Louisa DOWLING appears in the 1841 census living with her family on Shiplake Row in Shiplake, Oxfordshire. The census states that she was 6, and born in 'New South Wales'. With her is Michael Dowling, 32, Gardener, born in Ireland; Sarah Dowling, 36, born in Wales; William Dowling, 4, not born in county, and Sarah, 8 months, born in Oxfordshire.
Who was Louisa? How did the Dowling family come to be in NSW and what became of them after 1841?
Michael Dowling was born in Clonmel, Tipperary (Ireland) around 1805-1810, to parents Michael and Mary. In 1830 he married Sarah James at St James church in Paddington - while they were Catholic they were required to be married in a Protestant church at the time. Sarah was born in Usk, Monmothshire, Wales, to parents Lewis and Jane James, around 1805(ish). Michael and Sarah stated they were Catholic, and it is likely Sarah converted.
Michael and Sarah are assumed to have travelled to Tasmania (VDL) in 1932, where they were servants to Captain and Mrs. Swanston.
The Tasmanian
Fri 16 Nov 1832
By the Thomas Lawrie, which left London June 21st are - Mrs. Swanston and family, and servants.
Captain Charles Swanston was a banker and merchant who initially travelled to VDL for his health, but quickly settled his family there, and he was involved in an attempted establishment of Melbourne. Swanston and his wife Georgina, née Sherson ultimately had eight children, and Newtown Park at New Town (now a suburb of Hobart). It was in Hobart Town that Louisa Jane Dowling was born on 28th December 1834, and baptized there on the 18th January 1835. The family were listed as living at New Town, with Michael's occupation was listed as 'gardener':
For reasons unknown, Michael, Sarah and their Australia-born daughter Louisa Jane had returned to England by the end of 1837, as a son William was born in London around that time. The family ultimately settled in Shipley Oxfordshire, where the births of a daughter Sarah (1840) and John (1843) were registered. These births were bisected by the family entry in the 1841 census, residing at Shiplake and John continuing to be a gardener (at a house, "Holmwood", still standing in Shiplake).
In 1849 the family re-emigrated to Australia, this time Sydney, on the 'Thomas Arbuthnot', as assisted immigrants. Eldest daughter Louisa's "Native place" is stated to be "Hobart Town, Van Diemen's Land", with Michael again a 'gardener' and Sarah a 'dairywoman'.The arrivals indent also reveals the extremely useful "remark" that "Both parents went to V D Land as servants in Capt Swanston's family".
While the family probably had connections in VDL, there is no evidence that they attempted to settle there, and they instead stayed in Sydney. The family had no further children, but their children married and had issue, including Louisa, who married Edwin MOORE at St. Lawrence's Sydney in 1854 (NSW BDM 662/1854 V1854662 41B). What is not clear is why Michael Dowling re-styled himself as Martin, but it clearly occurred. By 1871 the Sands Directory lists him as 'Michael Dowling, gardener, 148 Crown st.), but no sign of this name use appears up to and including his arrival records in 1849.
Sarah died on April 10, 1874 'after a long and painful illness', at their residence at '148 Crown St. near Stanley St, Woolloomooloo', and was buried at the Rookwood Necropolis (it is believe there is no grave marker). At some point after 1874, Martin/Michael moved to Bega on the southern NSW coast, where his son William had settled. Martin/Michael died there in 1884.
Louisa Jane MOORE, the expat, died in 1905, in her home on Stephen St in Camperdown (a suburb of Sydney) aged 72. Louisa was buried in the Church of England Cemetery at Rookwood (not known whether headstone exists). The death certificate indicates that Louisa had ten children (with six living in 1905). I am grateful to descendant Jan Paemaa for assistance.
The Dowling family are an interesting example - servants of free settlers in VDL, and returning to England only to later emigrant back to NSW. An Irish husband and Welsh wife, living in England, working in VDL and settling in NSW.
Thanks for posting this information I've included it in my Dowling history file. I've also listed below some information about the siblings of expat Louisa Dowling.
ReplyDeleteDowling Michael (Martin) James, Sarah
Arrived Sydney 17 Jan 1849 aboard “Thomas Arbuthnot” with 4 children as assisted immigrants.
(My great great grandfather)
1 Louisa Jane Dowling b 1836 in Van Diemans Land d 1905 at home Camperdown in Sydney.
Married Edwin MOORE 1854 at St. Lawrence's Sydney (in Sherriffs Garden on 26 Oct 1854) (NSW BDM 662/1854 V1854662 41B).
