Person Page - 7

William McKay

• Marriage*: William McKay married Isabella McLaren circa 1822 at Scotland.
• Anecdote*: William's occupation was recorded as a farmer in 1860 on Duncan's marriage certificate and as a miller on Duncan and John's death certificates (1913).
  Duncan and John left Glasgow, Scotland for Port Phillip, Australia in 1853 on the ship "Hurricane.
  Children of John and Johanna were John Willia (b. about 1865), Isabell (b. about 1870) and Georgin (b. about 1871). This information came from John's death certificate and all were alive at that date (1913).

Isabella McLaren

• Marriage*: Isabella McLaren married William McKay circa 1822 at Scotland.
• Married Name: As of circa 1822, her married name was McKay.

Angus Hall

Parents:

• Birth*: Angus Hall was born circa 1808 at Glengarry, Inverness, Scotland.
• He was the son of Thomas Hall and Ann McDonald.
• Marriage*: Angus Hall married Margaret McKenzie, daughter of Donald McKenzie and Margaret McKay, circa 1834 at Dornoch, Sutherland, Scotland.
• Anecdote*: The family arrived at Portland, Victoria, Australia on 19.2.1855 on the ship "Athletae". Profession, Shepherd. Religion, Presbyterian. Education, could read only. Age at time, 45years. Bound for Melbourne on his own account.Their native country is given as Inverness, Scotland. The passenger list records them as:
  Angus HALL, 45 years, Shepherd, Presbytarian
  Margaret HALL, 37 years
  Thomas HALL, 21 years, clerk
  Ann HALL, 16 years, domestic servant
  Peggy HALL, 11 years
  George HALL, 8 years
  Margaret's death certificate states that she was married in Abercalder, Scotland which disagrees with the information on Angus Hall's death certificate. It also states that she was born in Rosshire and had been in Victoria for 60 years (probably wrong also). Her occupation is given as dairywoman. Her mother and father's names are unknown but the father's occupation is given as farmer.
• Death*: Angus Hall died on 21 January 1869 at Wallan Wallan, Victoria, Australia.
• Burial*: Angus Hall was buried on 23 January 1869 at Wallan Wallan, Victoria, Australia.
• Anecdote: Angus HALL's occupation was recorded as a publican in 1860 on Anne's marriage certificate. He died of disease of the liver! The death certificate informant was daughter Margaret KYL. The burial was witnessed by Thomas HALL and Hugh SINCLAIR. He had been in Victoria 13 years.
• Anecdote*: Angus Hall was a hotel keeper according to daughter Anne's death certificate in 1915.

Margaret McKenzie

Parents:

• Birth*: Margaret McKenzie was born on 9 February 1817 at Dornoch, Sutherland, Scotland.
• She was the daughter of Donald McKenzie and Margaret McKay.
• Marriage*: Margaret McKenzie married Angus Hall, son of Thomas Hall and Ann McDonald, circa 1834 at Dornoch, Sutherland, Scotland.
• Married Name: As of circa 1834, her married name was Hall.
• Anecdote*: Arrived Melbourne on 'Athleta' with husband and family. Religion, Presbyterian. Education, could read only. Age at time 37 years.
• Anecdote: The family arrived at Portland, Victoria, Australia on 19.2.1855 on the ship "Athletae". Profession, Shepherd. Religion, Presbyterian. Education, could read only. Age at time, 45years. Bound for Melbourne on his own account.Their native country is given as Inverness, Scotland. The passenger list records them as:
  Angus HALL, 45 years, Shepherd, Presbytarian
  Margaret HALL, 37 years
  Thomas HALL, 21 years, clerk
  Ann HALL, 16 years, domestic servant
  Peggy HALL, 11 years
  George HALL, 8 years
  Margaret's death certificate states that she was married in Abercalder, Scotland which disagrees with the information on Angus Hall's death certificate. It also states that she was born in Rosshire and had been in Victoria for 60 years (probably wrong also). Her occupation is given as dairywoman. Her mother and father's names are unknown but the father's occupation is given as farmer.
• Death*: Margaret McKenzie died on 4 October 1898 at Wallan Wallan, Victoria, Australia, at age 81. Age 81 years.
• Burial*: Margaret McKenzie was buried on 6 October 1898 at Wallan Wallan Cemetery, Wallan Wallan, Victoria, Australia.

Thomas Ward

Parents:

