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 Hukins

This week I'm telling the story of my paternal great grandmother, Susannah (Susan) Fullagar Hukins (1851 - 1910).

When Susannah (known as Susan) was born in 1851 her father, Adolphus Hukins was aged 27; and her mother, Mary Ann Farley was aged 21.  She was born in a place named Jamberoo near Kiama, on the south coast of New South Wales.

Interestingly, my great grandmother was baptised Susannah Fullagar  (the transcript has the surname recorded as Fallager, which is incorrect) which were the Christian and maiden names of her paternal Grandmother.

This appears to have been a bit of a family tradition - incorporating maiden names into descendants' names.  Susannah's oldest brother's second name - Crittenden - was also the maiden name of his paternal great grandmother.

When Susannah was born, there were already two boys in the family.
Adolphus Crittenden had been born in 1849.
James Edgar had been born in 1850.

After Susannah, there were to be another 10 children born into the family - another 5 boys and 5 girls.

John Smith was born in 1853, when Susan was 1 year old.
Mary Barnes came along in 1854, when Susan was 3.
Thomas Richard was born in 1856.  Susan was 5.
Adelaide was born in 1860.  Susan was aged 9.
George Henry came along in 1861, when Susan was 10 years old.
Eleanor Sabina and twin sister Cassandra Elizabeth were born in 1865.  Susan was 14 years old.
Alfred Edward was born in 1866.
Amy Jane in 1867.
Arthur E in 1869.

By the time that Susannah was 5 years old, her father, grandfather and uncles were all landowners on the Curramore Estate in Jamberoo.  At this time, the region's economy was primarily centred on the dairying industry, and the Hukins family's plots were established as dairy farms.


Susannah's father Adolphus was however also a hotel keeper by this time, and running a pub named 'Four In Hand' in Kiama, not far from Jamberoo.  This pub started originally as part of a family house, so it seems likely that Susannah's family were living in Kiama and not out at the farm in Jamberoo.  It's also likely they were living quite comfortably at this time.

Photo showing the hotel that had been run by Susannah's father,
after it had been sold and renamed

By the time Susannah was 7 years old however, her father Adolphus was having great difficulty running the pub as a successful venture and was having creditor issues.


In 1858, the pub and family home in Kiama were sold at auction as a result of an insolvency proceeding.  (It was renamed 'Steam Packet Inn') Susannah's father was however allowed to keep the household furniture and clothing.



I wonder what impression this all made on the 7-year old Susannah?  I haven't yet been able to find any evidence about what happened in the period immediately after the family had to move out of the family pub/home.  Did they pack up the furniture and clothes they were allowed to keep and move onto the farm at Jamberoo for a while?

At the time, Susannah was the third eldest in the family of six siblings, ranging in age from 9 to 2 years of age.  Another seven siblings were born over the next ten years, and according to the birth records of these siblings, the family was still living in Kiama.  It appears that during these years, Susannah's father Adolphus, was getting into a bit of trouble with the law as a result of drunkenness and larrikin behaviour, so it's likely this was a particularly difficult time for Susannah, her mother and her siblings still living at home.

By 1873, Susannah's father was in more financial trouble and the rather substantial farm at Jamberoo was was now being put up for public auction.  Her father Adolphus had lost everything at this point.  I don't know what Susannah, her mother and siblings were doing by this time, where exactly they were all living, and who was making a living for the family!!

It seems though that Susannah herself had found a way out of the situation.  Perhaps it was true love, or perhaps simply the best choice at the time, but in late 1873 she got married.

Susannah (Susan) Hukins married Thomas Edgar Connors in Kiama in 1873, when she was 22 years old.  Her husband was aged 23.

Interestingly, neither of the bride's nor the groom's parents names were recorded on the marriage certificate.  Susannah had been baptised Church of England, and Thomas baptised Roman Catholic, so there might have been some discord, although Thomas's eldest sister Margaret was one of the witnesses!

By the time I had got to this point in Susan's story during my research, I was hoping that her married life would be far more settled and a whole lot happier than it seems her childhood had been!  I think it certainly started out that way and it does seem that she and Thomas were happy together, raising their large brood.  They went on have 10 children over the next eighteen years.

