Going North

Maybe it was in Feruary 1860 that Ephraim and Bridget Doe decided it was time to move north. Elijah Hill, it seems was not happy that a horse he was missing at the time was last seen on February 14th in the care of Ephraim Doe at Bridgewater. If the horse was taken by illegal means, it would have been more noticeable than most as it was old and white, not the best transport for a long trip.
Longford area invited the family in and at some stage not long after their arrival, they settled at Bishopsbourne.


Undergrowth at Bullock Holes Rivulet



Twice I have been to look at the land chosen by the couple to construct their own farm. The first time, it was magical. Mossy logs, trickling streams, ferns and tall gum trees made this place look much more beautiful than it had seemed on the land map where it was described in places as scrubby and marshy. I pushed through the cutting grass where burrows of wombats were evident, balanced on fallen logs across Bullock Holes Rivulet and listened to the birds singing in the trees. The ground beneath my feet was soft and springy and the beauty of the bush was everywhere. I tried to imagine where their hut may have stood and how it may have looked when part of the land had been ploughed. No signs were evident of the horse or hens or any settlement of the area.

My next visit, a couple of years later left me feeling torn. Gone was all that I had found attractive. Now reverted to Forestry land, it had just been clear felled. It was just mud. Great gouge marks were evidence that heavy machinery had been used. Water pooled in slushy puddles as an occasional spear of grass tried to peek through the drowned degraded landscape. I could not get away fast enough. No exploring. No magic. No imagining a past.

Gum trees and bracken, but where did their house stand?

There are probably trees sprouting there again now, but planted in rows with no variety in the undergrowth. The cycle will repeat itself, the land may repair, but for me, the essence of my ancestors presence on that piece of land has been vaporised.

Out of the Drawer

Every now and then, something unexpected pops up. Tonight I found the following advertisement in the Advocate newspaper.

Two years later we stand next to our
 three roomed  house

SALE OF THREE-ROOMED
DWELLING
at the
BURNIE MART
The FARMERS' CO-OPERATIVE AUCTIONEERS LTD. will offer at their Burnie Mart, on FRIDAY, APRIL 20, at 3 o'clock,
A delightfully situated 3-roomed concrete dwelling, situate at No. 14 Mark street, Hillcrest, Burnie.
3-plate electric stove installed.
This dwelling would serve as a temporary abode while larger premises were being installed on the spacious block of land, which overlooks Bass Strait and central Burnie.
For further particulars and to arrange inspection,
The FARMERS' CO-OPERATIVE
AUCTIONEERS LTD.,
FRIDAY, APRIL 20.1951

A three roomed house might not sound very exciting to many people but my parents braved Mark Street and purchased this house, moving in about six weeks later. They had been living with my grandparents, where my sister and I each had a drawer as a bed. This was alright for me as I was only a few months old but at nearly two, she would have had to tuck her knees under her chin.
 Within a couple of weeks of the purchase, it was reported that road works had to cease as rain had made the thoroughfare into a quagmire and three cars were bogged so deep there was no hope of towing them out till the road dried out. That would have made Mum really happy.
Our house was made of grey brick and the stove really was its only selling point. Three rooms end to end was all there was - not even a kitchen sink. The four of us slept in one room which also housed a wardrobe and dressing table. A Peter's oven was removed to make way for a fireplace in the lounge which was also the dining room and kitchen. Somehow, this oven was transported to Lower Wilmot where it was welcomed in the Doe household. The final room of our house was the bathroom/laundry/front entrance. Not many houses have only one door which opens straight into the bathroom.
I still remember the green lino on the floor and the red painted rectangle of tin over the fireplace. Lace curtains and holland blinds covered the windows and dampness had caused the formation of huge bubbles in the layers of plywood on the internal walls. We sat at the homemade table on a wooden bench and the parents each had a bent wood chair.
There is a view of Bass Strait, as the advertisement says, but a couple of hills would need to be flattened to really get a view of central Burnie

Feed the Man Meat

Ephraim was fond of meat and he certainly did not think he should pay for it. His escapade in being found with meat on his property for which he could not account received a little space in the press and we would be very ill informed about the incident if another court case had not followed. Yet again, Ephraim went to court as he felt that he had been wronged. From the newspaper reports we learn an incredible amount about their lives.
First, he and Bridget seem to have been running two farms. The Valuation Rolls show two different properties being rented by Ephraim at the time. He must have gained some farming ability if he had 30 acres in grain and was running cattle and pigs as well. He seems to have had only one helper. Farming methods of the time would have been labour intensive. He also dealt in horses and owned farm equipment. It must have been a challenge as his fences were broken and it seems it was not a showcase farm. Ephraim went to Launceston to get 50 pounds to pay the fine imposed by the court. This amounted to more than a year's rent on the farm, a very large sum. Just how much meat had been found? From whom did he think he could borrow such a large sum?
While he was away, Bridget did not cope. She packed up the farm, put the children in the orphanage and ended up drunk, probably more than less in the Halfway House.
Ephraim arrived home, was gaoled as he failed to find money to pay the fine, then discovered that his animals, his main income had been illegally taken and auctioned off.
The Court case showed tha the was not the only shifty character in the colony, by this time renamed Tasmania. Was he satisfied with the outcome?
It was not long before he decided that the Northern end of the island might be a better place to live. He had spent several years around the Liffey area and seems to have headed there early in 1860. - probably on someone else's horse.