• Birth*: Thomas Ward was born on 6 April 1831 at Handsworth, Yorkshire, England.
• He was the son of Thomas Ward and Elizabeth Harrison.
• Baptism: Thomas Ward was baptized on 3 July 1831 at St Mary's, Handsworth, Yorkshire, England.¹
• Residence*: On 7 June 1841 Thomas Ward lived at Canal Side, Attercliffe, Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, with his parents and family.²
• Occupation: Thomas Ward was a linen draper's apprentice to John Whiting. He was one of 8 apprentices living with John and Emma Whiting. on 30 March 1851.³
• Residence: On 30 March 1851 Thomas Ward lived at 5 Leeds Bridge, Leeds, Yorkshire, England.³
• Marriage*: Thomas Ward married Jane Little, daughter of William Little and Mary (?), on 9 June 1862 at All Hallows London Wall, London, England.⁴
• Occupation*: Thomas Ward was a linen draper according to his marriage certificate in 1862.⁴
• Emigration*: Thomas Ward and Jane Little emigrated circa 1862 to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The actual date of arrival has not been found. They were in London for their marriage in 1862 and then appear in Australia in 1864 for the birth of their son Albert Ernest in St Kilda, Victoria.
• Anecdote*: The death certificate of Jane Ward lists Clifford Blakey (deceased) as her first born, but no further reference has been found of him. He does not appear on the birth certificate of Florence Amelia. He possibly died at an early age, maybe on the voyage to Australia. The shipping records have been searched but nothing found. The family were quite well off and probably paid their own fare, rather than being assisted passengers (for whom much more information is available). Also, other Little's may have come out to Australia as George McKay is said to have referred to Ward and Little relatives in Melbourne.
• Anecdote: An article on Taviuni was published in The Argus (Melbourne) on 19 October 1870, and an excerpt is given below:
  The plantations of Vuna Point, the principal settlement on the island, are thickly clustered together. The community thus formed, and the immunity from native interference enjoyed through the presence of Tui Thakau, the most powerful chief in the group after Maafu and Thakombau, have made this a favourite district for settlers with families. There are over 100 planters on the island, and 13 white ladies. The land is very rich, the surface being composed almost entirely of scoriae and fine disintegrated rock. It requires very little cultivation, and none but the most primitive agricultural implements are in use. Fijian labour can also be used here, and a magistrate from Mbau lives on the island for the purpose of keeping them in order. They can be fed very cheaply, for the tivoli, or wild yam, grows in the woods, and one man out of every ten is sufficient to procure the necessary daily supply. As a set-off to these advantages, however, the land is very heavily timbered ; a huge spine of mountains, on the top of which there is said to be a fine lake, attracts an undue share of rain, to the occasional injury of the cotton, and the running streams are for the most part subterranean. Vuna Point has had direct shipments from and to Sydney for the last year. A substantial jetty has been erected by Messrs. Wilson, Hamilton, and Co., and there is also an hotel on the Point.⁵
• Emigration*: Thomas Ward and Jane Little emigrated circa 1871 to Taveuni, Fiji. They had a copra plantation there. His occupation on daughter Florence Amelia Ward's marriage certificate is given as planter.
• Anecdote: A hurricane struck Taviuni on the 19th and 20th March devestating the cotton crop on nearly all plantations.⁶
• Anecdote: The census of Europeans resident in Taveuni was completed on 28 June 1875 and listed the Ward homestead in Qara Walu, Vuna, Taveuni under the name "Newell and Ward" suggesting that Thomas may have had a business partner living with them on the plantation. A separate list of individuals was completed 20 May 1875 and includes Thomas and Jane Ward, the children Albert, Norman, Florence and Clara, as well as James Newell. There is a James Edward Newell (1852-1910) of the London Missionary Society who became well known for his work in Samoa - maybe there is a connection (although this James Edward Newell, born in Bradford, Yorkshire and trained at the Lancashire Congregatinal College, reportedly left England in 1880, after the census date).
  There is only one other family listed in Qara Walu in 1875 and that is the Cazaly family, whose head is Edward Cazaly. Qara Walu is near the southern tip of Taveuni Island, near Vuna Point. After returning to Melbourne c1888, the family named their house "Vuna".⁷
• Anecdote: The 1889 will of Elizabeth Little, sister to Jane, also confirms their late place of residence in Fiji as Qara Walu. Jan Conroy, a descendant of Norman Sinclair Ward, writes:
  "The name of the family plantation was “Naqarawalu”. The property now has a road called the Waimarere-Salialevue Road going through it and is in the Vuna district toward the south of the Island. There now appears to be a town called Naqarawalu and if you use Google Earth you can find it. Also from copies of the lease of the property after the death of my Grandfather in Melbourne, it is evident that it was a copra plantation."
• Death*: Thomas Ward died on 25 December 1881 at Taveuni, Fiji, at age 50. He died of dysentry which he had suffered for ten days. His death certificate gives his occupation as draper and his wife Jane's residence as Tarim(?). His daughter Florence's birth certificate (1869) also gives his occupation as draper. Note that his death certificate gives date of death as 26 December, same day as his burial. However, his death notice in the newspaper gives the 25th which is more likely correct (given also that his death certificate is a modern transcription and not the original record and does appear to contain other mistakes).⁸
• Burial*: Thomas Ward was buried on 26 December 1881 at Taveuni, Fiji.⁸
• Anecdote: The following death notice appeared in The Australasian Sketcher with Pen and Pencil (Melbourne, Vic.: 1873-1889):
  WARD. —On the 25th ult., at Vuna-point, Taviuni, Fiji, Thomas Ward, in his 50th year.
  It also appeared in The Argus (Melbourne) on 18 January 1882.^9,10
• Anecdote: After Thomas died in 1881, Jane and the children remained in Taveuni for about another six years. Her two sons Albert and Norman would have been nearly 18 and 16 years respectively, so they were probably able to manage in their father's absence given there was plenty of cheap labour available.
• Anecdote: Daryl Tarte of Suva, Fiji is a descendant of the Tarte family who were the major landholders of the southern portion of Taveuni. Daryl writes: "The area known as Qarawalu is quite large and has now been subdivided. There would be no chance of the Ward home surviving, nor any graves being found. All this land was owned by my family and I would imagine that the witness (on Thomas' death certificate) would have been my great grandfather – J.V. Tarte" (incorrectly transcribed as J.L. Tartes on the typed copy of the certificate).
• Anecdote*: Thomas and Jane's daughter Florence Amelia Ward wrote an article called "Plantation Life in Fiji" sometime after she married George McKAY in 1901. Her address was Colin St, Perth, Western Australia. It is transcribed below:
  