I will refer to my great grandmother as Susan from here on in, as that was the name she was known as by her family, friends and the wider community during her married life.

Susan and Thomas's first child, Mary Ellen was born in 1874.  Susan was 23 years of age at that time and as the birth place was recorded as 'Gerringong', then it seems that Susan was living on a farm with her husband further south of Kiama.

It appears that Susan was welcomed in the family life of Thomas's parents and his eleven siblings (the Connors clan) over the course of the following year. I wonder how much contact there was between Susan and her own family?

Sadly, Susan lost her eldest sister Mary Barnes Hukins the same year she gave birth to her first child.

Her sister Mary was living with their parents and died at the age of 19.  The cause of death was dysentery, which she had been suffering for at least three weeks.  Perhaps Susan made the trip into Kiama to visit with her sister, as she was obviously terribly ill for some time.

Whatever the circumstances were in regard to her own family, it's very interesting to note what came next for Susan.  In late 1875 or early 1876 Susan, her husband Thomas Connors, and their daughter Mary Ellen joined Thomas's large family on a long trek to Wagga Wagga, in western New South Wales.  The family group, consisting of 16 members, travelled by bullock and dray for quite a number of weeks.

It seems that both Susan and her mother-in-law Ellen, were pregnant during the trip, which must have created a close bond between the two women.

Typhoid fever was responsible for many deaths at this time in New South Wales, and unfortunately it was rampant in Wagga Wagga at the time the extended Connors family arrived there.




Tragically, within months of arriving in Wagga Wagga, Susan's brother-in-law John Connors, aged 8, died of typhoid fever in June 1876.  Both Susan and her mother-in-law Ellen, gave birth the following month in July.

Susan had a son named John Edgar.

Tragedy continued though, with the death of a second brother-in-law Patrick, aged 22, in August and sister-in-law Ellen, aged just 15, in November; both from typhoid fever.

I'm sure that all the family members must have been heartbroken, but no doubt abject fear must have set in for both Susan and her mother-in-law at that time, worrying about who else the dreaded disease would claim. They were both nursing small babies, and Susan had a two-year old daughter.

It wasn't long after the deaths of Susan's brothers-in-law and sister-in-law, that most of the Connors clan left Wagga Wagga.  Susan's father- and mother-in-law, along with a number of her husband's siblings moved to the Tumut area in southeastern New South Wales.  Susan and her husband however, did not join them.  They decided to move back to the Kiama region.  Perhaps the reason for this was Susan's desire to be closer to her own family.  Perhaps Thomas, her husband, wanted to return to a way of life he already knew.

Whatever their reasoning, that was where they were to spend the remainder of their lives.  Whilst originally it seems they settled back on the coast in Kiama itself, within a year or so they had moved a little further south to a place named 'Broughton Creek' (later re-named as Berry in 1889).

Over the following ten years, their family grew.

William Adolphus, was born in 1878.
My grandfather, George Thomas, was born in 1880.  Susan was 28 years of age.
Alice Adelaide came along in 1882.
James Alfred was born in 1884.
Percy Jerome was born in 1886.
Cyril Ernest came along in 1888.  Susan was 36 by then.

The following year, Susan lost another of her sisters.  Adelaide Ann had married, had given birth to two daughters and was living in Ryde, close to Susan's parents.

Adelaide died in 1889, aged only 29.  The cause of death was listed as 'phthisis pulmonalis', which is pulmonary tuberculosis, often referred to as consumption of the lungs.  Adelaide had been suffering terribly for many, many months.

Only days before Susan's sister Adelaide lost her battle with this dreadful disease, Susan's mother Mary Ann, attempted suicide.  Obviously their mother was driven by overwhelming suffering and feelings of hopelessness and despair.  Thankfully, Susan's mother survived and returned to her family.

During all of this Susan was living near Berry in southern New South Wales with her husband Thomas and their family of eight children ranging in ages from 15 years to 1 year old.

Frederick Augustus was then born in 1890.
Erice Sylvester was born in 1892.  Susan was now 41 years old.
Erice was to be the last born of the brood of 10.

