After docking at Sydney Cove, Jacob, Eliza and James transferred to the “Ettalong” which took them up the Hunter River to Morpeth (map) . There is no mention as to who took charge of the five prize bulls after they were unloaded from the Gilmore or how they were escorted to Mr. Wyndham’s property.
They were met by a man named Jack Finney and his two offsiders, a Chinese and an Aborigine who were sent in a spring cart by Mr. Charles Codrington to meet them. They set out from Morpeth and spent their first night at a camp owned by a man known as “Old Blind Batty” who was going away for the night to play his fiddle at a wedding. This camp was at Maitland.
The following day the party set out on the long journey to Mr. Codrington’s station at Llangothlin (map) in the New England area of NSW. This would have taken a week to two weeks in the spring cart. They would have been very weary by the time they reached their destination. Their abode was a slab hut with a dirt floor, which was typical of the quarters provided in inland Australia.
Within a few days of their arrival, one of Mr. Codrington’s little daughters died and Jacob was given the task of digging her grave. The little girl would have been buried on the property near to the homestead, as was the custom for people living on the land in those early days.
Some time later, Mr. Codrington and Jacob set out for Texas on the Dumaresque river, at least 100 miles by direct route, considerably more if not. A heavily timbered route it would have been. Even to-day it is very scrubby in parts of the Texas and New England areas. It would have been an exciting and exhilarating experience rounding up those 500 wild calves. They would have been difficult to manage droving them through the extremely rugged scrub. Jacob would have shown his skills as a horseman during this round up and in droving them back to Llangothlin.
Jacob and Eliza do not appear to have remained at Codringtons for any length of time. They no doubt heard of the gold digging near Uralla south west of Armidale where a small fortune could be made so Jacob headed off for the gold fields where he may have found enough gold to give him a start, something we do not know. He did not remain there long and spent the next six months at Armidale. There is no record of what he did there. Their only child, Mary Jane, was born at Armidale on the 5th January, 1857.
Next, Jacob worked at “Longreach Station” owned by Darby and Finch. This station was situated near Bundarra, in direct line, about 45 miles north west of Armidale. My information says it was here Eliza died on 10th August, 1858, aged 23 years. According to Dan, Eliza was buried at Tienga Station. In Dan’s book, they had moved to Tienga Station. Dan would have obtained a Death Certificate as he has all the details whereas my information was from an article written, no doubt, from oral information. Mary Jane was 18 months old. Jacob and Eliza had only been married 3 years and 2 months, a sorrowful time for Jacob.
TRIBUTE TO ELIZA
To Australia you came with Jacob, To make your life together You settled in New England Where Mary Jane was born Within a year your life did end From the bite of a deadly snake T’was farewell to you, Eliza Lovely English rose.
MARY JANE HUNT
Mary Jane (PIC), the only child of Jacob and her mother, Eliza nee Martin, was born on 5th February, 1857 in the Armidale district of New England. Sadly for Mary Jane, she lost her mother when she was only 18 months old and would not have remembered her. She would grow to womanhood knowing only what her father related to her concerning her mother.
Little is known about her youthful years and stories have circulated stating that she was brought up by her Uncle James and his wife.
Both Dan and myself were led to believe Mary Jane was brought up by her uncle James and his wife. However, James and Elizabeth Jane Boyce were not married until 24th May, 1864 at Sandhurst in Victoria so it is a fable that Mary Jane was reared by them as she would have been 8 years and 2 months old by the time they married. I believe she would have been cared for by Jacob’s employer until the following year when Jacob married for a second time to Ellen Brown who also worked at Tienga and most probably was already caring for Mary Jane before they married
It seems logical to me that Jacob and Ellen would have reared Mary Jane who by that time was 2 years and 8 months old. Her father, Jacob, would have treasured the gift of his daughter by Eliza and I feel sure he would not have given up his little daughter for anyone else to rear and this is possibly why he married Ellen Brown 13 months after Eliza’s death.
