Hannah Sutton

Hannah Sutton

Miss W. Biography, Sutton , ,

Hannah Sutton was born on 9 July 1861 in Evandale, Tasmania to parents Matthew Sutton and Mary McCreery who were both convicts. Hannah’s father was a labourer and in 1853 also got his carrier licence. 

Children born to Matthew and Mary:

  • 1852 Thomas Henry
  • 1855 Sophia
  • 1861 Hannah
  • 1863 Matthew William
  • 1870 Clarence St Clair Cyril George

Matthew and his family moved to Lymington near the Nile where he was working as a groom. In 1880, Hannah’s father was charged with cruelty to a horse but the case was dismissed.

On 26 April 1882, she married Alexander Dawson, a miner, at his family home in Gladstone, Tasmania.

Children:

  • William John Alexander Dawson
  • Albert William Dawson
  • Alexander Dawson
  • Catherine Mary Dawson
  • Henry George Dawson
  • John McKay Dawson
  • Myrtle Amy (Dawson) Eaves
  • Olive Maud Dawson
  • George Byron Matthew Dawson
  • William Percy Dawson
  • Frederick Roy Dawson

In September 1889, Hannah’s father passed away from paralysis at the Launceston Invalid Depot.

Hannah and her family moved from Gladstone to Queenstown between 1898 and 1900.  The family were living at Conglomerate Creek where they had moved all their belongings from their house during a big fire. Unfortunately they lost all their belongings and a week or so later, their house was also destroyed. It was just after this that Hannah’s husband passed away in 1901. The people of Queenstown raised over 65 pounds to give to Hannah and her family.

With many young children to look after, Hannah remarried in 1905 to Michael John Carey and had one child with him.

  • Eileen Jessie Blanche Carey

Hannah passed away on 26 July 1938 at Queenstown, Tasmania. An obituary was written up in local papers.

Alexander Dawson senior

Miss W. Biography, Dawson , , , ,

Alexander was born about 1860 but no birth record has been found. He was the third son of William Dawson and Catherine McKay who were both convicts from Scotland. William was a baker.

Alexander’s siblings were:

  • 1855 Francis
  • 1858 William Albert
  • 1860 Alexander
  • 1863 John McKay
  • 1866 Elizabeth

On 26th April 1882, Alexander Dawson was a 22-year-old miner, when he married Hannah Sutton, aged 23, at the home of Catherine Dawson at Gladstone, Tasmania. Both were single. The Wesleyan Church ceremony was performed, by license, by Samuel Harris, Minister, before witnesses Catharine Dawson and Matthew Sutton.

Over the next 18 years, 11 children were born to this couple, all but one born in Gladstone, while the youngest was born after their move to Queenstown.

  • 1882 William John Alexander – died age nearly 2
  • 1883 Albert William
  • 1884 Alexander
  • 1886 Catherine Mary
  • 1891 Henry George
  • 1892 John McKay
  • 1894 Olive Maud – twin
  • 1894 Myrtle Amy – twin
  • 1896 George Byron Matthew
  • 1898 William Percy
  • 1900 Frederick Roy (James)

In late March 1884 Bishop Sandford visited Gladstone and he baptised an infant of Alexander’s. This may have been Alexander who had been born in February that year.

The birth of the twin girls was mentioned in a family notice in Daily Telegraph Launceston on 25 October.

In 1895 Alexander’s father passed away in hospital in Launceston from heart disease.

Between 1898 and 1900 the family moved to Queenstown where Frederick was born.

Alexander was a miner both in Gladstone and Queenstown where he worked at Great Lyell South.

Alexander’s death on 15 April 1901 from inflammation of the lungs was registered in Queenstown, Tasmania, Australia. This left his wife Hannah with 10 children to look after. 

Less than a month later, monies had been raised or given to help the family who were now without a breadwinner after the loss of their father. There was a long story behind the loss of their father and husband.

R for Ringarooma

Miss W. Dawson , , , ,

Many of my posts relating to Tasmania include something to do with mining. Present day Ringarooma is a small town about 55 kilometres northeast of Launceston. The area was first used by the Tasmanian aborigines but it wasn’t until the 1850’s when James Scott blazed a track over the range of mountains that the area was opened up for farming.

In my recent research, I have found that the original town developed in the 1860’s called Ringarooma was actually near the mouth of the Ringarooma River flowing out into Ringarooma Bay. In 1888, this town was renamed to Boobyalla. Also in 1888, the town once called Krushka Town was renamed Ringarooma. This is the present town mentioned in the first paragraph.

Ringarooma is also a registration district for births, deaths and marriages in Tasmania.

The early settlers in the 1860’s arrived in the Ringarooma area by horseback or walking as the tracks were very narrow. As the settlement grew larger, the tracks were widened and bullock trains could then bring in people and supplies. It would take about 12 hours from Launceston in a two horse buggy.

In the 1870’s alluvial tin was found about three kilometres from the town. Now smaller townships developed but still based around Ringarooma where the miners would get their supplies. Gold was first found in the early 1880’s at the New River.

For those families who didn’t want to mine, they could clear the land to grow crops. They found the soil around Ringarooma was of a great chocolate colour and was fantastic for dairy and beef cattle. Crops such as potatoes, peas, carrots and onions were also grown as well as hops.

In 1908, the Ringarooma Co-operative Butter, Cheese and Bacon Factory was opened.

Mercury Mine, Alberton, Ringarooma (c1900)

How this registration district fits into my family history.

Alexander Dawson senior and Hannah Sutton, my 2nd great grandparents, married in 1882 in Gladstone which is in the Ringarooma registration district. Alexander was a miner. They were married in the home of Catherine Dawson, Alexander’s mother.

Alexander Dawson, my great grandfather, as mentioned in the post about Queenstown, was born in Gladstone in the Ringarooma District in 1884. Most of his siblings were also born in the Ringarooma district and around 1899, his parents, Alexander senior and Hannah nee Sutton moved the family to Queenstown where their final child Frederick was born in 1900.

Unfortunately Alexander senior died in 1901 from inflammation of the lungs. His death was written up in the local paper.

PS Maybe I should have checked precisely where the Dawson siblings were born rather than just looking at the registration district. The distance between Gladstone and the town Ringarooma is about 55 kilometres.