When Mrs Audrey Kinnish Hunt, visited the homecomers' Centre at the Sea Terminal this summer she gave me for use in our Journal a photostat copy of the diary kept by her ancestor, William Kinnish, during his voyage to Australia between Jany, 6 and June 10 1839.
It was written in a 16mo notebook which contained a torn page with
the begining of a letter:
Dear father an mother j write to you hoping to foind you in good
health as it leaves me
Another page contains three addresses in Liverpool, and the note: Wm
Kinnish Commenced to serve mr myles for the space of 16 months on the
3 January 4 months served on the 3 of may 3 of June 5 mos. Three
other pages are an inventory of carpenter's tools another it seems a
record of wood supplied for a job for a Mrs Collins. With it is the
photostat of the outside of a letter: 'From Mrs Kinnish in the care
of Mrs Sutton not knowing where to direct South Australia New South
Wales' . Also the photostat of the Manifest and Passenger -List of
the voyage of the Sir Charles Forbes, 363 tons, Capn Charles
Laing, with a crew of 16, and 177 passengers of whom 65 were
children.
The diary takes up 23pp, all written in the same hand except for May 4 to 8 where a more clerky hand records: 'I had the misfortune to cut my hand very badly' though on the 7th he 'still suffered greatly from the soreness of my thum and not being able to do anything for myself' he resumed his own writing on the 9th, but obvious found it hard, and subsequent entries are often scarce
It begins with a page headed 'Wm. Kinnish - his book' containing
few scribbles and 'a woman brought to bed on the.25th'. The next page
headed 'Jany 26th 1839' begins
' Sailed from Liverpool at half past 9 in the morning. fair wind till
we came to Medaria. we passed Medaria on Sunday the.3 of February.
Afternoon the wind Not quite fair'. Thereafter there are entries for
almost every day.
He notes the weather, newsworthy human events ('woman dies Feb 8th, and on the 14th the little girl Bourn on the 25th died and was thrown overboard') the Captain's illness; sightings of ships and lift ('the Island of Parmer martinvas Rocks'); diet ( salt meat and bread that the pigs won't eat) and its problems (a meeting of our Mess separated but Murry and me'); the fish they saw or 'caut' (portugee man-of-war, flying-fish, 'shirks', dolphin, 'Berncatia'? Barracuta), crossing the line on Feb 26 at 12 Clock; an eclipse of sun about noon on March 15; sailing 9½: knots on March 27; the Sunday services (had an excellent sermon today we have had 3 sermons from the 1 and 2 chapter -of Jonah. we have: a prayer meeting often at night); Good Friday (March 29)was 'fine day with a good breese al1 day with a heavy.swel1. ; should not like to spend another Good Friday like this' )
He retails behaviour problems:- (Feb 18)one married woman and one single woman locked in the hospital all night for getting Drunk,' the maryed woman was found in the Cook's Bed',.(March17) 'A bucket of gin taken out of the 2 mates room. the intermediate was searched but it was found in the sterage Sunday',.. (April 2) 'one of the young women got drunk'.,(April 4) a great stir with the young women at night through having things thrown into shear room which brought the Captain down to them.
His worst period was March when the effect of the sea diet had worn him down. (March 2) 'Not verey well in health. j felt the less of home for the first time having nothing that j can eat..j wish j was at home again j shall never go to sea on the same terms again (March 4) 'Verey unwell still j think it is for want of sofishent meat. Some days j hove to make a small cake like your ½penny Cakes do four 2 meals',.(March 10) - 'being a sunday we had 2 Sermons. j read Marey jreland's Book every sunday it is the tutchstoneof sincerity that makes me think verey much of home'..(March 13) 'j had the misfortune- to nerley kill one of the hens verey unwell still'.