Queens Orphanage but no Royal Treatment



Ephraim and MaryAnn Doe admitted to the
Orphan School April 1 1859



By 1859, Bridget and Ephraim had two children, Ephraim the younger and Mary Ann. In fact, at the time, everyone had a Mary Ann. Ephraim snr had decided to go into farming and was having mixed success. I was first alerted to the fact that the children had been put in the orphanage by Joyce Purtscher who was indexing all the Orphan School records. She told me that there would be a letter in the Colonial Secretary's Office records and gave me the index number. With great excitement I set off into the Archives and waited anxiously while the required volume was brought down from upstairs. Carefully I turned the pages until I found it, or didn't find it as the case turned out. The heading at the top of the page gave the correct names and two pin holes were evidence that at one time a note had been attached but the page was now empty. What disappointment. I had some clues however, from the index. The children were in the orphanage on colonial funds which meant that the reason they were there was that something had happened in the colony to cause them to be left there. Neither Ephraim or Bridget's indents gave a clue that there had been a problem in the family.

When released, the children were given out to their mother's care. Did that mean that the problem was with Ephraim? Another oddity was that the childrens' names had been written just as christian names and the surnames Norton or Doe added in a slightly different hand. My next thought was that maybe there had been a tiff and the parents had separated for a time. It took me more than ten years to discover the answer.



Bridget given as name of parent



It was not a good time to be in the Orphan School. The Mercury reported that "these unhappy children are said to be living in a state of squalor, hunger, wretchedness and filth, which almost surpasses human belief ."   Following an inquiry, rations of meat and vegetables were doubled and the milk quota for children under six was quadrupled. Luckily, Ephraim jnr and MaryAnn were back with their parents before the following February when it was discovered that the allowance of bread each day had been lowered to 1/4 pound.  

For more on the Orphan School, follow this link

http://www.orphanschool.org.au/

Royal CLean Out

Yesterday I began a sorting and tidying task and came across this brooch. It is a bit the worse for wear, having lost it's "diamonds" and the silver is looking even more fake than when it was purchased. I used to wear this. As a two year old I was patriotic enough to want to wear the portrait of my king across my breast. I would be fairly certain that no two year olds in Britain, let alone Australia would be proudly wearing their Queen's portrait on a daily basis these days. Later, after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11, I had a "Queen" cup which was very precious and used for drinking Milo on special occasions. I also received a book about the Queen for my 3rd birthday and really treasured it . It had a  royal blue cover of course and I knew every picture intimately. There were pictures of the coronation, Prince Charles and Princess Anne as well as the Duke and Queen. I was taken to see the Queen when she came to Burnie, early in the day in the town and later in Burnie Park. I can't remember anything of it but it made my mother excited. She told me all about it years later. She was sure the Queen looked at me twice as I had the same blond curls as Princess Anne.
Of course, George VI was still gracing us with his portrait on our coins but they gradually disappeared to be replaced by the young and beautiful Elizabeth. As she aged, her portrait on the money lagged behind somewhat and we wondered what beauty treatments she was wearing. Then television told us the truth. She was just like the rest of us.
Royalty has had its highs and lows. Ephraim and Bridget lived through four regencies. Two Georges, a William and a Victoria graced the Royal throne during their lives. Would they have heard and recognised the Royal Anthem or stood to attention when it was played. Even though we no longer feel a great connection to the crown, we are far more aware of it than they ever could have been.

A Happy Homecoming for Bridget Doe

When a drunk comes to the door, most of us wouldn't let him in. The water in Van Diemen's Land was not of such good quality, so beer was a much safer drink. Bridget knew this and so did Edward Hunt. He was a policeman, but not a very good one. He was not too good at following orders and at one stage, robbed the prisoner he was supposed to be searching. Bridget nevertheless let him in and provided him with drink, the result being that she was charged with harbouring a prisoner of the crown for the purpose of tippling.
Tippling seems to be a term where money was exchanged in return for the alcohol. Hunt received ten days solitary but for Bridget, the punishment was much more severe - 6 months at the Female Factory. She had been there before and knew what to expect: uncomfortable clothing, long days at the washtubs, cold stone walls and rules governing everything she did. She cannot have been happy.


Door of the Matron's Cottage



Outer perimeter walls, Female Factory, Cascades



Stone construction of wall, Female Factory, Cascades

 Her behaviour must have been reasonable as she managed to be released into the care of her husband, after only 5 months, What a relief it would have been for both of them. Together again, they enjoyed each other's company and within a couple of weeks, Bridget would have had the first indications that life was to change in a big way. She was pregnant.
Bridget may never have seen Edward Hunt again, but Ephraim almost certainly did.

Missing, one mustard pot

Seems Bridget just couldn't get it right. Trouble seemed to follow her. James Lomas was next to take her to court on a charge of stealing his pewter mustard pot and his satin waistcoat. He seems to have been just an ordinary citizen, living in Jerusalem Street and although Lomas is not a name I have heard in Tasmania today, there were quite a few people of this name in the early days, some convicts and some free. He lived in the town and was obviously missing some goods. Why was Bridget accused? Both she and Ephraim were arrested but it seems she was the main suspect.Was she working at this house, or maybe visiting? Mustard pots and satin waistcoats are not items normally seen together in a pair, like salt and pepper. From where did they disappear and how was it noticed?
The lucky couple were awarded a couple of nights accomodation courtesy of the government at Richmond Gaol before they were presented at court, Bridget quite prepared to stand trial. She must have felt she had a good case, and so it turned out. They were released without charge