George Robert Hughes and Charlotte Prentice

My original information about this couple and their descendants was found at two websites: Ancestry World Tree: Hughes Family Tree and RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project: Schipp Family Tree. According to these pages Charlotte had a middle name, Isabella, but since I have not found this name in any of the records I have seen, I do know whether to believe it. By contrast, George Hughes' middle name, Robert, appears on his death certificate, of which I have a copy.

George Robert Hughes and Charlotte Prentice were married on 15/5/1826 at St Peters in Leeds, Yorkshire, England.

George Robert Hughes

Charlotte Hughes

According to the Hughes Family Tree and Schipp Family Tree websites, George Robert Hughes was born in London on or about 17/2/1799. An alternative theory (given in a record submitted to the IGI) says that George was born at Leeds on 6/8/1800, his parents being James Hughs and Mary Colshaw, who were married on 17/10/1798 in Leeds St Peters. Within five years of this marriage three children of James Hughes were baptized in St Peters: Sarah (baptized on 10/2/1799), George (baptized on 28/9/1800), and Harriet (baptized on 11/4/1803). Of course there is no guarantee that the father was the same James Hughes on each occasion; moreover, the mother's name was not recorded.

I have not been able to discover anything about Harriet Hughes, but I have perhaps discovered something about Sarah. This is presented at the bottom of this page.

The web pages referrred to above say that Charlotte Prentice was born in Leeds on or about 13/12/1805. However, it may be that a transcription error has occurred and the the year of baptism should be 1806 rather than 1805, because according to another web page, namely Prentices of Bilton Ainsty, Braham, Thorp Acres, Walsall and Thorp Arch, England and Hobart, Australia, there was a Charlotte Prentis, daughter of Joseph and Isabella Prentis of Thorp Arch, Yorkshire, baptized on 13/12/1806. Joseph Prentis, who was a carpenter, was baptized on 22/3/1766 and died on 21/11/1819; he married Isabella Wilson (1770–3/3/1860) on 6/5/1800.

On 29/6/1910 the Adelaide newspaper The Advertiser reported on the diamond wedding celebrations of Mr and Mrs W. F. Hughes of Bleakside Farm, Woodside, South Australia. The article includes the following pieces of information: "Mr Hughes arrived in South Australia in the Barque Diadem ... in 1840"; "He was born in Leeds"; "Mr Hughes' parents and three brothers (John, George and Joseph) accompanied him to South Australia".

It is recorded that the Diadem left London on 31/6/1840 and arrived at Port Adelaide on 16/11/1840. Di Cummings has compiled a list of the passengers, which has this about the Hughes family:

     HUGHES George Robert (b.1799 London ENG), wife Charlotte
     HUGHES children (William Frederick?), John Prentice, Joseph Prentice James

Grave of Elizabeth Jane Hughes

Grave of John Prentice Hughes

However, it appears that this information is at least partially conjectural. An original passenger list would not have included passenger birth information, and I suspect that the claim that George Robert Hughes was born in London in 1799 is based on the same research used by the Hughes Family Tree and Schipp Family Tree websites. I think it far more likely that he was born in Yorkshire.

It is likely that an original passenger list included the names George Robert Hughes and Charlotte Hughes, but did not name the children who accompanied them. Nevertheless, we can be sure that William Frederick Hughes' brother Joseph was Joseph Prentice Hughes; he is mentioned in the Biographical Index of South Australians 1836–1885, with the information that his parents were named George Robert and Charlotte, and that he arrived on the Diadem in 1840. And William Frederick Hughes' brother John is surely the John Prentice Hughes who is buried at Willowie. The fact that John and Joseph were both given the second name Prentice is a clear indication that Prentice was their mother's maiden name, and so we can confidently deduce that their parents were the couple married in Leeds in 1826.

According to their death certificates, George Robert Hughes was 73 when he died on 29/12/1872, and Charlotte Hughes was 79 when she died on 29/9/1884. However, a newspaper death notice said that Charlotte was in her 79th year, which means 78 years old. So 13/12/1806 and 13/12/1805 are both plausible baptism dates, consistent with the data I have. I think it probable that George Robert Hughes was the George Hughes baptized in Leeds on 28/9/1800, and that he may have only been 72 when he died.

The Register, 31/12/1872

The Register, 1/10/1884

I do not know whether to accept that Joseph Prentice Hughes' full name was Joseph Prentice James Hughes, as the Di Cummings passenger list says. The Biographical Index of South Australians entry does not mention the name James.

Baptism records exist for at least some of the children of George and Charlotte Hughes. I suppose that it is unlikely there were two or more couples named George and Charlotte Hughes producing children in Leeds or nearby in the 1820's and 1830's, and very unlikely that there was another George Robert Hughes with a wife named Charlotte in the Leeds area at this time. So it appears that the following baptisms all relate to the same family.

• Jane Hughes, parents George and Charlotte, baptized in Leeds St Peters on 13/5/1827;
• William Hughes, parents George Robert and Charlotte, baptized in Boston Spa on 2/8/1829;
• Elizabeth Hughes, parents George and Charlotte, baptized in Leeds St Peters on 15/5/1831;
• John Francis Hughes, parents George and Charlotte, baptized in Leeds St Peters on 12/1/1834;
• James Hughes, parents George Robert and Charlotte, baptized in Thornes by Wakefield on 4/12/1836;
• Joseph Prentice Hughes, parents George Robert and Charlotte, baptized in Boston Spa on 7/6/1840.

