If it had not been for Colin McLear's A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA, my PIONEER PATHWAY journal entry for Sarah Wilson and her sons,George and Robert, would have been nothing but a heading. I would not even have known that she existed apart from the plaque on the pathway. The PATHWAY entry contained much speculation, as did the WHITE journal, because the WILSON surname was very common in the area too.

Henry William Wilson started off on the Survey, as did Sarah, and it was logical to assume that Sarah was a widow and that she might have been related in some way to Henry. I stress might because she could just as easily have been related to George Wilson near the Balnarring/Flinders parish boundary,Alfred B. Wilson at Shoreham,the Wilsons on Tuerong Station at the time of the Schnapper Point murder, or the Mornington pioneers. Charles Bowman Wilson,train driving President of Mornington Shire, after whom the C.B.Wilson reserve in Wilson Rd, Mornington is named, was the child of a marriage between members of the previously unrelated Tuerong and Mornington Wilson families. (Joan Downward, and the author of the website:
'Bonnie William from Dundee' � a Synopsis | Bonnie William.)

A relationship between H.W.Wilson and Sarah seems impossible because Henry (whose biography I've almost forgotten) came from the London area and ran the Beauvoir Arms hotel there before coming out, this being the reason his son Godfrey Burdett Wilson gave the name "Beauvoir" to the house he built, which still stands proudly at about 10 McCulloch St Dromana. Sarah's native place was far from London, across the Irish Sea!

The rest of the journal is due to Petronella Wilson's GIVING DESTINY A HAND. Thanks to the library, I had two days to make notes from its incredible detail, actually one because of a social commitment on the Sunday. The author's maiden name was Roberts and she was probably of the family which received the grant in the parish of Flinders at the south end of Roberts Rd (Melway 255 B1.) Interestingly,I found while searching for something else that J.Roberts was residing in Main Ridge in 1896; he may have been Rosebud's first postmaster, John Roberts who bought land nearer to Rosebud and whose daughter,Rose, married William Brady of Mount Evergreen.

SARAH WILSON.
Sarah Spence was born in County Tyrone,Ireland and at the age of 21, she married Oliver Wilson, a staunch Presbyterian and a shoemaker. Oliver, son of George and Martha,was born on County Donegal in 1791.His mother died in 1831 aged 80 and probably because he no longer had the responsibility of her care,he married in 1832 at the age of 40. Three children were to share the voyage to Australia: George b.1833,Jane b.1834 and Matilda b.1837.

Since 1835, there had been a bounty of 38 pounds paid for married couples under the age of 40 who went to the colony so Oliver,now 49, declared that he was 38 and that Sarah (actually 29) was 34. Having crossed the Irish Sea,they sailed from Liverpool on the Argyle,leaving on 7-11-1840 and landing at William's Town on 12-4-1841, glad to step ashore after the confined space in steerage.

Oliver continued his trade as a shoemaker and the family had a house in Flinders Lane where their fourth child,Robert, was born on 11-7-1843. Melbourne had been declared a Town in 1842 and by the birth was probably in the grip of a severe depression,but Oliver persevered and by 1847 was making a good living from his craft, with help from 14 year-old George. Oliver died on 12-1-1851 and soon rents became astronomical because of the gold rush, so 18 year-old George,now the head of the family suggested a move to cheaper housing on Jamieson's Special Survey near Arthur's Seat (the present Safety Beach, east to Bulldog Creek Rd.) This makes it likely that Sarah's family arrived on the Survey in 1851 or soon after,rather than 1855 as stated by Colin McLear and the pioneer pathway plaque. How could Jane and Matilda have married fellow Survey residents on 18-4-1855 if they had not spent some time getting to know each other?

THERE WAS NOT TIME TO NOTE ALL DETAILS. IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE FURTHER INFORMATION, SEND ME A PRIVATE MESSAGE OUTLINING WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AND I WILL SEE IF "GIVING DESTINY A HAND" HAS THOSE DETAILS.

The children of Oliver Wilson (1791-1851) and Sarah, nee Spence (1811-1870) were:
1. George (1830-1905),born Lifford, Ireland who married (1866)Mary Jane Connell (Ryder on birth certificate.);
2. Jane (1834-63), born Lifford, who married George Young (1855,see his journal) at Sarah's house on the Survey;
3. Matilda (1837-78), b. Lifford, who married William Johnson (b. Dublin,1832-75)in a joint ceremony with Jane;
4. Robert (1843-94), born Melbourne, who never married and would have been only about 18 when he signed the petition supporting Robert Denison Quinan's school at Dromana in 1861.

