The Story of James Hukins

This week's post tells the story of my paternal Great Great Great Grandfather, James Hukins  (1792 - 1871).

When James was born in July of 1792, his father John Hukins was 33 years old and his mother, Elizabeth Crittenden was 38.  James was the seventh child and the second son born to John and Elizabeth, according to the records I've managed to track down so far.


His eldest sister Sarah had been born in 1777.
Brother Richard came along in 1779.
Sister Mary had been born in 1781.
Sister Elizabeth had come along in 1782.
Sister Charlotte had been born in 1785.
Sister Ann came along in 1788.

It does seem a little odd that John and Elizabeth had not named a son after his father, given they had named one of their daughters after her mother.  Perhaps there had been another little one born at some stage, but had died quite soon afterwards and had been named John.  I have not found a record to back up this assumption though.

James, 3x great grandfather, was born in Woodchurch, Kent, England where the Hukins family had been farming the land for two generations up to that point.

Map showing the location of the Susan's Hill area

James' great grandfather, John Hukins (c. 1701-1763) had first come to Woodchurch around 1730 and farmed at 'Susan's Hill', on the outskirts of the village of Woodchurch.  That was the beginning of the history of the Hukins family in this area.

Map showing the location of Hukins Farm on the outskirts of Woodchurch

My 3x great grandfather James would have grown up on the land farmed by his father, John Hukins (1759-1819).

This is still known as 'Hukins Farm' and is located on Redbrook Street, half a mile north of Susan's Hill, and overlooking the land farmed by his great grandfather.

(This information is sourced from an article titled 'James & Susannah Hukins', written by Josie Mackie in the book named 'Leaving Woodchurch - Emigration from Woodchurch since the Seventeenth Century'.  I'm fortunate enough to have copy of this book and it has been invaluable for my research on James.  It has certainly made the job of digging up my 3x great grandfather's past a little easier).

The farmhouse on Hukins Farm

The house that still stands on Hukins Farm is likely to be the house where my 3x great grandfather spent his childhood.


James obviously had a great love for the place where he grew up and was to pay respect to his childhood home later in his life, as will be mentioned a little further on in this post.



Sadly, when James was aged 16 his mother Elizabeth passed away.  James' father was now a widow but James' siblings were aged between 20 and 31 so it's likely most of them were helping out on the farm, or had begun lives of their own.  James remained living with his father for a number of years after the death of his mother.

At the age of 22, my 3x great grandfather James married Susannah Fullagar.

Banns were posted in December of 1814 and early January of 1815,

They were married in the All Saint's Church in Woodchurch on the 12th of January 1815.

The two families, the Hukins and the Fullagars, had been friends for three generations.

Susannah was the great granddaughter of John Fullagar (1700-1746) who had settled in Woodchurch in 1734 and ran the Bonny Cravat Inn till his death 12 years later.  Susannah's father, John Fullagar, had also run the Bonny Cravat for 20 years.  Susannah's mother Elizabeth took over after the death of her husband John.  Susannah's brother Thomas had then taken over from his mother and ran the inn for 4 years.

James (my 3x great grandfather) was the grandson of John Hukins (1730-1803) who had run the Bonny Cravat Inn for seventeen years.   James' Great Uncle (his grandfather's brother) James Hukins (1741-1823) had taken over as innkeeper in 1775 as well.

The running of the Bonny Cravat Inn had basically been passed between Fullagars and Hukins for nearly a century between 1734 and 1820.

As mentioned previously, my 3x great grandfather James continued working as a farm labourer on his father's farm until he started his own working life as Innkeeper at the Bonny Cravat in 1824.  He took over the license along with his wife Susannah, and they ran the inn for 13 years.  Inn-keeping was in their blood!

During the time that James was innkeeper, the Bonny Cravat Inn was often used as a courtroom and several smugglers were sentenced to death inside the inn before being hung on gallows that were erected outside!

After James married Susannah, they went on to have nine children over a period of sixteen years.

Daughter Elizabeth (known as Betsy) was born only seven months after James and Susannah had married, in July of 1815.
Son John was born in 1817.

James' father, John Hukins, died two years later in 1819.  James was now aged 27.

Son James was born in 1820.
Son Crittenden came along in 1821.
Son Adolphus was born in 1823.

It was during the following year that my 3x great grandfather began his career as an innkeeper.

Daughter Sabina was born at the beginning of 1825.

Sadly, James lost his sister Elizabeth at the end of 1825.  She was survived by her husband and four children.

In 1828, son Norman was born, but sadly only survived for a couple of weeks.

Daughter Cassandra was born in 1829.
Daughter Adelaide came along in 1832.  By this time James was 39 years old.