The fact that William and Joseph were baptized in Boston Spa seems to me to support the conjecture that Charlotte Hughes was the daughter of Joseph and Isabella Prentis born in Thorp Arch, since Thorp Arch and Boston Spa are effectively a single village. (See Google's map of the area.)

It is a little worrying that James was baptized in Wakefield, the best part of ten miles from Leeds and twenty from Thorp Arch. But surely there could not have been two Hughes couples named George Robert and Charlotte!

Since John Prentice Hughes was 71 when he died on 30/11/1904, I believe that he must have been the "John Francis" baptized on 12/1/1834. Perhaps the original record has his second name written as Prentis and it looks like Francis. Or perhaps Francis was originally written in the parish register by mistake. George and Charlotte could not have had two children named John born so close together, unless they were twins, and if there were twin Johns then the parish register would surely have recorded two baptisms. There is no doubt that John Prentice Hughes existed, travelled to Australia with his parents, married Elizabeth Jane Hillman in 1855, raised a large family, and died at Willowie in 1904. But there is no record of John Francis after the baptism.

The William baptized on 2/8/1829 was undoubtedly my great great grandfather William Frederick Hughes. A record submitted to the IGI gives his birth date as 19/1/1828. Whether the birth date appears in the original parish register entry, or whether the person who submitted the information had access to some information handed down through the family, I do not know; however, his obituary in The Advertiser of 31/8/1921 says "he celebrated the ninety-third anniversary of his birth in January last", which is consistent with 19/1/1828 as William Frederick's birth date.

Another IGI submitted record gives 20/10/1833 as the birth date of John Prentice Hughes. It could very well be correct, but again I do not know the source of the information.

There are burial records that probably correspond to Elizabeth Hughes (baptized 15/5/1831) and James Hughes (baptized 4/12/1836). Elizabeth Hughes, daughter of George and Charlotte, was buried in Leeds on 25/3/1834, and James Hughes, son of George, was buried in Wakefield on 12/3/1837. Since the first daughter, Jane, did not travel to Australia with the rest of the family, presumably she must also have died.

We know that as well as William Frederick, Joseph Prentice and John Prentice, George and Charlotte also had a son named George with them on the voyage to Australia. In fact this son was named George Robert Hughes, and although familysearch.org does not have a transcription of a matching baptism record, the birth of a George Robert Hughes was registered in the Tadcaster district (which includes Thorp Arch) in the December quarter of 1837.

George and Charlotte had three daughters and one son born in Australia. Their names were Elizabeth Isabella, Charlotte Jane, Mary Ann and James Henry. So I believe that George and Charlotte had eleven children altogether:

• Jane (1827–?);
• William Frederick (19/1/1828–30/8/1921);
• Elizabeth (1831–1836);
• John Prentice (20/10/1833–30/11/1903);
• James (1836–1837)
• George Robert (1837–11/11/1921);
• Joseph Prentice (1840–13/10/1922);
• Elizabeth Isabella (1842–11/5/1908);
• Charlotte Jane (12/2/1845–15/9/1925, buried in Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth);
• Mary Ann (7/6/1847–1880);
• James Henry (11/6/1853–4/11/1920, born at Nairne and died at Albert Hill, South Australia).

No birth certificate exists for James Henry Hughes; the birth date given above, provided by his descendants, is therefore family folklore. How reliable it is is not clear to me. Note that Charlotte must have been at least 46 years old on 11/6/1853, if she was indeed baptized in December 1806.

On his immigration application (no. 8516, dated 16/5/1840), George Robert Hughes gave his occupation as "tailor and agricultural labourer" and his address as "Boston, near Wetherby". He gave his age as 38 and Charlotte's as 33, and the ages of the children as 11, 7, 2 and 1 month. It is quite possible that he deliberately understated his age in the belief that younger immigrants were preferred.

Hughes memorabilia inherited by my cousin Peter Hughes (in accordance with the "eldest male heir" custom) includes his great great great grandfather's "tailor scissors", bearing the inscription "G. R. Hughes, Diadem, 1840".

A relative has provided the following partial transcription of an article from The Observer of February 26th 1916 (p.27):

Here "James Campbell" should be replaced by "William Campbell", and he actually arrived in 1839 rather than 1838.

After their trip to the Murray the Hughes family returned to Adelaide. They must have been back there before W. F. Hughes' 14th birthday (in January 1842), since in later years he recounted working in Adelaide from the age of 13, first as a junior assistant in a livery stable and then (for nearly two years) as a baker's boy. George Robert Hughes apparently worked as a tailor at this time. This information is derived from two old newspaper cuttings quoting W.  F. Hughes and his son A. S. Hughes. The family moved to Nairne some time in the 1840's.

I have not seen any evidence that George Robert Hughes had a tailoring business in Adelaide. Perhaps he was employed by another tailor. The move to Nairne may have signalled the end of his career as a tailor, since in 1849 he successfully tendered for the bi-weekly mail delivery service from Mount Barker to Kanmantoo, and a long list of names published in The Register on 7/3/1850 includes "G. R. Hughes, farmer and mail contractor, Nairne." (This list consisted of people who wished to express their support for Mr John Stephens, editor of The Register, whose position was apparently threatened in some way. See the supplement to the 7/3/1850 edition of The Register.)

