Book 1.

The Miltons- From Burlescombe, Devon, England

1. The Miltons in Devon:

The surname, Milton is moderately common throughout old Anglo-Saxon, Norman England although it has a range of spellings, Milton, Mildon, Moulton, Melton, Mylton etc. but most have become Milton in modern times possibly due to the influence of the spelling of the 17 th Century poet, republican and political writer, John Milton who, incidentally could not have been our direct ancestor as his children who survived infancy were all female. Before 1066, Anglo-Saxon England extended for lengthy periods into the Eastern Scottish Lowlands to at least the Firth of Forth where Edinburgh is situated and the place-name Milton can be found from there southwards through what is now defined as modern England, as far as the West County of Devon and even Cornwall. In fact, it is in the latter region that the Milton name was most common in the 19 th century. The greatest concentration was along a wide strip that runs east from the north Devon coast through the gap between Dartmoor and Exmoor, splitting northwards east of Exmoor to the Bristol Channel in west Somerset and southwards along the Devon-Somerset border through the river valleys of East Devon before rejoining south-east Dartmoor to eventually reach the English Channel coast west of Exeter (see Appendix 2, Maps).

There seem to be two derivations of the name. The first, and least common, is from a small town containing a mill. Most sources seem to indicate that this applies more to the regions north of the midlands. The more common derivation is from the old Wessex of Anglo-Saxon England where it indicates middle farm , the farm representing a rather larger cluster of buildings than an isolated house 1. It is thus comparable with Norton, north farm , Sutton, south farm , Eaton east farm , Weston, west farm and so on. As our ancestors were from Devon, this is the most likely origin. Records in Devon indicate that the name Milton existed in one of its various Goard is not a common name in the spelling forms from at least as early as the UK. It appears to be derived as a craft fifteenth century and probably earlier. Some name from leather workers, particularly were distinguished and held significant those that made leather bottles administrative positions but more commonly, (gourdes). At around 1800, I can only it was the name of small landholders find it at a few isolated parts of Devon (yeomen), farmers and farm laborers. near the mouth of the Exe on the English Channel and on the North West To date, the earliest of our direct ancestors coast of Cornwall. I have been unable that can be traced is Richard Milton, born to trace anything about Elizabeth Goard somewhere around 1770 to 1780 and married

1 “ Following on from the isolated ‘cot’ was the more ambitious 'worthig'- Saxon for a small- holding. It survives in the names ending 'worthy', particularly in North Devon. The ‘worthy’ was a one family farm as compared to a farm community settlement or 'tun', this eventually leading to 'ton' and 'don', meaning a town. About 600 of the early 'tuns' survive in place names such as Seaton (town by the sea), Crediton (settlement by the Credy), Cheriton (church farm). The preceding of 'ton' by 'ing' as in Alphington and Kilmington, denotes a rather more important homestead, approaching the manor type, although the manor proper came later.” So Milton seems to have been derived originally from a small farm cluster.

1 to Elizabeth (Bessie) Goard in 1803 (see Appendix 1). There are two possibilities for Richard’s birth although there may be others. These are in January, 1773 to parents Robert and Mary Milton at Silverton and in March, 1767 to Richard and Betty Milton at Culmstock. The latter is more likely as there is no Robert amongst our Richard’s children and also, while both places are reasonably close to Burlescombe, Culmstock is the nearer. But there is no definite proof of either. The place of marriage and birth of the subsequent children from Richard, 1803 to Edmund, 1819 can be identified as Burlescombe which is a small town just west of the modern M5 motorway after it crosses from Somerset into Devon. Note that a John and Betty Milton also lived in Burlescombe and had children around 1807. It is possible that he was a brother of Richard.

The nearest major towns are Wellington, about 10 kilometres north-east in Somerset and Tiverton, in Devon about 12 kilometres south-west. It is interesting to note that, in the 1820s, a canal (the Grand Western Canal) was under construction from Taunton (another 8 kilometres northeast of Wellington) to Tiverton that passed through Burlescombe and can be seen today. It did not achieve any major commercial application as it came too late, the rail system then also being constructed 2. However, it would have been significant during the youth of our known ancestors and may well have provided a commercial The view under one of the bridges on the spurt to the town at that time. Also, opposite Grand Western Canal between Burlescombe, a kilometre or so to the west, Holcombe Rogus and Burlescombe was the quarry of Westleigh which was active at that time.

Some views of Burlescombe are shown below. The Parish Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, dating from 1324 where our ancestors were married and christened at a later date is shown. The major family in the district was the Ayshfords and the old pub down the hill is still called the Ayshford Arms. Also shown is a large manor farm which would have employed farm laborers. Is this what Richard Milton and his son Thomas meant by designating themselves as farmers? Or did they own a small holding of their own that failed or was bought out at some later time?

2 “ The Grand Western Canal that links Tiverton and Taunton is now an ex-canal. From Tiverton the canal runs for about 11.5 miles. and then it stops, dead. The last 13 miles trace the route of what used to be the canal, and for a lot of the time it is hard to see that there had been a canal there in the first place. The Grand Western Canal was built to carry limestone from Taunton to Tiverton, where it was fed into lime kilns and burned. Burned limestone is added to acidic soil like the red clay of these parts to neutralise the acid so that plants can grow. The canal was meant to be part of a grand plan to connect Plymouth to the national canal network, but things did not work out and the Grand Western was only completed between Taunton and Tiverton, where it carried quarried stone to be processed in Tiverton's lime kilns .”

2

The church at Burlescombe Left: The nave, Right: The steeple

View from near the church looking over Large farm below the church Burlescombe village (in valley) towards Westleigh . Jan Milton (left) and church organist (right).

3 Miltons in Burlescombe: While no records of Miltons in Burlescombe can be found for the birth of Richard, the father, it is noted that several older Milton women were living there in the 1820s. A Betty Milton died there aged 86 in 1824 while a Sarah Milton aged 65 died there in 1829 but was buried in Uffculme. It should be noted that Uffculme and Culmstock are small villages between 2 and 4 kilometres south of Burlescombe but are now separated from it by the motorway. These appear to be a more significant source of Miltons, as do some slightly more distant villages such as Bradninch, Butterleigh and Holcombe Rogus. Also, a John and Betty Milton had a child, Elizabeth, christened at Burlescombe in January, 1807. What the connection was with all these and our Milton family is obscure but it would be surprising if there were none. For example, Betty would have been born in 1738 and Sarah in 1864 making them respectively aged 32 to 42 (Betty) and 6 to 16 (Sarah) on Richard’s assumed birth date of between 1770 and 1780. With the 1780 birth date for Richard, both are possibilities as either his mother or aunt but if it was 1770, only Betty could have been his mother. Hence, Betty is the most likely woman as his mother. John could well be a brother or cousin, perhaps originally from Culmstock. Further, in the 1841 census, there are three Burlescombe Miltons, James, born about 1811, William born about 1816, Mary born 1816. A James and Elizabeth Milton had a child, William who was christened at Burlescombe on 25/8/1839. If this James is the brother of Thomas, he would then have been about the right age for the known birth, (see other sources), a reasonable possibility but not proof. William seems a few years too young, (1816 instead of 1812 for the known birth) to be the next brother but such errors were not uncommon. Mary could have been William’s wife.

The Parish Church of Saint Mary the Virgin : The original Deed of Endowment of the Vicarage is dated 20 th November, 1324 but a church existed on this site long before, being in the charge of the Abbess of Canonsleigh Abbey, substantial ruins of which may still be seen at the bottom of the valley. The original church was probably centred on the present nave, with the chancel terminating some 8 feet east of the present screen. The next stage was the creation of the South Aisle, after which in the 15 th century, the North Aisle was added.

Our Great Grandfather, Thomas was the fifth 3 child of Richard and Elizabeth. He was also the second last, being born in 1816. It appears that he could not read or write as his later signatures used a cross ( his mark ) whereas his younger brother, Edmund could. This may have been due to a schooling system set up at the time in Devon to educate young children from poorer families. In later years even in Australia, Thomas always described himself as a farmer. He also noted that his father Richard was a farmer.