  "Plantation Life in Fiji" by F.A.McK.
  Plantation life in Fiji is rather different to plantation life in other countries; Ceylon or India for instance; & yet in many respects it is very similar. A planters life in the South Pacific is free and easy, healthy & interesting. A picturesque spot with a good commanding view is always chosen in which to erect the homestead; often built bungalow fashion (the modern buildings of now-a-days are more like our cottages) in an enclosure of an acre or more ground. The fence around the homestead is generally one of "Moli" (lime or lemon trees). These trees are planted very closely together & are clipped
  page 2
  every year to keep them short & bushy. They are not allowed to grow more than four feet in height. This fence which is exceedingly pretty, being of a bright rich green, is also a very secure safeguard for the garden and the nearer surroundings of the homestead; as cattle, pigs, etc cannot force their way through on account of the thorns. In front of this "vali" (house) is a beautiful & most luxuriously grown garden full of sweet smelling flowers, croatous, vines & creepers of all discriptions intertwining amongst the shrubs & over rockeries. Then your eye rests on a smooth rich green carpet of couch grass which is used for either a tennis court or croquet lawn. These passtimes being much
  page 3
  indulged in, in spite of the hot climate. A short distance away are the labour buildings or "Buries"; "Vali Mati" (hospital) (each plantation has by order of government a house set apart for the sick). Work on the plantation generally starts at 6 o'clock A.M., then the planter or overseer musters his men, calls the roll, has a horse brought up from the paddock and saddled, which he mounts & off they go to what-ever direction or directions the work of the day lay. There may be one gang of men planting or preparing land for one kind of product & another gang in another direction cultivating another kind, or perhaps erecting a shelter-shed for a crop of "sila" (maize) or "Uvi"(?) (yams) that is ready to
  page 4
  be harvested. The planter starts one lot of men going with their days "caka caka" (labour or work) then he rides on to set the next lot to work & gives his instructions, & so on all around till he sees a good start made, riding around in the fresh morning air, his horse brushing the dew from the undergrowth which is very thick, & the dew generally very heavy, - wends his way home with his master lazily sitting in the saddle whistling & thinking about the inner man for it is getting breakfast time. A good substantial meal is put before him, & his family are all up by this time & gathered around the table with a black boy to wait on them. After breakfast there are usually a
  page 5
  few little things to see about the house, a little gardening to be done, some banana or guava trees to be seen to, or a grenadilla vine to be trained etc. A good deal of fruit is indulged in during the morning, - when one is going through a nice patch of "vundi" (bananas) with yellow bunches hanging here & there it is a great temptation just to try one or two, or a nice ripe pineapple, soursop, mango, or any other of these luscious tropical fruits. Then after a walk round his homestead a lounge in a hammock on the spacious verandah or a little odd job is done, the planter jumps on his horse again & takes another tour around the plantation to see how the work is progressing. Sometimes he has a great deal of trouble with the men, who are very fond of malingering. There
  page 6
  are different kinds of labour employed on plantations in Fiji, very few planters employ native labour; they generally work the land by Coolies or Polynisians, or, as they are called in Queensland, Kanakas. After he sees that all is going well & has had a good ride around (which is very pleasant, I can speak from experience as I have ridden around about a plantation myself many a time; being a planters daughter) and seen that each man is doing his alotted work, he finds his way home to dinner. After "Kakana" (partaking of food) is over, the planter generally finds he has some business to do at the sea-port or township, which will take him the best part of the afternoon, getting home just in time to see the labour "Knock off" work. Therefore on a
  page 7
  plantation the planter or overseer is in the saddle most of the day; but there are a great many days when the men have a "tavi" (set task), then the planter is not so much tied; the men know they have to do a certain thing & they put forth their energies to get through it, so the master goes off to enjoy himself, very often in the way of taking his wife, sister or daughter - as the case may be - to spend the afternoon with friends and have afternoon tea & a game of tennis or croquet, or join a riding party, or may be go shooting "songi" or "ruvi" (two different kinds of bush pigeons) which are most delicious eating, very like the English grouse in flavour. Saturday afternoon is often spent by young fellows in taking out the dogs for a pig hunt. This sport is a good deal
  page 8
  indulged in, as there is plenty of fun & excitement to be got out of it, & sometimes it is very venturesome, I have known a wild boar with great white curling tusks, when bailed up by the dogs, make a desperate dart for liberty dashing between the legs of two young men upsetting them like ninepins; & while these sportsmen were picking themselves up and getting over their surprise, with feelings very much hurt at their undignified positions, the pig made good his escape. The dogs enjoy these hunts quite as much, if not more, than their masters. When the gun is taken down from its place, they dance about yelping, nearly mad with delight at the prospect of a good hunt, often they will go off by themselves & follow up the
  page 9
  trail of a pig & bail him up for hours in the bush, but if no one comes to their assistance they will wend their way home towards evening very much the worse for their outing, besmeared with blood & probably with a nasty flesh wound, or perhaps some more serious damage such as a broken rib, indeed often our canine members meet with their end in fearless combat with these wild animals. The Kanakas set traps for the "vuaka" (pig) by digging a very deep hole then covering it lightly over with twigs & leaves. The pig innocently enough walks over or endeavours to walk over what he thinks is solid ground; when to his surprise down he goes with a grunt, & there he stays till his trappers come and carry him to their "buri" (house) & enjoy him for supper.
  page 10
  There are some plantations on which little else but sugar cane is grown. It is a beautiful sight to see acres & acres under cane planted at different times, thereby you may see on one plantation - with a large area under cultivation - sugar cane in all its stages; in one direction a field of young green leaves waving too & fro in the wind, apparently as level as a table, each cane having grown almost to the same height. A little further on a field of what looks like swords held very erect & pointing straight up to the sky, this is cane coming into blossom; in another direction you see the cane in full bloom; this is, I think, the prettiest stage to look upon, the blossom is very light & feathery, very like that of pampas grass only tinged with a
  page 11
  delicate purple hue - cane is very seldom allowed to grow to this stage as it is redy for crushing before it flowers.
  There are other plantations abounding with cocoanut trees. The nuts of which are made into copra & exported. Cattle are bred more extensively on cocoanut plantations than on any other as the animals can roam about among the trees & feed on the undergrowth without damaging the trees. And there are other planters who go in for a little of everything such as maize, yams, bananas, pine-apples etc & often breed cattle, pigs, etc.
  The busiest time of a planters life is when the
  page 12
  crops are ready for gathering & he is exporting fruit or otherwise disposing of his products. Home life on a plantation in Fiji is perhaps a little monotonous. Apart from the family interests there is little else to occupy oneself with when the days work is over. There being no evening amusements except what may be got up by a few energetic people, such as a local concert & perhaps a dance afterwards, or a card & supper party, music evenings, and such like. There are no streets for the gentler set to parade in, & show off the latest fashion, or gaily decorated shop windows on which to flatten ones nose. A large general store is more
  page 13
  to the purpose; which, from the outside appearance is a great barn, but the interior presents a more pleasing aspect, & you can purchase almost every thing you want, from a needle to an anchor.
  Children on Plantations generally have a good long walk or ride to school; & if there is no school at a get-at-able distance then lessons are heard at home. The mother has plenty to do in looking after her house-hold duties & her children, as there are no European maids employed on the plantations, except perhaps a governess sometimes. The domestics are all Kanakas or Coolies, & make very good
  page 14
  servants when well trained; but it is very trying and tedious work training them. A planters life in Fiji is on the whole one of ease and comfort, but I have not now space to expand on these advantages.
  (Transcribed by Geoffrey Barber c1987, original held by Julitha Barber, great granddaughter of Florence McKay (nee Ward), Perth Western Australia.)

Jane Little

Parents:

