Gordon Family History

In April 1837, Edward Elliott (aged 18, so born about 1818-1819) was tried and convicted at Nottingham Borough Quarter Sessions with William Thoresby of stealing a thermometer valued at 5 shillings, the goods of Henry Scorer. Each defendant pleaded not guilty, each was found guilty and sentenced to 12 months hard labour in the House of Correction. Again, subsequent legal documents confirm that this was our Edward.

Edward Elliott's court report
(Nottingham Review 23 April 1837)

On 16 Novmber 1839 Edward was charged with felony after he was found in the cellar of the house of John Hill at 12 o'clock on the previous Friday night (Nottingham Review 22 November 1839). When he came before the Nottingham Town Quarter Sessions on 27 December 1839, Edward was charged with having entered a dwelling house with intent to commit felony and with having burglariously broken out of such dwelling house. The court report appeard in the Nottingham Review on 3 January 1840, the article can be read here. Edward's age at the trial was given as 22 (so born about 1817-1818). The article states that "A previous conviction against the prisoner was proved by David Musson Jackson, the governor of the house of correction, at the sessions in April 1837, for stealing a thermometer, the property of Henry Scorer, and for which he suffered twelve months imprisonment." Edward was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years transportation.

After the trial, Edward would have been moved to the Nottingham Town Gaol. He was removed from the Gaol on 28 January 1840, and placed on board the Warrior convict hulk at Woolwich.

Edward Elliott moved to Convict Hulk
(Nottingham Journal 31 January 1840)

On 30 June 1840 the "Eden" arrived at Woolwich, to receive 80 prisoners from the Warrior convict ship. Amongst these was Edward Elliott. Prior to the "Eden" arriving at Woolwich, The Military Guard of H.M. 96th regiment had embatked at Deptford on 27 June 1840. After the prisoners were received at Woolwich, the ship sailed to Sheerness on 1 July 1840, where more prisoners from the convict hulks at Chatham were boarded. A total of 270 prisoners were on the "Eden". The "Eden" departed Sheerness on 10 July 1840.

"Eden" arrives at Woolwich
(London Evening Standard 30 June 1840)

The following details about Edward are taken from the UK Prison Hulk Register:

Age: 22
Marital Status: Single
Read or write: Neither
Trade: Frame Work Knitter
Gaoler's report: Twice convicted of Felony and once as a Rogue and Vagabond, imprisoned i year and 1 month. Character and ? is bad.

Prison Hulk Register extract

The following details are taken from Edward's indent papers:

Religion: Protestant
Trade or calling: Labourer
Height: 5ft 4 1/2 inches
Complexion: Sallow and much pockpitted
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Hazel grey
Particular marks or scars: Eyebrows partially meeting, blue (? word illegible - possibly scar) on outer corner of left, raised mole on right side of neck, E inside lower left arm.

1840 "Eden" Indent Papers extract

The "Eden" arrived at Port Jackson on 18 November 1840 with 269 prisoners, as one had died on the passage out. Three convicts were sent to the Hospital on arrival and the other 266 disembarked on 26th November. All were reported to be in an a sound state of health, and upon disembarkation were transferred to the Hyde Park Barracks. The "Eden" was the last convict ship to bring convicts to New South Wales.

The first instance I have found of Edward in Australia is in Scone New South Wales. On 23 September 1841 he appeared before the Bench of Magistrates Scone and confined to Scone lockup, on a charge of losing sheep. He was sentenced to 25 lashes. I haven't been able to find anything about Edward between the time his ship arrived in 1840 and his appearance at the Scone Bench of Magistrates, so I haven't been able to determine if Edward was sent anywhere before going to Scone.

On 22nd September 1842, Edward was still living at Scone on bond, when he was one of 12 men "withdrawn from private service". All 12 were admitted to Maitland Gaol on 4th October, and returned to Hyde Park Barracks on 5th October 1842. Edward's occupation is listed as silk glove weaver. Further investigation is required to determine where Edward (and perhaps all of these men) were then sent. Is it possible this was when he was sent to Port Phillip?

