James Newell (bef. 1819 - 1874)

Born before 15 Aug 1819 in Elstead, Surrey, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 3 Nov 1874 after age 55 in Albany, Western Australia, Australia

Biography

James Newell was baptised on 15 August 1819 in St. James parish church to James, Labourer, and Hannah.^[1]

He is likely NOT the James who married Ellen Hyne in 1857.> That James was the son of John^[2], and was also apparently born in 1830.^[3]

Bicentennial Dictionary. NEWELL, James (Jem), b. 1819, d. 3.11.1874 (Albany), son of James Thomas & Hannah, arr. 12.5.1834 (Albany) per James Pattison from England. According to Mary Bussell (a fellow passenger) in her diary 25.11. 1874. Boatman at Albany & sealer.

The James Pattison arrived in Albany on 18/6/1834. Mary Yates Bussell had travelled with her mother Frances Louisa Bussell (nee Yates) and subsequently arrived in Fremantle on 19/8/1834. There is no surviving passenger list from this voyage but one source suggests there was only one person in steerge (James Dunn) which would exclude the presence of James Newell and his family. Another source states there were a total of 97 passengers including children from the Children's Friends Society were on board Society and one can't imagine that they travelled in cabins. Her recollection seems to be contradicted by the following story.

In early April 1834 the vessel Mountaineer under Captain Janson and with six men and two women was driven ashore at Thistle Cove on Middle Island. At the end of May five of these people left the island with John William 'Black Jack' Anderson a pirate plus James Manning, James Newell and his two sisters Dorothea and Mary without any provisions intending to go to King George Sound. On 23/6/1835 they landed on the mainland and Manning and Newell commenced walking overland and 9/8/1835 they arrived at Henty, Oyster Harbour. They managed to survive with the assistance of local natives of the White Cockatoo, Murray and Wil-men tribes. The article suggests that both Manning and Newell had spent the previous two years in the Spencers Gulf in South Australia after having been wrecked on the Defiance near Two Fold Bay but it is moe likely that it was just Manning.

James' sister Dorothea stayed with Anderson and became his commonlaw wife.

On 1/1/1836 he was listed in the Albany Census as James Newell age 18, son of James Newell.

In Febuary 1844 gave evidence in Albany regarding a robbery.

In 1845 he was issued with a Dog Licence.

His son's death record has his parents as Unknown Newell and Jenny Unknown. His son was described as aboriginal and his mother's name may have been Teanan.

It is also thought that he had a daughter Jane b 1853. She went on to have five children all with European men.

James died in Albany, Western Australia on 3 November 1874.^[4]

He is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery, Albany. ^[5]

Sources

• Newspaper Article. The Perth Gazette 3/10/1835. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/640728?searchTerm=mountaineer

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NRHF-LM6 : 20 March 2020), James Newell, 1819.
2. ↑ "Australia Marriages, 1810-1980", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTZ6-22T : 28 January 2020), James Newell, 1857.
3. ↑ The Bicentennial dictionary of Western Australians, pre-1829-1888. [compiled by Rica Erickson], https://www.friendsofbattyelibrary.org.au/bicentennial-dictionary
4. ↑ WA Death Index 1874/8169, Age: 55
5. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/198817290/james-newell