Catches of 'shirks' and an albatross were great occasions. He was always glad when he could.be useful (March 25) 'caut 2 shirks and j dressed 1 of the skins'. On April 4, 'the Cook broke the coppers in the morning which made a great stir.j repaired it for them'. April 26 was fine clay, rind he 'made a basket '
The Cape was sighted on Apl 9th,, but. they were unable, to enter
Table Bay till '3 in the evening of. Apl 11. His account of their
stay there is:
11th no wind but the heaviest mist that ever. j saw we cud not se
more then the ships lingth till about 3 in the evening when at once
the mist cleared away and the ship was running in on the Rocks. it
was the grandes sight that ever j saw, we anchored in the bay at 6 in
the evening it is a delightful place the houses are 1 and. 2 storeys
high and all the houses are Quire white. 12th fine day the land is
all mountains and valeys , all togeether, not allowed. to go on shore
which is thought very hard
. 13th fine- day a great.many. went on shore the say it is a verey
pritty pace frute is verey Cheape grapes onley a penney a bunch and
tobacco.
14th Sunlay :fine day and verey warme a great many went on shore a
minister from the,shore Came on board,nnd prearched a verey. good
sermon the best j heard since we started.
15th fine day we caut .a great maney fish of all sorts
16th fine day great work about going ashore.
17th fine day we are all kept busy fishing and talking about
shore
18th fine day but rather wet went on shore and was verey much pleased
with the place. j Should like to stay verey well saw two joiners
making a Coffin it was Quite strait with a beveled Eg. The said the
price was £15.0.0 j never sew such a Coffin for that Mooney j
got dinir at the thatch inn in: the market place Saw our hothouse
flowers growin wild in the loines and grapes in the file like
potatoes
19th fine.day a great many went on shore.
20thfine day a great. deal of fish caut a great deal ofmackerel.
21st Sunday-a verey fine day we sailed. out of the bay at 3 in the
evening verey-mistey and no wind and. a verey heavy swell.'
The six weeks voyage to Australia is not told in such Detail. On May 23rd he saw 'a verey large whale the first j ever saw'. On June 3rd fine day with a light wind they 'made Cankeroo Islan'. On the 5th they 'saw new holland' Though they made the harbour on the 7th there was not the depth of water to cross the bar The diary ends leaving the reader in the air and Wm Kinnish stuck in the mud: 'June 10th we crosse; the barr and got stuck in the mud in the interence of the river. 25 Thursday'. (yet June 25 1839 could not have been a thursday!).
It is a document rich in social history but chiefly it reveals the Personality of young, Manx emigrant of the day - a Quiet and decent Young carpenter somehow contracted to a Mr Myles who with his wife and 8 children were also passengers. No doubt it was.an 1839 version of an assisted Passage. He counts the days of his servitude. as a wartime serviceman overseas How did the last 10 months work out in Australia? The sea and:the diet made him sick, but he felt homesick too. He found consolation in Mary Ireland's; book, art in the fellowship of those who apreciated sermons and found strength in prayer meetings.he was offended by drunkenness and uproar, kept his distance from the young women,endured everything without bitterness. When things were at their worst for him he could record a most beautiful sight in the Clouds at the setting of the sun at night.
If we demur at his spelling, let us note that even the clerkly hand spelt it thum too. The marvel is that he read. and wrote at all at a time when to judge by Manx documents,many of his contemporaries still could not write their own names. We can even learn from his spelling that deviates usually to the purely phonetic. There is the interesting idiosyncrasy that up to mid-March he regularly mispells fine as foine as he writes 'foind' in his early letter opening: But after mid-March he writes fine. Did the reading of Mary Ireland's book improve his spelling.; as well as his spirits We do not know where he came from in the Island where they spoke with a brogue of 'foine' and 'foind' and ever 'loines'.
R.KISSACK.
Miss A.M. McHardy whose membership of our Society is No 1, and who has already provided us with an article on a Trafalgar
hero, has a special historical interest in links between our Island families and the Royal Navy. She has sent us the off-spin
of her precious time spent in.the Record office in London, in the form of this list of seamen on H M. S. ships between 1790
and 1794, recorded as born in the Isle of Man, with their ratings, ships and date of muster.