By the 1861 census, it seems that no Miltons remained in Burlescombe. They had all either died or moved but for most of the family, it is not clear to where. A Richard Milton, yeoman, aged 68 died in 1840 (i.e. born 1772) at Bradninch but the informant was a Jane Lanksford from Butterleigh, not a Milton and so I suspect it is not our Richard but one married to a Mary Milton from Butterleigh who had children there from around 1812 to 1821. Nevertheless, it would not be surprising if over previous generations, the many Milton families from Burlescombe, Uffculme, Culmstock, Butterleigh, Cadeleigh,

3 At least the 5 th , as there could have been one other deceased as an infant or somehow not recorded

4 Bradninch, Silverton and Bampton were related as they are all geographically within 15 km of each other. Another Richard Milton, died at Stepney (near Poplar) in December 1846 which may have relevance as will be seen later being possible associated with his son Edmund’s relocation but I do not as yet have his age. It may indicate a family move to the London East End. However, all the Miltons of the Burlescombe family other than possibly James and William as above had disappeared from the census in 1841.

2. Thomas and Edmund Milton in London :

The children of Richard and Elizabeth (Betty, Bessie) were Richard (born 1803, possibly died about 1821), James, (1805), James again (1810) (so the first of this name may have died), William (1812), Sarah (1814), Thomas (1816) and Edmund (1819). There is an obvious gap between 1805 and 1810 so another child may have died in that period. A Mary Milton was born in Burlescombe around 1815 but I have not been able to ascertain her parents. In fact, this could be her married name and she may have married one of the Milton boys (possibly William, see above) as the data was obtained from the 1841 census when she would have been 26 so it is likely that she was not a Milton by birth. These family members in general are hard to trace. James appears on the 1841 census, born 1811 and was still in Burlescombe. He may be the one shown as living in Sampford Arundel in the 1861 census who was recorded as having been born in Burlescombe in about 1809. William, born 1816 also seems to have been still living in Burlescombe in 1841. Note that small discrepancies in birthdates were quite common in the early census data. Of the definite leads other than Thomas, Edmund is the easiest to trace as he moved to Poplar in East London (very near Stepney) just north of the Thames, then a dockyard area of the East India Company, where he married Sarah Ann Palmer in 1845 describing himself as an oilman. At that stage, he was only 26

years of age. He set himself up as an Oil and Colour Merchant (that is, house paint supplier) shortly afterwards appearing as such in the 1851 census and the London directory from 1852. In 1859, he is referred to in the London directory as a grocer as well as an oil and Italian warehouse owner. He died there, aged 58 in 1877. What led him to London from Devon at a young age is not known but as he may have been the first of the family to move there, trying to trace his movements could prove useful. This is First Street, Chel sea. Number 45 is the not easy and I have no results. Of the few corner house on the right, (upper photo), Edmund Miltons that appear in the 1841 not originally as seen in the picture as it census, only one has a relevant birth date has been rebuilt. It was probably a shop and he was living at Cripplegate, London like that opposite, (lower photo). but he is said to have been born in Middlesex.

5

St Saviors Church, Chelsea This is where Thomas Milton and Mary Ann Sal veson were married

Thomas may have followed or even preceded Edmund to London which was expanding rapidly at that stage. At one stage, possibly just before Thomas married, he appears to have owned, leased or run a shop in Chelsea. This is assumed from his address at his wedding, given as 45 First Street, Chelsea, it being a newly developing area at the time. First Street has fine Victorian houses of modest size and 45, although now reconstructed from two houses, appears to have been on a corner and was almost certainly a shop. Whether this was in some way associated with his brother Edmund’s business in Poplar on the other side of London or independent is not known as I cannot find it in the London directory under the name of Thomas Milton. But it is almost certain that it was through Edmund that he met his future wife. At the age of 39 or 40, he married Mary Ann Salveson at Upper Chelsea 4, in April, 1856. Mary Ann was from a Poplar (London East End) family and they quickly emigrated to Australia, leaving from Liverpool many miles north of London a few weeks later. Mary Ann was significantly younger at less than 19 and it is possible that her family did not approve. What Thomas had been doing in his earlier years is unknown but at marriage, he designated himself as a farmer which would seem to indicate that he had stayed on the land until shortly prior to that date. But perhaps not. Now the intriguing possibilities are that Thomas had arrived in London from a farm just before his marriage and met Mary Ann through Edmund or that the family in general had moved to London some time between the 1820s and 1856. This needs more research. Some possibilities of the meeting of Thomas and Mary Ann are explored later (see box, page 11). But before continuing, Mary Ann’s antecedents need to be considered.

4 As no record of an Upper Chelsea other than on their marriage certificate can be found, it is assumed that this is what is now Chelsea in West London. But see box page 11.

6 3. The Salvesons:

Mary Ann Salveson, was of part Norwegian descent, born in July, 1837 as the third The Scandinavian naming system: A child from the marriage in about 1832 of different naming system to the rest of th Salve Salveson, (born ~1809, died 1878) Europe was used up until the late 19 and Johanna Arrowsmith (1814 – 1891). century. Sons had a given name Salve and Johanna were married at the followed by their father’s given name church of St George in the East. The known with “sen” or “son” appended. children were Ann (called Hannah in the Daughters were similar except that they 1851 census), born 1833, Robert, 1835, were designated by “dotter” or similar Mary Ann, 1837, Salve Valentine, 1839, following the father’s name. Thus, who died as an infant, Sarah Ann, 1841 and Salveson means “son of Salve”. While Charlotte Christina, 1843. Salve, certainly “son” is Swedish and “sen” is Scandinavian from his naming (see box Norwegian-Danish, the name Salveson above) was, according to the 1851 census, does not appear in Sweden or Denmark. Norwegian, born about 1809 as confirmed Also, as an alternative surname, they by his death certificate. The closest child occasionally used their address (farm, that I can get to his birth date is a Salve parish) at the end or “Ole” in the Salvesen, christened 19/8/1810, (so middle. possibly born in 1809), in Bakke (a parish), Vest-Agdar, Norway (see Appendix 2, Maps) to parents Salve Bakke and Sara Bakke. Therefore, conventionally from his father’s given name, their son would have been named Salve Salveson. The parents’ surname would only have been Salveson if Salve Bakke’s father had also been called Salve and if the patronymic system had been used for him. Note that the parish name was sometimes used as a surname in default of the patronymic (see box) so in this case, their surname, Bakke was probably derived from the parish name.

Also, a Sarah Salvesen died in Lewisham Bakke, Vest_Agder, Norway: Bakke where Salve Salveson also died (see later) in was a parish on the south west tip of September 1890, aged 85. It would be too Norway more or less running from much of a coincidence to assume that she Mandel to Flekkefjord or further. Vest- had no connection in spite of the slightly Agder runs from the inland mountains different spelling of the surname. I believe just below Telemark to the coast. While that it is very likely that she was a sister of the boundaries were changed several Salve, perhaps single, perhaps married. Had times in the 1800s, its population was she remained in Norway she would have small, ranging from about 1000 to retained her previous name, Salvedottr but 2400. Its coast contains several fjords this translates into English as Salvesen where shipbuilding was a common (“ daughter ” not being used as an appendage occupation to a name in English as is “ son ”, so she would have assumed the male terminology). Now in Bakke, Norway, a girl Sara Salvesen was christened on 23/8/1807 perhaps making her birth 1806. Her father was Salve Nielsen, mother Sara Torkelsdr. They may have randomly alternated the patronymic and the parish surname so the Nielsen and Bakke are not irreconcilable. That is, the difference suggested above in the parents’ surnames may simply be a function of the system. The coincidence of dates and the parents’ given names could be chance but it provides a strong possibility that they were the parents of both Salve and Sara. It needs to be noted that Bakke had (and still has) a small population (see box) making the probability of another

7 birth date-name combination of two children from a different family identical with that of our family, low. Although not certain, it probably means that Salve Nielsen’s father was called Niel while Sara’s father was Torkel. It is also possible that Salve Nielsen’s grandfather was Salve as the convention was often to use the grandparents’ names for their early children. From the same reasoning, Sara could have been named not only after her mother but after one or both of her grandmothers as well.