Sadly, Susan's father, Adolphus, died that same year, 1892.  The causes of death included hepatitis and peritonitus, which he had apparently been suffering for the six days before his death.  It sounds very much like Adolphus had liver disease at the end of his life.

Berry Estate 1896 - By Unknown - Samuel Cocks, Views in Shoalhaven, 1896,
Public Domain, httpscommons.wikimedia.orgwindex.phpcurid=29308291

In the following year, 1893, Susan's husband's (Thomas Connors) tender for land on the newly established Berry Estate had been accepted and he leased a farm of 19 acres for a period of 4 years.  Susan was now a farmer's wife and raising her large family on a farm that was producing quite a comfortable income.

Four years later Susan lost her oldest brother, Adolphus Crittenden.  He died in 1897.

Obituary for Adolphus Crittenden Hukins,
known as Chris Hukins -
Kiama Independent and Shoalhaven Advertiser Sat 23 Oct 1897 

Susan's brother was single and working on the property of a Major Weston, known as 'Weston's Meadows', where fine bloodstock racehorses were bred.




He apparently became ill one evening while in Kiama, with a "slight stiffness about his face and could barely ride home."



The symptoms indicated tetanus, and he died just a few days later "after suffering great agony".




As an interesting aside, the owner of 'Weston's Meadows', Major Edward Weston, formed the Illawarra section of the New South Wales Lancers, which later became the Australian Light Horse.  Susan's son, Cyril Ernest Connors, served with the 6th Light Horse in WW1.

By 1898 Susan's husband Thomas had quite a substantial property of 94 acres situated on an estate about four miles out of Berry, named 'Far Meadow'.


The property was principally used for dairy farming and employed four people.  Susan, her husband and children were not only busy working the farm, but were quite active in the social life of the community as well.


Thomas, her husband, was a keen cricketer and a member of the local cricket club for many years.  He was elected to the oversight council of the Berry Central Butter Factory in 1905, and this role continued for many, many years.

Susan, Thomas and their sons appear to have been very keen participants in the Berry Show and other agricultural and sporting events and associations over the years.

Shoalhaven News and South Coast Districts Advertiser (NSW),
Saturday 14 February 1891, page 2

I've found articles referring to Susan's prize winning efforts in the Berry Show of 1891 and 1899, where she won second prize both times for her loaf of brown bread.

Shoalhaven News and South Coast Districts Advertiser (NSW),
Saturday 9 December 1899, page 2

An interesting detail about Susan's life in 1898 ... when she was 47 years old, her first grandchild was born.  Mary Ellen, Susan's first born, gave birth as an unmarried mother, and so it was that my great-grandmother Susan and great grandfather Thomas raised their granddaughter as if she was their own daughter.

In 1901 a horrible accident took the life of Susan's cousin, Sabina Montgomery Hukins.

Evening News (Sydney, NSW),
Tuesday 2 July 1901, page 8

Susan's cousin was living with Susan's Aunt Cassandra.  Sabina was the daughter of one of Susan's uncles, James Hukins.  Both her parents had passed, so she was living in her Aunt Cassandra's house in Jamberoo.

Sadly, Sabina (aged 50) was crippled and completely bed-ridden, so when she knocked over a lamp or candle beside her bed, she was unable to escape the flames that quickly engulfed her room.

Apparently Cassandra, aged 72 at the time, tried to run into the building at some point in an effort to rescue her niece, but was beaten back by the heat of the flames.  The effects of her attempt apparently caused blindness, which afflicted her for the remainder of her life.

This tragedy seems to have been the start of quite a number of traumatic events in Susan's life from that point onwards.

In 1906, when Susan was 55 years old, her son William Adolphus died.

William was single and still living on the farm with his mother Susan and father Thomas.  Sadly, he had been suffering tuberculosis - consumption - for at least three years. This was the same disease that had killed Susan's sister nearly 20 years earlier.  William lost his battle with this dreadful wasting disease at the age of 28.

As a mother, the loss of your first child would seem almost incomprehensible.  Children are not supposed to die before their parents.  It would appear though, that William had likely suffered terribly with the disease and perhaps Susan saw his passing as a blessed relief.

The words inscribed on his headstone seem to imply exactly that.



