Caleb & Hannah DALWOOD - A New Life in Australia

Caleb's and Hannah's story is not, in itself, particularly remarkable; at least, not through being unique. Yet this is what does make their story remarkable. That their courage, determination and optimism is typical of thousands of families who migrated to South Australia, and many thousands more to other Australian colonies, is indeed inspiring and awesome.

What led Caleb and Hannah to forsake their home and families forever and leave the beautiful Somerset countryside for an unknown land on the other side of the world? We don't know, and sadly, are unlikely to ever know. The promise of ample opportunity to work hard and earn enough money to buy their own land or business must have been prominent in their thoughts, for that is exactly what they did.

It is quite astounding to consider the family they established (more details to come) in that foreign land. So far we know of more than 200 people, in six or more following generations, who can call Caleb and Hannah parents or so-many-times great grandparents. Of these, it is estimated more than 100 are currently living descendants. The actual number of descendants is probably double these figures!

Caleb DALWOOD was born around 1810 in England. His father was named Caleb also, and his mother was Sarah GEAR. Hannah TREVETT was born about 1811 and her parents were Meshech TREVETT and Sarah.

Caleb and Hannah were both living in the village of Stoke sub Hamdon, Somerset, when they married in the local parish church of St Mary the Virgin, in 1831. Their witnesses were George DALWOOD, who we believe was Caleb's older brother, and Ann DALWOOD (whose relationship to Caleb or Hannah is not yet identified). The marriage register shows that Caleb did not read and write, but Hannah signed her name.

Their first child, a daughter named Sarah, was born in 1832 followed by their first son, William, in 1834. Second daughter, Elizabeth, arrived in 1836, and their third daughter, Achsah, was born very early in 1840.

The year 1840 was very significant one for the couple, for in March of that year Caleb applied for free passage to the new colony of South Australia for himself and his family under the assisted emigrant labourer scheme.

To qualify for free passage an applicant had to be honest, sober, industrious, of general good character, able-bodied, of sane mind and between 15 and 30 years old. Caleb was very nearly too old, although it should be remembered that some eager migrants understated their age.

Preference was given to married people, who were required to take their spouse, and to particular manual occupations. At the time, Caleb was a hurdler and fencer, and as such would have been a valuable asset to the new colony.

Charges were often levied for emigrant children who were not of working age. Caleb and Hannah, like many other emigrants, probably obtained assistance from the parish or their family and friends to cover their costs of preparing for the long sea voyage.

Within a few weeks of applying, the couple and their four children, one less than five months old, left their home in Milborne Port and boarded the Lysander bound for Adelaide. The 476 ton, 123 foot sailing ship departed in May, from London and Plymouth, and the family most likely would have embarked at Plymouth.

Anything we might try to imagine about the conditions they experienced on board is undoubtedly inadequate. After more than three months at sea, the family arrived in Adelaide early in September 1840.

Caleb’s older brother William Thorne DALWOOD had also applied to emigrate at the same time as Caleb, but William and his family had already arrived a few weeks earlier in August, on the Lalla Rookh.

Soon both families were living in the same or adjacent house(s) in Currie Street, Adelaide. Curiously, the 1841 census also reveals Caleb and his family at Little Parra [Para] outstation, some distance north of Adelaide. Perhaps they were in the course of moving while the census was being taken.

In 1845 Caleb was farming at Section 239 Spring Gully, applying his hurdler and fencer skills to his own benefit rather than an employer's. It was during this year, in June, that their daughter Emma, the first Australian-born Dalwood in this family, entered the world.

Caleb was still farming at Spring Gully in 1847, and in the following year Hannah gave birth to another son, John.

By 1849 Caleb was a farmer at Goodwood, south of Adelaide (the part we now call the CBD). It was probably the same farm he had been working since 1845, but he was looking for another opportunity.

This he found in a new occupation as an innkeeper, acquiring what appears to have been a seven year lease on the Park Gate Inn nearby, at the corner of Goodwood Road and Park Terrace (now Greenhill Road). Although an inner suburb of Adelaide now, Goodwood was then considered to be in the country.

In March 1850 Caleb's annual licence renewal was refused because of the poor state of the establishment. Caleb conceded that the inn had been out of sorts due to his building activity, extending it from two rooms to seven. He argued that people owed him money and that the roads were impassable in winter, which would have adversely affected his business.

He failed to impress the magistrates, who advised him to re-apply for his licence in three months time. The licence was re-instated later.

In the spring (September) of 1851, just hours after attending the offices of the Central Roads Board in Adelaide, Caleb died suddenly of "inflammation of the lungs", at the age of 41. He had probably been campaigning for improvement to the condition of the roads.

Caleb's death would seem too sudden to have been pneumonia, as we might expect inflammation of the lungs to be, so perhaps he died of an asthma attack.

Buried in West Terrace Cemetery, Caleb had died without a will, leaving Hannah with an inn and seven children. Although the eldest, Sarah Ann had been married for nearly two years, all were under the age of 21, the youngest only months old.

Mourning her husband and caring for her children, Hannah was undaunted. She petitioned the Supreme Court, assuring it that she was Caleb's widow and next-of-kin, and that she would "well and truly administer" Caleb's estate, which did not exceed 400 pounds.

Appropriately, Hannah's claim attracted no challenges when this was invited by notice published in three successive Government Gazettes.

Hannah was granted administration of Caleb's "goods and chattels, rights, credits and effects", but with the imposition of a rather severe condition. She had to agree to pay the court 800 pounds (even though the estate was deemed to be worth less than 400 pounds), if she failed to administer Caleb's estate properly.

She would also be liable to the penalty if she failed to provide the court with a full report within a year, and then after that, whenever the court saw fit. She signed the undertaking jointly with Henry Letheby (her daughter Sarah Ann's husband) and a neighbour and no doubt good friend, Charles West.

She took over the licence of the inn and operated it with the help of her eldest son William Trevett DALWOOD, known as Will.

Within a short time of his father's death, Will had also become active in the community. When only nineteen, he was part of the movement which established the (local government) District Council of Mitcham in 1853. The state of the roads had caused problems for Caleb and was one of the factors driving this action by local residents.

Some years later in 1870, with partner Joseph Darwent, Will contracted to the government to build the northernmost 600 miles of the Overland Telegraph line.

Hannah remained licensee of the inn for four years after Caleb's death, and it appears to have been reasonably profitable. Will, on her behalf, bought the property outright for 800 pounds, mortgaging it for only 350 pounds, just one year before their lease would have expired.

However, only a year later in 1856, they leased it to Jesse Johnson for a further seven years. Hannah moved to Kent Town where her daughter Achsah was married at Hannah’s home in 1864.

By 1866 Hannah had been a widow for almost 15 years and in this time had dedicated herself to the inn and bringing up her family, the youngest of whom was now 15 years old.

Hannah was to grieve again, however. Consumption (tuberculosis) claimed her youngest daughter Emma aged 20, and just 13 months later it claimed the life of her son John, aged only 19.

Later, Hannah lived at Woodside, in the picturesque Adelaide Hills, where she was the postmistress for several years. It was here, in 1877, that her youngest child, Thomas Caleb, met and married Frances Fanny FENTON, the daughter of a local saddler and ironmonger.

After her husband's death, Hannah lived, at various times and places, with one or other of her adult children.

In 1878 while living back within the city of Adelaide, with youngest son Thomas Caleb and his wife Fanny, Hannah died of bronchitis, aged 67. She also was buried in West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide.

Sadly, neither Hannah's nor Caleb's grave is marked.