the main street of Gladstone.  The shop is a mixture of an information centre of the local area, they also sell local produce E.g. jams, wines, books and souvenirs of the Gladstone area, and they are also a historical society. Thea was not there when I arrived, but I talked to another person who showed me a map of the Gladstone Cemetery where everybody is buried.

I went to the Gladstone Cemetery and I found the grave site of Elizabeth Mashford and I took some photos. The good news that John Mashford Lewis has his own tomb stone. (Made out of metal which is shaped as a christian cross, but it is very rusted) Nobody else has a tomb stone, only John Mashford Lewis does.

All of Elizabeth Mashford's family are buried together in the same area next to one another. Elizabeth Mashford, John Mashford Lewis, James Atkins, Mary Ross nee Atkins, Charlie Ross, Elizabeth Cox nee Atkins and her husband Henry Cox are all buried next to each other or in the same grave. I wonder if at some stage somebody brought all the plots at the same time? However, the area is overgrown with some huge bush which covers all the graves except John Mashford Lewis

Photo: Tomb of Elizabeth Mashford (Lewis) Atkins' son, John Mashford Lewis in Gladstone Cemetery.


The tombstone of John Mashford Lewis states:-

“Sacred

to the memory of

John M Lewis

who department this life

January 14 1888

Aged 37 years

Rest in Peace”

I brought with me the paper work which I got many years ago about the land Elizabeth Mashford bought in Gladstone and showed it to the lady at the centre who told me exactly what it all meant. Now this is really interesting.

I was told that in 1872 Elizabeth Atkins bought not only lot 19, but also lot 20, 21, and 22 along Bondowie Street.  She was the first buyer of the land. The paper work also states ‘Elizabeth Atkins wife of Edward Atkins of Gladstone”This means that when Elizabeth Atkins bought the land her official residence was Gladstone so she was already living at Gladstone when she brought the land. The land she bought was in the private township side of Gladstone. In 1886 she transferred lot No. 19 to her son George Lewis. I gave the centre a copy of the paperwork I had.

I was also told that Mr Moorhouse owned a lot of land around Gladstone including the land along Bondowie Street. Mr Moorhouse started to sell sections of land to people. For political reasons, which nobody really understands now, the SA Government did not like him doing this because he had all the say of who will buy land and will not buy from him. As a result, the SA Government believed he was creating some sort of private township where he had all the say and hence all the power.  The Government did not like this so the SA Government gazetted the crown land they had in the area and called it Gladstone it was later that the two towns became one town called Gladstone.

 I told the Discovery Centre that due to the newspaper report we found  in “The Areas Express & Farmers Journal” about Elizabeth Mashford's death that we know in 1856 Elizabeth Lewis nee Mashford moved to Booyoolee. They said then she had to work on Booyoolee Station because there was nothing around except Booyoolee Station In 1856.

I told them she had two sons and her husband seems to have disappeared and there was no family left in Adelaide. As a result, would she have her two sons with her if she worked on Booyoolee Station back in 1856 because where would she and her sons live? I was told they all would have lived on the grounds of Booyoolee Station along the Rocky River and they would have lived in tents.

After they talked to me for a while things made sense to me. They said more people lived in tents then we realise today. When seasonal worker went to the runs they was no accommodation for them they just brought their tents and families with them and camped close to the homestead along the Rocky River. Runs had fulltime worker, but they also had seasonal workers in the peak times.

Photo: Cottage near Bundaleer.

They gave me this scenario:- Elizabeth Lewis nee Mashford, for whatever reason, saw there was work going on Booyoolee Station. Peter Lewis may have, or may not have been with her. To travel to Gladstone today does not take long in a car, but in the early mid 1800s it would have taken a few days as the roads were not around, and people had to travel along creeks and rivers for fresh water supply for themselves, but also for their horses. As a result, it was not necessarily a direct route from Adelaide to Booyoolee Station and hence it could take a while to get to Booyoolee Station.

