REED, MARFELL, GOODE, Families & EDWARDS (General)

by Chris O\'Sullivan, Friday, April 27, 2007, 14:29 (6426 days ago) @ jimashton

Hi Jim

Yes, I know what you mean about finding it difficult to know where to draw the line. Clara's is an interesting story though, and when it was finally uncovered, you could have knocked me down with a feather.

As you know Clara's parents were Thomas Edwards and Mary (nee Hale). Mary died about 2 months after Clara's birth in 1867, leaving Thomas with two other little girls, Mary Elizabeth (bn 1863) and Harriett (bn 1864). By 1870 Thomas had remarried a widow by the name of Susan Bourne (nee Howell) who also had a daughter named Helena (bn 1865). They went on to have three more Forest children Lydia (abt 1863) , Emily (abt 1864) and Charles (1876). In 1876 the family emigrated on the "Queen of Nations", initially settling in Queensland but shortly after moving to Minmi, NSW (a coal mining area near Newcastle), where they had another 3 children Thomas (1878), Eveline (1883) and Florence (1886). I am descended from Thomas. They arrived in September 1876 and at that time of year Queensland isn't too bad but December onwards it it becomes hotter and more humid (February is a killer and would have been a major shock for Forest folk).

All of the English children except Clara were on the shipping documents and this is where you don't assume you know what happens next. I thought it was just an oversight on the shipping document and spent years trying to find her in Australia. Of course I never did and thought she had died in Queensland. Thanks to Diane Hale and Linda Moll, I found out that she subsequently remained in the Forest. When her mother Mary died, baby Clara was given to a Hale family member to look after, who became her "adopted" mother. Little Clara / new mother were obviously very close and Thomas must have felt it better for them to stay together.

BTW many thanks for the certificates. If you require further information, please let me know.

Regards
Chris