Isn't it strange the things you notice when creating stories for your ancestors?


The three men in her life with the name 'Adolphus', either as a first name or second (her father, her brother and one of her sons), all died before Susan herself.

By the time Susan's son William Adolphus had died on December 30th 1906, almost one half of her children had already left home.  Her daughter Mary Ellen was aged 32, had married and had given birth to another child.  John Edgar, aged 30, had married and started a family.  My grandfather George, aged 26, married that same year, as had his brother James, aged 22.  They had married the Brown sisters, Grace and Lillian and had moved north to Lismore.  The other half - Alice aged 24, Percy aged 20, Cyril 18, Fred 16 and Erice aged 14 - were still living on the farm near Berry.

Tragedy struck again though in the year after Susan lost her son William.  In 1907, Susan's son James also died.  As stated on the coroner's record, he died of burns following an accident at his work place. The circumstances were truly horrific.

The Advertiser (Oct 17 1907) reported "Man Burnt To Death:  James Connors, of Lismore, went into an oil store for oil, and trod on a match, which ignited the fumes, causing a case of methylated spirits to take fire and explode.  He (James) rushed from the building blazing from head to foot, and was badly burnt.  He died the same evening."

It's hard to imagine the depths of suffering for the Connors family, particularly for Susan herself, to lose another son in such tragic circumstances so soon after the loss of William.  James was only 23 and left a widow and two very young children.

Another of Susan's sons, John Edgar had witnessed his brother's death and had come to the aid of his brother as he burned alive.  The experience left an indelible scar on his psyche for the remainder of his troubled life.

A mere three years later, Susan herself passed away.

She died in 1910 at the age of 58.  The cause of death recorded on her death certificate was cardiac failure and pneumonia.  No doubt the grief and heartache associated with the tragic events in the last ten years of her life contributed to her demise.

The obituary for Susan, under her married name of Mrs. T. Connors, appeared in a local newspaper lists the cause of her death as double pneumonia and pleurisy which leaves the impression that she was quite ill in the last days of her life.

She was survived by her husband and eight of her children.

Susan was buried at the Harley Hill Cemetery in Berry, New South Wales.






Special Note to any family members:  If you have and further 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 Adolphus Hukins

This week my story is about my paternal Great Great Grandfather, Adolphus Hukins  (1823 - 1892).

When Adolphus was born in late 1823, his father James Hukins was 31 and his mother Susannah Fullagar was 32.  Adolphus was born in September, and baptised in October at the All Saints Church in Woodchurch, England.

Record from the Woodchurch Local and Family History database

Woodchurch is a village in Kent, south east England, that became established around the 13th century. At the time of my 2 great grandfather's birth, it had a population of around 1000 people.





There were already four siblings in the family by the time Adolphus was born.


Elizabeth had been born in 1815.
John came along in 1817.
James was born in 1820.
Crittenden was born in 1821.

After Adolphus, there were to be another four children born.

Sabina was born in 1825.
Norman was born in 1828, but sadly, died the day of his birth.  Adolphus was 5 years old at this time.
Cassandra came along in 1829.
Adelaide was born in 1832, when Adolphus was 6 years old.

For most of his childhood, Adolphus would have grown up in and around The Bonny Cravat inn, which was run by his parents in the village of Woodchurch from the year after Adolphus was born, 1824, until 1837, when Adolphus would have been 14 years of age.

Unfortunately by 1837, his father was in financial trouble and appeared in front of the Court for Relief of Insolvent Debtors in November of 1837.  It seems the family had moved and were living in Maidstone, Kent at this time.  During their stay in Maidstone, Adolphus's father worked as a farmer and his mother worked as a farm servant.  By mid 1839 though, his parents had made the momentous decision to leave their native country and emigrate to Australia.

In late 1839, Adolphus boarded the ship Cornwall with his father, mother and siblings.

The details for Adolphus were included in the immigrant list for his mother.  He was listed as having turned 16 in September of the previous year.  His sister Sabina, Cassandra and Adelaide were included in that entry as well.

His other brothers, John, James and Crittendon were listed under 'single males'.  His eldest sister Elizabeth had married the year before, and was listed as Elizabeth Dawes, alongside her husband and her baby James.