If seasonal worker were going to Booyoolee Station they would all have to take their own tents with them and they would all have travelled at the same time. Peter Lewis may have died along the way or he may have died when he got to Booyoolee Station. It was unlikely that Peter Lewis died along the way because it is believed he may have gone to Mt Gambier and died in Victoria.

They said nevertheless even if Elizabeth Mashford was alone with her two sons it would not have been a problem for a widow with children to travel because she would have gone with a larger group of seasonal worker and they would have all left Adelaide together. All the worker would have had their own tents to sleep in on the way and Elizabeth Lewis nee Mashford would have had her own tent.

Once they got to Booyoolee Station they just pitched their tents close to the main water supply which was the Rocky River. If Elizabeth Mashford was some sort of maid there would have been other women around to look after her sons. People helped one another more back then, more than we realise.

Also if we remember about the death notice of Mary Ross nee Atkins that when she first went to Gladstone she lived in tents.

I also have a book at home by Douglas Pike’s called “Paradise of Dissent” it is about the early days of South Australia and a census was taken in 1851 of the types of dwellings in South Australia. Have a look below.

Stone & Brick

Wood

Others including Tents

Adelaide 4,321	2,048	1,187
Country   1,549	1,692	1,182

People travelled around with their tents looking for work at peak time on stations much like seasonal workers today who take their caravans with them to do fruit picking etc.

I have not looked at Trove yet to see if Booyoolee Station advertised for workers in the Adelaide newspapers around 1856.

I told them that in 1857 Elizabeth Mashford married Edward Atkins at Penwortham, but their place of abode was Rocky River. They said Rocky River could mean two things.

·         The first thing was anyway along the Rocky River.

·          The second was Booyoolee Station.

 They said that if Edward Atkins wife had died then he became the only income provider for his family and this would mean he had to get more income for his family. One possible  scenario was that he took his tent to Booyoolee Station to become a seasonal worker and met Elizabeth Mashford and his family was left behind in Bundaleer under the care of friends. It may not have been the first time he worked at Booyoolee Station.

Or he may have taken his children with him. He just stated his place of Abode as Rocky River when he got married because that was where he was living at the time of his marriage even though he may have based at Bundaleer.

 After the marriage he may then have collected his family and everybody moved to Wirrabara because there was more seasonal work there. Because Elizabeth Atkins became pregnant in Wirrabara and gave birth there the family just stayed there as it was easier for Elizabeth and the family just to settled there. They said if Edward Atkins was a blacksmith and a shepherd then he may have done a circuit between the runs in Bundaleer North, Booyoolee and Wirrabarra.

 Photo: Overgrown grave, Gladstone Cemetery.  James Atkins, Mary Atkins Ross, Charlie Ross, Elizabeth Atkins Cox and Henry Cox are buried here.

In between looking around Gladstone etc. I keep missing Thea, however, she did some research for me and took notes for me. When I came back to the Discover Centre the notes were waiting for me. I think they must have access to council records.

I do not fully understand her notes and between the three of us we may be able to come to some sort of conclusion. I will put exactly what she wrote:- (anything in brackets is mine.)

1877

John Lewis

Atkins E Mrs Occupier and Owner Allotments 19, 20, 21, 22, 18,  Gladstone. (Does the name of John Lewis just mean he was living with her in 1877? If so why are James, Mary and Elizabeth not mentioned?)

Total Value £ 50

Annual Value £ 10

Rate 1/- in the Pound £ 10

Rates paid 3.2.77

1878

Atkins Mrs E Allotment 20 Dwelling Home Gladstone

Allotment 21 unoccupied

Allotment 22 Unoccupied

T.V (Total Value) £ 60

A.V (Annual Value) £ 12

Rates 1/- in pound - £ 12 paid 16/11/77

1979 (I think she means 1879)