South Australian Register 31/3/1849

In 1850 George Robert Hughes was appointed bailiff of the Local Court at Mount Barker. No doubt this position carried a stipend of some kind. Perhaps with the mail contract and his duties as bailiff he did not end up doing much farming.

South Australian Register 14/6/1850

South Australian Register 26/2/1851

George tendered for the renewal of his mail contract in 1850, and his was the lowest tender submitted for the Mount Barker and Kanmantoo service. Unfortunately for George, James Chambers put in a tender for all the mail contracts, and was accepted since his overall bid was lower than the sum of the individual lowest tenders submitted.

South Australian Register 8/2/1850

South Australian Register 19/7/1850

The loss of the mail contract presumably meant that farming became George's principal occupation, however temporarily. He clearly soon decided that he needed to take up something new, and in 1854 he commenced practising as an auctioneer. This was to be his principal occupation for the rest of his life.

South Australian Register 14/6/1854	South Australian Register 16/8/1854
South Australian Register 22/6/1854

In January 1854 George made a distinctly unsuccessful attempt to gain election to the District Council of Nairne. Nevertheless, he was clearly a prominent member of the local community.

South Australian Advertiser 6/1/1854 South Australian Advertiser 13/8/1858	South Australian Register 14/8/1858
South Australian Advertiser 24/8/1860

On 3rd January 1862, by order of the mortgagee, the "store, residence &c." on the corner of Farquharson Street and Adelaide Road, Nairne, "known as being in the occupation of Mr. Geo. R. Hughes", was offered for sale by auction. It must have been passed in, since it was offered for sale again on March 7th and on April 4th, but presumably it was finally sold. In any event, it appears that George was, at some stage, a storekeeper. Perhaps other members of the family actually looked after the store: Joseph Prentice Hughes was to become a storekeeper in North Adelaide, and William Frederick Hughes is said to have been a storekeeper before his marriage (in 1850).

South Australian Register 26/12/1861

Presumably George had been unable to meet his mortgage repayments. Whether he continued to live in Nairne after the house was sold I do not know. The next record of him that I have is his death certificate, according to which his usual residence at the time of his death was at Tynte Street North Adelaide.

The death certificate states also that George died at Tynte Street on 29/12/1872, the cause of death being diarrhœa. He was a Commission Agent, aged 73 years.

Charlotte's death certificate states that her usual residence at the time of her death on 29/9/1884 (aged 79) was Archer Street, North Adelaide; her death occurred there, and the cause of death was "Old Age, Apoplexy, Paralysis". I suppose that if one thing doesn't get you then another will! Note that the newspaper death notice (shown above) describes Charlotte as the relict of George Robert Hughes "of Nairne", which perhaps indicates that George had retired from working life before he moved to Tynte Street. But I do not know for certain when he retired. The newspaper notice also tells us that the Archer Street address at which Charlotte died belonged to her daughter, Mrs Morgan. As we shall see below, Mrs Morgan was Charlotte's eldest daughter, Elizabeth Isabella, who was also a widow in 1884. Furthermore, when Elizabeth's husband died in 1880 his address was Tynte Street; so possibly his residence was also the place at which George's final days were spent.

Children of George and Charlotte

My investigations of the descendants of the children of George and Charlotte is a work in progress. Consequently the information presented below will be incomplete, and quite possibly inaccurate in places. Corrections and additional information are always welcome!

William Frederick

William Frederick Hughes, eldest son of George and Charlotte, married Mary Stodart. Their family is discussed on a separate page.

John

John Prentice Hughes married Elizabeth Jane Hillman on 1/8/1855; they had the following children:

• William Henry (9/6/1856–31/7/1942),
• Charlotte Jane (1/10/1858–2/11/1940),
• Walter Stephen (4/7/1861–6/6/1896, married Ada Elenor Prosser and had children named Prentice James, Marinus Morton, Walter Clarence, Olive May and Reuben Roy),
• Alice Maud (29/12/1864–25/6/1956),
• Alfred Laurence (15/12/1868–12/2/1959, married Catherine Sabina Prosser and had children named Alfred Norman, Laurence Lancelot, Hugh Travis and Daisy Catherine Sabina, then married Ethel Blanche Watts and had children named Alice Maud and Blanche May),

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  page number .

  The Advertiser, 10/6/1904

  The Advertiser, 5/6/1918

• Elizabeth Isabella (8/7/1871–2/10/1961),
• Sarah Hillman (8/12/1873–30/5/1946).

All of the children of John Prentice and Elizabeth Jane, with the exception only of Walter Stephen, are buried in the Willowie Cemetery. Photos of their gravestones are online. Walter Stephen Hughes' widow Ada married Charles Henry Willmott at Midland Junction, W.A., in 1903. She is buried in the Karrakatta Cemetery; her children Prentice James Hughes and Marinus Morton Hughes also died in Western Australia.

The Advertiser, 28/11/1904

The Advertiser, 5/12/1904

George

George Robert Hughes (the second) married Mary Fisher on 28/2/1874; they had the following children:

• Florence Lilian (b. 5/6/1875),
• George Robert (b. 26/6/1876),
• Mabel Stephenson (b. 14/9/1877),
• Gertrude Mabel (b. 15/8/1878, married Arthur Frederick Anderson),
• Ethel Mary (b. 5/9/1880, d. 21/4/1906),
• Mabel Fisher (b. 1/6/1882),
• Hilda Amelia (b. 6/6/1884, married Gordon Gunn),
• Muriel Elizabeth (b. 18/7/1886, married Frederick William Naylor Fillmore),
• Katie Ermentrude Octavia (b. 14/9/1888),
• Vera Irene Gwendolyn (b. 23/8/1890, married Edwin Joseph Keene),
• Harold Gilmore (b. 9/12/1893).