BERRY, Jn, HMS Culloden, Oct 1790, Yeoman Sheets; as from Apl 1 1791, Quartermaster;27yrs
CAINE, Jas, HMS Duke, gunner, June 14.1792; then as AB on Victory Dec
31 1792;38 (or 30)
CORLETT Jn, HMS Duke, LM, May 25 1791 40 yrs.:
CORLETT Wm. HMS Duke AB, May 17 1791;20yrs.
CORTEN, Nich,HMS Perseverance, LB, May 1790;
CRANE Jn, HMS Lion AB, June 1790 32 yrs.
CURDY Danl, HMS Duke, Ord S. May 15 1791 AB May 31 1791.
ELLIOT, Wm. HMS London, Lieut, June ?2 1790.
FITTER, Jn, HMS Princess Royal, AB, (volunteer) June 1790; 27 years
KELLY Edw, HMS London, AB, (Impressed) June 1790; 20 yrs.
KELLY, Wm. HMS Duke AB May 4 1791; 20yrs.
KEWLEY, Wm, HMS Duke; to Victory, Dec 1792.
McGEE, Rbt, HMS Vanguard, AB, Aug 1790 46yrs
McLEAN, Thos, HMS Vanguard, AB, Jan ... 1791; 25yrs
NEALE, Jn, HMS Vanguard, AB, Sept 10 1790 23yrs (Impressed )
NEALSON,Thos HMS Vanguard, AB,9 June 1791 27yrs
OWENS Rbt, HMS London, AB, June 1790; 25yrs;
SHEMMEN,Jn, HMS Duke, AB, From Haslow Hospital July 15 1791;
26yrs.
SKILLICORN, Jas, HMS Courageux, May 24 178x, Carpenter
WATTLEWORTH,Rbt, HMS Princess Royal, AB, June 1790; 32 yrs
YOUNG, Hy, HMS Culloden, Boatswain, Jan l 1790
YOUNG, Rbt B., HMS Culloden, July 1791; 17yrs.
Around one name she has been able to sketch in the faint outline
of a story. HMS Bellerophon of Napoleonic fame began wages and
victualling at Chatham on July 17 1790. The next day, Thomas Fargher
reported for duty receiving his warrant as Surgeon a week later. A
bare four years later he died 'at the house of Rear Admiral Sir Thos
Paisley, in the prime of his life'. (Sept 1794)
His will survives in the Manx Museum:
To my bother Quayle Fargher, all my estate of Shenvoll, and parcel of land
known as Bwooilly Willy in the parish of Marown.
To my brother John Fargher, a yearly sum of £5 to be paid on May 20
To my mother Elizabeth:Fargher £50
To my sisters Elizabeth Kinly and Margaret Clucas £10 each.
To my nieces Esther, Elizabeth and Catherine Clucas £20
each,
To my nephews, John William Quayle Fargher and Thomas Clucas £10
each.
To my sister-in-law Esther Fargher £10.
It was signed July 8 1786.
Some years ago I was given a small card written by my grandfather,
which listed his direct ancestry back to the first Johnson of this
particular family to settle in the island. At the same time I was
told a story which has apparently been tossed down in the family for
almost 200 years. This was that Peter Johnson, Saddler of York,
embarked at Liverpool to emigrate to America. However a severe gale
forced the ship to shelter several days in Douglas Bay, after which
Peter Johnson decided he had emigrated far enough, and settled in
Douglas.
1. Peter and his wife Margaret Brown (or Bowen) had several children,
the baptisms of all except Sarah the eldest being recorded in
Douglas. As there is no record either of his marriage, I have assumed
that he was married with Sarah a baby when he emigrated here about
1785/6. Peter and Margaret had seven children:
1. Sarah the only daughters did not marry and died in1828, aged
43.
2. George (1786-1835): became a Tide-Surveyor and had three (or maybe
four) children by Charlotte Heywood, and it is through their eldest
son Robert Heywood Johnson that I trace my line.