Mrs E Atkins Allotment 20 Dwelling

Allotment 21 Unoccupied

T.V £ 60 A.V £ 12 Rates £12 pd (paid) 30.1.79

1880 Atkins Mrs E

Allot 20 Dwelling T.V £ 60 A.V £ 10 Rates £10

Allot 21 unoccupied T.V £12.10 A.V £2-10 Rates £ 2-6

Paid 12/12/79

24/1 80 (I think it means 24/1/1880

1881 Atkins Mrs E Owner & Occ

Allot 20 Wooden Dwelling Bondowie Street

T.V £100 A.V £10 Rates 2-6

Allot 21- open (I am not sure what open means)  T.V £15 A.V £2-10 Rates 2-6

1882 Gladstone Ward Atkins Mrs E.

1979 (I think she means 1879) Lewis George

Allotment 19 Dwelling Gladstone

T.V £60 A.V £12 Rates £12  Pd 29/1/79 (I think she means paid 29/1/1879)

Note:- Allot not on book-later year ( I do not know if this is her notes or whether “Note:- Allot not on book-later year” is on the original records)

Lewis John Allotment 22 –open

T.V £12 Annual V. £ 2-10 Rates  2-6 Pd 27.2.79

Arrears £5-4 Pd 30.7.79

1880 Lewis George – Owner- Occupier

Allot 19 Dwelling Bondowie St Value as above

Lewis John

Allot 22 – Open Value as above Bondowie Street

1881  Hundred of Gladstone

No George Lewis

John Lewis – open Allot 22 Bondowie St

T.V £ 15 A.V £ 2-10 Rates 2-6

Photo: grave site for  Edward Atkins, Wirrabarra. The site is next to the tombstone on the right. 

I have come up with more question than answers.

·         If Elizabeth Mashford was the first person to buy the land where did she get the money from?  My understanding is that woman back in the 1800s were not allowed to have loans from the bank. Am I wrong about this?

·         If back in 1877 the total value of her land was £50 does that mean she brought the land for £50?

·         If she was not to allow to have a loan from a bank was £50 a lot or money back in 1877?

·         If she owned land in Gladstone did she still owe the land back in 1908 when she died. If she did own land in Gladstone when she died, she must have had a will. How do we find out if she had a will or not? I know when I was in my early 20s I managed to get a will of one of my GGGrandfathers, but I no longer remember how or where I got it from, but I know it was from a Government Office or Department. If Elizabeth Mashford had a will and we can get a copy of it, it may be very interesting as to what her net value was when she died and who she left everything too and why. James Atkins had died in 1907, but did his wife Annie Atkins nee Clavin  get anything or did Mary Ross get everything?

·         It seems to me that Elizabeth Mashford lived in a wooden dwelling on Allotment 20 Bondowie St.

·         I went to Bondowie Street and the Discover Centre told me exactly where to go. You cross the railway line and then pass the substation. After the Substation all the land on the right hand side is the land she owned. There are only two homes there today both made out of brick, one of them is quite grand and it seems to date from the 1880s or 1890s and the other is a small stone cottage, but there is a long drive way and the cottage faces sideway so I could not have a good look at it. What I am trying to say is that any buildings that were there have long since gone. Number 19 Bondowie Street is on the other side of Bondowie Street and is not related to any of the land which Elizabeth Mashford owned.

·         George Lewis lived on Allotment 19 Bondowie Street.

·         I am not sure what to make of “Lewis John Allotment 22 –open T.V £12 Annual V. £ 2-10 Rates  2-6 Pd 27.2.79 Arrears £5-4 Pd 30.7.79” does this mean he owned  allotment 22 and lived next to his mother” Does he have a will if he owned land?

I have more questions than answers.

Photo: Grave of John Mashford Lewis. Elizabeth is buried between this grave and the graves of her son James Atkins, where later her daughters Mary and Elizabeth would be buried and where Charlie Ross was buried the year before Elizabeth died.

If Elizabeth Atkins paid her rates then she had to have an income so I asked them what sort of work would she had done consideration she may have been alone with children to look after. I was told that Elizabeth Atkins most probably supported herself with:-

·         Seasonal work on Booyoolee Station.

·         Full time work on Booyoolee Station.

·         Growing her own fruit and veg etc and selling them to the workers.

·         And any type of work she could find around the place.