George Robert Hughes the second died on 11/11/1921, aged 83. His widow, Mary, died on 16/5/1940, aged 86. We deduce that when they were married, in early 1874, he was about 35 years old and she about 20.

The Advertiser 14/11/1921	The Advertiser 18/5/1940
The Advertiser 2/12/1905	The Advertiser 13/5/1911
The Advertiser 10/7/1912
The Advertiser 18/9/1916	The Advertiser 2/3/1904

George Robert Hughes the third married Helen Irvine Collier, who was born in Sydney in 1877. They had the following children: Lillian (b. 1903, d. 1/3/1904), Muriel Gertrude (b. 1905), Effie (b. 1907), Roderick George Robert (b. 21/2/1913), Richie (b. 1914). George and Helen went to live in South Africa, but I do not know when they moved there. The last two children were born in Cape Town. George Robert Hughes III died in Cape Town on 24/3/1921; Helen Irvine Hughes died in Cape Town on 22/4/1950.

Harold Gilmore Hughes enlisted in the AIF on 13/9/1915. His service record shows that he was killed in action in France on 2/4/1917.

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The Advertiser 18/9/1916

The Advertiser 2/4/1918

The Advertiser 27/4/1918

Joseph

Joseph Prentice Hughes married Mary Ryder on 10/7/1861. She was born in Windsor, Berkshire, in 1839, the daughter of Joseph Ryder and Mary née Hill. The Ryders came to South Australia in 1849 on the Asiatic. The passenger list says that there were four children in the family, and according to www.familyhistorysa.info/shipping/passengerlists.html their names were Mary, Susanna, Amelia Banfield and Joseph.

The marriage of Joseph P. Hughes and Mary Ryder took place at the residence of Mary's father, at Nairne.

Joseph and Mary Hughes had the following children:

• Edwin Joseph (born 30/4/1862),
  

  Grave of Percy S. and Amy Ann,
  Walkerville Cemetery
• Joseph Ryder (born 27/12/1863, married Jane Elliott Chapman),
• Mary Hill (born 5/7/1865, died 7/6/1931, married Henry Field Broadbent),
• Robert George (born 24/6/1867, died 13/10/1931, married Florence Elizabeth Folland),
• James David (5/11/1869 – 18/3/1870),
• Amelia Ann (born 29/3/1871, died 19/11/1945, did not marry),
• Ernest Laurence (born 5/2/1873, died 1933, married Lilian May Penn),
• Arthur Walter (born 10/7/1875),
• Percy Septimus (born 14/8/1877, died 3/10/1945, married Amy Ann Lewis),
• Louisa Maud (born 7/7/1879),
• Frank Gilbert (born 18/11/1880, died 29/10/1957 in Cannington W.A., married Amy Wilkinson.)
• Arthur Sydney (born 25/3/1883, married Jessie Adelaide Osborne on 17/2/1908),
• Frederick John (born 20/12/1884, married Rose Holden on 16/4/1914).

The Advertiser, 28/8/1917

The Advertiser, 14/3/1908

The Advertiser, 23/5/1914

The Advertiser, 18/4/1892

Joseph's wife Mary died on 16/4/1892. On 4/1/1897 Joseph married Alice Ann Rowe, and this marriage produced the following children: William James, Dorothy Charlotte Augusta and Kathleen Alice. Joseph died on 13/10/1922; his widow, Alice, died on 12/11/1936. The photo below shows the grave of Joseph P. Hughes and both his wives, as well as his daughter Amelia Hannah (who was evidently known as Millie) and son William. Apparently William, like his mother, died in 1936.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Isabella Hughes, the first Australian born child of George Robert and Charlotte, married Samuel Lane Morgan. I have not looked up the details of this marriage, but their first child, William George Morgan, was born at Kapunda on 9/9/1872. They also had a daughter named Elizabeth Isabella Morgan, born at Kapunda on 24/7/1874, a son named John Herbert Morgan born at Mt Gambier on 7/12/1875, and a son named Samuel Lane Morgan born at North Adelaide on 20/6/1879. A Samuel Lane Morgan who died 1880 is buried in the Walkerville cemetery, along with Elizabeth Isabel Morgan, another Samuel Lane Morgan, and one Benjamin Morgan, who I presume was another child of Samuel and Elizabeth. The Elizabeth Isabel Morgan here must be the daughter, since Elizabeth Isabella Morgan, 48, widow, daughter of George Robert Hughes, married William Ivey Moyses (42, widower, son of William Moyses) on 26/3/1891 at the Adelaide residence of one Mr Treglohan (who I believe was the father of William Ivey Moyses' first wife).

The Advertiser 14/5/1908

The Advertiser 11/5/1909

In The South Australian Advertiser of 25/11/1871 there is a report of a coronial inquest held at Kapunda into the death of a carpenter named Alexander Gray, who perished in a fire that destroyed his dwelling. One of the witnesses was "Samuel Morgan, police-constable stationed at Kapunda". No doubt this was Samuel Lane Morgan. Given that he was a policeman, the fact that the family lived in several different places is no longer surprising.