They had 8 children
1 Rose b 1855
2 Charlotte S b 1857
3 Emma S b 1858
4 Sarah b 1860
5 Edward b 1862
6 Louisa J b 1865
7 Daniel b 1867
8 Lilly b 1868
2 William Dowling
b 14 Nov 1837 London (or at sea), d 22 Dec 1914 Pambula, bur C of E cemetery Pambula,
m 26 Jan 1859 Church of England, Pambula near Bega NSW
spouse Whitby, Emma
Occu. Farmer
They had 12 children :-
1 Sarah c 1859 at Bega NSW, m Gailey, George Robert 1877, d1934 Ashfield Sydney
2 Mary c 1861 Bega, m Worley, Henry Edward 1881
3 John c 1864 Meringlo NSW, m Ubrihien, Rose Anne 1881, d1930 Pambula NSW
4 Wiliam c 1867 Numbugga NSW, m Cole, Mary Ann 1890, d 1951 Manly NSW
5 James c 1869 Meringlo NSW m Cowell, Adeline Ann 1892, d 1940 Pambula NSW
6 Alfred c 1871 Buckajo NSW, m Williams, Ada Emily 1896, d 1943 Pambula NSW
7 George c 1874, d 1875 Bega NSW
8 Henry (Harry) c 1876, m Quaile, Emily Adeline
9 Louisa Jane c 1878, m Bartlet, Lambert 1899
10 Charles c 1880, m Greer, Dorothy 1915, d 1952 Eden NSW
11 Alice Emma c 1882, m Hart, Moses Victor 1908
12 Ethel (Ettie) May c 1887 Bega, m Day, Ernest and Spears, Charles 1910, d 1974
3 Sarah Dowling b 1841, d 10 April 1874 bur 12 Apr 1874 Rookwood Roman Catholic Cemetery, no marriage records found
4 John Dowling (my great grandfather) - married Christina Stanford 26 Aug 1867 Kempsey, N.S.W. (Reg No.2276)
As a teenager John left the family in Sydney and went to the Macleay Valley (Kempsey) to cut red cedar timber. Then later became a farmer and had a property that he called “Holmwood” at Dowling Falls, Parrabel, near Kempsey NSW. The property name presumably was named after Johns birthplace at Shipley Row in Oxfordshire.
Occu: - Timber cutter and later a farmer
They had 13 children :-
1 William – b 1868 at Macleay Valley d 1922 Kempsey
2 Esther (Edith) – b 1869 - d 1st Oct 1893 age 24 - autopsy
3 Agnes Ellen – b 1872 d 1943 m Dimond, John J 1905 Wingham
4 Jessie – b 1873 m O’Halloran, Bill
5 John Jnr (Jack) – b 1875 d 23rd May 1921 killed in fall from horse
6 Sarah – b 1877 d 1957 m Fern, William E (Bunny) 1901
7 Bruce – b 1880 m Sillitoe, Mary
8 Reginald Wallace b 1881 d 1945 m Uren, Valerie Alexandra
9 Frank b 1883 d 27th Dec 1954 m Milligan, Olive May 1908 d 5th Aug 1959 (my grandfather)
10 Steven (Steve) b 1886 d 9th Mar 1967 m Ryde, Mary Irene d 29th May 1977
11 Louisa Jane b 1888 d 19th Aug 1967 Bowraville Cemetery m Ryde, Thomas at Kempsey 1917
12 Hester b 1893 d 1893 died as infant
13 Joseph b 1893 d 9th May 1916 in France in WW1 age 22
appreciate this
ReplyDeletehave nearly a full biography of the thomas laurie passengers (captn william langdon) arrived hobart on 12 nov 1832 from london. my ancestors henry william seabrook and his wife sarah white + daughter sarah caroline s ( married peter laurie reid) + thomas white ( brother of sarah)( married sarah coaton) (+ 2 children). hw seabrook and thomas white had been previously apprenticed to william cubitt -builders in london and were assisted immigrants with 20 pound passages. hws +tw built swanstons house in new town and many other houses and public buildings in hobart etc. and this house is where louisa jane dowling would have been born in 1836 to michael and sarah dowling
in 1849 captn charles swanston was virtually insolvent and all his family had left tasmania (mostly for victoria) with the new town ,hobart property sold up in a liquidation sale (1851?). the dowlings missed the boom years in hobart 1836-1840 but notably missed the disasterous tasmanian depression years 1841-1845 and the then slightly better 1845 on until the booming 1850+ gold rush years
have been wondering where georgiana swanston and her children were staying in england ( after departing india c 1829) before departing on the thomas laurie (captain william langdon) ex london jun 1832 .wonder if michael dowling and sarah james ( at paddington when married on 9 dec 1830) had previously been employed by associates of georgiana swanston?
ReplyDelete