John Betts (bef. 1804 - 1852)

Born before 1804 in Potton, Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Mary (Marsden) Betts — married 1830 in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 11 May 1852 after age 48 in Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

Birth

John Betts was born in 1804.

Marriage

John married Mary Marsden, daughter of Reverend Samuel Marsden, in 1830 in St John's Church of England, Parramatta.^[1] Mary and John accompanied her father on his voyage to New Zealand in March 1830, returning in May that year. Mary's younger sister, Martha would later marry John's brother, Josiah.

Immigration

1826 (aged 22 years) Sydney Cove, Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Came free aboard the ship 'Arab' in 1826

Death

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Thu 13 May 1852 Page 4 Family Notices At Cloudesley, near Parramatta, on Tuesday, the 11th instant, John Betts, Esq, aged 48 years NOTICE—The friends of the late John Betts, Esq, are informed that the interment will take place on Friday next, the 14th instant, at 9 o'clock A.M., moving from the residence of the Rev. H. H. Bobart, Parsonage, Parramatta. ^[2]

His grave is at St. John's Cemetery ^[3]

Family History

Windsor and Richmond Gazette NSW Fri 20 Jul 1928 Page 8 CHAPLAIN SAMUEL MARSDEN Mr . John Betts, the pioneer member of the Bedfordshire Betts. This gentleman arrived in New South' Wales about the year 1828, having came as a tutor to a gentleman's family who were settled at North Parramatta. Mr. John Betts also opened an academy school of his own, as he was like his younger brother, Mr. Josiah Allen Betts, an accomplished scholar. The latter arrived during the year 1833. Four years later, in 1837, the two pioneer sons brought their mother, Mrs. Sarah Betts, three sisters, Sarah, Mary, and Ann Betts, and a younger brother, Matthew Betts, to Sydney. The foregoing names of members of the Betts, as a family, all came from a town named Potton, in Bedfordshire, England. Mrs. Sarah Betts, the foundress mother, died on the 1st July, 1860, at the age of 89 years, and is buried in the grave adjoining the Marsden vault at St. John's cemetery. After the marriage of Miss Mary Marsden to Mr. John Betts, the latter gave up the teaching academy and went forth as a pastoral pioneer, his wife having been granted a large area as apastoral holding as a marriage gift (this, was a usual thing for the Government to do when an Australian born youth or young lady was married). The land grant was 16,000 acres, situated just west of Orange, and was called Molong Station. That portion of western N.S. Wales was only then being opened up as far as the Wellington Valley, at the junction of the Macquarie and Bell Rivers, where a government stockade existed, and where many government men were engaged making roads out westward, with Orange or Blackman's Swamp, as starting point. On Molong holding, which then included Gamboola and Copper Hill portions, Mr. John Betts laid the foundations of a flock bred from sheep imported from Spain and purchased by Rev. Samuel Marsden, his father-in-law, one of the earliest merino, sheep enthusiasts in N.S. Wales; Gamboola was purchased from Mr. Betts about 1847, and it was from the Marsden importation of merino sheep that quite a number of western flocks have since been built upon and improved. Upon por- tion of Molong holding, near where the heart of that town is now situated, Mr. John Betts built a splendid house. 'Vale Head' was the name of the place. This 'Round House' residence which is said to have been designed from the circular front round house of 'Greystanes,' at Prospect, or that of Bungarrabee House, near Blacktown, was originally built for a residence for his wife, Mrs. Mary Betts, by Mr . John Betts; but, as the superintendent of Wellington Valley convict stockade desired at one period to rent it for himself and family, a lease was given to Captain Buttenshaw, as the captain desired to be at a place as near midway between Orange and Wellington in order to carry out better government operations with the prisoners assigned for the work of roadmaking. That would be about the year 1841. The Betts family lived in the 'Vale Head' house from about the year 1834 to 1840, for it was in the year 1834 that the 'Round House' was erected. Mrs. Samuel Marsden, only a year before her death (1835), desired the circular front design to be thus constructed as her daughter's residence. Captain Buttenshaw and three sons were killed on one of his journeys over the Blue Mountains from Molong early in the year 1842, and the three years' lease of 'Vale Head,' from 25th March, 1841, was necessarily terminated thereby. 'Vale Head' house has had a number of tenants during its long existence, but eventually came into the possession of Mr. Henry Betts, during the year 1869. He was the second son of Mr. and Mrs. John Betts, the Molong first pioneers. The house and ground surrounding 'Vale Head' is the only part of Molong holding now owned by the family. Mr. Frederick R. Betts, the fourth son of Mr. Henry Betts, now resides within the historic portals in which during its eventual history of 94 years, it had been tenanted by Mr. Thos. Finch, once C.P.S. at Molong, Capttains Hope and Clymo, and others. Mr. Sam Phillips opened the 'Round House' as an inn, and was succeeded by Charles H. Cobden (a brother of the English politician, Richard Cobden), until his death in the fifties. The inn was then in turn kept by Joseph Cobcroft, Joseph Parslow, and another party, until it again reverted to a private residence when it was occupied by Mr. John Woolbank, Mr. Francis Smith and others. It should be mentioned that where Molong town is now situated was, in the year 1828, a military camp site, where soldiers had their quarters, they being used as the guards over the prisoners. 