Poplar and the Isle of Dogs: Downstream as the Thames flows out from London, a peninsular, Poplar juts out from the northern bank. The southern end is cut off by channels and is known as the Isle of Dogs. The derivation is obscure and is reputed to be either from a faithful dog who identified his owner’s murderer, as where hounds were kept by Henry VIII or more plausibly as a corruption of Isle of Ducks. From before the 17 th century, a ferry ran from there to Greenwich and a road from the ferry ran north through the island. The first Dock (Brunswick Dock) on the Thames north side of the Isle was opened in 1790, built for the East Indiamen, proving the practicability of enclosed (pirate proof) docks for ships and cargoes. The Thames pirates of those days were notorious being regular organised bands under various names. Of 37,000 persons working on the Thames, at least 11,000 were thieves and their annual booty amounted to half a million pounds sterling. In 1802, the West India Docks were opened. This generated a huge upsurge in the need for shipwrights in that area in the early 19 th century. Greenwich, on the opposite side of the river, was and had been the Royal Navy Dockyards since the time of Henry VIII.

Salv eson family movements: Salve and Johanna Salveson originally lived in Regent Street, Poplar (1841 census but not 1851) when their children were born. It seems that he was a shipwright, Poplar being a large dockyard area at that time. He seems to have emigrated from Norway as a young man for that reason. Note that their residence is sometimes given as Bromley (Middlesex), very near Bow, famous for its Bow bells. These are just north of Poplar and this place name must not be confused with the larger Bromley (Kent) about 10 miles south of the Thames. However, the family eventually moved to Lewisham (or nearby Lee) in Kent before the time of Salve’s death in 1878. It is perhaps possible to trace their movements from Edward and Sarah Bryant’s children, Sarah being one of the Salveson’s daughters. The eldest of Sarah’s children was born in Bromley, Middlesex in 1863, the next four in Greenwich (1865, 1867, 1869, 1872) while the last three were born in Lewisham (1874, 1876, 1880). It is possible that the Greenwich dockyards attracted workers from the Poplar dockyards before Salve moved on to become a conventional carpenter at Lewisham.

Whatever Salve Salveson’s origins, he obviously came to London as a shipwright on either the East or West India Company dockyards on the Isle of Dogs. However, the Salvesons did not remain in Poplar after their children matured. While the dates are uncertain, sometime after 1866 but before the late 1870s, they were living in Lee on the south side of the Thames near Lewisham. Their residence was most likely with their daughter, by then Sarah Ann Bryant who signed both death certificates and who lived at 26 Loampit Vale, Lewisham. Her husband was Edward Bryant, some 11 years her senior, and they had a large family. Note that Edmund Milton’s wife was also Sarah Ann (nee Palmer) which is a little confusing. Robert Salveson seems to have married a Mary Ann (surname unknown) but he had vanished from the 1881 census although his family remained so he may have died before he reached 50. This Salveson family also lived in Lewisham which was an expanding region in the second half of the 19 th century. It is

8 possible that they moved there after a time in Greenwich (see box below). At his death in 1878 in Lee, Salve was listed as a journeyman carpenter.

Others of the Salveson family : There may have been a Henry as well although I can find no trace of him other than a reference in the London directory of 1859 to Robert and Henry Salveson as greengrocers in Catherine Street, Bromley East and in Grundy Street, East India Road, Poplar. This was probably a mistake as I note that most of the children had two given names and he could have been called Robert Henry. Catherine Street can no longer be identified. Two shops separated by some kilometers would seem to require more than one person, but Salve himself was also designated as a grocer at one stage. So did Henry exist? Probably not. I note that I cannot find a birth reference to Ann Salveson either but she is listed in the 1841 census as two years older than Robert. Another, only partially identifiable person, is a Hanna L. Salveson. She was the informant at the death of Salve Valentine in May, 1840 and also lived at 47 Regent Street at that time. This could have been Johanna, his mother but I note that Thomas and Mary Ann called their first daughter Hannah Elizabeth and another daughter Johanna, so they considered the names as distinct. Perhaps Hannah was a sister or mother of Salve but it is most likely that she was his daughter, Ann listed at 47 Regent Street in the 1841 census, but called Hannah in 1851.

4. The Arrowsmiths:

Arrowsmith: The usual interpretation is that it means a maker of arrows, particularly the metal heads as a fletcher made the arrow proper. However, (see Monmouth Roots, The Arrowsmith Family) which describes the name as follows: "This name does not, as it may seem, denote an ancestor who was a fabricator of arrowheads. It comes, rather from the Frisian "atteschmidt" (itself the equivalent of the German "Ritter-schmidt" or Knights-smith) which softened in to Athersmith, becoming finally the Arrowsmith of the present day. Originally it denoted an armorer, a class that rated so high in the days of chivalry that its members, by the very fact of their occupation, belonged to the lower orders of nobility ."

Before leaving the Salveson family, a few notes on the Arrowsmiths (Johanna’s family) are pertinent. Arrowsmith is an old name in England for apparently obvious reasons but there is some dispute about its origin (see box above). Our family extends back in the Stepney, Bromley, Poplar Middlesex region and south Essex for some generations. Johanna was the fifth of seven children born to Robert Arrowsmith, and Mary Ann Herbert who were married on 29/5/1799 at St Dunstans, Stepney (see box). As yet, Mary Ann’s family has not been traced but Robert was born in 1771 in Leytonstone, Essex. This is a few miles north of Poplar and is now within London near the start of the M11, (Cambridge) motorway but it was a separate village at that time. Arrowsmith remains a common name in the Middlesex area. St Dunstans, Stepney, Middlesex: There are ten bells in the belfry , which were made at the local Whitechapel Bell Foundry - the oldest was recast in 1385 . They are mentioned in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons "When will that be, say the bells of Stepney ". Thus, this branch of our family was indeed cockney as they lived, as defined by the term, within the sounds of Bow bells.

9 Robert and Mary Ann Arrowsmith had eight children (known) between 1804 and 1821. The registrations are sometimes designated somewhat spasmodically as London, sometimes Poplar so it seems likely that the family had moved from Robert’s birthplace, Leytonstone to Poplar at least by the time of his marriage. The children were Robert (1804), William (1808), Edward Petit (1809), Sarah Elizabeth (1811), Johanna (1813), Hearn (1815), Robert (1817) and John (1821). It seems that the first Robert died young. The middle name Petit is unusual and may have designated a prior family name, perhaps from the surname of the mother’s of either Robert or Mary Ann.

5. Marriage of Thomas Milton and Mary Ann Salveson and emigration to Australia:

Returning now to Thomas and Mary Ann Milton, it is noted that their marriage certificate designates them both as being of “ full age ” which in those days was 21. But Mary Ann had not yet turned 19 and it is therefore possible that she may not have obtained the required parental consent. The witnesses at the wedding were Edmund Milton, logically enough, and a Frances Bonning. A woman of this name was born in Rotherhithe, just across the Thames west of Poplar in June, 1840. If she is the same person, she would have been only a little older than Mary Ann’s younger sister, Sarah and seven years younger than the older sister, Ann (assuming that she was still alive). Why was one of these not the bridesmaid? Does this mean that they did not have family approval? An eighteen year old girl marrying a man nearly 40 who was about to leave the country immediately afterwards may have caused some family disruption, even in those days. Perhaps so, but I doubt if we will find an answer to that.

Thomas is also a mystery. That he was not averse to the attractions of the opposite sex is apparent as he fathered his first child at age 40 and then ten more over a period of twenty years. Also, to charm an attractive young 18 year old, less than half his age would indicate that he had some appeal to women. Edmund, his younger brother was married at age 26, typical of the age and two of his brothers, James and William seem to have married at about age 30. So what was Thomas doing for the equivalent of about fifteen years between a conventional and his actual marrying age? There are many possibilities. Was he simply working quietly on a Devon farm saving money? This does not seem to fit with someone adventurous enough to head off to the colonies in search for gold. Had his father died leaving him responsible for his mother if the older brothers were already married? I can as yet find no records of the deaths of his parents. Had he married earlier without issue with his wife dying young? Again, I can find no relevant records. Divorce can be discounted in those days unless by the aristocracy so I suspect it is not relevant. Also there seem to be no family rumours of this. Had he had a minor excursion with the law and had been transported temporarily? That is, he may have known the Australian country already. It could explain what superficially appears to be some peculiarity in the wedding, as could a previous marriage. However, the convict records (see box, page 12) indicate otherwise and again, it is likely that there would be some substantiation in the family collective memory or records even though no-one would boast of it in those days. So I believe that that can be ruled out. Had he been in the armed forces or at sea? But if so, why would he describe himself consistently for many years as a farmer? And military service, particularly in those days, would have been widely celebrated and remembered. I would like to hone in on what he did all those years but it is a difficult task.