The entire Hukins clan, including Adolphus's sister Elizabeth, her husband and baby, made up a party of 12.  They travelled to Gravesend and boarded the Cornwall on May the 7th 1839, ready to embark on a journey to a new country and new future.

On May 12th,the ship set sail, "having high winds and rain all night"  (excerpt from the Surgeon's report).


There were 387 immigrants aboard, all "Kentish people". The voyage would take 112 days.

Sydney Herald (NSW) Monday 2nd of September 1839 page 2

According to the notice in the Sydney Herald in September of 1839:

"The Cornwall arrived from London, yesterday, with 374 Government emigrants, all of whom are in a healthy state, and out of so many we have only to announce the death of 18 infants ; 5 were born during the voyage. The cleanliness of the vessel, and general good conduct of every one on board, shew how efficient must have been the management of the Captain, Surgeon and Officers. The emigrants, consist principally of farming men and laborers, there are also a few mechanics, the greater part appear to be very respectable. Captain Cow reports having spoken the Glenbervie from Sydney, bound to London, on the 3rd July, in latitude 30 ° 27' and longitude 31 ° 30' west, all well. On the 9th June, she spoke the Lady Raffles, from Ply-mouth the 12th May, bound to Sydney, with bounty emigrants, all well, in lat. 11° 34' N., and long. 25° 7' West."

The Surgeon on the ship, Gilbert King Esq., reported that the main afflictions suffered by the passengers were fever, diarrhoea, scurvy, and in the case of children, rubella, scarlet fever and bowel infection due to the irritations of teething.

He noted that "Devine Service was performed every Sunday forenoon on the quarter decks" and that all the immigrants were Protestant.  Other observations he wrote about: A school was established aboard ship during the voyage.  Beds were stowed on deck every morning unless the weather was wet, and the immigrants washed themselves each morning.  Two washing days were appointed weekly, thus every family was afforded the opportunity to keep their linen clean.  In fine weather, they had singing and dancing on the quarter deck."  

Adolphus and his family disembarked safely on September 3rd 1840.

Sadly, only four months after the family landed in Australia, Crittenden (Adolphus's older brother) died at the age of 18.  That would have been a mighty blow for all the family, and Adolphus must have felt it keenly as Crittenden was the older brother closest to him in age.

I have little information about the life of Adolphus in the immediate years after landing in Australia, other than knowing that seven years later he appears to be living in the village of Peterborough, which was in the Shellharbour area on the south coast of New South Wales.  That was the residence listed on his marriage record.

In 1847 Adolphus married Mary Ann Farley when he was 24 years old.  Mary Ann was 18.  They went on to have a family of 13 children over the following 20 years.

Adolphus Crittenden was born in 1849.
James E was born in 1850.
Susannah (known as Susan) came along in 1851.
John Smith was born in 1853.
Mary Barnes in 1854.
Thomas Richard was born in 1856.
Adelaide A came along in 1860.
George Henry was born in 1861.
Alfred Edward in 1863.
Eleanor Sabina came along in 1865.
Cassandra Elizabeth was born in 1865.
Amy Jane in 1867.
Arthur E in 1869.

Adolphus and his wife appear to have moved on from the Shellharbour area further south, not long after the birth of their first child.

Historical Electoral Roll 1855-1856 Kiama 

Historical electoral rolls for the district of Kiama in New South Wales show that for the years 1855 - 1856, Adolphus, his father James and his two older brothers James Jnr. and John, were all the owners of freehold land on Curramore Estate in Jamberoo.

Empire (Sydney, NSW  1850 - 1875), Tuesday 27 March 1855 page 8

A newspaper item from that time advertising the sale of plot of land on the Curramore Estate indicates that it was good farming land and the district supplied Sydney with vast quantities of grain, potatoes and dairy produce.

Jamberoo was a small village, about 11 km west of Kiama, but it seems that the farmland Adolphus owned there was not the only property he owned.

By 1856 Adolphus, now aged 32, was a hotel keeper, seemingly following in the footsteps of quite a number of his ancestors back in England.  He ran the 'Four In Hand' pub on Terragong Street in Kiama, New South Wales.  By this time he had a family of six children.

