Quite a while ago, I decided to branch off from just telling the stories of my direct ancestors and use some of my posts to share other stories of interest. This week the Spotlight is on a remarkable group of women ... seven sisters who were a part of the early settlement of the Richmond River area.
In a strange parallel, when I first began gathering facts about these seven sisters as part of my family tree research, our country's producer of coins, The Royal Australian Mint, released a very special coin named 'The Seven Sisters'.
Released back in 2020, this coin was part of a series entitled "Star Dreaming", which highlighted some of the most memorable stories in our ancient indigenous folklore about the constellations seen in the Southern Hemisphere. "The Aboriginal peoples of Australia are some of the oldest astronomers who used the placements of the stars as a means of travel, like maps, and even to predict the weather. Their skills and stories date back more than 65,000 years, and the stars have aided them in time-keeping for all this time.
The Seven Sisters, as they are known to Indigenous Australians, is also the cluster of stars known as the Pleiades in the constellation of Taurus. Stories passed down over the millennia describe them as a group of young women being pursued by unwanted male attention: Literally a tale as old as time. The celestial cluster tells the story of the seven sisters fleeing to the sky to escape a man who wants to take one of the sisters as his wife."
(Quote taken from 'Coin Update' website, dated Sept 9, 2020)
Unlike the seven sisters in the indigenous storyline however, the seven sisters in my family tree did not attempt to escape becoming a wife. On the contrary, marriage for them was the expected thing to do. As it was near impossible for women to support themselves financially, marriage ensured they were provided for, but also protected them from the rougher elements of colonial society. Marriage was in reality inevitable during their lifetimes, but I do also hope that marriage for them was loving and respectful.
So, who were these seven sisters? They were the Exton sisters, one of whom was my paternal great great grandmother and the others were my paternal great great-aunts.
Shared Ancestors: my 3x great grandparents James Exton and Susannah Lancaster.
Five of the sisters were born in England, between the years 1832 and 1852, which roughly matches the period known as the Victorian era. This was a period of extreme social inequality, marked by dreadful working and living conditions for so many, which persisted until well after the end of the Victorian age.
These five sisters and their parents, James and Susannah Exton, lived in the small village of Manthorpe, in an agricultural area in Lincolnshire. The majority of the inhabitants of this area were chiefly employed in as agricultural workers. Most of the land was the property of Earl Brownlow, but there were many small freeholders as well.
It is doubtful that James and Susannah were amongst these freeholders. The 1841 census shows James's occupation as 'labourer' - not 'agricultural labourer' or 'farmer', as others were identified - so it is likely that James worked labouring jobs wherever they could be found.
The family group sheet below shows that Susannah Exton nee Lancaster gave birth of five girls - one before her marriage to James, and then four more girls over a period of seven years while the family were living in England.
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| Family Group Sheet provided by Ancestry.com |
When Susannah Lancaster married James Exton, she already had a daughter named Harriet who had been born in 1833 out of wedlock. At this point in time, I have no information about the paternity of that daughter, and it's unlikely that will ever come to light. Over 18 years following their marrige, James and Susannah went on to have 8 children together - 4 born in England, and 4 born in Australia.
In early 1844, James and Susannah made the decision to leave their home and emigrate to Australia. They boarded the ship 'Briton' with daughters Harriet, Sarah, Eliza, Anne and Emma; leaving the port at Liverpool on the 15th of March 1844. The voyage lasted for 162 days. That's a very long time for young children to be aboard a clipper ship.
Living conditions would have been very uncomfortable considering they it's highly likely they spent most of their time in 'steerage' - the lowest deck, below the water line, without ventilation and with little light. The use of candles or oil lanterns was restricted and the girls would have spent their days in very cramped spaces where hygiene would have been very poor and disease would have spread quickly. No doubt those experiences moulded these young girls into very resilient, tenacious and courageous women who faced everyday challenges with great strength and fortitude.
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Assisted Immigrant Passenger List - 'Briton' - 1844
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At that time of embarkation, Harriett was 11, Sarah was 8, Eliza was 6, Anne was 4 and Emma was only 1.
The family's passage had been paid for and James, the girls' father, had been engaged to work for a man named James Kenworthy of Richmond River in New South Wales, as a farm labourer.
After arrival in the colony of Australia, all the sisters would have helped out their father and mother with their shepherding work, living mostly in tents or small huts, as they would have moved around constantly. Between 1844 and 1852, James Exton and his wife Susannah became parents four more times. Firstly Susannah gave birth to two boys, and then another two girls joined the family in 1849 and 1851.
There were now seven sisters who, within quite a short time, began married lives of their own and had their own quite large families. Some of the Exton girls married into other well-known pioneering families of the Richmond River area - the McGuiness, McQuilty, McDonough and Cusack families.
Harriet Lancaster-Exton
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Harriett Lancaster-Exton
photo shared by mingma54 on Ancestry.com |
Harriett was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England in 1833. When Harriet was baptised in February of 1833, she was noted as 'illegitimate' on her baptism record. Harriet's name was recorded on both immigration and marriage records as "Harriet Lancaster Exton", which I find particularly interesting. Most children who were born out of wedlock took on the surname of their step-fathers at that time, but in this situation a point appears to be made that Harriett was a Lancaster first, and then an Exton.
Harriett married a convict named John Michael Jones when she was 14 years old. They went on to have 10 children over their 19-year marriage. Husband, John Michael, died in 1866. Three years later, Harriett married Henry George Brown when she was 36 years old, and they had 2 children. Harriett was widowed for a second time when she was 45 years old.
