When I was younger I made the trip north several times on the way to the Lake District or to Scotland. Usually by bus. One of the first rest stops along the way was Kendal. At the time I had no clue that so many of my ancestors had their beginnings in this charming little town 69 miles from my hometown of Preston. It felt like forever on that Bus as it wound through the countryside of England and over Shap on the way to Edinburgh to visit my sister. No fast Motorways then, 159 miles was slow going!
This was nothing compared to the distance the descendants of one of my 4th Great Grandfathers traveled.
George Sheffield and Mary Hope were born in Wigton, Cumberland in the mid 1700’s and had many descendants of course, some of which I have previously written. This is the story of two of their Granddaughter's who made the long trip from Kendal to Australia. Children of my Great Aunt Mary Sheffield.
Recently found on ancestry.com were Photo’s of these two sisters and their families.
The first to leave for Australia from Plymouth , England in 1883 was Frances Catherine, she married Robert Woof in 1869 along with their eight children the youngest daughter had recently been born in January of 1883.
In 1887 her sister Mary Eleanor left England with her husband David Casson Sawrey and three children born in England they had six more children born to them after arriving in Australia.
My thought on discovering the many cousins who emigrated in those early days of travel always go to the difficulties they must have endured at sea. And the sadness they they must have felt as they said goodbye to parents, siblings and friends, realizing they would never see them again. Not to mention the uncertainty of what lay ahead.
Painted by John Dolman in 1884.
1 comment:
Another great story and I always love the pictures you find to illustrate your posts :)
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