The Register 2/9/1870
The Advertiser 5/3/1880	The Register 8/3/1880	The Advertiser 8/3/1880

Maureen M Leadbeater's South Australian Police 1838 to 1920 database yields the information that Samuel Morgan was born in Bandon, Ireland, on 17/3/1844, joined the police force on 24/8/1870 (having previously been a labourer), and died on 4/3/1880.

The Advertiser 6/3/1880 The Register 4/12/1874

The Register 5/3/1880 The Register 13/10/1879

John Herbert Morgan married Florence Edith Coppen, daughter of Elliott Coppen, at St Bartholomew's, Norwood, on 21/8/1897. William George Morgan married Alma Bruce Duggan, daughter of J. A. Duggan, at St Peter's, Glenelg, on 11/12/1913. Alma Bruce Morgan died on 12/10/1953.

The Register 14/9/1897

The Advertiser 8/2/1913

The Advertiser 14/10/1953

Charlotte

Charlotte Jane Hughes married Thomas Stodart, son of Laurence and Mary Stodart, and brother of the Mary Stodart who married William Frederick, Charlotte Jane's brother. Charlotte and Thomas were married on 31/3/1862. They had the following children.

• Florence Marian Disher Stodart, who was born on 15/2/1863 at Mt Charles. She married William James McBride (28, son of James Martin McBride) on 6/4/1885, at the residence of George Hughes, North Adelaide. This was presumably George Robert Hughes junior, as G. R. H. senior had died in 1872. See below for some information on the children of William and Florence McBride.
• Thomas Stodart, who was born on 17/9/1864 at Totthills Creek;
• Laura Christina Stodart, who was born on 17/9/1864 at Tothills Creek, died 25/10/1944. She married Robert Martin McBride (26, son of Robert James Martin McBride and Elizabeth Dunn) on 17/9/1885, at the residence of Mrs Stodart, Kapunda. This Mrs Stodart was Charlotte Jane, whose husband Thomas had died on 23/8/1884. See below for some information on the children of Robert and Laura McBride.
• 

  The Advertiser, 22/12/1902
  Arthur William George Stodart, who was born on 28/7/1867 at Kapunda, died 19/3/1941 in W.A., and was married on 28/7/1890 at the Wesleyan Church, Kapunda, to Jessie Edith Millman (a daughter of Alfred Millman and Anne Germain, born on 8/1/1871 at Kapunda, and died 24/11/1902). Arthur and Jessie had the following children: Doris Jessie Isabel (23/6/1891, Redruth), Effie (3/1/1895, near Kapunda), May (1/4/1896, Kapunda), Vida Kathleen (20/4/1898, Port Adelaide), Lilla Irene (26/6/1893, Kapunda).
• Herbert Laurence Aitchison Stodart, who was born 5/10/1870 at Emu Flats, died 6/7/1951 in W.A., and married Mary Clarice Hillins (from New Zealand, died 13/4/1961 in W.A.).
• Edwin James Oliver Stodart, who was born on 27/7/1877 at Hansborough.
• Elsie Ida Mary Stodart, who was born 8/8/1880 at Kapunda, died 27/8/1970 in W.A., and married William Sydney Carson Hobbs, son of William Sydney Hobbs and Eliza Carson.

Note that the Hughes Family Tree and Schipp Family Tree websites have the wrong date for Charlotte Jane's death, apparently confusing her with her niece, the daughter of John Prentice Hughes named Charlotte Jane.

The occurrence of Aitcheson as a given name is interesting, and presumably indicates that Thomas Stodart was still in touch with his relatives in Scotland: his father's sister Jane and brother Thomas had married siblings named John Aitchison and Robina Aitchison.

Mary

Mary Ann Hughes married John Bartleet Hopkins on 12/6/1868. He was the son of Edwin Carter Hopkins and Hannah Bartleet, who were married on or about 25/8/1840 at Saint Bartholomew, Tardebigg, Worcester. John Bartleet Hopkins was born on 13/9/1841 in Warwickshire. John Bartlett and Mary Ann Hopkins had the following children, all born in Adelaide or North Adelaide: William Bartlett Hopkins (8/9/1869, married Marion Elaine Black), Ada Bartlett Hopkins (9/9/1871, married Isaac Stewart Donnell), Mary Isabel Hopkins (25/12/1873, married Charles Gaston), Arthur Edwin Hopkins (8/12/1875), Edwin George Hopkins (26/12/1877) and John Ellis Edward Hopkins (20/10/1879). After Mary Ann Hopkins' death in 1880, John Bartlett Hopkins married again, his second wife's name being Amelia Sanders.

James

My information about James was provided by Tom Hughes, a descendant, who also provided the photos of George Robert Hughes and Charlotte Hughes shown at the top of this page.

According to their marriage certificate, James Henry Hughes married Christina Mac Lean, daughter of Hugh Mac Lean, at the residence of Mr Mac Beath, Point Macleay S.A., on 7/11/1877. James' age was given as 25 and Christina's as 19.

The marriage certificate spelling of Christina's surname – "Mac Lean" rather than "McLean" – seems to be an aberration. Similarly, the placename is usually spelt "McLeay" rather than "Macleay". I do not know about "Mac Beath"!