• Birth: Jane Little was born in 1831 at Liverpool, Lancashire, England.
• Baptism*: Jane Little was baptized on 26 August 1831 at St Peter's, Liverpool, Lancashire, England, born Moira St, West Derby.¹
• Anecdote: This baptism is a possibility for our Jane but further work is required. Later census records and her marriage support a birth date of c1833 so there is some grounds for doubt about the 1831 baptism.
• She was the daughter of William Little and Mary (?)
• Residence: On 30 March 1851 Jane Little lived at 76 Houndsditch, St Botolph Without, Bishopsgate, London, England.²
• Occupation*: Jane Little was a milliner on 7 April 1861.³
• Residence*: On 7 April 1861 Jane Little lived at 37 Camomile St, All Hallows London Wall, London, England.⁴
• Marriage*: Jane Little married Thomas Ward, son of Thomas Ward and Elizabeth Harrison, on 9 June 1862 at All Hallows London Wall, London, England.⁵
• Married Name: As of 9 June 1862, her married name was Ward.
• Emigration*: Jane Little and Thomas Ward emigrated circa 1862 to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The actual date of arrival has not been found. They were in London for their marriage in 1862 and then appear in Australia in 1864 for the birth of their son Albert Ernest in St Kilda, Victoria.
• Anecdote: An article on Taviuni was published in The Argus (Melbourne) on 19 October 1870, and an excerpt is given below:
  The plantations of Vuna Point, the principal settlement on the island, are thickly clustered together. The community thus formed, and the immunity from native interference enjoyed through the presence of Tui Thakau, the most powerful chief in the group after Maafu and Thakombau, have made this a favourite district for settlers with families. There are over 100 planters on the island, and 13 white ladies. The land is very rich, the surface being composed almost entirely of scoriae and fine disintegrated rock. It requires very little cultivation, and none but the most primitive agricultural implements are in use. Fijian labour can also be used here, and a magistrate from Mbau lives on the island for the purpose of keeping them in order. They can be fed very cheaply, for the tivoli, or wild yam, grows in the woods, and one man out of every ten is sufficient to procure the necessary daily supply. As a set-off to these advantages, however, the land is very heavily timbered ; a huge spine of mountains, on the top of which there is said to be a fine lake, attracts an undue share of rain, to the occasional injury of the cotton, and the running streams are for the most part subterranean. Vuna Point has had direct shipments from and to Sydney for the last year. A substantial jetty has been erected by Messrs. Wilson, Hamilton, and Co., and there is also an hotel on the Point.⁶
• Emigration: Jane Little and Thomas Ward emigrated circa 1871 to Taveuni, Fiji. They had a copra plantation there. His occupation on daughter Florence Amelia Ward's marriage certificate is given as planter.
• Anecdote: A hurricane struck Taviuni on the 19th and 20th March devestating the cotton crop on nearly all plantations.⁷
• Anecdote: The census of Europeans resident in Taveuni was completed on 28 June 1875 and listed the Ward homestead in Qara Walu, Vuna, Taveuni under the name "Newell and Ward" suggesting that Thomas may have had a business partner living with them on the plantation. A separate list of individuals was completed 20 May 1875 and includes Thomas and Jane Ward, the children Albert, Norman, Florence and Clara, as well as James Newell. There is a James Edward Newell (1852-1910) of the London Missionary Society who became well known for his work in Samoa - maybe there is a connection (although this James Edward Newell, born in Bradford, Yorkshire and trained at the Lancashire Congregatinal College, reportedly left England in 1880, after the census date).
  There is only one other family listed in Qara Walu in 1875 and that is the Cazaly family, whose head is Edward Cazaly. Qara Walu is near the southern tip of Taveuni Island, near Vuna Point. After returning to Melbourne c1888, the family named their house "Vuna".⁸
• Anecdote: The 1889 will of Elizabeth Little, sister to Jane, also confirms their late place of residence in Fiji as Qara Walu. Jan Conroy, a descendant of Norman Sinclair Ward, writes:
  "The name of the family plantation was “Naqarawalu”. The property now has a road called the Waimarere-Salialevue Road going through it and is in the Vuna district toward the south of the Island. There now appears to be a town called Naqarawalu and if you use Google Earth you can find it. Also from copies of the lease of the property after the death of my Grandfather in Melbourne, it is evident that it was a copra plantation."
• (Witness) Will: Jane Little is mentioned in the will of Jane Little dated 3 April 1881 at Carlisle, Cumberland, England.⁹
• Anecdote: After Thomas died in 1881, Jane and the children remained in Taveuni for about another six years. Her two sons Albert and Norman would have been nearly 18 and 16 years respectively, so they were probably able to manage in their father's absence given there was plenty of cheap labour available.
• Anecdote*: Jane and family returned to Melbourne c1888. According to Jane's death certificate, she had spent 17 years in Fiji.¹⁰
• Death*: Jane Little died on 21 November 1893 at "Vuna", Rathmines Road, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia, at age 62. She died of chronic bronchitis (2 weeks). The informant was her son Albert Ernest Ward who appears to have lived with Jane.¹⁰
• Anecdote: The following funeral notice appeared in The Argus (Melbourne) on 23 November 1893:
  THE Friends of the late Mrs. JANE WARD, relict of the late Thomas Ward of Fiji are most respectfully invited to follow her remains to the place of interment in the Boroondara Cemetery Kew. The funeral will leave her late residence, Vuna, Rathmines road, Auburn, THIS DAY (Thursday), at 3 o'clock. OTTO PREUSS, Undertaker, Burwood-road, Glenferrie. Branches - No 1, Auburn-road, No 2, Camberwell; No 3, Malvern; No 4, Box Hill; No. 5, Surrey Hills; No 6, Lower Hawthorn and Burwood. Telephone No. 7, Hawthorn.¹¹
• Burial*: Jane Little was buried on 23 November 1893 at Boroondara Cemetery, Kew, Victoria, Australia, Grave Location: PRES B 0471, Presbyterian. Buried with Jane is her son Albert Ernest Ward, buried 30 Jan 1899, age 34 years.¹²
• Anecdote*: Thomas and Jane's daughter Florence Amelia Ward wrote an article called "Plantation Life in Fiji" sometime after she married George McKAY in 1901. Her address was Colin St, Perth, Western Australia. It is transcribed below:
  
  "Plantation Life in Fiji" by F.A.McK.
  Plantation life in Fiji is rather different to plantation life in other countries; Ceylon or India for instance; & yet in many respects it is very similar. A planters life in the South Pacific is free and easy, healthy & interesting. A picturesque spot with a good commanding view is always chosen in which to erect the homestead; often built bungalow fashion (the modern buildings of now-a-days are more like our cottages) in an enclosure of an acre or more ground. The fence around the homestead is generally one of "Moli" (lime or lemon trees). These trees are planted very closely together & are clipped
  page 2
  every year to keep them short & bushy. They are not allowed to grow more than four feet in height. This fence which is exceedingly pretty, being of a bright rich green, is also a very secure safeguard for the garden and the nearer surroundings of the homestead; as cattle, pigs, etc cannot force their way through on account of the thorns. In front of this "vali" (house) is a beautiful & most luxuriously grown garden full of sweet smelling flowers, croatous, vines & creepers of all discriptions intertwining amongst the shrubs & over rockeries. Then your eye rests on a smooth rich green carpet of couch grass which is used for either a tennis court or croquet lawn. These passtimes being much
  page 3
  indulged in, in spite of the hot climate. A short distance away are the labour buildings or "Buries"; "Vali Mati" (hospital) (each plantation has by order of government a house set apart for the sick). Work on the plantation generally starts at 6 o'clock A.M., then the planter or overseer musters his men, calls the roll, has a horse brought up from the paddock and saddled, which he mounts & off they go to what-ever direction or directions the work of the day lay. There may be one gang of men planting or preparing land for one kind of product & another gang in another direction cultivating another kind, or perhaps erecting a shelter-shed for a crop of "sila" (maize) or "Uvi"(?) (yams) that is ready to
  page 4
  be harvested. The planter starts one lot of men going with their days "caka caka" (labour or work) then he rides on to set the next lot to work & gives his instructions, & so on all around till he sees a good start made, riding around in the fresh morning air, his horse brushing the dew from the undergrowth which is very thick, & the dew generally very heavy, - wends his way home with his master lazily sitting in the saddle whistling & thinking about the inner man for it is getting breakfast time. A good substantial meal is put before him, & his family are all up by this time & gathered around the table with a black boy to wait on them. After breakfast there are usually a
  page 5
  few little things to see about the house, a little gardening to be done, some banana or guava trees to be seen to, or a grenadilla vine to be trained etc. A good deal of fruit is indulged in during the morning, - when one is going through a nice patch of "vundi" (bananas) with yellow bunches hanging here & there it is a great temptation just to try one or two, or a nice ripe pineapple, soursop, mango, or any other of these luscious tropical fruits. Then after a walk round his homestead a lounge in a hammock on the spacious verandah or a little odd job is done, the planter jumps on his horse again & takes another tour around the plantation to see how the work is progressing. Sometimes he has a great deal of trouble with the men, who are very fond of malingering. There
  page 6
  are different kinds of labour employed on plantations in Fiji, very few planters employ native labour; they generally work the land by Coolies or Polynisians, or, as they are called in Queensland, Kanakas. After he sees that all is going well & has had a good ride around (which is very pleasant, I can speak from experience as I have ridden around about a plantation myself many a time; being a planters daughter) and seen that each man is doing his alotted work, he finds his way home to dinner. After "Kakana" (partaking of food) is over, the planter generally finds he has some business to do at the sea-port or township, which will take him the best part of the afternoon, getting home just in time to see the labour "Knock off" work. Therefore on a
  page 7
  plantation the planter or overseer is in the saddle most of the day; but there are a great many days when the men have a "tavi" (set task), then the planter is not so much tied; the men know they have to do a certain thing & they put forth their energies to get through it, so the master goes off to enjoy himself, very often in the way of taking his wife, sister or daughter - as the case may be - to spend the afternoon with friends and have afternoon tea & a game of tennis or croquet, or join a riding party, or may be go shooting "songi" or "ruvi" (two different kinds of bush pigeons) which are most delicious eating, very like the English grouse in flavour. Saturday afternoon is often spent by young fellows in taking out the dogs for a pig hunt. This sport is a good deal
  page 8
  indulged in, as there is plenty of fun & excitement to be got out of it, & sometimes it is very venturesome, I have known a wild boar with great white curling tusks, when bailed up by the dogs, make a desperate dart for liberty dashing between the legs of two young men upsetting them like ninepins; & while these sportsmen were picking themselves up and getting over their surprise, with feelings very much hurt at their undignified positions, the pig made good his escape. The dogs enjoy these hunts quite as much, if not more, than their masters. When the gun is taken down from its place, they dance about yelping, nearly mad with delight at the prospect of a good hunt, often they will go off by themselves & follow up the
  page 9
  trail of a pig & bail him up for hours in the bush, but if no one comes to their assistance they will wend their way home towards evening very much the worse for their outing, besmeared with blood & probably with a nasty flesh wound, or perhaps some more serious damage such as a broken rib, indeed often our canine members meet with their end in fearless combat with these wild animals. The Kanakas set traps for the "vuaka" (pig) by digging a very deep hole then covering it lightly over with twigs & leaves. The pig innocently enough walks over or endeavours to walk over what he thinks is solid ground; when to his surprise down he goes with a grunt, & there he stays till his trappers come and carry him to their "buri" (house) & enjoy him for supper.
  page 10
  There are some plantations on which little else but sugar cane is grown. It is a beautiful sight to see acres & acres under cane planted at different times, thereby you may see on one plantation - with a large area under cultivation - sugar cane in all its stages; in one direction a field of young green leaves waving too & fro in the wind, apparently as level as a table, each cane having grown almost to the same height. A little further on a field of what looks like swords held very erect & pointing straight up to the sky, this is cane coming into blossom; in another direction you see the cane in full bloom; this is, I think, the prettiest stage to look upon, the blossom is very light & feathery, very like that of pampas grass only tinged with a
  page 11
  delicate purple hue - cane is very seldom allowed to grow to this stage as it is redy for crushing before it flowers.
  There are other plantations abounding with cocoanut trees. The nuts of which are made into copra & exported. Cattle are bred more extensively on cocoanut plantations than on any other as the animals can roam about among the trees & feed on the undergrowth without damaging the trees. And there are other planters who go in for a little of everything such as maize, yams, bananas, pine-apples etc & often breed cattle, pigs, etc.
  The busiest time of a planters life is when the
  page 12
  crops are ready for gathering & he is exporting fruit or otherwise disposing of his products. Home life on a plantation in Fiji is perhaps a little monotonous. Apart from the family interests there is little else to occupy oneself with when the days work is over. There being no evening amusements except what may be got up by a few energetic people, such as a local concert & perhaps a dance afterwards, or a card & supper party, music evenings, and such like. There are no streets for the gentler set to parade in, & show off the latest fashion, or gaily decorated shop windows on which to flatten ones nose. A large general store is more
  page 13
  to the purpose; which, from the outside appearance is a great barn, but the interior presents a more pleasing aspect, & you can purchase almost every thing you want, from a needle to an anchor.
  Children on Plantations generally have a good long walk or ride to school; & if there is no school at a get-at-able distance then lessons are heard at home. The mother has plenty to do in looking after her house-hold duties & her children, as there are no European maids employed on the plantations, except perhaps a governess sometimes. The domestics are all Kanakas or Coolies, & make very good
  page 14
  servants when well trained; but it is very trying and tedious work training them. A planters life in Fiji is on the whole one of ease and comfort, but I have not now space to expand on these advantages.
  (Transcribed by Geoffrey Barber c1987, original held by Julitha Barber, great granddaughter of Florence McKay (nee Ward), Perth Western Australia.)