Edward Elliott withdrawn from private service 1842

Sometime after this, Edward was sent to Port Phillip (Melbourne Victoria), and assigned to the Surveyor Robert Hoddle. In 1844 he was returned to Cockatoo Island (Sydney) as he (with another convict) was suspected of being involved in theft, as well as being insolent and insubordinate. He was ordered to be kept at Cockatoo Island for 12 months. In 1845 a report on his behaviour was provided to the Colonial Secretary, advising that his behaviour was satisfactory. He was released to Hyde Park Barracks on 1 October 1845.

On 30 April 1846, Edward was one of about 20 men admitted to Parramatta Gaol, they were all discharged on 1 May 1846 and dispersed to Penrith. Under "purpose", all had "Blackeath" written. All were convicts from Sydney. In 1846 there was a convict stockade at Blackheath. Further investigation is required to determine if Edward was moved to the Convict Stockade.

Edward was granted 2 Tickets of Leave in 1851, the first for the Goulburn district which was subsequently cancelled for being out of the district without permission, and the second for the Maitland district.

After gaining a Ticket of Leave in 1851, Edward is supposed to have married Mary Salmon in Maitland on 26 December 1852. No marriage records have been located. Details of the marriage were provided on some of the birth certificates of their children. Edward and Mary had between twelve to fourteen children. Details of children found so far are:

• Edith Grace Elliott (1853 - ?)
• Abigail Elliott (1856 - 1857) n.m.
• Jemima Mary Elliott (1858 - 1858) n.m.
• William Edward Elliott (1859 - 1862) n.m.
• Martha (May) Rosine Elliott (1861 - 1947) n.m.
• Samuel James Elliott (1865 - 1927) married Dorathea Dunn
• Thomas Walter Elliott (1868 - 1944) married Elizabeth Fitzpatrick
• Lillian Lavinia Elliott (Abt. 1869 - 1953) married Archibald Frank Marcus Brooke
• Elizabeth Hannah Elliott (1872 - 1953) married John Thomas

Names and birth details of the other 3 - 5 children are still to be found. As their births do not appear to have been registered, finding information may be difficult. A death notice for Mary Watson (nee Salmon, formerly Elliott) mentions a daughter, "Mrs Elliott", living in Leichhardt. This daughter has not been positively confirmed, but may have been Martha Elliott. This death notice also mentioned another daughter, Mrs Brooke of Woollahra, this reference helped me to identify Lillian as another daughter, previously I hadn't found any reference to her.

In 1855, Edward was charged with assaulting George Hancock at his house at Stoney Creek.

Edward Elliott Assault Charge
(The Maitland and Humter River General Advertiser 14 February 1855)

In 1859, Edward had a horse stolen at Gunnedah. I have not found if the horse was returned or who was responsible for the theft.

Edward was the informant on their youngest daughter Elizabeth's birth certificate in 1872. Mary remarried at Coonabarabran NSW, in 1873, stating that she was a widow. Edward was, however, still alive. He was admitted to Liverpool Asylum on 8th October 1875, and discharged on 14th October 1875. This was definitely our Edward, as the admittance papers list the "Eden" as the ship on which he arrived. He was admitted again on 25th November 1878, but was discharged the next day.

Edward Elliott's admittance to Liverpool Asylum 1875

Edward Elliott's admittance to Liverpool Asylum 1878

It is believed that he is the Edward Elliott who died at the Government Asylum, Macquarie Street Parramatta, on the 16th November 1879, his cause of death was cancer. I have not been able to find his admission papers, so I don't know how long he was at this asylum. Edward was buried on 17th November 1879 at St John's Cemetery Parramatta.

Martha Elliott was born in Haydonton, New South Wales, in 1861. Martha had 2 children:

• Walter Roy Leslie Elliott (1885 - 1930) married Emily Bowers
• Arthur Gordon Leslie Elliott (1887 - 1957) married Ruby Burton

Martha died 20 December 1947 in Kiama, when she was visiting her son Arthur. She was buried at Kiama Cemetery. Martha and her sons variously used Elliott or Leslie-Elliott as their surname.