James and wife Susannah were still innkeepers at this time, but this was not to last.  By 1837 James had found himself in dire circumstances.  He was by now in severe financial trouble, evidenced in the listing that appeared in the London Gazette of late 1837.

London Gazette Nov 1837

James was petitioning the Court for Relief of Insolvent Debtors.  Interestingly, the article lists James as "formerly of Woodchurch", so it seems he had left the village, had given up running the inn, and appeared to be living in Maidstone, Kent at this time.


He must have moved back to Woodchurch though because a mere two years later James and his family were preparing to emigrate, and were being assisted by Parish funds.


Minutes of the Woodchurch Parish meeting of the 30th of March 1839 lists items provided by the parish to assist the Hukins family for emigration to Australia aboard the ship Cornwall.

The minutes show that James Hukins was provided with:
"2 pairs duck trousers, 1 smock frock, 8 shirts, 2 flannel jackets, 1 flannel drawers, 1 cotton drawers stout, 5 pairs woollen hose, 1 hat, 2 pair shirts."

Given that James was provided with a "stout" pair of cotton drawers, I think it's safe to assume that he was a large man!

As for 'duck trousers', I had to look that one up!

Apparently it refers to trousers made of cotton duck material - heavy, plain woven cotton fabric and would have looked something like this:

Gravesend, on the River Thames,
was the major port of departure for emigrants

James, aged 47, his wife Susannah, aged 48, their seven unmarried children, John aged 22, James aged 19, Crittenden aged 18, Adolphus (my great great grandfather) aged 16, Sabina aged 13, Cassandra aged 10 and Adelaide aged 7 all travelled to Gravesend to board the ship that would take them to Australia.

Accompanying them was their married daughter, Elizabeth aged 24, her husband Edward Daw and young son Edward, aged 1; as well as Elizabeth's brother-in-law Philp Daw, his wife Sarah and their four children.

James, his wife Susannah and their four youngest children were listed together as a family on the immigrant passenger record, whilst the three older boys were listed under 'unmarried males' and their eldest daughter was listed with her husband and child as a separate family.

The ship Cornwall departed Gravesend on the 12th of May 1839 and arrived in Sydney, Australia on the 1st of September 1839.  The voyage lasted for 114 days and covered 15, 682 miles.  In anyone's mind's eye this sounds like a challenging experience, especially given the time period.

At no point during the long journey were the emigrants able to disembark and stretch their legs.  They would have seen the Isle of Wight three days into the voyage, then on day 71 the ship have passed the Cape of Good Hope, after which it would have entered the Indian Ocean.  After a further 16 days and 2,650 miles, the ship would have arrived at Ile St. Paul, midway between the Cape of Good Hope and the west coast of Australia.  The Cornwall 'hove to' for the day near this uninhabited volcanic island, and the opportunity was taken to catch and eat fresh fish.

On day 107 of the journey, the emigrants first sighted their new home when their ship entered Bass Strait, between the southern coast of mainland Australia and the island of Van Diemen's Land (as it was known then).  Three days later, Cornwall rounded Cape Howe, where the coast of New South Wales began; then on day 114 at 2 a.m. the light on South Head was seen and the Cornwall 'hove to' until daylight.  At 6.30 a.m. on September 2nd, with the pilot aboard, the ship passed through Sydney Heads and entered Port Jackson.  The emigrants were allowed to disembark the following day, September 3rd, after several gentlemen boarded the ship to inspect the emigrants and select servants for their estates.

I have spoken in previous posts about the journeys of many of my immigrant ancestors and have covered things like - the sights seen on the journey, the living conditions experienced, the length of the voyages and some of the more significant events along the way.  The reason I've been able to find out this type of information is that the colonial government required that each immigrant ship sail with a medical officer (after the disastrous voyage of the Second Fleet in 1789 - known afterwards as the Death Fleet - arriving in New South Wales with a mortality rate of 40%), and these men often kept quite detailed records.

Dr. Gilbert King was appointed Surgeon Superintendent on the immigrant ship Cornwall from London to Sydney in 1839, and his report gives a few extra details about the journey undertaken by 3x great grandfather and his family.

"When the weather permitted Divine Service was performed by reading the Prayers and a sermon afterwards every Sunday performed on the quarter deck, but if unfavourable that important duty was performed between decks, to the emigrants.  In the afternoon, and every evening during the voyage we had a short religious service on the main deck.  ----  A school was established shortly after we sailed, and from forty to sixty children attended with decided benefit.  The regulations established for the preservation of health under cleanliness and ventilation.  The beds were stowed on deck every morning unless the weather was very boisterous and wet.  The emigrants washed themselves every morning, and having appointed two washing days weekly, every facility was thus afforded them of keeping their linen clean.  Once a week their beds were opened out and aired on deck.  ---- The greater part of the day was occupied performing the service connected with the above arrangements and in attending to their own personal and family caring; and in fine weather they had singing and dancing on the quarter deck every lawful day.