10

How did Thomas, a farmer from Devon meet Mary Ann from the Cockney area of London? Thomas gave his address as First Street, Chelsea on his marriage certificate, and this can still be found in the north eastern part of that suburb. A church named St Saviours, (where they were married) is in Walton Street, Kensington only a hundred metres or so north of First Street. This area was probably then designated as Upper Chelsea which is why that suburb can no longer be found. The suburb on the Thames just east of Chelsea is Pimlico which was developed from about 1825 by Thomas Cupitt for upper middle class housing. His family also owned a ceramics factory in Poplar. Undoubtedly, from 1825, there was much work around the Chelsea, Pimlico area and this may explain why Thomas was there. However, there could have been other reasons unknown to us.

According to the 1851 census, Sarah Ann Milton (nee Palmer), Edmund’s wife was born in Pimlico very near Chelsea probably in the early 1820s although a resident of Bow at marriage in 1845. Also, in the 1881 census, a Clara C. Salveson, an unmarried niece, aged 18, born 1863 in Pimlico is shown living in Edward Bryant’s household at 209 High Street, Lewisham. Edward Bryant’s wife was Sarah Ann Salveson, Mary Ann Milton’s younger sister. Also, in that house was Johanna Salveson, mother-in-law and the Bryant’s eight children. The only way Clara can fit in is that she was Robert Salveson’s daughter. Now Robert also married a Mary Ann (born Poplar, surname unknown) who in the census was the head of the household at 30 Horton Street, Lewisham, with her four children, the youngest born in 1873. That is, Robert may have died between 1873 and 1881. Clara would have fitted neatly between Alfred, born 1860 and Salve Henry, born 1867, a long gap in those days. The third child was Frank, born 1873. Alfred was born in Poplar but the younger three in St Pancras near Regents Park. Why St Pancras? Robert seems to have been a successful greengrocer in Bromley, Middlesex from 1859 to 1865 (see London Directories, possibly with Salve) but not in 1866 so it is possible that he moved to St. Pancras for business although still residing in Lewisham. Another guess is that his wife, Mary Ann moved there to have the later children. St Pancras is closer to Pimlico than Poplar but not immediately adjacent. Finally, how did the Milton- Salveson connection happen? Both the Miltons through Edmund’s wife and the Salvesons through Robert Salveson’s daughter had connections near to Chelsea. Did many of the Milton family or just Edmund move from Devon to the Poplar area with Thomas and Mary Ann meeting there through him or did Thomas move to Chelsea from Devon with the connection being through both families having associations in nearby Pimilco?

11 6. The Miltons in Australia.

6.1 The early period in the Hartley, Oberon region and in Hargreaves:

Painti ng by Thomas Robertson , c. 1856 -Three American clipper ships (from right), the 'Red Jacket' , 'James Baines ' and 'Lightning ' in Hobsons Bay, Victoria. Painted from Point Gellibrand. Port Melbourne is in the background and in the foreground is a small rowing boat with a pennant ' Argus ' with journalists from the Melbourne newspaper rowing out to the vessels to gather the latest news.

Miltons on the NSW convict Red Jacket was an extreme clipper ship built by records (includes George Thomas Rockland, Boston, to the design of Tasmania), start- Samuel Pook. Dimenions were 251'2"×44'×31' (76.5m completion dates of × 13m × 9.5m) with a displacement of 2305 tons. It sentence: was named after the American Indian chief Pardons : John Milton, 1820, Sagoyewatha of the Seneca tribe and was launched on 1836, Henry Cosmo Milton, November 2, 1853. It was purchased by the White Star 1833, 1846, Line for £30,000 on November 2 nd 1853. Its record Ticket of Leave : William from Liverpool to Melbourne was 67 days in 1854 but Milton, 1823, 1847, slower at 83 days in 1856. This was still a very fast Certificate of Freedom : Ann passage for the time. Note that in October, 1856 the Milton, 1832, 1845, James Istanbool set out on its first voyage from London to Milton, 1828, 1834, Mary Melbourne. It was the inaugural combined steam- Anne, 1838, 1845 sailing ship, expected to reduce the passage to 65 days.

Thomas and Mary Ann were married in London on 15 th April, 1856. He would have been about 39, she not quite 19 at the time. That they arrived in the colonies soon after their marriage is indisputable as their first child, Hannah was born in the Hartley, Oberon area

12 of NSW (Native Dog Creek) in May, 1857. There are no arrivals of that name in Sydney but most vessels (about 70%) carrying immigrants from Europe terminated in Melbourne. A Thomas Milton age 28, Mary Ann Milton age 22 (these ages on the shipping record are inexact if they are “ our ” Thomas and Mary Ann), arrived there on August 13 th , 1856 on the vessel Red Jacket as “Unassisted immigrants” . In spite of the age errors, I think that they are certainly our great grandparents. On the various birth certificates of their children, there are considerable inconsistencies in their reported ages, particularly for Thomas. It is not impossible that a handwritten 38 may have been wrongly transcribed as 28. Mary Ann may have had reasons for saying that she was over 21 as she had already obfuscated at her marriage that she was of “ full age ”. It again may be evidence that her parents had not given permission for the marriage. I note also that the Red Jacket sailed from Liverpool on May 20 th , 1856, not London, only seven weeks after their marriage. Given at least a week for final preparation and travel to Liverpool, this seems fairly rushed. As her family lived in or near the London dockyard area, it would be expected that they would have left from there. However, there may have been good reasons for this that we cannot know. As they were unassisted, and the Red Jacket was a new and superior ship, Thomas must have had some quite reasonable financial resources at the time of his marriage.

Mining, farming and the birth locations of the Milton children: Child Name Date of Place of birth Birth Occupation birth registration of father 1 Hannah 15/5/1857 Native Dog Creek, near Hassan’s Walls Farmer Elizabeth Fish River 2 Sarah Ann 8/4/1859 Native Dog Creek Hassan’s Walls, Farmer, as (unnamed at reported by registration) Michael Hand, Crown Swamp 3 Salva Thomas 29/3/1861 Kingower, Victoria Miner 4 Edmund 1863 (d. Fish River Hassan’s Walls Farmer, 1864) Crown Swamp 5 Mary Ann 12/6/1865 Sodwalls Creek Bowenfels Farmer 6 Johannah 1868 Solitary Creek (now Hartley Settler Rydal) 7 William 13/6/1869 Sodwall Creek (now Glen Roy Farmer Rydal) Hartley 8 Thomas 17/5/1872 Westmorland and Glen Roy Farmer James Solitary Creek Hartley 9 Robert Henry 24/11/1873 Hargraves Mudgee Gold miner 10 Richard 09/11/1876 Hargraves Mudgee Gold miner 11 Arthur 6/12/1879 Hargraves Mudgee Gold miner Hereford Salveson

Gold was discovered in the Bathurst region of NSW in May, 1851 and a few months later at Ballarat in Victoria. Thomas, at the birth of his children still described himself as a farmer but it seems possible, given the location, that gold prospecting may have played a part either directly or indirectly in his decision to emigrate. What is certain is that after he moved to Hargreaves somewhere towards the end of 1872 or the start of 1873, he became a gold miner, his death certificate in 1899 stating that he was a mine labourer. They must have gone very quickly to the Oberon 5 area after arriving in Australia as their first child was born there less than a year after setting foot in Melbourne. Whether Thomas had

5 A map of the Crown Ridge, Fish River, Rydal region is shown on page 17.

13 friends or relatives in that area or whether there was some promise of a small land holding is not known. If gold alone was the draw card, it is hard to see why either Ballarat or Bendigo was not the first choice as the gold rush started there almost simultaneously with the Bathurst area in 1851.