Certificates for Publicans' Licences 1856 - Kiama

The 1856 records showing a list of Publican's Certificates indicate that Adolphus had previously held a publican's licence, but I haven't yet been able to uncover other records indicating exactly when he began his trade as a publican.

Interestingly, the 1856 record shows that his father John Hukins Snr. was one of two men who offered sureties on behalf of Adolphus.

Certificates for Publicans' Licences 1858 - Kiama

The record from 1858 shows that the 'Four In Hand' pub was run out of a house, so I'm assuming Adolphus originally starting running his pub in one of the rooms in the home where he lived with his family.

Unfortunately it doesn't appear as if Adolphus was having much success in business by this time, as creditor issues were coming to light in late1858.  By this time Adolphus was aged 34.

Insolvency Court - Sydney Morning Herald (NSW), Thursday 21 October 1858, page 2

The issues with his creditors become the subject of insolvency proceedings against Adolphus.

Sydney Morning Herald (NSW) Tuesday 26 October 1858 page 6

On the 26th of October 1858 a small article in the Sydney Morning Herald stated that the official assignee instructed that assets be sold on cash terms by public auction at the premises owned by Adolphus.  The list of assets was quite impressive and included:
- the lease and liquor licence of his pub
- the stock-in-trade including fixtures, kegs and measures
- 'superior' household furniture consisting of horsehair seated chairs, horsehair sofas, chiffoniers, dining and side tables, carpets, pictures, chests of drawers, bedsteads and bedding, glassware, plated ware and crockery ware
- a 'superior' horse with its harness, saddle and bridle
- and a 'first-rate cow' to boot!!!

Freeman's Journal (Sydney,NSW), Saturday 25 December 1858, page 2

During the third creditors meeting later in the year, the official assignee advised creditors that £96 had been the outcome from the sale of assets.  It was noted that the judge allowed Adolphus to keep "his household furniture and wearing apparel".  Perhaps Adolphus counted his blessings, but it must have been a terrible time for the entire family.

I haven't found out much information about exactly what happened in the immediate years after this event, apart from the fact that he became a father of another two children.  Just a little over three years later though, his name appears in a newspaper article once again.

 Examiner (Kiama, NSW), Tuesday 18 February 1862, page 2

He appeared before the Kiama Police Court charged with having stolen a shilling from a man named Paul Robins.

The two men had been "tossing for nobblers".

A 'nobbler' was apparently a small shot glass filled to the top with hard liquor that had been laced with some other alcohol.  

Publicans would doctor a gallon of rum and end up making eight gallons of nobbled rum. They would then sell this drink quite cheaply.

Drinkers got drunk very quickly imbibing this brew!

On the evening of Monday, 17th of February 1862, witnesses stated that both Hukins and Robins were "relatively sober" at the time, although they noted that Hukins had been drinking nobblers with another man just before the incident.  When that man left, he took up the game of 'tossing' with Robins, who maintained that during the game Hukins had taken up his penny early.

Adolphus had immediately denied this, and then apparently refused to fight over it.  He took himself out to the verandah but Robins came charging out, claiming that Adolphus has stolen a shilling from him.  When Adolphus denied this, Robins went for the constable and it seems that my great great grandfather spent the rest of the night in the lock-up.

At the trial there were quite a few discrepancies in Robins' claims, and the bar maid corroborated Adolphus's claims that the money he had put in his pocket had been his own.  The case was dismissed by the judge.

Between the years 1863 and 1869, Adolphus became a father to another five children.

Then in 1869, Adolphus was in the papers again!

Kiama Independent, and Shoalhaven Advertiser (NSW),
Thursday 11 March 1869, page 2

This time it seems that Adolphus, now aged 46, was out riding with a couple of mates in the evening after the Kiama show, and apparently my great great grandfather's horse "bolted with him at full speed along the road until arriving at the bridge".  It seems there was a bend in the road at that point and "his horse lost his equilibrium and fell."

Adolphus fell to the ground "with great violence, which resulted in temporary unconsciousness, an extensive scalp wound, and sundry severe bruises."