        Signed, Gilbert King M D Surgeon."


After arriving in Sydney, my 3x great grandfather James found work as a farm labourer with a Thomas Croft Esq. at Wollongong, about 50 miles to the south of Sydney.   My 3x great grandmother, James' wife Susannah was also employed as a farm labourer, and all the younger children would have worked alongside their parents.

The three older sons found work in Sydney and remained there.  The eldest son John and second eldest James both found work with Bishop Broughton (the first Anglican bishop in Australia) as a gardener and coachman, respectively.  The third eldest son, Crittenden, found work with a Mr. Foster as a groom.

Tragedy struck the family almost immediately after their arrival however.  Within four months, Crittenden was killed in an accident with horses.  He died in January of 1840 at the age of 18.  That would have been a terrible blow for James, having already lost a son about eleven years earlier.

By mid-1840 James had attained the position of convict overseer on the Berry Estate.  At that time was estate around 32,000 acres in size held by Alexander Berry, located north of the Shoalhaven River.  Over time though the Berry Estate was enlarged by grant and purchase to 80,000 acres in size, stretching from Gerringong in the north to Wollumboola in the south, and from the coast to beyond Broughton Creek (later re-named Berry) in the west.

This was a position of some standing and importance.  It does seem however, that James had empathy towards the convicts.  A tale shared by his 3x great granddaughter and recorded in the book 'Leaving Woodchurch - Emigration from Woodchurch since the Seventeenth Century' states that:

"James' convict master realised that his sugar, which was a valuable and scarce resource at that time, was going missing.  He told James that he believed the convicts in James' charge were responsible, a thing which James denied absolutely.  

A trap was set to prove this one or another and who should fall into that trap but the sister-in-law of the convict master himself, who wanted the sugar for her cooking!  

It may well be that James had some sympathy for the convicts under his charge as he would have known at least one who was transported for seven years, William Hampton, brother of Benjamin Hampton, one of his fellow travellers on the Cornwall."

       
In recognition of his services as a convict overseer, James was offered a grant of land some miles south of Wollongong, but he declined this offer as he considered the land impoverished and not worthy of his time and labour!

James worked as a tenant farmer for landowners such as Captain Steven Addison Esq., who had a property of considerable size known as the Peterborough Estate in the Shellharbour area.



As a matter of fact, Steven Addison made particular mention of my 3x great grandfather during his speech at his farewell dinner held in 1848.




Part of this speech was published in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald as follows:

Sydney Morning Herald - Wed 20 Sept 1848 p2

"Captain Addison rose to return thanks ... he had come to this district and had settled on what all thought a wilderness.  He had greatly improved it ... but if he had not been blessed with such tenants as Mr. James Hukins and family, and ably supported by good neighbours, all he could have done would have availed to nothing."



The life of a tenant farmer would have been one of daily toil from sun-up to sunset. 


Landowners would let out plots of land and grant "clearing leases".  The tenant farmer was required to clear trees, fence plots and erect habitable structures within the period of the lease, which was usually two to five years.




Plots of land for clearing leases were mostly around ten or twelve acres, but if a tenant farmer was industrious and could prove his worth, he might be allowed as many acres as he could manage.  If a tenant farmer had strong hard-working family members to help, then a clearing lease might be granted for plots as large as twenty or thirty acres.

Once cleared, the land was "let" on the halves principle - the landowner provided the land, seed, animals and tools and then took half the produce as a form of rent payment.  This was the life of James Hukins for around ten years, beginning when we would have been around 52 years of age.

Historical Electoral Rolls for Kiama, New South Wales 1855-1856

In 1854, at the ripe old age of 62, James then became a landowner himself.  He bought 464 acres of land on Curramore Estate in Jamberoo.  A year after that he sold 114 of these acres to each of his three sons - John, James and Adolphus - and kept 114 acres for himself.  He named this patch of land 'Susan's Hill' which you may recall had been the name of a tract of land back in Devon, England where he had spent his childhood years.

James was to live out the remainder of his life at 'Susan's Hill'.

Sadly, in 1861 two of his sisters died, and then in 1862 his wife, Susannah, passed away.  They had been married for 47 years and James was 69 years of age.

James himself passed away in 1871, at the age of 79.

Death Notice - Empire, Friday 20 January 1871, page 1

The death notice posted in the Empire newspaper on the 20th of January stated:

"DEATHS.  On Saturday, 14th January, at his residence Susan's Hill, Jamberoo, suddenly Mr. James Hukins sen., native of Woodchurch, Kent, England, aged 78 years."

Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser Sat 28 Jan 1871

Another newspaper article stated that James had suffered an apoplectic attack whilst walking on the verandah at his house and had collapsed and died.