'Moulong' Plains,' as it was designated, was then a government cattle station, and Mr. Andrew Kerr, later of 'Wellwood' estate, Orange, became the first superintendent of the run of Molong, after it was granted to Miss Mary Betts. After Mr. John Betts' death, that gentle man acted as a trustee of the estate. Let it be understood that the original or first wooden homestead erected by Mr. John Betts, at 'Vale Head,' was built in 1831, and it was used as the residence of Superintendent Mr. Andrew Kerr, who looked after the Marsden interests at first hand. The actual site where that house stood is on the banks of the creek opposite to where the flour mill stands, and close to the site, up to a few years ago, stood a clump of gnarled acacia trees. One can still see above the stream, on an outcrop of rock, the remnant relics of the soldiers' settlement of 1828, and the first Betts homestead. The road to Wellington went by between it, and of the second or permanent homestead with the circular front, 'Vale Head Round House' nothing further remains. Where the town of Molong now stands was cultivated wheat fields for many years during the early forties. After Mr. A. Kerr resigned the position of overseer, he was succeeded by Mr. John Smith, who was there when His Excellency, Governor Sir George Gipps paid a vice-regal visit to the western settlements in 1839. Governor Gipps stayed two weeks at the 'Round House' with the Betts family, and was delighted with that part of N.S. Wales. From Mr. Betts' homestead visits were made to the Canoblas Hills and other places of interest in the locality. Summer Hill pastoral holding, on the Sydney side of Orange, was also at one time owned and occupied contemporaneously with 'Vale Head' estate, and, likewise also, a cattle station on the Bogan River, above Nyngan. There can be no question that Mr. Betts was a man of great enterprise and energies. He specialised in breeding fine merino sheep and cattle. He also went in largely for breeding the then necessary upstanding coach horse, also saddle horses, and sustained many injuries caused through falls from young, vigorous colts. It has been said that internal injuries were the cause of his death, or, at least, shortened his life. Mr. Betts, besides being a pioneer of the continuation of the Marsden experiments with the improvement of sheep, was a shipper of the breed to New Zealand, where he resided for about two years; but through the Maori War occurring at the time he landed there with the first shipment, he had a great loss of financial values. In his absence, things had not gone as they should have done. Mr. John Betts died in the prime of life, on the 11th May, 1852, aged 48 years. He and his wife (nee Mary Marsden Betts) had a family of ten children. Some of the sons carried on the pioneer's achievements as a pastoral settler. The names of the family of Mr . and Mrs. John Betts were:—(1) Sarah Elizabeth Betts, who married Rev. James. Carter, L.L.D.,' (both deceased)'.(2) John Frederick Betts, who, late in life, settled at Downa, near Albury, as a sheep farmer and had six children (deceased); (3) Henry Samuel Marsden Betts, who was a pioneer pastoralist in Queensland in the fifties, where he married Miss Charlotte Anning. On that lady's death, 15th December, 1868, aged 27 years, he returned to the ancestral home of 'Vale Head,' where he was born and later married Miss Louisa Finch. Mrs. Louisa Betts bore five children to Mr. Henry Betts. She died on the 3rd August, 1888, and on the 24th February, 1899, Mr. Henry Betts died, aged 60 years. (4) Rev. Charles Marsden Betts (unmar- ried) . This gentleman was drowned in July, 1857. (5). Heber Betts (unmarried), died at Brisbane. (6) Alfred Musgrave Betts, died at the age of two months, at Parramatta. (7) Augustine Matthew Betts, solicitor of Goulburn, died in 1925. He married Miss Elizabeth A. Tompson, of Wagga, Mr. Selwyn Betts, barrister-at-law, Sydney, is a son. (8) Rev. James Cloudesley Betts, died February, 1919, interred at Manly cemetery, two children. (9) Mary Jane Betts, married Mr. James Gibson, grazier, of Queensland. Mrs. M. J. Gibson died in June, 1926, aged 74 years. (10) Clara Susan Betts, married Mr. Ed- ward Palmer, once M.L.C., of Queensland. Mrs. John Betts, third daughter of Chap- lain Marsden, lived to the goodly age of 78 years and died on the 14th February, 1885. Her remains were interred alongside her Husband, father and mother, in the Marsden vault. Her epitaph says: At Rest. 'Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away. ^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #45/1830 V183045 14
2. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12936748?searchTerm=%22john%20betts%22
3. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86560081/john-betts
4. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/85926266?searchTerm=%22elizabeth%20betts%22%20cloudesley

• https://australianroyalty.net.au/tree/purnellmccord.ged/individual/I77520/John-Betts