Clifford Blakey Ward

Parents:

• Birth*: Clifford Blakey Ward was born circa 1862 at London, Middlesex, England.
• He was the son of Thomas Ward and Jane Little.
• Anecdote*: The death certificate of Jane Ward lists Clifford Blakey Ward (deceased) as one of her sons (likley their first child) but no further reference has been found of him. He does not appear on the birth certificate of Florence Amelia. He possibly died at an early age, maybe on the voyage to Australia c1863. The shipping records have been searched but nothing found. Records have been checked for possible birth or death information on Clifford and sister Emily in Fiji. Nothing was found. The death records for Melbourne were also checked.¹

Albert Ernest Ward

Parents:

• Birth*: Albert Ernest Ward was born in 1864 at St Kilda, Victoria, Australia.
• He was the son of Thomas Ward and Jane Little.
• Anecdote*: Albert's father, Thomas Ward, died in 1881 and it is likely that Albert played an important part in keeping going the family's plantation business in Fiji until they moved back to Australia which would have been c1888 according to his mother's death certificate which states 17 years in Fiji.^1,2
• Anecdote: The following death notice appeared in "The Argus" (Melbourne) on 29 January 1899:
  WARD.—On the 29th January, at his late residence, Vuna, Rathmines-road, Upper Hawthorn, Albert Ernest, eldest son of the late Thomas and Jane Ward, late of Taviuni, Fiji.
  This was followed by the Funeral Notice:
  THE Friends of the late Mr. ALBERT ERNEST WARD are respectfully invited to follow his remains to the place of interment, the Boroondara Cemetery, Kew.³
• Death*: Albert Ernest Ward died on 29 January 1899 at "Vuna", Rathmines Rd, Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.³
• Burial*: Albert Ernest Ward was buried on 30 January 1899 at Boroondara Cemetery, Kew, Victoria, Australia, buried with his mother, Jane Ward. Grave Location: PRES B 0471, Section Name: Presbyterian, Grave Type: (not recorded), Service: Burial.⁴

Norman Sinclair Ward

Parents:

• Birth*: Norman Sinclair Ward was born circa 1866 at St Kilda, Victoria, Australia.¹
• He was the son of Thomas Ward and Jane Little.
• Marriage*: Norman Sinclair Ward married Annie Eliza Buchanan on 16 April 1900 at Perth, Western Australia, Australia.^2,3
• Anecdote: The following Marriage Notice appeared in The West Australian newspaper on 10 May 1900:
  WARD-BUCHANAN. - On April 16th, at St. Mary's Church of England, Colin-street, Perth, by the Rev. T. E. Peters, NORMAN SINCLAIR, second son of the late Thomas Ward, of Taviuni, Fiji, to ANNIE ELIZA, younger daughter of Mrs. E. Buchanan, of East Melbourne.
• Residence: In 1903 Norman Sinclair Ward and Annie Eliza Buchanan lived at West Perth, Western Australia, Australia.⁴
• Occupation*: Norman Sinclair Ward was a clerk with the WA Bank. circa 1910.
• Residence*: In 1910 Norman Sinclair Ward and Annie Eliza Buchanan lived at North Perth, Western Australia, Australia.⁴
• Anecdote*: Norman Sinclair Ward and family lived in Alvan St, Mt Lawley, as did George and Florence McKay (nee Ward, sister to Norman). He married Annie Elisa ...? Contact was lost when the family returned to Melbourne where Norman died on 1st January, 1916. He is believed to be buried at Kew (Bundoorah) Cemetery, Victoria with Jane (mother) and Albert Ernest (brother). Norman worked as a clerk with the W.A. Bank. Children to Norman and Annie were: Noel Sinclair, Dudley Sinclair, Lorn and Alona.
• Death*: Norman Sinclair Ward died on 1 January 1916 at Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Age 49 years.⁵