Following the birth dates of the Milton children indicates an itinerant period in first few years which must have been hard on Mary Ann. The first child, Hannah Elizabeth, was born in the Bathurst region in May 1857 (Native Dog Creek, near Oberon) but registered at Hartley, and the second, Sarah Ann in March 1859 was born at the same place. However, her birth was not recorded for some 7 weeks and this was by a Michael Hand, farmer of Crown Swamp. Her given name was not noted. This was the only birth not notified by either Thomas or Mary Ann. The next child, Salva Thomas was born at Kingower to the west of Bendigo in March 1861, the move probably because of a brief period of pursuit of gold. These birth registrations perhaps indicate that between Sarah and Salva the family had moved to Victoria, perhaps commencing after Sarah’s birth but before its registration. But by October, 1863 they were back at Crown Swamp, near Native Dog creek with Thomas again saying that he was a farmer. This remained so until the move to Hargreaves in about 1872.

From Barry Milton : Jerry’s Mount is 4 km From John Milton’s document: SW of Sodwalls, Crown Ridge (also called Hargreaves became a focal point for Crown View) has its location a further 6 km gold prospectors in June 1852 after a WSW of Jerry’s Mt. Solitary Creek runs 48kg piece of gold was discovered by through Rydal and immediately past an aboriginal black tracker in the area Sodwalls. There is no Sodwalls Creek shown when pitching a tent, and led to the (as stated by Sue Graves, a local historian settlements of Sofala, Hill End and from Hartley) She also refers to Anthony Tambaroora flourishing. Mines were Creek at Sodwalls, the map showing it as opened up and Hawkins Hill to Antonio Creek. Native Dog Creek* appears Tambaroora and produced some of to rise near the Jerry’s mount (half way the richest finds of gold in NSW, between Sodwalls and Crown Ridge) from with output exceeding 57 million where it flows north before entering a larger grams. After 1874 the yield swiftly creek that eventually joins the Fish River to declined, although mining has the west. Rydal (Solitary Creek) is about 5 continued to the present time with km north of Sodwalls. (See district map, some success. Thomas worked at the page 17). various mines in the area and also panned and sluiced for gold. *Further research has shown that there were several Native Dog Creeks in the area, one being further . south where riots occurred between Europeans and Chinese in the gold diggings located there .

These four children were followed by another five born near Hartley in the nine years between October 1863 and May 1872, these being Edmund, 1863, died as an infant, Mary Ann, 1865, Johanna, 1868, William, 1869, Thomas James, 1872, birth locations being designated as Fish River, Crown Swamp, Solitary Creek or Sodwalls Creek. Whether these were one and the same or whether they indicate small local moves is unclear at this stage. Note that in 1861 the NSW parliament passed an act that from 1/1/1862 any person could purchase between forty and three hundred acres of Crown land at twenty shillings

14 per acre as long as he (or she perhaps?) deposited 25% of the purchase price and paid off the rest within three years. Could this be why Thomas continued to describe himself as a farmer? Did the change of designation to ‘settler’ when Johannah was born have any significance? As yet, there is no evidence to back that speculation. A Hartley family historian (Sue Graves) told me many years ago that a Patrick Milton (see box, page 16) was an innkeeper at Sodwalls (Crown Ridge) when the railway was under construction in about 1868-72 but I have been unable to confirm this, trace anyone of that name or find a link to our family. And it appears that the railway went through a little later in about 1870. The last three children (Robert Henry, 1873, Richard, 1876 and Arthur Hereford Salveson, 1879) were born between November 1873 and December 1879 at Hargreaves where it is clear that Thomas was a gold miner, mainly laboring in a mine rather than prospecting himself for alluvial gold. At least one of his sons, William followed him in this until his marriage in 1902 to the local schoolteacher’s daughter, Mary Eleanor Roach with a subsequent move to Newcastle.

Thomas may have worked both as an underground and alluvial gold miner at Hargreaves. The Petrie family (see John Milton’s document 6), one of whom married Hannah, owned and worked a goldmine in Hargraves. John Petrie operated the butcher’s shop in Hargraves, Merle Milton noting that she visited it early in her marriage in about 1935. In Australian papers, Mitchell library, 1826-1881, CY Reel 738, Thomas Milton is shown as a miner in Hargreaves. Also shown is a James Milton, miner at Hargreaves but he is of another family (see box page 16) who pre-dated our Miltons in the Mudgee area and was descended from Thomas Milton and Hannah (nee Burton) originally from Bathurst. That Thomas Charles Milton was born in Shoreditch, London, son of Thomas and Charlotte Milton. Shoreditch is the next suburb to Poplar. Could they be related in some way in a previous generation perhaps explaining Edmund Milton’s move to that area?

We know little more about Thomas and Mary Ann’s personal life in Australia other than what is documented above. Alice Davies (nee Milton), the youngest of their grandchildren via William Milton commented that her mother, Mary Eleanor Roach had said that Thomas was “ a gambler ”. It is hard to know how to interpret this. Was he a gambler in the classic sense putting his money on horses, cards or bets of other sorts? It is hard to imagine that there was a great deal of opportunity for that on a small farm in the Oberon region in the 1860s but it is possible. The other interpretation is that he took unnecessary risks in altering his lifestyle and that affected his remuneration. Certainly, nearing his 40s, he left England for the attraction of gold-rich Australia but that, certainly was not uncommon. Then he moved for unknown reasons to Kingower leaving his farm but that was almost certainly gold related and it may be that farming was undergoing some stress due to floods, droughts or economic conditions at the time although, due to the gold boom, the last is unlikely. Could the riots in the Oberon gold fields only some twenty kilometers from the Crown ridge area have unsettled him? Then, after returning to the farm, he moved again for gold to Hargreaves, both it seems panning himself and employed in a mine. It was not the most settled life for him, his wife and family.

6 From “THOMAS MILTON - Upper Chelsea to Hargraves 1819 – 1899 And Descendants to 2001” , by John Milton, (Grandson of Robert Henry Milton, 10 th child of Thomas and Mary Ann Milton) . Document available on request from Brian Milton if unavailable from John Milton.

15

From Sue Graves The Crown Ridge is a stone ridge which runs North to South. Thomas Milton would have lived on the Western ( actually Eastern*) side near the Fish River ( actually Jerry’s Meadows, Native Dog Creek*). It appears that Patrick Milton lived there also ( I can find no evidence ). In 1869 Thomas would have obtained a farm of his own at Jerry's Mount, only a few miles away. Sodwalls Creek is 5 miles away from Jerry's Mount and the Inns were beside the railway at Sodwalls Creek. In the 1866 Orange Directory there is recorded James Milton at Orange and in 1872 William Milton, at Broken Shaft Creek. Patrick Milton is listed as Innkeeper at Sodwalls Creek. The railway was constructed between 1868 – 1872. Construction No 7 was between Rydal and Locksley, Sodwalls and Tarana Stations being in between."

and from Barry Milton: Crown Ridge was the name of a hotel up to 1853 and is in the immediate area of Sodwalls. Jerry's Mountain is also close by. The railway to Lithgow was opened in 1869 with completion to Bathurst in 1876. Sodwalls (west) railway station was named after Sodwalls House, built of sods in the walls and occupied by Mr Andrew Loftus.

My comment: A William and Eliza Milton had children registered in Bathurst between 1859 and 1869 as did a James and Mary Milton in Orange somewhat later (1884 to 1888). There was also a James and Sabina Milton in Mudgee having children from about 1862 to 1884 but there is no evidence of them being related to us. This latter James may be the one mentioned in a Hargreaves document as one of a group that also included Thomas Milton. I can find no trace of Patrick Milton in any birth, death or marriage record in NSW at that period.

* Italics are my corrections and comments

Thomas died in February 1899 (the cause stated as nephritis, uraemia) and was buried at Hargreaves. His age was given as 81 but it was actually at least a year more than that. Mary Ann survived him by almost their twenty one years of age difference, passing away in September, 1918 at a genuine 81. At some stage, they had departed from their Anglican religion and had joined the Salvation Army. Some photos of the two in the middle to late stages of their lives are shown on page 18.

16

Sodwall Native dog creek Jerry’s Mount

Crown Ridge

The Oberon Region : Hartley, Hassans Walls, Bowenfells, Sodwalls, Native Dog Creek, Jerry’s Mount, Fish River and Crown Ridge are clearly seen. Solitary Creek and Sodwalls Creek are not shown and probably were names in local use only.

