AUSTRALIA ~ The Antipodes

AUSTRALIA ~ The Antipodes
I love a sunburnt country / A land of sweeping plains / Of ragged mountain ranges / Of droughts and flooding rains / I love her far horizons / I love her jewel-sea / Her beauty and her terror / The wide brown land for me / ~ Dorothea Mackellar (1885-1968)

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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Sherlock Life


This headstone appears at Mornington Cemetery (once known as Moorooduc Cemetery) on the Mornington Peninsula


DEATH OF MR. SAMUEL SHERLOCK, SENR. - fascinating article in Trove 
6th September 1900
On Thursday last there passed away at his residence, Mornington, one of the oldest residents of the Peninsula in the person of Mr Samuel Sherlock, senr. The deceased had suffered from asthma for many years past and about a fortnight ago was conflned to his bed. Dr Somers was called in, and by skil- ful treatment, he so far recovered as to be able to ride into Mornington and vote on polling day. However, on return- ing home, he again took ill, and des- pite all that medical aid could do, he expired about 6 p.m. on the evening abovementioned, the immediate cause of death being syncope, supervening on mitral valve disease. The deceased was well-known and very highly respected throughout the whole of the Peninsula, and ample evidence of his popularity was given on Sunday, when 60 vehicles and over 40 horsemen followed his remains to their last resting place, the Moorooduc cemetery, where a most impressive burial service was read by the 
Rev Jas Caldwell, Presbyterian minister - mentioned in my last Taphophile Tragics post He leaves a widow, two sons (Lieutenant Samuel Sherlock, Veterinary Surgeon with the Bushman's Contingent in South Africa - Australian Veterinary Corps is discussed in my post HERE and Andrew, who is a storekeeper at Mornington) and three daughters (Mrs W. Baxter, Sarah and Aggie) to mourn his loss, and the greatest sympathy is expressed on all sides for them. [Mr Sherlock, who at the time of his death was 64 years of age, was born at Launceston, Tasmania, 1836, and came to Victoria in 1840, being then only 4 years old. His father had a small run at Yarraville, but died four years after he arrived. His sister and her husband (the late Mr Stenniken) then had charge and they stayed at Yarraville for another 4 years, when they purchased the late Mr Kenyon's property at Tootgoorook, now called Rye, which was in those days good grazing country and not overgrown with ti-tree as it is now. They moved their stock to this property in 1848, Mr Sherlock stopping with them as stockkeeper for a number of years. He was afterwards with Mr Burrell, senr., of Arthur's Seat and Mr Barker, senr., of Cape Schanck (both of these gentlemen being dead some years) stockriding, and he used to tell many amusing stories of that life in the early days. The stockman's work at Arthur's Seat in those days was to round up the wild cattle, shoot the bulls and brand the cows and calfs. It was while he was at the latter station that he, along with Mr Robert Anderson (the only two there at the time) had to entertain the two notorious bushrangers, Brady and O'Connor, who had got away from Tasmania on a craft, and when off Cape Schanck tied up all hands, took two of the sailors and the boat, tried to sink the vessel, made for the shore, and landed safely through the surf with a broken boat. They then made the sailors walk in front of them up the cliff, to Mr.Barker's station, got some food, made a stock of bullets, gave Mr Sherlock a powder flask and the boat, and departed without doing any mis- chief. These two men were shortly afterwards captured and executed. He was next with the late Mr A. B. Balcombe, of "The Briars" (who had a good portion of the now Shire of Mornington as his run, before there was any township) stockkeeping, horse- breeding, etc. From Mr Balcombe's place he married a young lady named Janet McLellan in April 1859, and settled down at Green Island. Before the days of coaches, he used to carry the mail on horseback from Rye to Cheltenham and from King's Creek (Hastings) to the same place. He was also a contractor for roads, bridges, etc, and carried on farming in a small way. He was married, lived and died in the house he built for himself. Although for the last 20 years he suffered greatly from asthma, he always had a colt its hand, and, in fact, was never happy unless amongst horses, of which he was passionately fond. His last job was breaking in a pony, which he handled and rode himself, although very ill at the time.]


Of further note, Janet (Jessie) McLellan was one of the few survivors of the ship Ticonderoga, on its 1852 voyage from Birkenhead to Port Phillip Bay.
(The ship has a website HERE!)
The ship had a shocking death rate and was quarantined at Point Nepean near The Rip - entrance to Port Phillip Bay.
It became known as the fever ship.
Janet survived, and, like others, ventured further north on the Mornington Peninsula.
She found work with the Balcombe family at The Briars.
Janet met her husband first at the Quarantine Station where Samuel supplied meat from John Barker’s property at Cape Schanck.  Ref: HERE
Her details on the passenger list:
McLELLAN Janet (18); Lanark, domestic servant, Presbyterian, read & write

Pioneering skills
Turned his hand to many trades
Enterprising man

Linking to:
Taphophile Tragics

9 comments:

Mimi Foxmorton said...

I love that you have made this lovely post. I am quite fascinate with history. I do think that we put so much more care into the lives of our citizens back then. So much more detail. Everything today is hurry, hurry with no time to note the little things. I'm glad he was able to vote. It must have been important to him. :)

I have been working on a folklore project centered around our local cemetery. It consumes one! (in a good way!) ;)

Have a lovely day.....
~Mimi
http://www.morgancemtery.blogspot.com

Sherry Blue Sky said...

This is FASCINATING! Amazingly harsh, the lives of the old timers. Wow - and they still got so much done! Interesting post, kiddo.

Julie said...

Linky is behaving itself this morning, and I have relinked for you.

Francisca said...

I can just HEAR someone telling the life story of Samuel! It covers a lifetime, yet it's full of delicious detail. And Jessie, the survivor! What a fun read, Gemma (although I did have to copy-paste it into Notebook with a larger font so I could see it. LOL!)

SeaThreePeeO said...

What an amazing post. Sad to lose two children. My daughter is nearly three months old. It must have broken their hearts.

Herding Cats

Nellies said...

Now that is the kind of background information I am always looking for when I have photographed some interesting gravestones, but I hardly find anything.... Your post is very interesting, thanks so much for sharing!

Julie said...

That Trove is a treasure! :)

Yes, Samuel reminds me of my gggf of the same era. His list of skills would keep a farming community going, and jack-of-all-trades is a good description.

The obituary commences by describing Samuel as 'one of the oldest residents of the peninsula', yet he died aged 64. My how times have changed. But maybe it was more to do with how long the peninsula had been settled.

Those two bushrangers were 'illegal boat arrivals' ahead of their time.

Thanks for your continued engrossing support of Taphophile Tragics, Gemma. I look forward to your post each Tuesday.

hamilton said...

It is always interesting to see just how many skills a pioneer could get himself into - and needed to be into - during his life.

CaT said...

how sad that all their 3 children died so young....
i thought the "... of the above" funny... :)

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