3. Joseph (1788) became a saddler, married Margaret Lace and had nine
children. I have not traced these lines forward
4. James (1790- ?) I have not researched
5. William, born 1792, died in 1794.
6. another son born 1795 was also named William He may have become a
saddler, married and had a family, but this too I have not
researched.
7. Henry the youngest child, became a shoemaker had a shop on the
Quay near the Steam Packet Building, did not marry, and died at the
age of 22 in 1826.
Descendents of Peter Johnson through George Johnson number over 100 researched (approx. 50 still living). There are many more descendants of George that I have not as yet been able to trace. It is anybody's guess how many descendents there are through his sons Joseph and William, and maybe James.
Although the Johnson line itself is fairly straightforward, the identities of the Women they married almost always present problems. Some have origin in English families which time, money and (hopefully) reciprical work may solve, but two women allegedly born on the Island cause me complete bewilderment, and both were HEYWOODS!
Robert Heywood
Johnson (1819-1871) was my 2nd-great-grandfather. He was
christened Heywood after his mother Charlette Heywood, of whom I know
nothing except that, according to the 1841 census she was an
dressmaker, born in the Island. Robert Heywood Johnson was
apprenticed in the printing trade and became a successful printer
He married Isabella Heywood on May 2 1843, and they had six children.
Much is known of Isabella but her parentage is again a mystery.
Apparently she was brought up by her grand-parents supposedly
somewhere near Summer Hill.
At young age she was playing on the sea wall, a forbidden activity, when she fell and hurt her leg. Not wishing to be chastised she kept quiet about her leg, but unfortunately the wound was serious, and the neglect resulted in the necessity of amputation. This was performed without the benefit of anaesthetics, the young Isabella expressing a wish that if she were to die it should be in her senses. Another story told in the family is that Isabella as an eligible widow, carried on the printing business on Prospect Hill and worked long hours. While sitting at her desk, Isabella was in the habit of removing her wooden leg which chafed her stump, and on one occasion she used it to beat an over ardent suitor who had interrupted her work. The census records that Isabella was born in Onchan about 1820,but there is no record of her baptism on the island.
The family have always maintained that Isabella was related to the
Heywoods of the Nunnery,
but I have never been able to prove any connection whatsoever.
Nevertheless a book of prayers dated 1849 and inscribed Deemster
Heywood has been passed down in the family and is now in my
possession.
If anyone has any information on either Charlotte Heywood or her
daughter-in-law Isabelle Heywood, I should be most grateful if they
would get in touch with me particularly if anything is known of their
parentage.
MONA CHRISTIAN (nee JOHNSON )
The plecename of Ballabrew has now passed almost totally out of currency, following the abandonment of the farmhouse and the omission of the name from modern maps. But the name, in its uncorrupted form of Ballalbrew, formerly applied to the Treen stretching from the bridge at West Baldwin village northwards to the reservoir on the west side of the River Glass.
For the first 300 years for which records survive, Ballabrew was occupied by a Kelly family. The Liber Assedationis for 1511 has John McKelly entered as the Lord's tenant for the farm, paying the annual rent of 13/-, Kelly names continue to be entered for the farm throughout the 16th century, Patricks, Roberts and Phinloes sharing with the payment of varying proportions of the rent from time to time
The first member of the family from whom lineal descent may be traced is John Kelly, who seems to have inherited half the quarterland. The other half was in the hands of various others, relatives perhaps, who were eventually bought out by him, the final purchase being made on May 1st 1604 from Gilbert Kelly of Marown and Nicholas his son. On Dec 22nd in the same :year, John, together with his eldest son and heir, William, settled the purchased half of 'Ballabrewe' on his younger son John, who married a local girl, Marriod Collish, about this time. Following the death of John Kelly the elder, the inherited part of Ballabrew fell to his eldest-son, William
Williams descendants stayed in Ballabrew Beg, as their half-quarterland was known until the late 18th century, when as a result of the marriage in 1761 of John Kelly to Isabel Brew, an heiress, extensive lands in Lonan at Baldrine and Barroose came into Kelly hands. Ballabrew Beg, or Eary Beg, as it had come to be by yet another change of name, was finally sold by William Kelly to Capt. Caesar Bacon, in 1834.
