Unknown (Unknown) Thomas (abt. 1810 - abt. 1878)

Born about 1810 in Van Diemen's Land, Australia

Descendants

Died about 1878 at about age 68 in Kangaroo Island, South Australia, Australia

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Biography

Unknown (Unknown) Thomas is an Indigenous Australian.

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Betsy (real name unknown) was an Aboriginal person and there may be no paper record of her birth or death. She has descendants living today and if anyone has any concerns about this profile, please contact me where it says "Send Private Message" above.

Betsy was a Palawa woman, an indigenous person of Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land). ^[1] She came to Kangaroo Island with her common-law husband Nat Thomas, one of a number of indigenous women brought there in 1828. Another account says she was brought by Robert Wallen in 1819. Nonetheless Betsy was with Nat Thomas throughout most of the 1830s and was the mother of Nat's three children. Their English names were:
Lorne, also known as Sam, born 1830
Mary, born at Wilson's River 13 Sep 1833. Died 9th Sep 1913.
Jenny, born 1839. Married Thomas Simpson. ^[2]
Elsewhere called Harriet.

Alternative names by which Betsy was known include Betty, Polecat, Old Bet and Black Bet. She was the inspiration for the main indigenous character in the Novel "The Kangaroo Islanders", by William Cawthorne, based on real Kangaroo Island people and events. ^[3]

It was Betsy who found water for the survivors of the wrecked Osmanli in 1853. She also was key in the apprehension of the murderers of Captain George Meredith.^[4]

William Cawthorne said of Betsy in a letter to The Register in 1852/3: "Old Bet ... is a capital wallaby-hunter, a first-rate hand at the steer-oar of a whaleboat, a good sealer, and the best of bushmen or bush-women, but she has an imagination that surpasses belief." It was said she loved to "spin yarns" to gullible listeners.^[5]

Some historians regard Betsy as the same person as Sophia Newcombe, whom Nat Thomas married towards the end of his life in 1879. Betsy would, they assume, have taken an English name for her marriage. This would make sense as a strategy to ensure Nat's children could inherit his property, which they did.

There is an account of Betsy's death recorded by H.C.Berrett in a letter. "Previous to Old Sal's death, when the four blacks were together, the Bells were told that there had been a row in the camp at Springy Water and that Little Sal hit Betty over the head with a stick. Betty died some time later as a result of this blow. Old Sal has stated that she is buried at Springy Water near the wurlie where she died. Old Sal told this story herself to Mr Bell of Stokes Bay."^[6]

The Kangaroo Island Pioneers Association source (see below) gives 5 generations of descendants starting from Betsy (Betty) and Nathaniel.

Sources

1. ↑ Rick Hosking - Refer Sources
2. ↑ Rick Hosking - Refer Sources
3. ↑ Rick Hosking - Refer Sources
4. ↑ Alexander Tolmer - Refer Sources
5. ↑ Rick Hosking - Refer Sources
6. ↑ Letter of H.C.Berrett to Norman Tindale, Journal of Anthropological Researches on Kangaroo Island, South Australia 1930-1974 AA 338/1/32 Adelaide Museum

• Kangaroo Island Pioneers Association https://sites.google.com/site/kipaview/featured-family-tree/nathaniel-wallace-thomas
• Alexander Tolmer, Reminiscences of an Adventurous and Chequered Career at Home and at the Antipodes Published in London in 1882.
• Rick Hosking MA BA (Hons) Dip Ed, Dept of English, University of Adelaide, "A Critical Edition of William Cawthorne's The Kangaroo Islanders" June 2003