Francis Flint (1844 - 1923)

Descendants

Biography

He was a son of George Flint and Mary Beach. Francis Stevens Flint was born on 22 October 1844 ^[1] and christened on 27 Dec 1844 at Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom.

The story of his ultimate migration to Australia is extremely interesting.

He initially made his way to the USA where he worked as a clerk for eighteen months. In 1864 he enlisted in the 5th New York Heavy Artillery of the Union Army. As he was still not twenty years of age he used his brother-in-law's name of Owen Harris. Serving mainly as a clerk of the commissary, he gained valuable skills for later in life. After the war he continued to work in the Commissary Department until he returned to England in 1872. By 1874 he had returned to the USA. He then decided to sail to New South Wales, Australia to visit his sister who lived at Mulyan via Cowra. Her husband was a boundary rider for the Ousby family. Frank took up work as bookkeeper for Peter Murray, then Cowra’s leading store keeper.

After a very-brief courtship, Francis "Frank" Stevens Flint and Mary Langfield married on 29 May 1876 ^[2] in a marquee at Morongla Creek; the service being conducted by Reverend James Adams. She was a daughter of Morongla Creek farmers and many Langfield descendants still live in that locality.

They initially moved downstream of Cowra, to Old Gooloogong, on the Lachlan River. during this time, the first five of their children had their births registered at Grenfell, New South Wales, Australia.

In 1885 they settled back in Cowra, in a cottage on land where a portion of Squire Pepper building now stands. The last eleven of their sixteen children were born at Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.

In 1888 Frank was appointed the first Town Clerk of the Council of the Borough of Cowra. New South Wales, Australia. He was also a founding member of the Cowra Hospital Board, became the first secretary of the original jockey club and the first secretary for the P A & H Association of Cowra.

They bought a property Sunnyside, three kilometres out of Cowra. New South Wales, Australia on which Frank tried growing tobacco and peanuts, as well as vegetables. He was one of Cowra’s first travelling greengrocers. After building a dam and installing irrigation plant, he gave up on the tobacco due to excessive government taxes.

Mary and Frank retired to a house at Vaux Street in Cowra. New South Wales, Australia, where Frank still kept his gardens. The house later became the cooking school within the Cowra Intermediate High School. He sought and, eventually, gained a pension from the United States Government as a Civil War veteran (having used an alias to gain enlistment, it is a wonder that he received anything).

Frank passed away, aged 78 years, on 07 April 1923 ^[3] and was buried on 09 April 1923 at Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.

His wife continued to live at Vaux Street and became the matriarch of an extensive Flint family, as well as a senior member of the even greater Langfield family of Cowra, until passing in 1951.

• Fact: Birth Registration (1844) Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
• Fact: Christening (27 December 1844) Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
• Fact: census (1851) Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, 7G
• Fact: Burial (9 April 1923) Cowra, New South Wales, Australia
• Fact: Probate (-) Cowra, New South Wales, Australia

Sources

• Fact: Birth Registration (1844) Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
• Fact: Christening (27 December 1844) Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
• Fact: census (1851) Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, 7G
• Fact: Burial (9 April 1923) Cowra General Cemetery, Cowra, New South Wales, Australia
• Fact: Probate (-) Cowra, New South Wales, Australia

• Fact: Birth Registration (1844) Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
• Fact: Christening (27 December 1844) Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
• Fact: census (1851) Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, 7G
• Fact: Burial (9 April 1923) Cowra General Cemetery, Cowra, New South Wales, Australia
• Fact: Probate (-) Cowra, New South Wales, Australia

Sources

1. ↑ UK FreeBMD Birth Index v6 p523 Dec qtr 1844 Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
2. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #2419/1876
3. ↑ New South Wales Death Index #8292/1923

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 28 August 2020, 23:29), entry for Francis or Frank Stevens Flint(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:2SH1-SP5); contributed by various users.
• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 28 August 2020, 23:29), entry for Francis or Frank Stevens Flint(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:2SH1-SP5); contributed by various users.