OLIVER AND SARAH WILSON'S OFFSPRING.
George and Mary Jane WILSON'S children were:
1. Mary Ann (1867-1925) who in 1889 married Christopher Hansen Laurissen (b. at Cranborne, 1862-1939) and settled near George in the Red Hill South area near Main Ridge;
2. George Henry (1869-1914)who married Elizabeth Mary Given in 1911 but had no children;
3. Jane (born Stony Creek, Red Hill South,1871-1929) who in 1892 married William Edward Darley, member of a Flinders family about which I believe I've written some information in my SHIRE OF FLINDERS journal;
4. Sarah (born Balnarring,Red Hill South,1874-1948) who in 1908 married Albert Alexander Thomas Boulter.
5. Isabella((1876-1942)who in 1897 married James Turner.
6. Ellen (1878-1918) who in 1901 married Joseph Barkly Davis.
7. Robert (1881-1938) who in 1916 married Esther Dunn Ellis.
8. James (a twin, 1884-1954) who in 1915 married Barbara Scott Purves. (Much information about both is in my MURRAY GOMM:LOCAL FOOTY HERO journal.)
9. Elizabeth (a twin, 1884-1952)who in 1914 married William Henry Tayson.

George and Jane YOUNG'S children were:
1. Jane Ann (1856-1938) who in 1880 married James Connell. Their children were Anthony Edward, James Thomas, John George, William Charles, Albert Ernest, Mary Ann Eleanor, David Lewis, Charlotte Jessie and Elsie Florence.
2.George (1857-?) who married James Clout and had a son named George.
3.Mary Jane (1859-?)
4. John (1861-1947) who in 1888 married Martha Ellen Andrews.
5. Sarah (1863-1943)who in 1882 married James Matthews.
After Jane's death, George Young married Janet White and had ten more children. (See the GEORGE YOUNG journal.)

William and Matilda JOHNSON'S children were:
1. William 1855-1905, bachelor.
2. Matilda (Tilly), 1858-1936, spinster.
3.William Henry 1860-1860.
4. Robert Henry 1863-1936, who in 1915 married Catherine Tuck, daughter of Henry Tuck Jnr., (the excellent bush poet whose poetry can be purchased from the Dromana Historical Society.)Their children were William Henry, Charles James, Margaret and Mary.
5. Rebecca Sarah 1866-1922, spinster.
6. Mary Jane 1869-?
7. Sarah 1871-1927, who in 1903 married W.G.J.Coulter and had two children,Ruby and William George.
8. Charles Oliver 1875-1963, bachelor.

GEORGE WILSON'S OFFSPRING.
Christopher Hansen Laurissen and Mary Ann's children were:
1.Mary Jane (twin) 1893-1937 who in 1914 married Robert George White, their children being Nellie Harriet, Christopher Robert, Stanley George, Ivan Henry,Ruby Mary, Doris May and Alma Hilda.
2. Rose Mabel (twin) who in 1914 married William Thomas Burgess and had five sons and three daughters (details in book.)
3. George William 1895-1964 who in 1918 married Vera Rose Montgomery Holmes and had five children whose details are in the book. Vera's family had settled in Red Hill (probably in Prossors Lane) about five years earlier.
4. Elizabeth Elsie 1898-1936 who in 1916 married Francis Nolan Taylor and had eight children whose details are in the book.

William Edward Darley (born Jamieson's Special Survey, 1859-1938) and Jane's children were:
1. Florence Mary (1892-1943), spinster.
2. Annie Maude (1894-1967) who in 1937 married Joseph James Kay but had no children.
3. Kate Evelyn (1896-1981.) No issue. There may have been marriage detail which I neglected to record in my rush.
4. William George (1899-1971) bachelor.
5.Saville Maude (1910-1987)who in 1944 married Patricia Marie O'Donnell and had five daughters.
6. Lionel Edward (1913-1987)who in 1943 married Faye Chitts and had one daughter.

Alexander Edward Boulter (b. Mauritius, 1867-1945)and Sarah's children were:
1. William Albert 1897-1967, bachelor.
2. Florence Emily 1908-1986, spinster.
3. Doris 1911-1978 who in 1928 married Walter John Scott and had two daughters.

James Turner (b. Bittern, 1863-1943)and Isabella's children were:
1. George Edward 1897-1953,bachelor.
2. Ida Ellis who in 1916 married David Lewis Connell of Foxey's Hangout fame.Their children were Doreen,
Amy Isabell,George James,Nellie Evelyn,Jean Ivy and Leonard Lewis.(See the CONNELL Journal.)


Joseph Barkly Davis(b. Richmond, 1870-1956) and Ellen married in 1901 and had the following children:
1. Muriel Ellen (1902-?) who in 1926 married Walter Jeffrey Yelland.
2. Ethel May (1906-1911.)
3.Ruby Mavis (1913-?)

Robert Wilson* and Esther Dunn Ellis (1887-1977) had one child:
Robert Richard (1919-1986) who in 1955 married Jocelyn Gladys Reed and had two boys and two girls (details in book.)
*Robert was lucky to survive his childhood. I'll bet he was very careful using axes.