Land Acquisition in the 1850s. Crown land sale in 30 to 40 acre lots for 1 pound per acre began in 1852. In 1861, the Robertson Land Act, (noted by Phillipa Gemmell- Smith in her document “ Thematic History of the Oberon Shire ”) allowed settlement on unreserved Crown land on blocks of 40 to 320 acres for 1 pound an acre, deposit 5 shillings with the balance to be paid in 3 years, requiring the establishment of a bona fide residence. This redistributed some of the land held by squatters, subsequently promoting struggles between them and selectors. The laws were circumvented by the commissioning of selectors to acquire land eventually passed to squatters and the selection of key land with access to water by squatters. Could this have prompted the return of the Miltons in 1861 from Kingower or somehow affected them in later years?

17 Quoted f rom John Milton’s Document . “Many families related to our heritage will appear in this book but the name of Milton has certainly taken the majority of the research time. Knowing the roots of the family had its more recent origins around the Hargreaves and Mudgee districts, considerable time was devoted to the first of our ancestors to establish themselves in the area. It was here I first learned there were three Milton families in the area, all having arrived about the same time and all having a similar family Christian name structure. These families were then categorised by the districts in which they lived and I have called them ‘ the Lue Miltons ’, ‘ the Cudgegong Miltons ’ and our particular line as ‘ the Hargraves Miltons’. During this research a further complication developed. Some of the Hargraves Milton family moved to the Newcastle area and whilst researching this it became apparent that a new Milton family existed in this area. This Milton family was subsequently taken on board as part of our heritage due to the integration of the Bower family.” Brian’s explanatory notes : 1. Gladys Bower married John Milton’s cousin, Robert Milton. 2. I have records of another Milton family in Mudgee cemetery, Catholic section, that includes a James Henry b. 1872, Charles Edward, b. 1875 and a Thomas Patrick* b. 1873 as well as other Milton families near Mudgee at Lui, and at Turill near Cassili but can see no relationship to ours. * Is he the link to the innkeeper?)

Above: Thomas and Mary Ann Milton Possibly circa 1880 -90

6.2. The Miltons in Australia. The later period; Newcastle and Morisset regions

Mary Ann Milton (nee Salveson) Details of the children of Thomas Possibly circa 1900 (Left) and 1918 (Right) and Mary Ann and subsequent families can be found in John Milton’s document. I now only intend to follow one of their sons, William Milton’s line because it is directly ours. As mentioned above, he was born at Sodwalls Creek, near Hartley on 13/6/1869. I have no details of his early life other than that he worked with his

18 father as a gold miner (underground but perhaps alluvial as well) before he met and married Mary Eleanor Roach in about 1902.

Now John Roach (details in Book 2) who started life following his father in coal mines in the Newcastle area had educated himself and had become a school teacher before 1883. His known schools were 1883 Teralba (Barnsley, Head teacher), 1891 Morisset (Master), and 1899 Hargreaves (Headmaster) so it is apparent that his family had moved to Hargreaves by that last date. His eldest child, Mary Eleanor was 25 at the time and she met William Milton who turned 30 in that year. From her niece, Dawn Gambrill’s comments, she seems to have been quite ill around that time and had lost quite a bit of weight. Her hair was also cut very short which seems to have been regarded as necessary for certain fevers in those days. William and Mary Hargreaves : about 1904 (Roach photo) Eleanor married three years later (1902) at Hargreaves and had four children born there, Ivy, 1902, John (always called Jack, 1903), Albert, (Bert, 1905) and Ellenor (Nell, 1907). John Roach developed liver cancer a short time later, perhaps in early 1909 as he died in November that year and the family returned to the Newcastle area with William either coming with them or following. They seem to have spent some time in their home at Morisset although John died in Merewether, perhaps in his sister’s (Marianne) place as she ran a nursing home there. William appears to have worked as a saw miller in the Morisset region (from verbal comments by Dawn Gambrill), and in cutting railway sleepers (comments from Merle Milton-nee Parfitt) probably both of these indicating the same job. His son, Albert (Bert) Milton also helped him in this (comments from Merle Milton) and it is likely that Jack did also. Bert (my father) was certainly expert with an axe and adept at tree climbing even when he was overweight in his early forties. He kept a heavy climbing belt and I personally remember seeing him scale a tree more than 10 metres high using it only about two years before he died. William was reputed to be about 6 foot tall but whether or not that is correct or not, I am not sure.

19

Hargreaves Gold Mine : About 1904 ; William Milton, 3 rd from right.

Hargreaves Tennis party: about 1904; William Milton, back row far right, Mary Eleanor second row, far left.

20

Hargreaves Picnic: about 1904; William Milton, back row second left, Ellenor Roach, front, right. John Roach (white suit, middle right), (Mary Eleanor’s mother and father)

My memory is that he was taller although a lighter build than my father who was about 5 foot 10 inches, (that is 1.78 m) as conveyed to me by Merle Milton a number of times when I was a child and noticeably taller than his brother Robert Henry Milton. The only other brother that I remember meeting was Arthur, a blacksmith, who would have been similar in height and build to my father. But these are childhood memories and I cannot guarantee their accuracy.

Whatever the details, the family retained a close connection with Morisset until the 1970s. The Hughes Pottery Works continued next three Milton children Mary, 1910, Olwen in Merewether until about the (Ollie), 1912 and Alice, 1915 were born in the 1970s. The site was sold at auction Newcastle area, probably at Morisset, so it is not in October, 1981 for $425,000. It clear when they moved to Merewether (see later). was one of the oldest companies in When this move did take place, William obtained Newcastle, established as a family work at Hughes Pottery and they lived in a house business in 1867 at 7 Lingard Street, Merewether where they remained until William’s death. Mary Eleanor (always referred to by our second cousins as Auntie Ellie) died in November 1943 with William following shortly in July 1944. Both are buried in the Sandgate cemetery.

21

Left: Mary Eleanor Roach

probably taken at Hargreaves about 1899

Below: Mary Eleanor and William Milton with their children Ivy and Jack, probably taken at Hargreaves about 1905

22

Mary Eleanor and William Milton : at Merewether, in about 1942.

Milton house: 7 Lingard St, Merewether. Photo from about the 1980s

As mentioned above, their children were Ivy, (born 1902), John (Jack, 1903), Albert, (Bert, 1905), Ellenor (Nell, 1907), Mary, (1910), Olwen (Ollie, 1912) and Alice, 1915). Ivy never married and neither did Ollie. In about 1940, Ivy was living in Morisset at the store run by her Aunt Glad and she remained there for many years, eventually moving to Newcastle to live with her niece, Dawn (nee) Gambrill until her death in 1983. I remember

23 her as a careful and considerate Aunt. Jack married Constance (Connie) Anderson at Taree in 1929 but, after having one child, Margaret in 1931, she died prematurely in 1935 aged 34. Jack remarried Elsie le Cornu in 1945 and they had a son, Graeme a year or so later. We saw Jack occasionally and Margaret who I think lived with her grandparents, Mary Eleanor and William Milton, in about the early 1940s but not much of them at a later date. I will come to Bert later. Nell married Lesley Keith Parfitt, the brother of Bert’s wife, Merle, in 1933 and they had two sons, Geoffrey (1934) and Robert (1939). Of the Milton family, we saw these cousins more often than others in our childhood, probably because all our grandparents were the same. Much of this was at the Parfitt holiday home at Swansea where we played and boated together until about 1949. Les ran a very successful metal spinning business in Newcastle which was eventually taken over by Robert. Geoffrey, who joined a pharmaceutical company, was tragically killed in an accident, being electrocuted in a holiday caravan in South Australia in about 1974. Robert, although injured in a car accident in his twenties, survived until dying of heart problems in about 2002. Geoff, who married Jan Milne, had four boys but Robert and Joan Hincks had no progeny. Mary Ann married Arthur Tasker in 1935 and had two daughters, June (1938) and Ruth (1943). Ollie lived with her parents in Merewether, Newcastle in the 1940s and later in Hamilton South before moving to Queensland with her sister Alice where she died in 1981. I can remember her taking Janice (my sister) and me to Sunday School somewhere in Hamilton in perhaps 1942 or 1943, perhaps the only such experience in my childhood. Alice married Allan Davies in 1939. They ran a successful chrome plating business in Newcastle for many years, sailed a 30 foot yacht on Lake Macquarie before retiring to Queensland. Alice lived to well into her 90s. My last contact with Alice was just after Nell’s death in 1979. At the time, we had our yacht at Lake Macquarie where we rafted the two boats together overnight, spending a very sad but pleasant evening reminiscing about the past. Barry kept in contact with Alice long after her move to Queensland.