Emily Harrison Ward

Parents:

• Birth*: Emily Harrison Ward was born circa 1871.
• She was the daughter of Thomas Ward and Jane Little.
• Anecdote*: The death certificate of Jane Ward lists Emily Harrison Ward (deceased) as one of her children but no further reference has been found of her. She may have been born in Fiji.¹

Clara Lavinia Ward

Parents:

• Birth*: Clara Lavinia Ward was born circa 1873 at Taveuni, Fiji.
• She was the daughter of Thomas Ward and Jane Little.
• Marriage*: Clara Lavinia Ward married Walter Clarence Trowbridge on 5 October 1901 at Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.^1,2
• Married Name: As of 5 October 1901, her married name was Trowbridge.
• Anecdote*: The following Marriage Notice appeared in The Argus (Melbourne) on 10 January 1902:
  TROWBRIDGE—WARD. — On the 5th October, 1901, by the Rev. Edward Nye, Walter Clarence, youngest son of the late John Trowbridge, of Hobart, Tasmania, to Clara Lavinia, youngest daughter of the late Thomas Ward, late of "Na Iara Walu," Taviuni, Fiji, at the residence of the officiating minister, Macquarie-street, Hobart, Tasmania.
• Residence*: In 1914 Clara Lavinia Ward and Walter Clarence Trowbridge lived at Clarence, Franklin, Tasmania, Australia.³
• Residence: In 1937 Clara Lavinia Ward and Walter Clarence Trowbridge lived at Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.³
• Death*: Clara Lavinia Ward died in 1945 at Tasmania, Australia.

George Fortescue Hoare

George Fortescue Hoare and Ellen Gregg

Parents:

• Birth*: George Fortescue Hoare was born on 22 June 1870 at 5 Philadelphia Terrace, Lambeth, Surrey, England.
• He was the son of James Kekewick Hore and Emma Fortescue.
• Baptism: George Fortescue Hoare was baptized on 30 August 1872 at St Paul's Lorrimore Square, Newington, Surrey, England.
• Occupation*: George Fortescue Hoare was a gas fitter in 1899.
• Residence*: In 1899 George Fortescue Hoare lived at Keightley Rd, Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia.
• Marriage*: George Fortescue Hoare married Ellen Gregg, daughter of Edmund Gregg and Esther Cole, on 16 September 1899 at Registrar's Office, Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia, witnesses James Hoare and Emma Hoare.
• Anecdote*: George came to Sydney from England on a sailing ship with his parents and family when he was about 12 years old. While on the ship they gave him a class of little children to teach as he had just come out of school himself. He was always proud of this. He was a little man, possibly less than 5 ft tall.
  He loved music. He sang and played the organ in his early days. He had a magnificent organ and piano in his house up till the the time he died. He would give his granddaughter Florence McKay some organ music for her to learn so she could play and he sing.
  They lived in Weylan St, Guildford after they married (James Hoare also lived in this street). Their first three children were born there. George later built the house in Anstey Rd and they moved there. It is thought that the Hoare family settled in Midland because of the big railway workshop there and the resulting work opportunities (although their parents, James and Emma Hoare lived in Subiaco).
  He established a plumbing business in Midland Junction about 1901. He would have served a plumbing apprenticeship (iron and tin work) under his father and would have been involved in his father's plumbing business in Mildura, Victoria. He ran this business with his son Alan for many years and Alan was made a partner (the other sons Eric and Gordon were much younger at the time). The business was all passed to Alan in G.F. Hoare's will. His belief was that everything should go to the eldest son. The younger sons had later refused to join the business because of this.
  George F. Hoare bought the land in Guildford for Len & Elsie McKay's bicycle shop and donated part of it to the council for a park (Tuohy Gardens).
  Ellen was a big woman (big boned), rather squarish in appearance. She was known as "Nellie".
• Death*: George Fortescue Hoare died on 4 November 1943 at Bassendean, Western Australia, Australia, at age 73.¹
• Burial*: George Fortescue Hoare was buried after 4 November 1943 at Grave WG 0433 (Anglican), Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.¹

Rose Clorice Ockley

• Birth*: Rose Clorice Ockley was born circa 1874 at Victoria, Australia.
• Marriage*: Rose Clorice Ockley married George McKay, son of Duncan McKay and Ann Hall, in 1910 at Perth, Western Australia, Australia.¹
• Married Name: As of 1910, her married name was McKay.
• Anecdote*: The marriage entry gives Rose's surname as Lodge. Was this a second marriage for her?
• Death*: Rose Clorice Ockley died on 11 August 1942 at Mt Lawley, Western Australia, Australia. Age 68 years.²
• Cremation*: Her body was cremated after 11 August 1942 at Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.²

Ellen Gregg

Ellen Gregg and George Fortescue Hoare

Parents:

• Birth*: Ellen Gregg was born on 27 February 1882 at Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
• She was the daughter of Edmund Gregg and Esther Cole.
• Nickname: Ellen Gregg also went by the name of Nellie.
• Residence*: In 1899 Ellen Gregg lived at Keightley Rd, Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia, formerly Barnett St, Fremantle, WA.
• Marriage*: Ellen Gregg married George Fortescue Hoare, son of James Kekewick Hore and Emma Fortescue, on 16 September 1899 at Registrar's Office, Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia, witnesses James Hoare and Emma Hoare.
• Married Name: As of 16 September 1899, her married name was Hoare.
• Anecdote*: Ellen was a big woman (big boned), rather squarish in appearance. She was known as "Nellie".
• Death*: Ellen Gregg died on 5 May 1957 at Hardy Lodge Rest Home, Marmion St, North Perth, Western Australia, Australia, at age 75.¹
• Burial*: Ellen Gregg was buried after 5 May 1957 at Grave WG 0433 (Anglican), Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.¹

Muriel Grace Hoare

Muriel Grace Hoare

Parents:

• Birth*: Muriel Grace Hoare was born in 1901 at Western Australia, Australia.
• She was the daughter of George Fortescue Hoare and Ellen Gregg.
• Marriage*: Muriel Grace Hoare married Arthur James Hoare, son of Arthur Fortescue Hoare and Elizabeth Tribe, in 1920 Arthur was Murial's first cousin.
• Death*: Muriel Grace Hoare died on 2 November 1956 at St John of God's Hospital, Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia.¹
• Burial*: Muriel Grace Hoare was buried after 2 November 1956 at Guildford Cemetery, Anglican D 0335, Guildford, Western Australia, Australia.¹

George Fortescue Hoare

Parents:

• Birth*: George Fortescue Hoare was born on 5 March 1903 at Western Australia, Australia.
• He was the son of George Fortescue Hoare and Ellen Gregg.
• Death*: George Fortescue Hoare died on 26 March 1903 at Western Australia, Australia.

Allen Fortescue Hoare

Allen Hoare and Rose Bowden 1929.