·        She may have even rented her land so people could put a few sheep, cattle on it or even people living in tents.

I would image that it was her, and maybe George Lewis, who paid for the tombstone for John Mashford Lewis. However, if she had money and left money in her will, or her land was left to Mary Ross and Elizabeth Cox, and they sold the land why did Elizabeth Cox or Mary Ross not pay for a tomb stone for their own mother? Or did they pay for the land where everybody is buried?

If Edward Atkins owned land in Bundaleer or anywhere else how can we find out? I have now forgotten how I managed to get the paperwork I have on the land concerning Elizabeth Mashford land, but I must have got it from the Land Titles Office when I was much younger. Maybe, and only maybe, and it is only a suggestion, If Edward Atkins owned land and there was one hell of a family fight maybe Elizabeth Mashford got the money from Edward Atkins to buy the land in Gladstone. She may have forced him or blackmailed him for the money.

As for other things. When I was at Gladstone I stayed in the Commercial Hotel where James Atkins was stabbed and I think I may have found another photo of James Atkins, but at the Discovery Centre. I could find nothing out about Mary Ross's son Edward Atkins.

I also went to Laura where the Clavin family lived and bought a small book which has Cornelius Clavin's name in it. I also managed to get a name or contact of a women who is the local historian for the Laura Area.

From Laura I went to Wirrabara. I travelled as far as Bangor. I then I took a turn off onto a dirt road called White Park Road. As you both know, Edward Atkins died at a place called White Park. The track went through Wirrabara Forest and I saw a lovely old ruined home called White Forest. There were a number of private driveway with modern homes in the distance called by the name White Park. I got back on the main highway and back to Wirrabara to look for the cemetery and then I found a real unexpected golden gem.

Photo: Derelict cottage Jamestown/Bundaleer area in South Australia.

I stopped at the local Information Centre at Wirrabara, which is a mixture of an information centre, deli, souvenir shop etc. I asked the lady where Wirrabara Cemetery was. I explained to the lady I was looking for the gravesite of my GGGrandfather. She said “go and ask the lady who lives down the road as she is the area historian”.
The lady at the information centre pointed out the house to me so I went down and knocked on the front door of the house. A lady answered the door and I explained who I was and what I was looking for. She invited me into her house which was really lovely. She has the original Burial Register book for Wirrabara Cemetery and she look up Edward Atkins for me. As we know there is no civil record for his death and hence we do not know what he died from, but at the age of 84 it would be a good guess it was old age.

As it turned out the register book had the cause of death and Edward Atkins died of Senile Decay. As a result, we now an official record of the cause of death for Edward Atkins which we have never had before. The other information in the register is as followers:-

No. of Burial: 41.

Name: Edward Atkins.

Age: 84.

Abode: White Park

Date of Burial: November 15^th (no year recorded).

Reverend :………..

(We both could not decipher the name of the person who said the rites).

No. of grave: 41

Situation of grave: 12 feet East side of Thomas Godfery, New grave.

Cause of death: Senile Decay.

What a lovely gem to find out of the blue. I asked the lady about some information about White Park. She said the area is still referred to as White Park today by the locals and White Park is along White Park Road which I drove along. She said back in the 1800s there was a homestead at White Park and it is still there today. She said that other people settled in the area close to the homestead and had their own small farms.

I told her about Edward Atkins daughters by his first marriage and she knew of the Puddy and the Pole family. She said she knows a lady who still lives in Wirrabara who is a decedent of Edward Puddy and Emily Puddy and that lady is still in touch with the descents of the Puddy family who live in Melrose. I was running out of time and I wished I could have stayed longer to talk to her, but it was getting dark. I said I would write to her when I got home with all the information I had and could she pass the information on to the Puddy family and ask them if they had any old photos or information.

As a result, I have some homework to do now. I have to write to the Jamestown Historical Society to get more information about who was at Bundaleer and what information they have and I have to write to this lady at Wirrabara with the information I have about Edward Atkins and his family. I also have to write to another two people in the Laura Area about the Clavin and Cassidy family.