7. Bert Milton, the immediate ancestor of Janice, Brian and Barry Milton:

Now returning to my direct family, Albert Edward Milton, born 18/10/1905 the third child of William and Mary Eleanor, was the next in our direct line. Surprisingly, I know far too little about him, partly because he died young just after I had turned 12 and partly because very few of us ask appropriate questions until we are old ourselves. He was obviously a bright child and did well at school. I have a number of his childhood books, five of which are awards from school. These are dated as follows:

December 1912, Morisset Public School (age 7) April, 1919, Morisset Presbyterian School (age 13) Christmas, 1919, 7 th class, Gosford Public School (age 14) February, 1920, Morisset Presbyterian School (age 14) December, 1921, 2 nd year, Gosford District School (age 15)

My interpretation is that he initially attended primary school at Morisset, to what year is uncertain while studying part of the year at a public school at Gosford that ran to year 7. Finally, he attended a district High School at Gosford for another two years. Meanwhile, between the Morisset and Gosford periods, he spent some of the time early in each of the years 1919 and 1920 at Morisset Presbyterian School. Was this last additional schooling over the long holiday break or was it because of travel difficulties, small schools in the Morisset vicinity possibly being without the appropriate curricular. Certainly, he had a

24 great interest in our education although his direct interaction with us as children was limited as was that of most fathers in those days, but he was insistent on encouraging us through interest, comments and rewards. I remember that he read a lot at nights, mostly, I believe, novels. His mathematical ability was excellent although his training was by today’s standards, limited to basic algebra.

The above schooling schedule indicates that the family stayed in Morisset until about the early 1920s. Bert’s first and only full time job was undoubtedly started in March, 1924 as one copy of his birth certificate is stamped by the chief Accountant’s Branch, NSW Govt. Railways and Tramways at that date. At the time, he would have been 18. He worked there in a clerical position until his death in the 1950s. In those days, electricity generation was split amongst a number of suppliers and these were only amalgamated in about 1949 under the State Electricity Authority. The section that he spent most of his working life at was the railways power station at Zara Street, near Nobby’s Beach, Newcastle. By the time that he died, aged 44, he held a reasonably senior clerical position there. Note that a working week was then 44 hours or more and so it included Saturday mornings. In addition to his normal job, he worked part-time on Saturday afternoons for at least four or five years as a “penciller” (that is, the calculator of the “odds”) for a bookmaker, Fred Felshaw. In those pre-electronic days, a penciller was essential to the bookmaker as continuous, fast calculations had to be made with great accuracy by hand while the betting changed just prior to each race. I can recall Fred, when visiting our house one day, commenting that Bert was the best penciller that he had ever had.

The Great Depression (the worst period was 1929-1932 but recovery was slow until the late 1930s) started when Bert was just 24. Its effects lasted much longer than the shorter period noted above and it was a difficult time for most of the Australian population. Bert became engaged to Essie Merle Parfitt (always known as Merle) in about 1928, just before it began but they were not married for a further 7 years on the 7th of December, 1935. Merle gave the reason for the lengthy engagement as being the effects of the Great Depression and the need for Bert to help support his family, Jack already having married and left home. All the younger children were female and only a small proportion of even unmarried women worked in those days. My impression was that William was either out of work or only partially employed, but I can only infer that from Merle’s comments.

Albert Edward Milton : left ~ 1925, others ~1930 to 1935

25 So it seems that the Milton family moved to Merewether in about 1921. It is clear that, when they returned to Newcastle, the traditional family association in Merewether through the Roach family for many years allowed them the use of the Lingard Street house so that location is not illogical.

In spite of the Depression, Bert apparently could not have been not too badly off financially. He owned first a motorcycle and side car and in fact met Merle through a fellow motorcyclist, Les Parfitt, Merle’s brother. Later, he bought a small sports car, an Austin 7 based vehicle called the Meteor. By the time Bert and Merle were married in 1935, he had purchased a Vauxhall 14 which was a four or limited five seat, 6 cylinder side-valve saloon. He kept this until in July 1950, only a month before he died when he purchased a new Standard Vanguard 6 seat saloon.

Albert Edward (Bert) Milton : left ~ 1928, right ~ 1932

Apart from his motoring, what else do we know about him? He liked rock fishing and would sometimes go to the rocks off King Edward Park in his great leather coat with a strap to secure him to the pole which in those days was permanently set there. He also liked cricket having played a little socially in earlier days. One of my few memories of interaction with him is in the last year or so of his life, this being playing cricket with him in the back yard at Islington. He was right handed but batted with his hands reversed (cross handed) which is unusual but not exclusive. Merle also said that he played tennis and I remember as a child watching them play socially at courts at or near the Zara Street power station. Janice says that Merle had told her that he played B grade tennis in his earlier years.

After about the first year of marriage, he was transferred to Lithgow with the railways electrical generating section. At that time, their eldest child, Janice (2/11/1936) had been born. Merle did not like Lithgow thinking it cold and bleak but she was never happy away from Newcastle. After about a year, he was again moved for another year, this time to Sydney where they rented a house in Sailors Bay Road, Northbridge. Brian (27/7/1938) was born either just before or at the beginning of this period. Finally, he was transferred back to Newcastle, probably influenced by Merle to apply, where he returned to Zara Street Power station. They rented a house at Cram Street, Merewether for a few years, then moved to Becket Street, Hamilton before buying a house at 13 Hubbard Street, Islington in 1947. Barry (26/5/1943) was born while they were living in Hamilton. Although the Islington house was substantial, it required considerable renovation and these were commenced with a laundry, toilet room added and an internal wall removed in

26 the next two years. Also, all the large trees surrounding the house were taken out which required considerable, heavy labour.

Bert Milton (Above): Back row, 3 rd from left 6 th August 1930 District Electrical Office, Tyrrell House, Telford St., Newcastle

Bert and Merle Milton: (left) ~ 1935, In Sydney to farewell departing friends to the UK

Bert became ill in 1950 experiencing severe pains in the chest which he called “nervous dyspepsia” There are some comments that he had had heart problems and breathing difficulties from childhood. Maybe! I have an open mind on that. But I do remember him undertaking very heavy labour during the initial phases of house renovation without signs of distress. He carried large quantities of bricks, huge buckets of cement and sawed large trees into logs and so on. During 1949, he was tired of clerical work and several times talked of becoming a truck driver for the physical exercise. When, only months before he died in August 1950, he became seriously ill, I can remember relatively light work such as collecting manure in the paddock below making him pant, vomit and convulse. Only about a month before he died, we played a game with a tennis ball in the street and a short 5 metre sprint caused him problems. Whether or not he had had symptoms earlier, there was certainly a step change a few months before his death.

I think that he was aware of the seriousness of his heart problems for the last month or so of his life. Early in the year that he died, I played cricket with him in our back yard and helped him chop and saw timber for the fire and there were no noticeable signs of distress. A little later that year, I was with him gathering horse manure in the paddock below when he experienced some severe problems and he was quite ill. Shortly after that in about the middle of 1950, he took long service leave, a new innovation in Australian employment at that time, to work on the house and experienced weakness and severe pains. On the evening that he died suddenly in bed at about 1 am, we had been to a function at Janice’s school. He was so ill, uncomfortable and probably depressed that he sat in the car outside throughout. I suspect that he had a streak of fatalism and he certainly was not inclined to seek medical assistance. Interestingly, his family, perhaps because of a superstitious Welsh inheritance, often predicted, or more likely felt that they predicted, deaths in the family. Perhaps he sensed his own. He passed away on August 24 th , 1950 leaving a stunned and devastated family. His ashes are interred in the Parfitt grave at Sandgate.