Parents:

• Birth*: Allen Fortescue Hoare was born in 1907 at Western Australia, Australia.
• He was the son of George Fortescue Hoare and Ellen Gregg.
• Marriage*: Allen Fortescue Hoare married Rose Emily Bowden in 1929 at Western Australia, Australia.
• Death*: Allen Fortescue Hoare died on 4 November 1975 at Midland, Western Australia, Australia. Age 68 years.¹
• Cremation*: His body was cremated after 4 November 1975 at Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.

Doris Esther Hoare

Doris Hoare and Alan Pearce wedding 1938.

Parents:

• Birth*: Doris Esther Hoare was born in 1911 at Western Australia, Australia.
• She was the daughter of George Fortescue Hoare and Ellen Gregg.
• Occupation*: Doris Esther Hoare was a milliner.
• Marriage*: Doris Esther Hoare married Alan Edward McLennan Pearce on 23 March 1938 at Guildford, Western Australia, Australia.
• Married Name: As of 23 March 1938, her married name was Pearce.
• Death*: Doris Esther Hoare died on 12 September 1976 at Western Australia, Australia. Age 64 years.¹
• Burial*: Doris Esther Hoare was buried after 12 September 1976 at Grave DC 0243, Presbyterian Section, Karrakatta, Western Australia, Australia.¹

Gordon Arthur Hoare

Parents:

• Birth*: Gordon Arthur Hoare was born in 1916 at Western Australia, Australia.
• He was the son of George Fortescue Hoare and Ellen Gregg.
• Marriage*: Gordon Arthur Hoare married Joyce Badge in 1941.
• Death*: Gordon Arthur Hoare died on 25 July 1980 at Watermans, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. Age 64 years.¹
• Cremation*: His body was cremated. After 25 July 1980 at EC Section, Site 25 Position 0192, Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.¹

Eric George Hoare

Parents:

• Birth*: Eric George Hoare was born in 1924 at Western Australia, Australia.
• He was the son of George Fortescue Hoare and Ellen Gregg.
• Marriage*: Eric George Hoare married Hazel Joan Nelson in 1944.
• Marriage*: Eric George Hoare married Gwen Gardner in 1988 at Perth, Western Australia, Australia, Gwen was a widow.
• Death*: Eric George Hoare died on 20 September 1995 at Mount Pleasant, Western Australia, Australia. Age 71 years.¹
• Cremation*: His body was cremated after 20 September 1995 at Lawn 5B in Sir T. Meagher Gardens, Site E, Position 0054, Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.¹

Jane Langridge

Parents:

• Birth: Jane Langridge was born in 1807 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• Baptism*: Jane Langridge was baptized on 20 December 1807 at St Andrew & St Mary the Virgin, Fletching, Sussex, England^B.¹
• She was the daughter of William Langridge and Martha Thorpe.
• Anecdote*: Jane was sent to NSW as a convict, arriving on the 'Mary' on 7 Sep 1835. She had been sentenced to 7 years at the Sussex Quarter Sessions on 11 Apr 1834 for stealing a shirt.
  Gwen Street of Queensland, Australia writes that "the daughter Jane Langridge was tried and convicted at the Sussex Quarter Sessions Court on 11th April 1834 for the offence of 'stealing a shirt'. She was sentenced to seven years and transported to Sydney, NSW on the ship "Mary", arriving 6th September 1835, aged 27 years, Protestant. The ship carried 177 female prisoners and 26 children. She married Charles BONNELL (Gwen's G-G-Grandfather) at Glendon, NSW on 22 May 1837 and had one son, James Charles BONNELL on 10.12.1837. Jane was widowed the following year when Charles died on 9.12.1838 and it is believed that she later married a Mr. ASTON but no record of this has been found yet. Jane's convict number was 157-158 and she recorded as having a sallow complexion, 5ft 4ins in height, brown/grey hair and brown eyes. She had lost a front upper tooth, had a scar on the back of her left hand and a mole on her left shoulder. Her occupation was "housemaid, 8 months at a public house".
  Jane had a daughter Sophia Henrietta Langridge, born 15.12.1834 (possibly born at sea, or just before she left England) and baptised in Australia on 8.10.1835. She would have been pregnant when convicted at the Sussex Quarter Sessions on 11.4.1834. Sophia died in Newcastle Goal aged 13 months and was buried 6.2.1836 at Christ Church in the NSW County of Northumberland. From Newcastle Goal, Jane must have been assigned to Glendon Estate where she would have met Charles. Charles was with Heneage Finch, the surveyor, until 1837. The surveyor's home, 'Laguna House' at Luskintyre on the River Hunter (127 miles from Sydney), is an historic site and visitors pay to go through it. Jane and her son James Charles Bonnell must have lived in Bonnell's Bay area after Charles’s death. Charles BONNELL was also a convict, having been sentenced to life for stealing a horse in 1824. At the time of their marriage he had a ticket of leave and she was a bonded convict. Their application to marry was found in the Church of England parish register for Newcastle, NSW at Newcastle University". All this information has come from Gwen Street.
• Marriage*: Jane Langridge married Charles Bonnell on 22 May 1837 at Glendon, New South Wales, Australia.
• Married Name: As of 22 May 1837, her married name was Bonnell.
• Married Name: As of 1839, her married name was Smith.
• Marriage*: Jane Langridge married Robert Smith in 1839 at New South Wales, Australia.
• Anecdote: Jane Langridge and Robert Smith were refused permission to marry on the basis that Robert Smith had on arrival stated that he was married. Robert arrived in 1829 as a convict on the ship "Waterloo", age 26 years, and was granted his freedom on 29 Apr 1837. It appears that permission was later granted and they married in 1839.
• Death*: Jane Langridge died on 4 December 1872 at Richmond River, New South Wales, Australia, at age 64.

George Langridge

Parents:

• Birth: George Langridge was born in 1813 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• Baptism*: George Langridge was baptized on 2 May 1813 at St Andrew & St Mary the Virgin, Fletching, Sussex, England^B, a twin.¹
• He was the son of William Langridge and Martha Thorpe.
• Marriage*: George Langridge married Harriet Turner on 22 November 1834 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B, both of this parish.²
• Anecdote*: George and Harriet's abode was recoded as Piltdown on all their children's baptisms between 1835 to 1845.
• Occupation*: George Langridge was a farm labourer on 30 March 1851.³
• Residence*: On 30 March 1851 George Langridge and Harriet Turner lived at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.³
• Occupation: George Langridge was an agricultural labourer on 7 April 1861.⁴
• Residence: On 7 April 1861 George Langridge and Harriet Turner lived at Sainters Cottage, Fletching, Sussex, England.⁴
• Death*: George Langridge died in 1878 at Piltdown, Fletching, Sussex, England.
• Burial*: George Langridge was buried on 24 July 1878 at Piltdown, Fletching, Sussex, England, "age 65 years, Piltdown."⁵

Henry Langridge

Parents:

• Birth: Henry Langridge was born in 1813 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• Baptism*: Henry Langridge was baptized on 2 May 1813 at St Andrew & St Mary the Virgin, Fletching, Sussex, England^B, a twin.¹
• He was the son of William Langridge and Martha Thorpe.