Special Note to any family members:  If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, can I graciously ask that you do so.  Please use the comments box below or email me.  It may prove to be invaluable to the story and provide future generations with something to truly treasure.

The Story of Susannah Fullagar

This story is about my paternal Great Great Great Grandmother Susannah Fullagar (1791-1862).  In the year of her birth, 1791, George 111 was the monarch of England; the world's first Sunday newspaper was published; Captain Arthur Phillip was in his fourth year as the Governor of newly established colony of New South Wales in Australia.

Sourced from the Woodchurch Local and Family History site using records compiled by the Woodchurch Ancestry Group

When Susannah was born, her father John Fullagar was 33 years old and her mother Elizabeth Bourne was aged 30.

She was born in the village of Woodchurch in Kent, England, and was the fifth child born to John and Elizabeth.





Susannah's eldest brother Richard had been born in 1782.
John was born in 1784, but had died the same year.
Another son John was born in 1786, but had died the same year.
Mary was born in 1785, and had died just a little while afterwards.
George was born in 1787, but had died the same year.
Sarah was born in 1788.

So that meant that when Susannah was born just three years later, the only other siblings still living were Richard and Sarah.  More siblings were to follow, but sadly, another four died in infancy.

Elizabeth was born in 1793 when Susannah was 2, but died the same year.
Thomas was born in 1794.
Josiah was born in 1796, but died the following year.
Josephus was born in 1799.  Sadly, he died just two months later.  Susannah was aged 8.
Sophia came along in 1801 but died the same year.
Ann was born in 1802 when Susannah was 11 years old.

You do have to wonder what effect the loss of so many siblings, while they were still babies, would have had on Susannah.  Perhaps the realisation of such a tragedy didn't hit her until she was much older.

Up until 1802, Susannah's father was the innkeeper of the Bonny Cravat Inn.  The family of six children had grown up a modest home on a large plot of land near the village.  Possibly Susannah's childhood would have been a happy, carefree one growing up in the small, picturesque village of Woodchurch.

Unfortunately in 1803, when Susannah was 12 years old, her father died.  At the point, Susannah's mother took over as innkeeper, so I imagine life would have changed considerably then.  With her mother working long hours, no doubt assisted by Susannah's older brother Richard, who would have now been 21; perhaps Susannah, aged 12, and her older sister Sarah, aged 15, would have taken on the mothering and the domestic duties around the home, while their mother worked at the inn.  Their brother Thomas would have been 9 years old, and baby Ann would have only been 1.  I would think that the carefree childhood days would have well and truly ended after the death of Susannah's father.

Sourced from the Woodchurch Local and Family History site using records compiled by the Woodchurch Ancestry Group

Eleven years later, in December of 1814, a marriage bann was posted announcing the coming marriage of Susannah Fullagar and James Hukins.

Sourced from the Woodchurch Local and Family History site using records compiled by the Woodchurch Ancestry Group

Then in January of 1815, at the age of 23, Susannah married James Hukins. They went on to have a family of nine children, born over a period of sixteen years.

Their daughter Elizabeth was born in June of 1815, so Susannah would have been pregnant at the time of her wedding.
John was born two years later, in 1817.
James came along in 1820.
Crittenden was born in 1821.
Adolphus was born in 1823, when Susannah was 32 years old.
Sabina, was born in 1825.
Norman came along in 1828, but sadly, died when he was a month and a half old.
Cassandra was born in 1829.
Then their last child, Adelaide was born in 1832.

The Bonny Cravat Inn, as it is today

In 1824, just after their fourth child was born, Susannah and her husband James took over the running of the Bonny Cravat Inn, which stood opposite the church.





The inn had been run by Susannah's father for 20 years, and was taken over by Susannah's mother when her father had died.  Susannah's mother, Elizabeth, was innkeeper for 12 years up until 1816 when Susannah's brother Thomas had taken over.  That was the year after Susannah had married.

Susannah's brother Thomas was innkeeper for only 4 years and for some reason, which I have not been able to uncover as yet, he stopped innkeeping in 1820.  For a period of 3 years the Bonny Cravat Inn had been in the hands of people outside the Fullagar family, until Susannah and her husband took over.

The record of Innkeepers for the Bonny Cravat Inn:
(sourced from the Woodchurch Local and Family History site of the Woodchurch Ancestry Group). 