James Wilson and Barbara Scott Purves had the following children:
1. Daphne Mavis (1916-?) who in 1940 married William James Hicklin and had two sons and a daughter.
2.Harold James (1918-?,known to Hec Hanson as "Cocko")who in 1947 married Marjory Burston and had five boys.Marjory might have been a descendant of George Burston from Fitzroy who was assessed on a large part of the Burrells' Arthurs Seat pre-emptive right.
CHECK RATES.
3.Lila Violet (1920-?) who in 1940 married Alan Hosken,with no issue, and in 1947 married George Gomm and had two sons, Ray and Murray. There is much detail about the Purves and Gomm families in my journal:
MURRAY GOMM,LOCAL FOOTY HERO,SOMERVILLE FOOTBALL CLUB.




ABOUT FAMILY MEMBERS.
WILLIAM EDWARD DARLEY.
RACING.
Mornington Standard (Vic. : 1889 - 1908) Saturday 23 April 1904 Edition: MORNING. p 5 Article
... Nominations close this evening with the hon. secretary, Mr W. E. Darley, for the Flinders Racing Club's annual meeting, which takes place on Friday, May 6.

William George Darley,the fourth child and oldest son of Willam Edward and Jane (Wilson) was an outstanding golfer. I seem to remember that he had some sort of physical disability but I could take forever to find the source of my belief. However when I googled "Darley, Flinders, Golf", I did find confirmation of my belief. He had to wear surgical boots as a result of being gored by a wild boar when he was seven.

Flinders Golf Champ Dies; 72 . - Google News
news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19710825&id...
Flinders golf champ dies; 72 . Bill Darley, of Fliders, one of Victoria's best known golfers died in his sleep early yesterday,aged 72. He played his last round of ...

There should be a spate of "aces" down Flinders way in the next few weeks. The club recently staged an exhibition match between Eric Lucas and Bill Darley against Ken Lucas, and Heidelberg professional Al Whykes.
Bill gave the gallery a perfect demonstration of how to hole out in one. He did the trick at the 15th-and what a reception he received! Of course, it was no trouble for Bill and Eric, to go on then and win the match 2 and 1.(P.14, The Argus, 12-1-1954.)


Properties mentioned in GIVING DESTINY A HAND.
ANTHONY CONNELL. Nag or Nagg Hill. Crown allotments 29 and 27,parish of Moorooduc, granted to Anthony at an unspecified date. Fronting the east side of Old Moorooduc Rd from the bend at number 235 to the Vineyard Lane corner, the south boundary being 1004 metres and the north boundary being 700 metres to the Balnarring/Gillett Rd corner. Anthony was also granted 11A, Moorooduc,of 22 acres 1 rood and 33 perches on 4-3-1873. Gillett Rd was the northern boundary of this grant, whose western boundary was that of the Tuerong Reserve,the course of Balnarring Rd having been altered to run through 11A circa 1931. The marriage of Anthony's daughter, Mary Jane, and George Wilson took place at Nagg Hill in 1866.

The Connells were much involved in horse racing so I believe that this interest led to the farm's name and prefer the Nag Hill version. Nag Hill was directly across Old Moorooduc Rd from Anrew White's grants. George Young married Mary Jane's sister Jane in 1855 and they might have lived at Nag Hill for some time. When Jane died in 1863,it was not surprising that his second wife was Janet White, who was probably Andrew White's daughter. They married on 2-1-1866 with George Wilson and his fiancee, Mary Jane Connell, acting as witnesses.

JAMES CONNELL. Tuerong (Cresta 11 in 1992.) Crown allotment 12B Moorooduc, of 177 acres 2 roods 25 perches, was granted to James on 1-7-1886. I don't know whether Tuerong was actually the farm's name (James Connell of Tuerong may have been interpreted as James Connell of "Tuerong".) If it was,it might have been the reason that the Tuerong pre-emptive right was called Tuerong Station and later Tuerong Park. Rennison's grant (11B of 239 2 22,where the Peninsula's first race meeting was said to have been held)and adjoining James Connell's grant on the north, was without doubt the 240 acre TUERONG VALLEY advertised for sale in 1950. (P.27, Argus, 9-12-1950.) James Connell's grant fronted Balarring and Derril Rds,the Hodgins Rd corner being at the midpoint of its eastern boundary. Melway 152 D-F, part 8,part 9.

ROBERT WILSON.(A) Crown allotment 13 Moorooduc, south of James Connell's 12B to Foxey's Hangout Rd.This allotment of 170 acres was granted to Robert on 21-5-1886. Robert,born to Oliver and Sarah Wilson in Melbourne in 1843 died in 1894 at the age of 51, so he may have been in failing health in August 1891 when he sold it to James Smith Adams, a Mornington butcher who owned considerable land near Westernport. Adams sold the property to Charles Beissel of Richmond a month later.

(B) FERN HILL. Crown allotment 67B,Balnarring, of 53 acres 2 roods and 18 perches was selected by the grantee, Edward Gray, in 1862. Robert Wilson bought the 54 acres in his 20's,gaining title in April 1871. His sister,Matilda, and her husband, William Johnson, settled on 5 acres of it. (Melway 190 J12,fronting Stony Creek and Shoreham Rd.)

JAMES TURNER.


GEORGE WILSON.