Dan Hunt quotes in his book “a letter by Betty File to Geoff Collins that Mary Jane witnessed the births of the last six children born to Ellen and Jacob." Mary Jane would have been 14 to 15 years old when she witnessed the birth of Jacob and Ellen’s 6th child in 1871. Speculation – It is possible she may have spent her school years with her Uncle James and Aunt Elizabeth if there was no school for her to attend where her father was living.
In 1878, Mary Jane married George Mepham of Rye Green situated on the McIntyre River which consisted of 100 acres, a very fertile area and a lovely place to live. Mary Jane gave birth to three children. The first was May b.13-6-1880, the second, Maud Edna b.1882 and the third a stillborn son, not named so far as we know, b.1884. The day after the birth Mary Jane passed away and was buried at Rye Green West. Mary Jane died young and her two daughters would not have remembered her. A year after she died, her husband, George Mepham, married Mary Jane’s cousin, Elizabeth Jane Hunt, daughter of Jacob’s brother, James and his wife, Elizabeth Jane, nee Boyce. It is likely they reared May and Maud, George being their father.
Reg Teys, a grandson of Mary Jane’s through her daughter, May, is still living and will be 87 in August this year. He owns the property “Forest Lodge”, Merah in the Narrabri district, the property which first belonged to my grandfather, George Hunt.
Another of Mary Jane’s descendants, Sylvia Harrison, lives near Sydney and is a champion show horse rider.
Following is a chart of Mary Jane’s descendants:-
FAMILY OF JACOB HUNT AND ELIZA MARTIN
JACOB HUNT b.6-4-1835 m.5-6-1855 Eliza Martin, daughter of George and Jane Martin of Marshfield, Gloucestershire. Issue MARY JANE b.5-2-1857 m.1878 George Mepham d.1927 d.1884 1.May b.13-6-1880 m.23-10-1907 Andrew Gabriel Teys b.9-1-1860 d.15-9-1879 Buried Rye Green, Oakwood d.23-12-1936 (1)Edna May b.31-10-1908 Wee Waa m.15-9-1932 Narrabri d.6-10-1990 m.Brame Lynn Gill b.1902 d.18-9-1990 a.Beryl b.31-3-1935 m.Hector Holcombe b.1936 Lynda Fay b.24-3-1957 m.Roy Gurdler, Brisbane Fiona Joanne b.Sylvia b.14-4-1938 m.Len Harrison Mark b.26-1-1970 Scott b.19-2-1973 (2)Reginald Alexander b.31-7-1914 Narrabri m.26-9-1952 m.Lorna Joyce Bailey b.20-11-1925 a.Jennifer Anne b.23-11-1955 Sydney m.13-11-1976 m.(1)Tony Alan Garrier b.2-11-1953 m.(2)2-11-1991 Grant Eden Hodgson b.23-7-1952 Jessica Elizabeth b.2-10-1992 b.Warwick Alexander b.27-3-1957 Sydney 2.Maud Edna b.1882 d.1972 m.19-5-1917 Leonard Granville Gallagher d.1972 (1)Iris Daphne m.Frank Sydney Alexander Buskin a.Robeyn Monica May m.Gerard Zwanenbeek Scott Anthony Monique Joanne b.Howard Alexander (Dec.) m.Joyce DeLongville Gregory Alexander m.Heather Lynette Clewes Nigel c.John Frank m.Catherine Margaret Keddie David John Mackeddie James Alexander MacKeddie Emma Catherine Louise (2)Dulce Heather m.James Troth a.Colleen m.(1)John Palmer Mark m.(2)Nicholas Elfrink Jason m.(3)Brian Blinkinship b.Barry m.Maree Chandler Shane c.Pamela m.Allan Lambess Amanda) Paul ) Twins (3)Eunice Mary m.John Bernard Gough a.Kerrie m.Leonard Bale Susan Lynda b.Janice (Dec.) c.Michelle m.Harburt Claire Annika (4)Edrie Edland m.John Lindsay Smith a.John m.(1)Linda Belinda m.(2)Noni Beau Chad Sarah b.Jennifer m.Tony Hamilton Lindsay Renae (5)Valma Adeline m.Thomas Philpott a.Helen m.Lindsay Hanson Stewart b.Gregory b.
JACOB MARRIES ELLEN BROWN