Date	Innkeeper/Publican	Monarch
1690-1701	John Medhurst - The Butchers Arms	William & Mary 1689-1694, William III 1694-1702
1701-1706	Sarah Wood - The Bonny Cravat	Anne 1702-1714
1706-1719	George Ramsden	George I 1714-1727
1719-1720	Mary Ramsden - Widow of George
1720-1732	John and Thomas Hills	George II 1727-1760
1732-1734	Mary Hills - Widow of John
1734-1746	John Fullagar
1746-1749	Elizabeth Fullagar Widow of John
1749-1750	Elizabeth Fullagar - Widow of John & Mary Austen Widow
1750-1758	John Fullagar - Son of John
1758-1775	John Hukins	George III 1760-1820
1775-1782	James Hukins - Brother of John
1782-1803	John Fullagar - Son of John
1803-1816	Elizabeth Fullagar - Widow of John
1816-1820	Thomas Fullagar
1820-1823	Shadrack Pearce	George IV 1820-1830
1823-1824	George Elliott
1824-1837	James and Susannah Fullagar Hukins	William IV 1830-1837
1837-1843	Gabriel Law	Victoria 1837-1901

Sourced from the Woodchurch Local and Family History site

Susannah was listed as the innkeeper, along with her husband James, for a period of twelve years from 1824 to 1837.  What's fascinating for me is the fact that her name is recorded with both her maiden name, Fullagar, and her married name.  Perhaps the reason for that is to acknowledge the very long association of the Fullagar family with the running of the inn!

When Susannah began innkeeping with her husband, she had four children between the ages of nine and one, and then went on to have another four, although, tragically she lost one of her children when he was only a baby.  As any working mother knows, Susannah's days would have been hard slog.

At this point, I'm going to mention this week's prompt in the #52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge: Close Up.  It seems that Susannah would have spent time in the company of smugglers, up close and personal!! 

Smuggling had been rife in Kent during the 18th century and continued on into the 19th.  By the 1820s, Woodchurch was home to quite a number of smugglers from a well-known gang, known as Ransley's Gang.  It's likely Susannah knew them quite well, or at least knew of them.

In 1826, some members of this gang fought with the Revenue on the village green in Woodchurch, but they lost and were captured.  The Bonny Cravat Inn had often been used as a courtroom, and so it was in 1826, when Susannah and her husband ran the inn, that the trial for the captured smugglers happened at the Bonny Cravat.

The men were sentenced to death during the proceedings, and were subsequently hanged by the neck on gallows which apparently stood outside the inn.

What a gruesome sight for all in the village, but particularly for Susannah and her family, with the men likely hanging for days just outside the inn. Talk about up close and personal!



The name 'Bonny Cravat Inn' was and remains a unique name for a pub in England.  No other inn or pub has ever had a similar name.  It's said that the name came from a French fishing boat used as a smuggling vessel. The story goes that the inn was in fact the rendezvous point for smugglers who traded with the French in the early 1700s, using a boat called La Bonne Crevette. The original sign for the inn though apparently said La Bonne Corvette.  So it appears that the inn had been a smuggler's inn for the period from the 1700s to the 1800s, and it also became the place where smugglers were tried and sentenced!

It seems that after twelve years of innkeeping, Susannah and her husband were in severe financial trouble.  There is a note in The London Gazette of late 1837 that shows James petitioning the Court for Relief of Insolvent Debors.  It's interesting to also note that he had started out as a farmer, then became a victualler and farmer, but had most recently been just a victualler.  I think it can be safely assumed that Susannah's husband had lost the farm he had originally owned before they married.  It does all paint a picture of dire straits!

About eighteen months later, Susannah and her husband James were preparing for emigration.  They obviously felt that the chance for a better life far off in the colony of New South Wales was their best option!

There is a parish record that shows Susannah and her family were supported by the Woodchurch Parish with the provision of tickets and attire for the voyage as assisted immigrants to Australia.  In early May Susannah was provided with "1 gown, 1 stiff petticoat, 1 flannel petticoat, 5 shifts, 4 pairs stockings, 3 handkerchiefs, 1 pair shoes, 3 caps", whilst her husband was provided with "attire and ten pounds sterling".   There is no record of any provision for their children.

The family party, which included ...
Susannah, now aged 48;
Her husband James Hukins, aged 47;
Her eldest daughter Elizabeth, aged 24, who was by then married to Edward Dawes and had a son James aged 1;
Son John, aged 22;
Son James, aged 20;
Son Crittenden, aged 18;
Son Adolphus, aged 16;
Daughter Sabina, aged 13;
Daughter Cassandra, aged10;
and daughter Adelaide, aged 7;
all boarded the ship Cornwall at Gravesend on the 7th of May in 1839.

On the emigration record Susannah's occupation was listed as "farm servant", as she was not working as an innkeeper at that time. It appears she was educated as she could read and write. Her father was incorrectly listed as 'Charles Fullagar, innkeeper' when it should have read 'John Fullagar, innkeeper'.  There was never a Charles Fullagar living in Woodchurch and working as an innkeeper.

Susannah's husband James was listed as a 'farm labourer' on the previous page of this record.  Her older sons were listed separately as 'single men'.  John was listed as a 'gardener', James as a 'coachman' and Crittenden (although his name was incorrectly spelt) was listed as a 'groom'.  