James was born at Nairne on 11/6/1853 and Christina at Strathalbyn on 17/4/1859. By my reckoning this means they were 24 and 18 on their marriage day rather than 25 and 19. But one can say that he was in his 25th year and she in her 19th.

James and Christina had the following children:

• Isabella May Hughes (b. 11/5/1878 ),
• James Henry Ewin Hughes (b. 1/10/1881),
• George Robert Jeffrey Hughes (b. 1/11/1882),
• Mary Stoddart Hughes (b. 6/6/1885),
• Allan Arthur Hughes (b. 12/4/1891),
• Alice Charlotte Hughes (b. 5/12/1893),
• Otto William Hughes (b. 2/6/1896).

James and Christina with their family
back: Henry, May, George (May's husband),
front: Alan, Mary, Jeff, Alice

There are several McLeans buried in the Strathalbyn cemetery, notably some Hugh McLeans. In fact there are four separate on-line Strathalbyn cemetery records for Hugh McLeans: allegedly, one died on 31/5/1876, aged 63, another died on 1/6/1876, aged 63, a third died on 7/6/1921, aged 85, and a fourth died on 26/10/1929, aged 63. If your name is Hugh McLean, beware age 63! Surely the first two records correspond to the same person: pehaps he died on 31/5/1876 and was buried on 1/6/1876. The odd thing is that the first record gives the plot/grave/niche number as 83, the second gives 82. The two 1920's burials also give the plot/grave/niche number as 82. It looks like a family plot with three generations of Hugh McLeans, the first born in 1813, the second in 1836, the third in 1866.

Plot number 82 also contains Margaret Maclean, who died on 7/4/1891, aged 48. Plot 84 contains Donald Mclean, who died on 10/10/1856, aged 84, and his wife Christina McLean, who died on 9/4/1869, aged 78.

According to a record submitted to the LDS Ancestral file (see www.familysearch.org), the parents of Christina McLean were Ewan McLean and Christina Black, who were married in South Australia on 5/5/1849. According to this source, Ewan was born in Argyllshire in about 1815, died at Meningie on 30/5/1876, and was buried at Strathalbyn. His parents were Donald McLean and Christina McPhee. Christina Black was born in Scotland in about 1831 and died at Meningie.

James Henry Hughes died on 4/11/1920 and was buried on 5/11/1920 at Meningie (grave no. 1332). Christina Hughes (née McLean) died at Strathalbyn on 27/5/1944, and was buried on 29/5/1944 at Meningie (grave no. 1331). There is also a Meningie burial record for a Christina McLean, buried on 2/1/1907 (or perhaps 1/2/1907), but unfortunately her age at death is not given. According to the newspaper obituary shown above, Christina McLean (née Black) died on 21/2/1907; so I conjecture that the Meningie burial date has been mistranscribed.

Donald and Christina McLean and family came to South Australia in 1837 on the Navarino. The passenger list gives 11 children: Rachel, Margaret, Jane, Elizabeth, Hugh (little), Allen, Ewan, John, Mary, Archibald and Ann. Apparently Ewan was also known as Hugh, hence the need for little Hugh to be so specified. Thus the first two of the Hugh McLeans buried at Strathalbyn were actually brothers!

Donald McLean, together with his sons Allan and John (who were the ones to actually do the work), produced the first crop of wheat to be grown in South Australia. It was harvested in 1838.

Tom Hughes provided the following information.

Isabella May Hughes, known by her second name, married George Shillitoe on 3/8/1896. They had children named Christina Susan, George Henry, and Albert. May died on 4/2/1966, George died in April 1952.

James Henry Ewin Hughes, known as Henry, married Elizabeth Sabey on 4/8/1903. They had children named Doris Elizabeth Prentice, Gladys May, and Reta Marjory. Henry died on 17/7/1964, Elizabeth died on 13/6/1947.

George Robert Jeffrey Hughes, known as Jeff, married Olive Margret Hiscock on 14/6/1909. They had a son named Jeffrey John Hughes. Jeff died on 28/2/1910; a death notice was placed in the Advertiser on 31/3/1910, and the same issue carried the notice of the birth of his son. I know no more about Olive.

Mary Stoddart Hughes married Arthur William Coad on 6/7/1903. They had children named May Olive, Wallace Guy, and Allan Arthur. Mary died on 15/7/1967.

Allan Arthur Hughes married Louise Victoria Chapman on 22/11/1911. They had children named Daphne Christina and Alice Jean. Allan died on 15/9/1979.

Alice Charlotte Hughes did not marry, and died on 3/2/1918.

Otto William Hughes, known as Bill, married Hilda Irene Curnow on 4/1/1897. They had children named Ronald Laurence and James Curnow. Bill died on 27/1/1970, Hilda died on 11/7/1986.