David Langridge

Parents:

• Birth*: David Langridge was born on 27 May 1815 at Pilt Down, Sussex, England^B.¹
• He was the son of William Langridge and Martha Thorpe.
• Baptism: David Langridge was baptized on 9 July 1815 at St Andrew & St Mary the Virgin, Fletching, Sussex, England^B.¹
• Marriage*: David Langridge married Harriet Jane Edwards in 1845 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• Residence*: On 30 March 1851 David Langridge and Harriet Jane Edwards lived at Newick Village, Newick, Sussex, England^B.²
• Residence: On 7 April 1861 David Langridge and Harriet Jane Edwards lived at 11 Spring Gardens, Southover, Lewes, Sussex, England.³
• Death*: David Langridge died in December 1861 at Lewes, Sussex, England^B, at age 46.⁴
• Burial*: David Langridge was buried on 8 December 1861 at St John the Baptist, Southover, Lewes, Sussex, England, "age 41 years, St John Southover."⁵
• Anecdote*: In the 1861 census David's age was given as 40 years (it was 34 years in the 1851 census).

William Langridge

Parents:

• Birth*: William Langridge was born on 4 August 1817 at Pilt Down, Sussex, England^B.¹
• He was the son of William Langridge and Martha Thorpe.
• Baptism: William Langridge was baptized on 14 December 1817 at St Andrew & St Mary the Virgin, Fletching, Sussex, England^B.¹
• Marriage*: William Langridge married Mary Burgess in 1852 at Uckfield, Sussex, England^B.²
• Anecdote*: William Langridge (b. 1817) married Mary Burgess of Buxted in 1852 and had seven sons. They lived all their lives in Fletching.
• Residence*: In 1861 William Langridge and Mary Burgess lived at Grislings Common, Fletching, Sussex, England.³
• Death*: William Langridge died in 1902 at Uckfield, Sussex, England^B.

Sophia Langridge

Parents:

• Birth: Sophia Langridge was born in 1821 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• Baptism*: Sophia Langridge was baptized on 13 May 1821 at St Andrew & St Mary the Virgin, Fletching, Sussex, England^B.¹
• She was the daughter of William Langridge and Martha Thorpe.

William Thorpe

Parents:

• Birth: William Thorpe was born in 1740 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• Baptism*: William Thorpe was baptized on 19 March 1740 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• He was the son of Nicholas Thorpe and Elizabeth Arnold.
• Anecdote*: There are two possibilities for William Thorpe from the Fletching parish records:
  William bap. 19.3.1740 son of Nicholas and Elizabeth
  William bap. 16.3.1730 son of John and Mary
  Research from Alan Taylor, 60 Ashley Rd, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 7HB, indicates that Nicholas Thorpe and John Thorpe are brothers and that the father of William was Nicholas Thorpe. Alan writes:
  "There are, as you say, two Williams:
  a. the son of Nicholas, born 1740 and died 1822 aged 81; in Fletching.
  b. the son of John, born 1729, who  since he was the wrong age to die in 1822, must be the one dying 1787 in Maresfield.
  Similarily there are two Williams:
  a. married Jane Baker 1765 in Fletching with issue there 1765 to 1779; Jane died 1802 in Fletching, and it may well be this William who in 1807 in Maresfield married Margaret Kenward (1752/3 to 1822) who died in East Grinstead but was buried at Maresfield (perhaps to be near the body of her first husband).
  b. married in Maresfield, in 1770 to Lucy Keys, and in 1776 to Betsy Drawbridge, with issue 17701787, all christened in Maresfield. He was an innkeeper of Nutley in 1776; Nutley is a hamlet in the north part of the parish of Maresfield about equidistant from Fletching and Maresfield churches. (His second wife Betsy was an adult aged eighteen when she was christened at Maresfield on 16 May 1776, shortly before the marriage. This would make it most likely on age grounds that her husband was a third William, xt 1754 son of John and Sarah, but I do not see how he could have been widowed by then, and the 1776 marriage licence definitely describes groom William as a widower).
  The only way I can see of getting all this to hang together sensibly is to tie up a. with a. and b. with b. It makes William of Nutley forty when he first marries and 46 when he married 18yearold Betsy, which are perhaps demographically atypical, but not impossible."
• Anecdote: Banns for William and Jane's marriage were published in Fletching on 19,26 May and 2 June 1765.
• Marriage*: William Thorpe married Jane Baker, daughter of Thomas Baker and Mary (?), on 10 June 1765 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B, both of Fletching, witnesses William Venal and John Rolfe (probably church clerk).
• Death*: William Thorpe died in 1822 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• Burial*: William Thorpe was buried on 13 February 1822 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• Anecdote: All the information about the ancestors of William Thorpe comes from Alan Taylor, of Farnborough, Hampshire and has not been verified.

Jane Baker

Parents:

• Birth: Jane Baker was born in 1742 at Horsted Keynes, Sussex, England^B.
• Baptism*: Jane Baker was baptized on 12 December 1742 at Horsted Keynes, Sussex, England^B.¹
• She was the daughter of Thomas Baker and Mary (?)
• Anecdote*: Jane's baptism was found in the E. Sussex Baptisms Index. Jane's age on her burial record is 60 years which is consistent with this baptism. Other possibilities were:
  5 Jan 1730/31 dau. John and Jane BAKER, Buxted
  8 Jul 1744 dau. William and Jenny BAKER, Ewhurst
  3 Nov 1749 dau. Thos. and Sarah BAKER, Seaford
  The baptism at Ewhurst does need some investigation. A look at Ewhurst baptisms shows the mother's name Jenny is actually Jane on other baptisms.¹
• Anecdote*: Banns for William and Jane's marriage were published in Fletching on 19,26 May and 2 June 1765.
• Marriage*: Jane Baker married William Thorpe, son of Nicholas Thorpe and Elizabeth Arnold, on 10 June 1765 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B, both of Fletching, witnesses William Venal and John Rolfe (probably church clerk).
• Married Name: As of 10 June 1765, her married name was Thorpe.
• Death*: Jane Baker died in 1802 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• Burial*: Jane Baker was buried on 23 June 1802 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B, "age 60 years, wife of William."²

Jane Thorpe

Parents:

• Birth: Jane Thorpe was born in 1771 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• Baptism*: Jane Thorpe was baptized on 10 February 1771 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• She was the daughter of William Thorpe and Jane Baker.
• Anecdote*: Reported to have died young - needs to be checked.

William Thorpe

Parents:

• Birth: William Thorpe was born in 1773 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• Baptism*: William Thorpe was baptized on 9 August 1773 at Fletching, Sussex, England^B.
• He was the son of William Thorpe and Jane Baker.
• Marriage*: William Thorpe married Jane Ellis, daughter of George Ellis and Mary (?), on 15 April 1806 at Maresfield, Sussex, England^B.^1,2
• Anecdote*: Possible marriages for William Thorpe are:
  15 Apr 1806 m. Jane ELLIS at Maresfield. William is of Maresfield and Jane is of Fletching.
  27 Sep 1807 m. Margaret KENWARD at Maresfield. Both of Maresfield.¹
• Occupation: William Thorpe was a labourer on 13 November 1814.³
• Residence*: On 30 March 1851 William Thorpe lived at North Court, Lewes, Sussex, England, living with his son William.
• Occupation*: William Thorpe was a labourer on 30 March 1851.
• Death*: William Thorpe died in 1856 at Lewes, Sussex, England^B.