Early on May the 12th, the Cornwall set sail for Australia.  The voyage took almost four months, with the ship arriving in Sydney on the 1st of September, 1839.

An excerpt from the Surgeon's Report of the Cornwall stated:

"Sailed from Gravesend on 12th. May 1839 and arrived on 1st. September 1839.  112 Days  On board were: 150 Adult Males. 101 Adult Females. Children: 50 Male;  74 Females; Infants 12.
Nine Males & Nine Females died on board. Main afflictions were Fever, Diarrhoea, Scurvy, & with the children Rubella, Scarlet Fever, Bowel (infection) from the irritation of teething. No one was confined to bed during the last 6 weeks – good state of health on arrival.  Five children born on board."

Sydney Herald (NSW), Monday 2 September 1839, page 2

The Surgeon's report tells of not only the births, deaths and illnesses, but also of the weather conditions.  At the beginning of the voyage there was apparently extremely inclement weather.  The Cornwall experienced squalls, hail storms, and snow storms as it journeyed towards the Bay of Biscay.  It mentions sightings of flying fish, hooking pigeons and albatross when the ship was rounding the Cape of Good Hope.

On the morning of the ship's entry into Port Jackson at Sydney, the Surgeon described his first sight of 'old Sydney town'.  No doubt Susannah would have experienced the same sights.

Sydney Cove 1839

"We entered Sydney Heads, a narrow passage between the high rocky coast, and as soon as the ship rounded the South Head, the most beautiful scenery bursts upon the sight with the Town of Sidney in the distance.

To the right as we enter the Heads is a bay, forming the Quarantine Station.  We beat up the Harbour which is a complete bay of bays, with here and there a small island, the banks are covered with Gentlemen's country seats of every stile of building, interspersed among the thick bush wood, which grows to the very edges of the banks, which are rock stone of the most picturesque formes and appearance; in the centre of the bay soon after entering is a rock, the top of which may be seen at low water mark, called the Sow & Pigs, with a Light Ship near it.

As we proceeded, the town became more exposed to view with the ships lying in the cove, and at 10.30am, we came to a safe anchorage of the Fort which stands on a projecting peak."

I'm not entirely sure what happened to the family upon their disembarkation on September 2nd 1839.  It does appear that they stayed in or close to Sydney for at least a few months as tragically, Crittenden died in 1840 with the place of death recorded as Sydney.  He was aged 19.

Soon after, it's likely that Susannah's husband would have been hired for work by one of the landowners in the colony, because by the late 1840s, Susannah and her family were definitely living and working in the Illawarra district on the New South Wales south coast. 

In 1848, Susannah's husband James is mentioned in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald as being a tenant farmer for a man named Stephen Addison Esq.  Captain Addison was giving a speech at his farewell dinner before he set off for Van Diemen's Land, and stated

"He had come to this district and had settled on what all thought a wilderness - he had greatly improved it, he it was that had given a stimulus to improvement; but if he had not been blessed with such tenants as Mr. James Hukins and family, and ably supported by good neighbours, all he could have done would have availed to nothing."

I have no doubt at all that Susannah, who was no stranger to hard work, would have been ably assisting her husband James with the clearing and working of the land.  She was to be the wife of a tenant farmer for the remainder of her life, which was to be 14 years.

It does appear that Susannah and her husband remained on that farm, named Susan's Hill, until their deaths.

As can be seen in the Death Notice above, Susannah passed away at the farm, Susan's Hill, near a small town called Jamberoo, on the south coast of New South Wales.

She died in 1862, at the age of 71, after "a long and painful illness which she bore with Christian fortitude".  She was survived by her husband James and seven of her children.


Special Note to any family members:  If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, can I graciously ask that you do so.  Please use the comments box below or email me.  It may prove to be invaluable to the story and provide future generations with something to truly treasure.

The Story of John Fullagar

This post tells the story of my paternal Great Great Great Great Grandfather John Fullagar (1757-1803). 

Records for this period are a little light on, and it took me quite a lengthy period of time before I had any details of John at all.  Thankfully, I now have enough to at least put together a little bit of a story.

John was born on the 24th of March 1757, in the small village of Woodchurch, in Kent, England.

England during the time was reigned by King George 11, and British rule was beginning to be established in India.


John was christened at All Saints Church in Woodchurch, Ashford Borough, Kent.

All Saints Church, Woodchurch, Kent  (Etching by Charles Miles 1847)

When John was born his father John Fullagar was 30, and his mother Sarah Gilham was 34.


There were already three children in the family.

Mary was born in 1748.
Elizabeth was born in 1752.
Joseph came along in 1754.