To revert to the junior line of the Kellys of Ballabrew, John Kelly the younger and Marriod his wife: come into another half-quarterland in 1622 when Ffinlo Collish settled half of his estate of Crossiby on his daughter and her husband This land was indeed in Marown, but nowhere near the present village of Crosby ,but in West. Baldwin, and is now known as the Rhyne. In return for this settlement Ffinlo was to have his 'maintenance of meat to and drink upon the cost and charge of the sayd John and Marriott.'.
Following the deaths of John and his wife, their property, which by then also included a share in Baldwin Mill, descended to their grandson John, son of their eldest son, also John, who had predeceased them. This grandson John owned Ballabrew and the other property for over 60 years, dying in1723, after having joined with his wife, Jane Christian, in settling on their eldest sons Robert, 'their houses and lands of what nature soever.. without any incumberance', together with the crop of--corn, team of Oxen and certain other goods. Margaret Christian of the Flat, Ramsey, brought a dowry of £30 when she married Robert in 1714. Both Robert and his father used mortgages as form of investment, and Roberts son, also Robert continued the practice, in fact acquiring a farm in East Baldwin when a mortgage lapsed. Robert junior chose a local wife, Elizabeth Lewin whose family was an old established one in the arera.
Robert and. Elizabeth's son and heir, a third Robert seems to have been the blacksheep of the family. He left the family farm for a time (after his marriage with Jane Creer of Renscault) and lived in Douglas. He mortgaged all his inherited properties, and one by one sold them Ballabrew going in the year 1800, until only the core of Cross valley remained together with a couple of nearby meadows. Following these sales the family finances stabilised and the remaining property was settled on Roberts only surviving son John, prior to his marriage to Elizabeth Quine of Arderry Baldwin. John and his wife repurchased some of the lost land in Marown among other aquisitions, and with the family seated in the parish,they seem to have improved the farm complex at Crossvalley.
Such was the relatively grand position of the family in 1841 when it was recorded on the census as living at Crossvalley. Although the couple's eighth son (and ninth child) Caesar had been buried the year before in the graveyard of the new church of St Luke Baldwin, the family had otherwise survived. The eldest son John Z., would inherit the farm,but what opportunities were there on the Island for the younger ones?
In 1843 John Kelly joined the Mormon
Church, sold his farm the next year, and left with his wife and
family for America, where. he now has numerous descendants.
NIGEL CROWE
[poor scanning to be corrected]
1979 and its Millennium Celebrations in the Isle of Man has been a very exciting year, and a drawcard to bring Manx men and women back home to the place of their own, or their ancestors birth. But I want to share the many matching highlights it has had for me.
In October 1978 I sent a newsletter to all of my known Qualtrough relatives, including. some in the Isle of Man, advising them of a proposal to heir reunion of descendants of James and Catherine (Clague) Qualtrough in October 1979, just- 120 years after their arrival in New Zealand The April edition of your Journal describes Violet Corlett's contact with me through the newsletter, and her interested reactions.
The committee of nine of which I was convenor, quietly set about organising this exciting events by e founts. that this gathering was to occur during Millennium year. This was to hold further significance as the reunion. drew closer. Violet and I continued our family researches, and - would you believe it? - were able to see connections between our own and two other well-established Qualtrough families in New Zealand.. Beside our James & Catherine branch (see the April and July issues), these two branches were natuurally included in the reunion:
(1) In 1919 Mr Thomas Moore Qualtrough of Colby emigrated to NZ, to be followed a few years later by his brother Richard Cecil Qualtrough. Their ancestry connects with that of James in the 1760s, both lines being descended from brothers,William and Richard., sons of Henry & Catherine (Costain) Qualtrough, married in Rushen
(2) in 1964. Mr Ronald Qualtrough of Auckland came to New Zealand
from Liverpool in 1960. His father was Williiam Edward Qualtrough of
Arbory,who went as a youngster to Liverpool and became a baker. His
ancestry links with James Qualtrough a further generation back, when
John Qualtrough of Ballakilpheric and Kentraugh (1678-1762) married
Jane Kelly at and of their children, was the ...their
Rushen in 1714, one, Henry, James,and and the Williams, the ancestor
of thong 1d.
