Hannah SPENCER and David HARPER Scanned from the original publication by Olive Richards. 1.7 Hannah Spencer m David Harper 1 Information taken from the Harper Family History. the last years of their long life together at this home. the first of many of their descendants associated with the church. William HARPER was born in 1829, the son of John and They celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1909. Lydia HARPER of Barrington in the County of Cambridge, William died after nine weeks illness of a respiratory condi- William and Sarah Ann left England at the age of 23 and 20 England, being baptised on 14th day of February 1830. tion aged 82 on August 29, 1911, and was buried at the old years, their start in South Australia was the same as other William was a well built, good looking man, short of stature, Meadows cemetery. His remains were later disinterred and pioneers recorded in the area - a home built of wattle and with the English colouring of Fair Hair and blue eyes. Wil- moved to the site of the Meadows Cemetery as we know it daub, a struggle to work unrelenting soil. (It was not until liam married Sarah Ann JUDE, born to Jonathon JUDE and now. The following is an extract from a local paper at the about 1911 with the advent of superphosphate that produc- his wife of Barrington, in the County of Cambridge, England time of his death. tivity of crops improved greatly, and not until the early on the 31st day of March 1831. Sarah Ann was small boned, 1920s that a son, John Harper, used superphosphate for with petite features, a pointy elfin chin, dark hair and dark “Mr William Harper, an old and highly respected resident of pasture.) The high mortality rate among children. The brown eyes. William and Sarah married at the Parish Meadows South District, died at Prospect Hill last Tuesday everpresent challenge of fire in the summer months. A few Church in the Parish of Barrington, Cambridgeshire on the evening at the age of 82 years. The deceased was one of of the many hardships of all the pioneering families of that 11th day of February 1849 in the presence of James AUS- the earliest settlers in this part. With his brother, Arthur, time. William and Sarah Ann were among the fortunate TIN and Lydia HARPER. of Clarendon (who survives him) he carried on farming, and ones who succeeded eventually in wresting a comfortable did several important building works. Mr Harper, who was living from the land, and had the satisfaction of knowing On the 19th June 1853, William and Sarah Ann, with their born in Barrington, Cambridgeshire, England, in 1829, came that their four sons were following successfully in their baby son David, arrived at Holdfast Bay (now Glenelg), to this state in 1852 (should read 1853), in the ship Mary footsteps. South Australia, on the sailing vessel “Mary Green” in her Green, with his wife. only trip that she made, taking three long months to travel Below is the headstone to be found in the Meadows Ceme- from Southampton to South Australia. Sarah Ann suffered After having resided at Richmond for about two years they tery. severe seasickness the whole trip. removed to the Meadows South District, where they re- sided ever since. About two years ago Mr and Mrs Harper The couple firstly settled either at Richmond or Woodville celebrated their diamond wedding—the first in the district. before moving to Meadows, where William worked a prop- A widow, nine children, 52 grand and 19 great grand chil- erty later owned by a Mr ROWLEY. William walked from dren survivi. The sons and daughters living are: Messrs. Adelaide to Meadows through rough scrub country, but it is David and Joseph (New South Wales), Thomas (Clarendon) not known whether Sarah Ann walked with him at the time and John (Prospect Hill), Mrs Matulick (Renmark), Mrs Pike or travelled later by bullock dray. and Mrs S Nicol (Prospect Hill), Mrs Lawrence (Brighton) and Mrs Marshall (McHarg’s Creek)”. Although listed in the ships register as shepherd, William started in this new country as a wheat farmer, later taking Sarah Ann lived another 12 years after the death of Wil- up dairying. It is thought that they purchased their farm, a liam. She died in her 93rd year on the 24 August 1923 property originally owned by a family called Morris, in Pros- following a short illness of one week from pneumonia, and is pect Hill in the year 1899. The house stood still at the time buried beside William. the Harper Family History was put together showing little wear and tear, but was not at the time