John's father had been running the Bonny Cravat Inn in the village since 1750, after the birth of the first child Mary, although the family had in fact been associated with the inn since the early 1730s.

The modern Bonny Cravat Inn

John's grandfather had been the innkeeper for the Bonny Cravat for twelve years from 1734.

When he died, John's grandmother took over and ran the inn for four years.

John's father then took over from John's grandmother after he had married.





In 1758, the year after John's birth, John's sister Sarah was born.  It was at this point in time that John's father, for some reason I have yet to uncover, stopped being the innkeeper of the inn that had been in the Fullagar family's hands for 24 years.  I wonder why?

The inn was then kept by members of another family, the Hukins family, for the next 24 years until my 4x great grandfather John took over, and it was in the hands of the Fullagar family once more.

(Interestingly, many years later, one of John's daughters, my Great Great Great Grandmother Susannah, married the grandson of one the Hukins brothers, so it seems there was no bad blood between the families!)

Well now, back to my great great great great grandfather John's story ... 

His sister Sarah was born the year after John, in 1758.
Thomas was born in 1759.

I have no information to share about John's childhood years, and what it might have been like growing up in the village of Woodchurch.  I have wondered what his father's occupation was during this time though?  Was John's father still involved in the day-to-day running of the Bonny Cravat Inn, even though he was no longer the innkeeper?

John's father, John Fullagar Snr., passed away in 1775, when John was aged 18. I wonder how the family got along after this.  It's likely both of John's older sisters were married by this time or married soon after, as they were aged 27 and 23 respectively.  John's other brothers, Joseph now aged 21 and Thomas aged 16 were perhaps working and bringing in an income to help support the family.  No doubt, John himself was also working by this time.  His sister Sarah, aged 17, was most likely helping out with the domestic duties at home, alongside her mother.

In May of 1782 John's mother Sarah died, just after John had turned 25. As it turned out, this happened just two months before John's wedding, which meant neither of his parents witnessed his marriage.

John married Elizabeth Bourne on the 7th of July in 1782, when he was 25 years old.  Elizabeth was a daughter of a well-known family in Woodchurch, so it appears John married well.

A view of Woodchurch early 1900s -  the Bonny Cravat Inn is on the left.

As mentioned previously, John took over as innkeeper of the Bonny Cravat Inn that same year, 1782, when he was 25 years of age.  He was to be the innkeeper for the next 20 years.

The Bonny Cravat Inn had been in the hands of other members of the Fullagar family before John became the innkeeper, and there were to be other Fullagars who followed in the same occupation later on as well; but it was John who ended up being the Fullagar who worked the longest as an innkeeper of the Bonny Cravat over its long lifespan.

Interestingly, the Bonny Cravat is still standing and is still operating today on Frone Road in Woodchurch.

Given John's long career as the innkeeper of the inn, it is likely that he made a comfortable enough living and provided a reasonably substantial place of residence.  It also seems likely that he would have become quite a well-known, if not prominent, member of the community in that time. 



Indeed, the Kent Poll Book record of 1790 shows John Fullagar's name recorded in the village of Woodchurch as a 'freeholder' of a home and land.  This also meant that he was now qualified to vote as a consequence of being a home and land owner.  It seems that he was one of the prominent members of the village community.  He was 33 years old.



The Poll Book record of 1802 shows John Fullagar's name once again, now aged 45, still a landowner and still qualified to vote.

During my research of the years John spent as an innkeeper, I stumbled upon this photo ...

 ... two of the tankards pictured in this photo have an inscription - 'Bonny Cravat Inn' - which was quite a nice surprise to find.  Then I noticed the other part of the inscription!  Surely not, I thought!  What were those initials?  Half in hope I looked into the details of this photo.  Apparently these tankards were up for auction, and had been identified as original "George 111 pewter pint tankards" that had been used at the Bonny Cravat Inn, with the initials "J.F." inscribed above the name of the inn.  Well!  Guess who was the innkeeper at the inn during the reign of George the Third?  Yes, that would have been John Fullagar.  I wonder where these tankards had ended up?

At the same time, I was doing a little reading up on Woodchurch, and I was left with an impression of the quintessential English village. Back in the late 1780s to early 1800s when John was working as an innkeeper and raising his family, the village was surrounded by forest.  Although most of that is now gone, there are still woodland areas to be found nearby.

To the north stood a pair of Kentish smock windmills and mills.



If you had climbed to the top of one back in the late 1780s or 1800s, you would have had an expansive view over the marshes to the coast.


To the south-west was a large area of moor, a wetland area and low wooded hills.


One of the windmills still stands today.

Within the village there was a very large village green (which is still there today).  It was (is) almost the size of an English Common! 

On the north side of the village green stood Kentish houses, typical of  the time.


Many can still be found standing.