Samuel Elliott was born in Ashford, New South Wales, in 1865. He married Dorothea (Dorothy/Dora) Booth (nee Dunn) in Nyngan about 1886. They had 8 children, most of whom didn't have their births registered:

• Thomas Francis Elliott (Abt 1888 - 1965) married Rosell Wilson
• Arthur Robert Elliott (Abt 1890 - 1968) married Elsie Nicholls
• Edward Henry Elliott (1892 - ?)
• Albert Edward Elliott (1894 - 1955) married Eva Townsend
• Gertrude Elliott (1896 - 1964) married Patrick Goulding
• Grace Hannah Elliott (1898 - 1960) married Cecil Rice
• Ivy May Elliott (1900 - 1900) n.m.
• Samuel James Elliott (1900 - 1900) n.m.

Samuel died 21 April 1927 in Parkes.

Thomas Elliott was born in Bundara in 1868. Family legend has it that his step-father kicked him out of the house when he was 12 years old (circa 1880). Little is known about what Thomas did in those initial years. Unfortunately, none of his childrens' births were registered, so their places of birth are only hearsay. In 1893, he appears to have been in Queensland, as his first child Elsie is said to have been born there. By 1896, he appears to have been living at Coolibah in New South Wales, where his next child Dorothy is said to have been born. From a newspaper article in 1897, the first confirmed record for Thomas, he and Elizabeth were living at Girilambone. His daughter Ivy is said to have been born in Canonbar in 1900, with the 1901 NSW Census also placing him there. Bertha is said to have been born in Canbeligo in 1901. His two sons are said to have been born in Girilambone in 1907 and 1910. Thomas married Elizabeth Fitzpatrick in Sydney in 1910. Thomas and Elizabeth had six children:

• Elsie Maude Agnes Elliott (Abt 1893 - 1968) married i) Harold Power, ii) James Walter Gale, iii) John Francis Kilroy, iv) Thomas Edward Humphreys
• Dorothy Lillian Elliott (Abt 1896 - 1968) married Robert McEnallay
• Ivy Irene May Elliott (Abt 1900 - 1964) married William Murphy
• Bertha Madeline Elliott (Abt 1901 - 1988) married Kenneth MacKinnon
• Edward Roy Elliott (Abt 1907 - 1919) n.m.
• Arthur Ronald Thomas Elliott (Abt 1910 - 1938) married Hazel Monica Jean Richards

Thomas had a variety of jobs, but spent many years as a water diviner. He regularly placed ads in papers around the Dubbo district, advertising his services. Thomas died in Sydney in 1944, and was buried at the Field of Mars Cemetery.

Lillian Elliott was born in Queensland about 1869. I have not been able to find a record of her birth. Her marriage and death certificates both state she was born in Queensland, the place name on her marriage certificate is difficult to decipher. On her death certificate, her place of birth is listed as Brisbane Queensland. The informant was her son. Lillian married Archibald Marcus Frank Brooke in Sydney in 1896. Lillian and Archibald had one child:

• Herbert Guy Brooke (1897 - 1986) married (i) Myrtle May McWhinney, (ii) Hulda Livia Karro

Lillian died in Wagga Waggs in 1953.

Elizabeth Elliott was born in Edgeroi in 1872. Her father was the informant on her birth certificate, this is the last record of Edward. She married John Thomas in Nyngan in 1893. Consent for her marriage was given by her mother, "Mary Elliott". Elizabeth and John had ten children:

• Mozart Francis Thomas (1894 - 1895) n.m.
• Sylvine Fannita Thomas (1896 - 1987) n.m.
• John William Henry Thomas (1899 - 1959) married Nellie Selina Wall
• Elizabeth Hannah May Elliott (1900 - 1972) n.m.
• Herberta May Thomas (1903 - 1979) married Anthony Gorrick Hannon
• Lillian Myrtle Thomas (1905 - 2003) married Jes Alfred Homer
• Roy Vivian David Thomas (1907 - 1962) n.m.
• Stella Winifred Dorothy Thomas (1911 - 2004) married John Smith
• James Thomas (1915 - 1915) n.m.
• Jean Alma Dorothy Thomas (1917 - ?) married (i) Reginald James Maguire, (ii) George Lorraine Smith

John Thomas was a miner, and the family moved around country NSW. After John's death in 1933, Elizabeth settled in Sydney, and died in Ashfield in 1953.