in the hands of a There is a stained glass memorial window to William and member of the family. It was/is the third house down the Sarah Ann Harper and their daughter and son in law, Eliza hill on the south side of the Prospect Hill Methodist and James Pike, in the Methodist Church at Prospect hill: Church. Their farm covered the area from this homestead the church which William, with others, helped to build in to the Prospect Hill School (now closed). The Prospect Hill the year 1873. He was elected senior society steward, School property was purchased partly from Harper and the which office he held until his death, when a son, John Wil- adjoining Griggs’ properties. William and Sarah lived out liam Harper succeeded him. William and Sarah Ann were 2 Three brothers of the Harper family are known to have a clerical error on the part of the recorder is not to be Below is the headstone at the Clarendon Kangarilla Ceme- migrated to Australia. The first was William, followed by disregarded but is thought doubtful. tery. Arthur and then John. The first generations of Harpers in South Australia, Arthur and Lucy (nee CREEK) HARPER, aged 19 and 18 thought that John Harper and his wife disembarked in an- years, arrived in South Australia on the “Lord Raglan” on other state of Australia, and in this way became separated the 24th October, 1854. He travelled with his young wife from the family. per bullock dray to Wickham’s Hill and settled at Spring Grove, now known as Prospect Hill, where he spent many Mr Ross Harper of Blackwood South Australia, a grandson years, ultimately removing to Clarendon in what came to be of Arthur Harper, recalls being told by his father of John called Harper’s or Wesley Gully. Harper settling in New South Wales. Arthur worked long and diligently for the community. Be- James and Lydia Harper are also shown in the records at sides holding office and being a staunch supporter of his the archives as having arrived in South Australia on 25 May church, he was the sole survivor of the inaugural meeting of 1855 on the “Punjab”, the records indicating they were from the Meadows Oddfellows’ Lodge, of which for forty nine the County of Cambridge. Their ages 35 and 32 years. years he was a member. The Agricultural Bureau made him James Harper could be a cousin (forty-third or otherwise) a life member. The Recreation Ground Committee had the to William and Arthur, as they are from the same area. benefit of his very active membership. Arthur and Lucy were married for over sixty years. Lucy died at the age of 87 years on the 24th July, 1920. Arthur died at the age of 89 years and nine months on the 1st Oc- tober 1924. They are buried in the Clarendon/Kangarilla Cemetery. Three sons and five daughters survived them - George, Andrew, Herbert, and Mesdames Jung, Hart, J Spencer, W A Morphett and G A Morphett. The above excerpts were taken from a copy of the obituary of Arthur Harper, a complete copy of which is to be found in the Prospect Hill Museum. John HARPER was the third brother to migrate to Austra- lia. Unfortunately the families lost touch, but it is thought that john went to Victoria or New South Wales. Records at the Archives in South Australia show that a John and Mar- tha Harper (aged 23 and 20 years) arrived here on the 10 June, 1855, on the “Grand Trianon”, but Country of Origin is shown as Tyrone, Ireland, which discounts kinship, as one would expect William and Arthur to be aware of their brother’s visit or migration from Ireland. The possibility of 3 Edgar Francis HARRIS’s parents are William Thomas HARRIS b 1866 Nagambie VIC d 1953 district of William Spencer and Jane Vickerman Ardlethan NSW and Eliza Jane MORGAN b 1870 Woodend VIC d 1932 district of Ardlethan NSW (parents Thomas MORGAN and Jane). Children: 1. Arthur Thomas b 1892 Kyabrum VIC d 1968 Temora NSW m 1925 district of Ardlethan NSW Margaret William Spencer and Maicey Cook J VEARING. 2. Ethel Jane b 1894 Kyabrum VIC d 1931 district of Ardlethan NSW m 1915 Edward Frederick Roy ROGERS. John Spencer and Dinah Russell 3. Emma May b 1896 Kyabrum VIC d 1962 Ariah Park NSW. 4. Elizabeth Victoria (Tommy) b 1897d 1978 m George McMAHON. 5. William James b 19-5-1899 Kyabrum VIC d 22-5-1966 Ariah Park NSW m 22-7-1920 Vera May Pretoria CROUCH 28-9-1901 Solomontown Port Pirie SA? d 31-5-1985 Ariah Park NSW (parents? Mark Henry CROUCH and Annie Olive DALTON). See further along in this tree (1.7.5.3) for another connection. 6. Irwin Henry b 1902 Kyabrum VIC d 1973 VIC? m Melbourne VIC? Maisie TAEBRING.