On the west side of the green stood (and still stands) the remarkable and distinctive looking All Saints' Church, dating back to the 13th century. Built of Kentish ragstone, it has three aisles, three chancels and a shingled spire steeple in which hangs six bells.

A short video about the church:  History of All Saint's Church in Woodchurch

Surrounding the church is the graveyard, where many Fullagars are buried. When I first began researching my Fullagar ancestors, I discovered sketchy information from other family trees on Ancestry.com, but there was little in the way of factual evidence or records attached to these trees.

Thankfully one record source came up trumps with loads of information which enabled my research on my Fullagar ancestors to move forward considerably.  This is where I digress for a second and mention the prompt for this weeks's '52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge': Cemetery.

The 'UK and Ireland Find A Grave Index' has proven to been invaluable in determining family relationships and family members on the Fullagar side of my family.  I began searching this source with quite limited information about John, primarily his name, possible dates of birth and death and his spouse's name. 

I quickly found this record which matched the birth and death dates and place of birth that I already had.  Further research led me to a record of the inscription on the headstone that can be seen in the photo above.  The words were obviously worn away with age and weather by the time this photo was taken, but the text of the inscription had been kept in the church's cemetery records.

There was a list all of my 4x great grandfather's children, in the order of their birth, no less!  I also found confirmation of my 4x great grandmother's name and date of death.

Where to from there?  Knowing that all of my 4x great grandfather's children were born in Woodchurch, back I went to the 'Find A Grave Index'. That's when I noticed the section on the left hand side of the screen: "Find all the Fullagars in: All Saints Churchyard".  I wasn't sure that all of the children would have stayed in the village and therefore died in the village, but I presumed that would have been the case for most of them.  So, using the list of children's names from the inscription record, off I went on my hunt.

Success!  These cemetery records led me to some of the details of John's children, especially details of the children who had died in Woodchurch.  I then continued my search elsewhere for details about the children who had moved away.  Eventually, I was able to pull together the story of John and his children and unfortunately it was rather a sad tale.

My great great great great grandfather John and wife Elizabeth had 13 children over a span of 19 years, seven sons and six daughters.

Richard was born in 1782, seemingly rather early given that his parents had only married in July of 1782.  He married Elizabeth Goldsmith, had seven children and emigrated to the U.S. when he was in  his mid 40s.

John came along in 1784, when my 4x great grandfather was aged 27.  Sadly, the son named after John died just a few months later, in July of 1784.  💔

Mary was born in 1785, but also died just a couple of months later in August of 1785. 💔

Another son was born in 1786, and also named John, after my 4x great grandfather.  Tragically, he died just a few months later in December of 1786. 💔
 
George was born in 1787, but also died a few months later in November of 1787. 💔

Sarah was born in 1788.  She went on to live for 41 years, married Harry Hook and had nine children of her own.

Susannah (my Great Great Great Grandmother) came along in 1791.  She married James Hukins, had nine children and emigrated to Australia in her late 40s.

Elizabeth was born in 1793, but died a couple of months later in September of 1793. 💔

Thomas was born in 1794.  He lived for 62 years in the village of Woodchurch, married Elizabeth Coomber and had twelve children.  He did take over the Bonny Cravat Inn after his mother in 1816 and was the innkeeper for four years.

Josiah was then born in 1796, but tragically, he died just one year later. 💔

Josephus came along in 1799, and died in January of 1800, aged 2 months. 💔

Sophia was born in 1801, but only lived for five days. 💔

Ann was born in 1802.  She lived for 55 years, married John Mannering and had two children.


After finding out these details, I had to sit and ponder this for quite a while. The gravity of it really hit me, and even though I was taking it all in some 200 years later, my own feelings of sorrow were quite palpable.

Imagine having 13 children in the space of 19 years, but losing 8 of them, including the two boys who had been named after you!

I can not begin to comprehend the anguish and grief that must have filled the life of my 4x great grandfather and grandmother, given these circumstances.  How do you live through that?

I guess working as an innkeeper would have kept John very busy, and perhaps there wasn't enough time to spend grieving and experiencing the sorrow and heartbreak. 

I'm not entirely convinced of that however, as John died quite young, in 1803 at the age of 46.

He was survived by his wife Elizabeth aged 42, his son Richard aged 21, daughter Sarah aged 14, daughter Susannah (my 3x great grandmother) aged 12, son Thomas aged 8, and daughter Ann who was not yet 1 year old.


The All Saint's Church cemetery is on my bucket list of places to visit one day.  That list doesn't include many cemeteries I have to admit, but this one holds a special place in the family story and therefore is on my list. 💔







Special Note to any family members:  If you have memories to add, photos or information to share, can I graciously ask that you do so.  Please use the comments box below or email me.  It may prove to be invaluable to the story and provide future generations with something to truly treasure.