27

Janice, Brian , Barry Milton: Left, Upper ~1940 (before Barry) Lower ~ Newcastle area ~ 1953 Right, Upper , at Swansea,~1945 Lower , at Hamilton ~ 1946,

Miltons and Parfitts: At Swansea, ~ 1945 Left picture , From left Back row: William, Letitia, Les, Nell Parfitt; Bert Milton Front row: Geoff, Robert Parfitt; Barry, Brian, Janice Milton Right picture , From left: Janice Milton; Robert, Geoff Parfitt; Brian, Barry Milton

28 Merle, who I will deal with more comprehensively under the Parfitt line, lived on for many years. She re-married Fred Dwyer in 1967 but stayed living at the Islington house. She was fit and active for much of the period although, in retrospect, some symptoms of dementia may have started to appear by 1993. After Fred died in May, 1993, these became worse. Eventually, she was moved to a home where she resided for about a year but she was not particularly happy there. She passed away, a quick and probably peaceful collapse in hospital, on 8/10/1995, a week before her 87 th birthday. Her ashes are also interred in the same grave as Bert’s.

At this stage, I do not intend to take this history further down the line from our own generation other than to state some facts briefly. Others can use this document to expand their own Milton lineage as they wish, there being no copyright. In brief, the children and grandchildren or Albert and Merle Milton are:

Janice; married Kevin Blanch, children, Michelle, Sheree, Donna Brian; married Jan Ryan, children, Gareth, Evan, Alyssa Barry; married Denise Colhoun, children Gilbert, James (non-identical twins)

Janice (her preferential name now being Jan) left school (Newcastle Girls High) after year 3, the then intermediate certificate year. This was certainly not due to lack of ability as she was consistently placed high in her year at exams. She then began work at the T&G life assurance company where she remained until marriage. She married Kevin Blanch in 1962 and they had three daughters, Michelle, Sheree and Donna born in 1964, 1966 and 1968 respectively. They lived in Sydney until about 1994 at which point Kevin took early retirement from the Main Roads Department where he had held, amongst other positions, that of Mechanical Engineer in charge of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Maintenance. They then moved to Mullumbimby on the NSW north coast where they remain, although Kevin was later hospitalised due to early onset dementia. Both in Sydney and Mullumbimby, Jan was very active in local drama, acting in many plays while producing and directing others. Throughout both periods, she became very involved in the Australian View Club and has since held key roles in its organization at a State and National level.

Barry attended Newcastle Technical High School also performing extremely well in his studies. While a trainee engineer with Stewarts and Lloyds, he commenced a part time-full time Mechanical Engineering degree at the Newcastle College of the University of NSW and graduated with Honours in 1965. He married Denise Colquhoun in 1967, their issue being non-identical twins, Gilbert and James, born in 1977. Barry became the manager of Tubemakers, Newcastle (Tubemakers being a later name for Stewarts and Lloyds) until he took very early retirement in 1986 but he remained in Newcastle continuing with some part time University and TAFE lecturing while simultaneously having a small consulting business with a number of large Australian companies as clients. He was passionate about travel within Australia having many adventurous trips inland in his several Landrovers to, for example, the Simpson Desert and other remote areas. The family originally lived in New Lambton, eventually moving to the pleasant suburb of Kotara, where he is still today. Barry and Denise separated in 1993 and divorced in 1995.

Brian was the last to marry but did so eventually to Jan Ryan in 1969. They had three children, Gareth, born in Nottingham, UK in 1977, Evan and Alyssa born in 1981 and 1983 respectively. Brian, who also attended Newcastle Technical High School, studied Mechanical Engineering at the Newcastle College of the University of NSW on a part

29 time-full time basis graduating with Honours in 1960. After working at Stewarts and Lloyds (Tubemakers) for five years, he left Newcastle to spend six months during 1965, working in London followed by a year in 1965-1966 studying for a Masters degree at Birmingham University. After completing this, he spent 6 months hitchhiking throughout Europe and Russia, the Middle East and Asia to eventually reach India from where he caught a flight to Australia. On his return to the University of NSW in 1967, he became a Teaching Fellow at the University (Mechanical Engineering) and a Tutor in one of the residential colleges (Basser) while completing a PhD and it was there that he met Jan who was a Goldstein College Tutor in the same complex. After marriage, they lived in the Baxter College married tutor quarters until 1964 but purchased a house in Avalon, Sydney in 1965 where they live now. Brian moved through the ranks as an academic in Mechanical Engineering at the University eventually becoming Professor and Head of School for ten years from 1989 to 1998 at which time he retired. He was then appointed as an Emeritus Professor (Professor for life) and has retained an association with the University since then teaching advanced courses as well as being involved in research supervision and consulting.

Weddings: left; Bert Milton and Merle Parfitt, right: Les Parfitt and Nell Milton

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Wedding of Janice Wedding of Jan Ryan Wedding of Denise Milton and Kevin and Brian Milton , 1969 Colquhoun and Barry Blanch , 1962 From left: Jenny Ryan, Milton , 1967 Brian, Jan, Barry.

8. Final Summary:

The Milton family can be traced back to the early 19 th century but not as yet any further so more research is required around the Burlescombe region on the Devon-Somerset border. This area has a large number of villages and some of them will surely yield records, probably church baptism, marriage and burial registrations, of our great great grandfather, Richard Milton’s origins. Those of his wife, Bessie Goard may be more of a challenge although, that name being rare could make it less complex as the number of documents that need to be considered are significantly less. Of course, prior to the 19 th Century, the lack of centralised records and the randomness of their recording may mean that they are lost forever. Even gravestones as old as that are often indecipherable.

Even Thomas Milton, our Great Grandfather in many ways also remains a mystery both due to his appearance in London with no trace of his movements for many years after his youth as a farmer’s son in Devon, his late marriage to a much younger Mary Ann Salveson in London followed by his rapid emigration immediately afterwards with his very much younger wife to Australia. Why he immediately settled in the Oberon area to once again become a farmer remains to be discovered and there is some fairly reasonable suggestion that he received a small land grant there. This needs further research.

Mary Ann’s paternal family can also be traced back to about the early 19 th century to Norway although the village of origin and the possibility of an alternate use there of both Bakke and Salveson as a surname should be further investigated. Her English mother’s family, the Arrowsmiths, is a bit less obscure and previous generations in a village, Leytonstone, near to London have been located. The current church in Leytonstone postdates the known family’s departure from there and so cannot provide adequate details. As always, the research is never ending.

31 Postscript: I recently had DNA tests carried out by Oxford Ancestors. These can determine for a male the origins, father to father to father etc, over thousands of years by tracing the Y- chromosome. For both males and females, they can trace mother to mother to mother etc from the mitochondrial DNA but that is not relevant to the present article on the Miltons and will be discussed in Book 3. Obviously these tests do not account for all the genetic contributions from the many antecedents other than the direct male or direct female line. For example, for me the Y-chromosome tells me the origins in the distant past of Thomas Milton, his father and beyond but nothing of Mary Anne Salveson’s line or Bessie Goard’s line. However, it is an interesting exercise. Note that my Y-chromosome results are applicable to all those in a direct male line from Richard Milton and before him and those that follow me. In fact, it is pertinent to all those in a direct male line from Thomas Milton and before him. The results show that my ancestors in the direct male line descend from Anglo-Saxon or Danish Viking , the two not being distinguishable. As our family is from Devon, Anglo-Saxon is most likely. While this is not surprising, it needs to be noted (see “ Blood of the Isles ” by Bryan Sykes) that the average for the English population on Y-chromosome DNA is 64% British (called “Oisin” by him but perhaps more scientifically, Brythonic) who developed from the Atlantic Modal Haplotype that can be traced back some 18,000 years to the Atlantic coastal regions between Spain and France, 22.2% Anglo-Saxon or Danish Viking (“Wodan”) who developed in the Ukraine – North German area some 20,000 years ago, 5.2% Norwegian Viking (“Sigurd”) who separated from the Ukraine group and moved into Scandinavia perhaps 12,000 years ago while the rest (8.6%) are made up of three groups who came from the Middle Eastern- Mediterranean farming communities. Anyone whose lineage is exclusively British or nearly so will have their total gene pool reasonably matching these percentages due to the huge number of ancestors that we all have in any single generation in the distant past. For example, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, we are likely to have had over 1 million ancestors in that single generation. However, the results show that my direct male line, a single stream in this vast complexity, is from the “Wodan” group originating in the northern Ukraine region.

32 Some additional photographs

William and Mary Eleanor Milton , ~1902. This seems to have been taken at the same sitting as that on page 22.

School photo Bert Milton (left, second top row). About ~ 1914

Cricket match Bert Milton (3 rd from left, back row). About 1945 -46

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