The opportunity to present on the subject of “Money and property matters” at a SAG Hang Out during COVD-19 prompted me to document the story of my 2 x great grandfather, Robert Cornelius Hails.
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| Southwick, Durham, England |
Early Life
Robert was born on 9 November 1855 in Southwick, County Durham, the fifth child of Robert Hails, a shipwright and Mary Ann McKenzie, who had married in Sunderland in 1849.
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| Birth Certificate - Robert Hails - 1855 |
Sadly, four of his brothers died in infancy and his mother Mary Ann passed away on 12 November 1860 in Sunderland, as a result of complications following the birth of a daughter, Ann.
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| Death Certificate - Mary Hailes - 1860 |
In 1861 Robert was living at 24 Cottage Row, East Murton with his father, Robert, now described as a joiner, brother John, aged 11, a coal miner, and sister, Annie, aged 2. Also living with the family was his maternal aunt, Ann, who was recorded as his father’s wife.
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| 1861 Census - East Murton, Durham, England |
Robert’s father converted to catholicism and he and his two sons were christened at St. Mary Magdalene Roman Catholic Church at Seaham Harbour on 12 Jun 1864. Just a few weeks later on 31 July Robert’s father married his aunt, Ann, at Hutton House Roman Catholic Chapel at Hutton Henry.
Robert’s father passed away on 22 December 1869 at Murton Colliery of tuberculosis and exhaustion at the age of 42.
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Death Certificate - Robert Hails - 1869
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| England & Wales, National Probate Calendar - Robert Hales - 1870 |
Ann and the children were still living in Cottage Row, East Murton at the time of the 1871 census with Thomas Henry as the head of the family and all were recorded with the surname Henry. Aunt Ann married Thomas later that year on 05 Jun 1871 at Hutton House Roman Catholic Chapel.
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| 1871 Census - East Murton, Durham, England |
Immigration, Marriage and Family
Robert immigrated to Australia with his brother John, and John's wife Sarah, on the
Windsor Castle arriving at Brisbane, Queensland on 21 Jun 1876. They travelled as Free Passengers and Robert was described as single and aged 20 yrs. His brother John was 25 and married, John's wife, Sarah was 23.
The
Windsor Castle weighed 1175 tons, a clipper ship with a copper plated bottom, that made six voyages to Queensland from London and Plymouth between 1876 and 1881.
Robert, John and Sarah made their way south to the Newcastle area and both Robert and John first appeared on Electoral Rolls there in 1882/3.
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| Marriage Certificate - Robert Hails and Isabella Court - 1881 |
Robert married Isabella Court by the rites and ceremonies of the Primitive Methodist Church on 19 February 1881 in the home of the bride’s brother, William Court at Hamilton Commonage. The consent of William as Isabella’s guardian was required as she was just 16 years old. William Court went on to become Mayor of Adamstown.
Robert and Isabella’s first child, Hannah, was born at Hamilton, but by the time my great grandfather, (also named Robert) was born in 1883, the family were living at Clifton on the NSW south coast. The township of Clifton had come into being in 1877, when the Coal Cliff Colliery was developed. It seems the family may have moved back and forth to the Newcastle area during the next ten years, but most of their children were born at Clifton.
Robert and Isabella had 7 children together:
- Hannah born Hamilton (1881-1955)
- Robert born Clifton (1883-1957)
- Mary born Adamstown (1885-1970)
- Isabella born Clifton (1887-1967)
- John born Clifton (1889-1948)
- Rose born Clifton (1891-1892)
- Sarah born Helensburgh (1893-1899)
Bankruptcy
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| New South Wales, Australia, Government Gazette - 7 Mar 1890 |
The eastern Australian colonies saw the start of a severe depression in 1890-91 and on 3 March, 1890 Robert petitioned the Judge in Bankruptcy and was subsequently declared bankrupt. Robert declared that he was a miner, residing at Clifton, and was married with five children. He claims slackness of work and pressure of creditors caused his bankruptcy. A total of 16 creditors were noted including his brother-in-law, Captain Ball. The debts were contracted from 1885 through to 1889 and totalled nearly 42 pounds. The creditors included storekeepers, butchers and bakers at Clifton, Stockton, Adamstown, Hamilton and Wickham. Robert's only asset was wearing apparel valued at four pound.
In 1893 a major international depression and the speculative property boom of the 1880s, led to the Australian banking crisis of 1893 and a serious economic depression.
Now living in Helensburgh, Robert again petitioned for bankruptcy on 11 Apr at which time he made the following statement:
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| New South Wales, Australia, Government Gazette - 21 Mar 1893 |
I have filed my statement of affairs. I don't wish to amend it. I have been bankrupt before that was about 4 years ago, I never obtained my certificate. I was then living at Clifton, was a miner, my liabilities were between 30 and 40 pounds that was through slackness of work and pressure of creditors. I have not paid anything of that yet. My present occupation is that of a coal miner at Helensburgh. I kept no books of account. I attribute my present bankruptcy to slackness of work and sickness in my family. 3 at once and one died.
At this time, his liabilities were just over 25 pound.
The death he mentions was his young daughter Rose, who had died 25 November the previous year at 14 months of age. The cause of death was given as collapse of lungs, and cough which she had suffered for 2 months prior to her death.
Robert’s wife, Isabella was also expecting at this time, as their youngest daughter, Sarah was born six months later on 24 Oct 1893.
Death
On 13 Jun 1895 Robert died from injuries accidentally received though being run over by a passing train in No. 2 tunnel on the Illawarra line.
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| Helensburgh Station |
The Illawarra Mercury was one of several newspapers to report the incident and were keen to note Robert at fault and stated “we desire to add the deceased was trespassing on the line, and great credit is due to the driver and guard in calling instant attention to the accident and stopping the train” and go on to say “the deceased left a widow and six children unprovided for.”
Robert was buried in an unmarked grave in the Church of England section at Helensburgh Cemetery. His daughter, Sarah was buried with her father when she died four years later.
DNA Confirmation
Our genetic line back to Robert Hails is confirmed through several DNA matches to my father, within the 3rd cousin range, through descendants of three of Robert's children, Hannah, Robert and Isabella.
Further reading
Wikitree: Robert Cornelius Hails
Great work Vicki!
ReplyDeleteA sad story indeed. Went to Helensburgh a few times as a kid to ride bikes, there was practically nothing there, just bush. In future, whenever anyone mentions Helensburgh I will remember poor Robert.
ReplyDelete