The McBrides

According to the book South Australian Marriage Registrations 1842 to 1916, Robert Martin McBride (who married Laura Stodart) was the son of Robert James Martin McBride, while William James McBride (who married Florence Stodart) was the son of James Martin McBride. However, the marriage of William and Florence is also listed in the LDS Pedigree Resource File, with William's father named as Robert James Martin McBride. I am confident that this is not an example of confusion of two similarly named people, but rather that Robert James Martin McBride was commonly known as James Martin McBride. The IGI includes a record of the birth of William James McBride, son of Robert James Martin McBride and Elizabeth Dunn, on 6/12/1856 at Hillside, Burra, Sth Aust., as well as a record of the marriage of Robert James Martin McBride and Elizabeth Dunn in Adelaide on 26/1/1856. It also lists birth records for the following children whose parents are named as James Martin McBride and Elizabeth Dunn: Elizabeth McBride (20/9/1858, Burra, Sth Aust.), Robert Martin McBride (26/10/1860, Sth Aust.), Caroline McBride (14/8/1862, Burra Creek, Sth Aust.), Isabella McBride (11/4/1864, Burra Creek, Sth Aust.), Maryann McBride (21/2/1866, Burra Creek, Sth Aust.), Albert James McBride (4/7/1868, Burra Creek, Sth Aust.), Thomas McBride (31/5/1870, Burra Creek, Sth Aust.), Jane McBride (28/6/1872, Sth Aust.), Alice Finis McBride (7/12/1877, Burra Creek, Sth Aust.) and Norman Harold McBride (21/1/1880, Kooringa, Burra Creek, Sth Aust.). In each case the Pedigree Resource File gives the father's name as Robert James Martin McBride.

James Martin McBride, or Robert James Martin McBride, who arrived in Adelaide in 1855 with only five shillings to his name, ultimately became a wealthy pastoralist noted for philanthropy. For example, according to the Manning Index, The Observer of 29/11/1913 reported as follows:

For many years the Salvation Army Maternity Home had been established in Carrington Street, but the work has now outgrown the accommodation.... Through the generosity of Mr. J.M. McBride of Kooringa the cash problem was settled as that gentleman on the representation of Commissioner Hay was convinced of the necessity of such an institution. It will be known as the Salvation Army McBride Maternity Hospital.

Similarly, in 1910 he built the McBride Cottage Homes for elderly residents of Burra (see Burra Cottages), and he also made a donation of £4000 to the establishment of a Bible Institute. Some, no doubt, would also regard this as a worthwhile use of money.

The book Australia Unlimited by Edwin J. Brady (George Robertson & Company, Melbourne, c.1915), pp 1011–1014, has a description McBride's career, and says, in part, "In 1859 Mr. McBride began his career as a pastoralist, having arranged for purchase rights over a large tract of country in the Burra district adjoining the Government Wells and North-West Bend Stations. This property he named ‘The Gums’. He made a complete success of his new enterprise, using to the utmost advantage his native industry and shrewd business instincts. Such men as R.J.M. McBride have laid the foundations of a new nation the basic qualities energy, enterprise, and honesty." There must, however, be some doubt concerning this last quality, since the Manning Index also quotes The Register of 17/7/1885 as saying this:

The officials in the Lands Department have had occasion to suspect that Robert James Martin McBride, senior, former owner of the Gums station, situated 30 miles east of Burra, and his family had committed a breach of the Act under which they had selected sections of land in the Hundred... The government, from enquiries made, doubted whether the sons and daughters were bona fide selectors or whether the land was taken up in the interests of the father and not in their own; the second charge being that McBride, senior, sold all the selections with the station to his oldest son, who subsequently sold them to Messrs Cockrum & Pearse, the present proprietors of the station...

It appears that R.J.M. McBride became increasingly cantakerous and unpredictable in his old age, and in 1917 he sued his daughter, Caroline Sandland, for the recovery of the property on which she lived, and which (she claimed) had been verbally promised to her. The South Australian Supreme Court found in favour of Mrs Sandland, but an appeal to the High Court reversed the decision. I suspect that the South Australian judge, hearing the evidence in person, thought the daughter's evidence more trustworthy than the father's, while the High Court, reviewing the evidence in Melbourne, would not have been influenced by the body language of the witnesses. (This is probably contempt of court ... maybe they will send me to jail!) Surely one significant outcome of the case was the transferral of a lot of McBride money to members of the legal profession.

William and Florence

Like his father, William James McBride was a pastoralist. He lived at Aberdeen, Burra, South Australia.

William and Florence McBride had the following children: Cyril Stodart Martin (6/11/1885, Burra), May Bessie Hughes (1/4/1887, near Redruth), Sydney William Hamilton (13/7/1889, near Kooringa), Vera Irene Jessie (14/3/1891, Burra), Lindsay Disher (23/5/1895, Burra), Robert James (6/2/1898, Graham Town, Burra), Eileen Florence (5/10/1902, Redruth).

Cyril Stodart Martin McBride enlisted in the AIF on 8/6/1916. At that time he was an accountant, living in Perth W.A.. His service record reveals that he attained the rank of lieutenant, and also that in February 1919 he was dangerously ill, suffering from pneumonia. However, he survived, and returned to Australia in November 1919. He married Vivienne Gabrielle Craig on 21/3/1921; they did not have any children.

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May Bessie Hughes McBride married Frederick John Jude on 5/2/1916. They had one adopted daughter, Dawn McBride Jude.

Sydney William Hamilton McBride married Evelyn Tennant Scott in 1911. They had five children: Richard Campbell McBride (b. 24/6/1913), Donald Hamilton McBride (b. 7/6/1916), Alec Scott McBride (b. 26/8/I918), Nancy Hamilton McBride (b. 2/12/1920), Joan Tennant McBride (b. 2/12/1920).