But enough statistics. Violet clearly had a strong desire to hold a
Manx banner at this reunion, and finally I found myself administering
a fund of donations from her 700-odd NZ cousins of $1356
(£sterling 675),donated to pay her return passage, and enable a
very appreciative Violet to attend our reunion.
As the months rolled on things sow-balled. It seemed to be becoming a QUALTROUGH reunion, rather then one of the descendants of James & Catherine In August I came into contact with David & Jane Qualtrough who recently emigrated from Castletown to NZ, and were very interested in attending the reunion. I was also deeply involved in preparing a very comprehensive and complicated Family History display for the gathering, and in finalising all plans.
- October 1st, and Violet arrived in time to meet some of her NZ
cousins at a meeting of the Reunion Committee the next evening. She
showed herself s marvelous ambassador for her country, and become a
friend to all she met immediately.
-The Manx ways - friendly, independent, witty fit in so well with the
NZ scene.
Next day she ,iourneyed with me to Matamata (10 miles south of
Aukland, with the prospect of the family tree looming. We settled on
the plan to set it out on a roll of-wallpaper. A mammoth task
achieved with hilarity, frustration, sore knees and backs, and a
great sense of satisfaction - 1106 names (with lots more to be added)
on 10 metres of paper.
Soon it was Saturday, October 20th. It had poured with rain the night before, but someone above was watching over us, as over the next two days not a drop of rain fell. (The Monday following was one of the worst on record). At midday 350 were gathered in the Pakuranga College Hall. The spirit of the occasion was there immediately. -Welcome speeches, introduction of Violet, then lunch - a picnic, with all providing their own food.
Then Official hotora:hs - nine different FrcuL\s including one of
all resent. afternoon ten, cht,nnd viewing of the huge display and
Family tree. This had been set up in a classroom, and was (much to my
joy) the feature of the weekend.
A buffet dinner was followed by the cutting of a beautiful 3-tiered
Reunion Cake by the oldest resent, Mrs Amy Hardley, 92, and Mrs Amy
Lee, 83. The cake featured the Three Legs of Man symbol and was much
admired.
Evening entertainment was a reinforcement of the family history, this
time through slides and commentary or talk - most professional effort
that held all spellbound Violet has returned to the Isle of Man to
pay for the Family History to utilise
of-it mt?t?t,inc.R Tt. will 1F;O rnflR?nt.
with n at one __ a method I would commend of visualising ones family
history at Subfamily gathering. Its effectiveness is well worth the
hours of preparation.
Following this - it lasted-an hour -we heard a talk on the early
akurana history ne area where my oranon of rheaniinltr, settled 120
years Ciao.
- con Sunday Cctberi21st, there was a thanksgiving service, in the
nearby Methodist Church, followed by a share-your-food lunch, which
rcvidec the final opportunity for chat and true family unity.
What a tremendous weekend, and to think it happened during Millennium Year Violet Corlett has returned after 2 weeks with her NZ family, well-feted as she deserved. her presence topped off.a great weekend and I can visualise her in the future, playing host to her NZ cousins as they wend.their way home.
Well, 1979 is over, but 1980 looms with an even greater chalIenge for me - I propose to attempt a book on my Qualtrough Genealogy and family history-. -Family- history can be a truly rewarding obbsession, the most exciting thing I find, being the-akir of human contact with living relatives; who through distance-and the course of time have become least. I wish you all a similar joy and success in research
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Any comments, errors or omissions
gratefully received MNB
Editor |
||