He was taken to the nearest hotel and "attended with all possible care".

Hmm ... pair these previous articles with another one that appeared in a mere 4 years later, and I'm beginning to get a picture of my great great grandfather.

Kiama Independent, and Shoalhaven Advertiser (NSW),
Thursday 8 May 1873, page 6

It seems that Adolphus, now 50 years old, was before the Court of Petty Sessions on a charge of drunkenness.

He didn't appear remorseful or concerned about his behaviour as he stated "he did not think there was any harm in singing a song and that was all that was the matter with him."  It doesn't look as if the judge agreed that he was simply singing, as Adolphus was found guilty and fined a shilling, as well as court costs of 3 shillings and sixpence.






As a result of all these little titbits, the picture I'm getting of Adolphus is that he probably was a bit of a larrikin who didn't mind a drink, and perhaps had a bit of a devil-may-care attitude to life!

Not very long after the 'singing' incident, Adolphus appears once more in a newspaper report.

Sydney Morning Herald (NSW), Monday 20 October 1873, page 7

In October of 1873, a damages claim was settled in the Supreme Court of New South Wales.


In the matter of Perry and Ors V Hukins, the Sheriff was instructed to sell by public auction various assets owned by Adolphus following his unsuccessful defence of a damages claim.


The assets included "all the right, title and interest in and to the equity of redemption of and in a parcel of land exceeding 114 acres at Jamberoo."


So now, Adolphus has lost everything - his pub, his home and his property. Then, in 1874, when he was aged 51, one of his children died at the age of 20.

My research picked up his story about 12 years later.  Adolphus, aged 63, was recorded in the Sands Directories for New South Wales.

Sands Directories, New South Wales, 1886

At this time he was living in Ryde, New South Wales and he was a 'storekeeper' on Glebe Street.  Unfortunately, further newspaper articles published just two years later, during 1888, indicate that insolvency proceedings had once more been brought against him.

He really did not appear to have much luck in business!

Government Gazette NSW 1889 Jan-Mar

In early 1889, when he was aged 66, his name was listed in the NSW Government Gazette as being a bankrupt grocer.  In the following year, 1890, Adolphus lost another of his daughters.

Adolphus passed away in 1892 when he was 69 years old.  His occupation was listed as 'labourer' at this time, and the informant did not appear to be a member of his family, which may account for the incorrect details under the 'children of marriage' section.  I find it quite an interesting point that none of his children nor his wife appear to have been there at the time of his death.  Did that mean he was by now estranged from most of his family?  That seems a rather sad ending for Adolphus, but it does seem as if his life journey was quite the roller-coaster ride which may have been a challenge for his family.

Now that the story of Adolphus is told, I'm going to mention the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge for Week 28.  The challenge is - Travel.  My 2x great grandfather certainly fits the bill for this challenge, as he travelled from England to Australia with his family when he was quite a young man.

Interestingly though, I've realised that all of my great great grandparents on my paternal side were immigrants ... all eight of them!  That entire generation of my ancestors left their homes and travelled to Australia, never to return to their country of birth.  Some came as children, some as teenagers and the others as young adults.

The period of time for immigration for this generation of ancestors was 1839 to 1849, and it was my great great grandfather Adolphus who was the first of my paternal immigrant ancestors to arrive in Australia.

I've already written posts for all of these immigrant ancestors apart from one, and if you click on their names below, you can follow the links to their stories.

Adolphus Hukins came in 1839, as previously stated, at the age of 16.

During the following year, 1840, two of my great great grandmothers - Ellen Hickey, aged 8, and Caroline Browning, aged 10 - arrived; as did another of my great great grandfathers - Henry Brown, aged 20.

In 1841, another great great grandfather - William Conners/Connors, aged 21, arrived.

1844 was the arrival year for my great great grandmother Eliza Exton, aged 6.

1849 was the year that my great great grandfather Patrick Cusack, aged 20, was transported to Australia as a convict.

The only immigrant ancestor on my father's side that I have not written a post about yet is my great great grandmother, Mary Ann Farley.  I'm still researching for her arrival date, as there is conflicting information about that.


Special Note to any family members:  If you have photos or further 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.