Harriett's obituary stated that she "left nearly 200 descendants ... 10 of her children who survived her, 67 grandchildren and over 100 great grandchildren." (Leader, Fri 27 Aug, 1915 p.5)
Sarah Emily Exton
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Sarah Emily Exton
photo shared by HollingworthN on Ancestry.com |
Sarah Emily Exton was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England in 1835. After emigration to Australia, Sarah lived and worked alongside her parents until she married in 1858 at the age of 18. She married a man named Edward McDonough, although his name on the marriage record was Edward Banner.
Sarah Emily and Edward had a son named William, born in 1857, but the relationship / marriage must have broken down. I'm not entirely sure what happened and there is no information I've been able to find that can explain the end of this relationship. Edward lived until he was 85, so Sarah Emily did not become a widow, but she re-married in 1858 when she was 23.
She married the convict James Hugh McGuiness and they went on to have 8 children. Sadly, at the age of 50, Sarah died accidentally. She was found drowned at Hanging Rock Creek, near Lismore.
Sarah Emily was survived by 7 of her children. My research so far has not yielded information about any grandchildren.
Eliza Exton
Eliza Exton (my great great grandmother) was born in 1837. She arrived in Australia with her family when she was 7 years old. At the age of 15 she married convict Patrick Cusack. They went on to have 11 children. Eliza became a widow at the age of 39.
Eliza's obituary stated that she had 52 grandchildren, 40 great grandchildren and on great great
grandchild. She was also survived by 8 of her children, including my great grandmother Ellen Cusack.
Annie Exton
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Annie Exton
photo shared by lesfay1 on Ancestry.com
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Annie Exton was also born in Grantham, England, in 1839. At the age of 14, she married William Clark and she gave birth to 9 children. Annie was widowed when she was 32 years old, and re-married when she was 37. She had another son with her second husband that same year. Sadly she was widowed again at the age of 45.
The obituary for Annie mentioned that she was survived by six sons, one daughter, 46 grandchildren and 38 great grandchildren.
Emma Exton
Emma Exton was born in 1842. When she was 17 years old, she married James Dooley. They went on to have 13 children. She passed away at the age of 82.
Emma was survived by 10 of her children and at least 30 grandchildren.
Elizabeth (Betsy) Exton
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Elizabeth (Betsy) Exton
photo shared by HollingworthN on Ancestry.com |
Elizabeth (known as Betsy) Exton was born in 1849. She married when she was 16 years old. In 1866 she married Francis Thomas McQuilty and they went on to have 11 children.
Elizabeth was survived by 9 of her children and at least 35 grandchildren.
Lucy Exton
Lucy Exton was born in 1851. She married James McDonough when she was 17. She gave birth to 10 children
Lucy was survived by 9 of her children and 10 grandchildren.
Notes of interest:
- The marriage ages for all seven sisters would seem particularly young to many of us living in the 21st century, but for women living in the colonial period of Australian history, it would have been the norm -
Harriett and Annie married when they were 14.
Eliza married when she was 15 years old.
Elizabeth wed when she was 16.
Both Emma and Lucy married when they were 17 years old.
Sarah was a little bit older when she married. She was 18.
At that time marriage was considered the 'normal state' and indeed absolutely necessary for the
population growth of the colony. It was more an arrangement of convenience and not the
result of two people falling in love.
There was no legal minimum age for marriage, but it was widely accepted that very young
women should only be married with the permission of their fathers.
Young men seeking to make a better life for themselves could not really do so without a wife.
Land leases were denied those who were unmarried.
- Sisters Harriett, Eliza and Sarah (2nd marriage) married convicts which meant that the young men they were marrying had to make a convict application to marry. They needed official permission from the colonial government to marry.
- The men that Elizabeth, Sarah Emily and Lucy married were related to each other. Elizabeth married the biological son of Francis McQuilty and his wife Mabel, while Sarah Emily's husband and Lucy's husband were the stepsons of Francis McQuilty - sons of Mabel's first husband, Bernard McDonough.
- Most of the seven sisters lived very long lives and died of natural causes
- Elizabeth died at age 69 - cause of death was recorded as senility
- Eliza died when she was 76 - cause of death recorded as senility / heart failure
- Annie died at the age of 80 - cause of death was heart failure
- both Harriett (the eldest of the seven) and Emma died at the ripe old age of 82 - cause of death
for both was recorded as senility / senile decay.
- Only two of the sisters died at a relatively young age
- Sarah tragically died at the age of 50 when she drowned at a local creek
- Lucy died at the age of 53 as the result of a heart attack
- At the times of their death, collectively, they were survived by at least,
- 60 children
- 20 grandchildren
- 139 great grandchildren
I doubt very much that these totals are all correct. The numbers should be greater, as there were
limits on the extent of my research and the amount of information I was able to find.
What a legacy!
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| The Seven Sisters Constellation - Pleiades |
- Whenever I look up into the night sky and I'm successful in spotting The Pleiades constellation, I think of the Exton sisters.
The Pleiades constellation is also known as the Seven Sisters. It's an open cluster of stars located
approximately 440 light-years away. That makes it the nearest star cluster to Earth. For the
observers in the southern hemisphere, like myself, this constellation is best seen in the
summertime. I'm often outside scanning the northern night sky between the constellations of
Pegasus and Taurus, searching for this star cluster during the summer months.
I love that there is a connection between members of my family tree and the stars ... well at least
in my mind there's a connection!
The Seven Sisters constellation has significant importance to many of our indigenous Australians
as well. It figures in the ancient Dreaming Stories and the songlines of several Aboriginal
Australian peoples and I do wonder if the seven Exton sisters every heard the Star Dreaming
Story of the Seven Sisters!
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