Vera Irene Jessie McBride married Joseph Leonard Hogan circa 1913. They had ten children: Elizabeth Maureen Hogan (b. 27/6/1914), William Leonard Hogan (b. 22/5/1915), John Hogan (b. 12/6/1916), Robert Alexander Hogan (b. 14/7/1917), Donald Jude Hogan (b. 28/1/1919), Justin Scott Hogan (b. 1/4/1921), Pauline Vera Hogan (b. 7/3/1922), Cyril David Hogan (b. 27/7/1924), Josephine Mary Hogan (b. 11/4/1927), Helen Catherine Hogan (b. 6/8/1931).

Lindsay Disher McBride also served in France in the Great War. He later married Leonora Gloria Somerton, but I do not know if they had children.

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Robert James McBride married Marjory Edith Hitchcox. I do not know if they had children.

Eileen Florence McBride died at age 10, and was buried at Burra on 28/6/1903.

Robert and Laura

Robert Martin McBride – another McBride pastoralist – lived at Kooringa, Burra, South Austrlia.

Robert and Laura McBride had the following children: Elsie Isabel (13/7/1886, Kooringa), Royal Thomas (10/11/1889), Melva Iris (13/12/1891, Redruth), Laura Doris (26/9/1898, Redruth), Joyce Stodart (21/8/1905, Redruth).

Roy Thomas McBride enlisted in the AIF on 30/9/1915. His service record shows that he served in France in 1916 and 1917. In November 1917 he was transferred to hospital jn Cardiff suffering from gas shell poisoning. In June 1918 he was returned to Australia as medically unfit, suffering from chronic nephritis. After the war he married Elsie Liversidge. They had four children: Melva Ivy McBride (b. 18/1/1921), Peter Thomas McBride (b. 29/6/1923), Robert Liversedge McBride (b. 30/7/1924), Patricia Joyce McBride (b. 14/6/1928).

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Elsie Isabel McBride married John Lloyd Price. They had two children: Thomas McBride Price (b. 14/11/1915), Joan Isabel Price (b. 31/3/1917).

The Advertiser, 21/5/1914

Melva Iris McBride married Oscar Sturt Symon. They had two children: Robert Josiah Symon (b. 21/12/1922), David Sturt Symon (b. 15/6/1925).

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Sarah, sister of George Robert Hughes

A Sarah Hughes married James Hartley Mann on 4/7/1819 at Saint Peter's, Leeds. Whether this Sarah was really George Robert's sister I do not know; however, she was about the right age. James and Sarah had sons named William Mann and George Hartley Mann who were baptized at St Peter's on 28/8/1820 and 8/5/1825 respectively. They also had a daughter named Keziah Mann born on 17/7/1828 and baptized at Knaresborough on 11/1/1829, and a daughter named Christiana born at Knaresborough in the December quarter of 1839.

The Mann family can be found in the 1841 census living on High Street Knaresborough. Conveniently, the census enumerator has not rounded the ages down to multiples of 5, and Sarah's age is given as 41. This is not quite consistent with the baptism date of 10/2/1799 for Sarah Hughes; she should have been 42. Still, such slight inaccuracies are common enough in the census records. Moreover, the death of a 67 year old Sarah Mann was registered at Leeds in the March quarter of 1866. This is consistent with Sarah Hughes' baptism date and not with Sarah Mann's census age. I am inclined to think that I have got the right person.

At the 1841 census James' age was given as 46, while the ages of William, George, Kezia and Christiana were given as 21, 16, 12 and 1 respectively. This is all consistent with the birth or baptism information for the children. The census records that James was a hairdresser in 1841. In fact his establishment on High Street Knaresborough is listed in Pigot's Directory of 1834 and White's Directory of 1837. Evidently his son William followed in James' footsteps, since at the 1881 census we find a 60 year old hairdresser named William H Mann, a widower, living at 10 Stamford Street Leeds. William's 18 year old son George, who was born at Knaresborough, is also a hairdresser.

William Hughes Mann married in Knaresborough in the June quarter of 1842. We can be reasonably confident that his wife was named Elizabeth, since three of the four women who were married in Knaresborough in that quarter had that name. A 58 year old Elizabeth Mann died in Leeds in the March quarter of 1879. Perhaps William was the William Mann who died in Hunslet in 1894 aged 74.

George Hartley Mann married in Knaresborough in the September quarter of 1848. He died in West Derby in the June quarter of 1896, aged 71. Unfortunately I could not find him in the 1881 census.

It is clear that William and George had several offspring, because there were quite a few Mann children born in Knaresborough in the 1840's, 50's and 60's.

A Kezia Mann married James Tann in Walsingham in the December quarter of 1854 and emigrated to Canada. This Kezia died in Mindemoya, Ontario, on 15/1/1919; moreover, the obituaries of two of her sons are available online, transcribed from the Gore Bay Recorder. But this is was not our Kezia Mann! In fact our Kezia died unmarried in Knaresborough in the June quarter of 1901. I do not know if the other Kezia was some kind of relative.

I could not find the Knaresborough Kezia Mann in the 1881 census.

Christiana Mann married John Ball in the September quarter of 1857. At the 1861 census she is to be found in her parents' household, now back in Leeds at 10 Neville Street Mill Hill. She has a 3 year old daughter named Eliza. Her husband is not there, but apparently not dead since Christiana is listed as married rather than widowed. Her parents are the only other people in the household. James' occupation is given as “hairdresser and curator”; his age is 66. The others have no occupations listed. Sarah's age is 62, Christiana's 21.

James Hartley Mann died in Leeds in the June quarter of 1869, his age recorded as 73.