Thomas James Austin (abt. 1837 - 1923)

Born about 1837 in Lympne, Kent, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Jane (Ferguson) Austin — married 1857 in Montefiores, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 13 Nov 1923 at about age 86 in Wellington, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

Thomas Austin was born in Lympne, Kent, England.

Thomas James Austen was born in 1837 in Lympne, Kent, England to parents John Austin and Catherine Dean as their ninth child. He was baptized on 5 Aug 1837 in Lympne, Kent, England.^[1] His parents were married in 1822 in Appledore, Kent, England.^[2] His mother died a few days after his christening.^[3]

He emigrated to Australia with his parents about 1839 when he was age 2 on the ship "Honduras". They settled in the Colony of New South Wales.

On 5 Dec 1857 at age 20 he married Jane "Jean" Ferguson, at Montefiores, Wellington, New South Wales.^[4]

Children:

1. David William 1858-1951^[5]
2. Unnamed Infant 1858-1858
3. Catherine 1860-1946^[6]
4. James Alexander 1862-1945^[7]
5. Henry 1864-1940^[8]
6. Alexander John 1866-1953^[9]
7. Louisa 1868-1941^[10]
8. Margaret Sophia 1871-1954^[11]
9. John Jack 1872-1965^[12]
10. Mary Ann Jane 1873-1934^[13]
11. Eleanor Lena Elizabeth 1877-1945^[14]
12. Janet Martha 1879-1882^[15]
13. Edward George 1881-1960^[16]
14. Maud Adelaide 1883-1967^[17]
15. William 1886^[18]

He died on 13 Nov 1923 in Blathery Creek, Wellington, New South Wales, Australia.^[19] He was buried beside his wife Jean at the Wellington Cemetery, New South Wales, Australia, where they have a large monumental headstone which reads: ^[20]

In Loving Memory

of

JEAN

the beloved wife of

JAMES AUSTIN

DIED 18th OCT. 1912

AGED 72 YEARS.

ALSO

THOMAS

JAMES AUSTIN

DIED 13th NOV. 1923

AGED 92 YEARS.

Obituaries:

Wellington Times
Thursday 15 November 1923 - page 4^[21]

Another of our grand old pioneers has 'gone West.' Thomas James Austin, after living to the great age of 92 years, passed peacefully away at his son's residence at Blathery Creek on Tuesday morning last. Thus a long life, which was filled with energy and excitement, combined with a good deal of hardship (which was only to be expected in the early days), and later on to live in peace and contentment amongst his family, has ended.

What a great number of incidents must have been crowded into such a span of years! Kings and Queens have been crowned and passed away; great events have taken place and been well-nigh forgotten; great wars which have shaken the very vitals of the world have been won and lost; yet to this man who has just died, if asked about any of the events mentioned, he would speak of them as of yesterday.

A native of Kent, England, he journeyed to Australia in the old time sailing ship, with his father, he being then only a toddler of 2 years, thus spending 90 years of his life in Australia. Like a great many of the people who came from the old country, he made this land his home, and helped to clear the way for the present generation.

At an early age he came West. Of course the mode of travelling was much slower in those days, when the bullock drays and teamsters were the only ones that travelled over the rough mountainous roads, for the railways were not then in vogue in the country. He spent many years as a stockman round these parts, and further west, and then came to this district, where he was in the employ of the late. D. and A. Ferguson. Wellington was not in existence when he came through in the first place, there being no more than three or four little humpies, the rest being a wild scrub.

Montefiores was the township then, and nearby teamsters and stockmen used to camp with the horses and cattle. There was not even a bridge over the Macquarie in those days, the transit from one side to the other being by punt. Later on the old wooden bridge, which has lately been demolished for the more up-to-date structure, was built. He could relate many stirring incidents of the early days, when blacks, 'Gentlemen of the road', and ex-convicts were to be frequently met with, and the latter two would always demand their toll, while the blacks had to be watched, though a good deal of trust could be placed in them.

Later on in life he married a Miss Jean Ferguson, who after a long life of happy married bliss, pre-deceased him some 11 or 12 years ago. He saw this town rise out of the bush, as it were, to become one of the most prosperous in the West. He had seen the vast bush thinned out by the axe of the pioneer farmers, the land put under cultivation, the rich river flats turned into luxuriant lucerne-growing lands, from what was once a thick mass of scrub and weeds, the township growing from a few small huts to the present modern shops and dwellings, and the latest inventions taking the place of the obsolete farming implement, while the train and motor cars have replaced the bullock dray and horse and buggy.

He settled on the land eventually on his own account at Blathery Creek, where he was successful. Some 12 years ago he came to live in town, and it was shortly afterwards that he lost his partner in life.

Since then he has been dividing his attention between his sons and daughters in the district. He and his good wife reared a large family of sons and daughters, who are well known throughout the west. The sons are Messrs David (Blathery Creek), James and Harry (Wellington), Alexander (Sydney), Edward (Curra Creek), and John (Sydney), the daughters being Mesdames W. Ivery (Wellington), L. Allerton (Sydney), T. Bowen (Dubbo), W. Rutter (Bathurst), J. Wilson (Lane Cove), J. Clayton (Newcastle). There are 63 grandchildren and 18 great-grand-children.

The late Mr. Austin was in good health up till about six weeks ago, when his health began to fail, the immediate cause of death being senile decay. The remains were encased in a polished maple casket, silver mounted, and brought into Mr. C. J. Shakespeare's funeral parlors by motor hearse, and on Wednesday afternoon were laid to rest in the Presbyterian portion of the local cemetery, the Rev. H. G. Ford officiating at the graveside. The funeral was a large and representative one, and was conducted by Mr. C. J. Shakespeare.

Wellington Times, Thursday 12 November 1925 - Page 6

IN MEMORIAM

AUSTIN— In loving memory of our dear Father, THOMAS JAMES AUSTIN, who departed this life on November 13th, 1923:

We often sit and think of you,

And think of how you died,

Many a time, we long for you,

Many a time we've cried.

The flowers we place upon your grave,

May wither and decay,

But the love for you. that lies beneath

Will never fade away.

— Inserted by his loving daughters, Mrs. W. Ivery and Mrs. J. Wilson. ^[22]

Wellington Times, Monday 12 November 1928 - Page 2

IN MEMORIAM

AUSTIN — In loving memory of our dear Father, JAMES AUSTIN, who departed this life on the 13th November, 1923.

In tears we saw you sinking,

And watched you fade away;

God alone knows how we miss you;

As it dawns one year to-day.

—Inserted by his loving daughter, Kate and Eleanor. ^[23]

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JSBT-C5R : 5 February 2023), Thomas James Austen, 5 Aug 1837; parents John and Catherine Austen.
2. ↑ "England Marriages, 1538–1973", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NN85-4XD : 11 March 2020), John Austin, 1822.
3. ↑ "England, Kent, Parish Registers, 1538-1911", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJD2-TJKG : Sun Mar 10 05:44:09 UTC 2024), Entry for Catherine Austen, 08 Aug 1837.
4. ↑ Australia Marriage Index, 1788-1950 James Austin and Jane Ferguson, 1857, Wellington, New South Wales, Australia; Reg. No. 2739; database online, Lehi, Utah, Ancestry.com, 2010.
5. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48672472/david_william-austin: accessed April 15, 2024), memorial page for David William Austin (18 Nov 1858–3 Apr 1951), Find A Grave: Memorial #48672472, citing Wellington General Cemetery, Wellington, New South Wales, Australia.
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48674102/catherine-ivery: accessed April 15, 2024), memorial page for Catherine Austin Ivery (1860–1946), Find A Grave: Memorial #48674102, citing Wellington General Cemetery, Wellington, Dubbo Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia.
7. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48672477/james_alexander-austin: accessed April 15, 2024), memorial page for James Alexander Austin (1862–1945), Find A Grave: Memorial #48672477, citing Wellington General Cemetery, Wellington, Dubbo Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia.
8. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52592576/henry-austin: accessed April 15, 2024), memorial page for Henry Austin (unknown–1940), Find A Grave: Memorial #52592576, citing Wellington RC Holy Family Cemetery, Wellington, New South Wales, Australia.
9. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/181830517/alexander_john-austin: accessed April 15, 2024), memorial page for Alexander John Austin (1865–28 Mar 1953), Find A Grave: Memorial #181830517, citing Granville Anglican Columbarium, Granville, New South Wales, Australia.
10. ↑ Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922 Louisa Austin, 1868, Dubbo, New South wales, Australia; parents James and Jane Austin; Reg. No. 8737; database online, Provo, Utah, Ancestry.com, 2010.
11. ↑ Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922 Margaret S Austin, 1871, Molong, New South Wales, Australia; parents James and Jane Austin; Reg. No. 12919; database online, Provo, Utah, Ancestry.com, 2010.
12. ↑ Australia Birth Index 1788-1922 John Austin, born 1872, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; parents James and Jean Austin; Reg. No. 485; database online, Provo, Utah, Ancestry.com, 2010.
13. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49602506/mary_jane-rutter: accessed April 15, 2024), memorial page for Mary Jane Austin Rutter (10 Sep 1874–6 Mar 1934), Find A Grave: Memorial #49602506, citing Bathurst Cemetery, Bathurst, Bathurst Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia.
14. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48676231/elenor_elizabeth-wilson: accessed April 15, 2024), memorial page for Elenor Elizabeth Wilson (unknown–1945), Find A Grave: Memorial #48676231, citing Wellington General Cemetery, Wellington, New South Wales, Australia.
15. ↑ Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922 Janet Martha Austin, 1879, Welllington, New South Wales, Australia; parents James and Jane Austin; Reg. No. 25578; database online, Provo, Utah, Ancestry.com, 2010.
16. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48672474/edward_george-austin: accessed April 15, 2024), memorial page for Edward George Austin (26 Jan 1881–3 Dec 1960), Find A Grave: Memorial #48672474, citing Wellington General Cemetery, Wellington, Dubbo Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia.
17. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/193463223/maud-clayton: accessed April 15, 2024), memorial page for Maud Clayton (1883–5 Jul 1967), Find A Grave: Memorial #193463223, citing Newcastle Memorial Park, Beresfield, Newcastle City, New South Wales, Australia.
18. ↑ Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922 William Austin, 1886, Inverell, New South Wales, Australia; parents James and Jane Austin; Reg. No. 24842; database online, Provo, Utah, Ancestry.com, 2010.
19. ↑ Australia Death Index, 1787-1985 Thomas J Austin, 1923, Wellington, New South Wales, Australia; database online, Lehi, Utah, Ancestry.com, 2010.
20. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48672485/thomas_james-austin: accessed February 25, 2024), memorial page for Thomas James Austin (1837–13 Nov 1923), Find A Grave: Memorial #48672485, citing Wellington General Cemetery, Wellington, New South Wales, Australia.
21. ↑ Obituary [with paragraph spacing added for readability] 1923 'Obituary.', Wellington Times (NSW : 1899 - 1954), 15 November, p. 4., viewed 25 Feb 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article137374177
22. ↑ In Memoriam Notice 1925 'Family Notices', Wellington Times (NSW : 1899 - 1954), 12 November, p. 6. , viewed 25 Feb 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article137393337
23. ↑ In Memoriam Notice 1928 'Family Notices', Wellington Times (NSW : 1899 - 1954), 12 November, p. 2. , viewed 25 Feb 2024, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141548156