It was actually Gally Swamp which later became Gallymont to the west of the Oberon district around Trunkey/Carcoar/Lyndhurst. The Croucher's, William 1835-1912 and his wife Jane,nee LUCKHURST came from Ashford, Kent atound the 1850s and settled there. I wouldn't say they married with the aborigines but the Digby's and the Crouchers were all cousins. Wild country back then the men were timber cutters. Mary Jane, Sarah and I think George Croucher all married Digby's. I don't know an Ethel Grace. Elizabeth Digby and George Croucher had an Ivy Ethel but she married one of the Ridley's. I will have a look later for all Mary Jane and Reuben's children.

Don't hold your breath though Marc. My father's family came from around there and half the time they didn't bother registering and buried their dead in the bush.

There was a Reuben DIGBY and Mary J CROUCHERR married in Carcoar, N.S.W. in 1886.

One of their children was Ethel G DIGBY born 1891 in Carcoar.

This seems to fit with Ethel's year of birth, and also names her parents you think 'may have been'.

Any help?

You guys are fabulous!! ABSOLUTELY!!, thanks :)

@Tonkin, is it Croucher with two r's??

I checked my own family tree and I have DIGBYs 1830s to present time Morpeth, East Maitland NSW because they are CANTWELL descendants like myself through lines: BALKIN, O'SHEA, POWER, BARRETT, BYRNE.

Other family names surrounding the DIGBY lines are HORSFIELD, WATERS, FLEGG, STEPHENS, and GREENHALGH.

Let me know if you want me to write up a journal.

If you search through the Australian Cemeteries Index online, there are 15 DIGBY burial records and 22 STRINGER ones. Click on 'name search' left hand margin then type in surname.

Best wishes.

Hi,
New South Wales PO Directory 1875 (Greville)

There are two registrations for a Reuben Digby, they are probably the same person.

HINTON -a small township in the police district of Maitland, electorate of The Hunter, county Durham, is 98 miles north from Sydney. Route : Steam to Newcastle, rail to ,East Maitland ; or steamer to Morpeth ferry, one mile to Hinton.

Digby, Reuben, mason.

MORPETH -an incorporated town-ship in the police district of Maitland, electorate of Morpeth, county of Northumberland,
is 97 miles north from Sydney. Route : Steam via Newcastle;
or by rail via East Maitland.

Digby, Reuben, stonecutter, High St.

New South Wales PO Directory 1904 (Wise)
Digby Reuben, fruiterer, Galleymont.
Regards
Gerry

The children of Reuben DIGBY and Mary Jane, nee CROUCHER were:-

1.ADELINE C b:1887 CARCOAR

2.EDITH May b:1888 CARCOAR

3.ETHEL G b:1891 CARCOAR

4.GERTRUDE M b:1892 CARCOAR

5.PHILIP R b: 1896 CARCOAR d:1896,Carcoar

6.IDA G b: 1898 CARCOAR d: 1921, Kiama. m. Cecil M EDWARDS in 1918 at St.Leonards, Sydney

FEMALE DIGBY marriages NSW on record from 1909 to 1930:-

9885/1912 HODGSON JAMES DIGBY ALMA GRANVILLE
13072/1913 PRECIOUS CHARLES DIGBY MARY J NEWTOWN
3156/1914 CLINTON GEOFFREY DIGBY AMY NARROMINE
2093/1915 MACMURRAY JOHN K DIGBY IVY M WEST MAITLAND
2093/1915 MCMURRAY JOHN K DIGBY IVY M WEST MAITLAND
9285/1915 PILLIDGE WILLIAM R DIGBY EDITH A EAST MAITLAND
9455/1915 PONT EDWARD R DIGBY AMY I WEST MAITLAND
6287/1918 EDWARDS CECIL M DIGBY IDA G ST LEONARDS
13389/1919 SOUTHCOMBE HAROLD DIGBY MINNIE W EAST MAITLAND
14236/1919 RIDLEY ALBERT L DIGBY DORIS CARCOAR *
9858/1920 DAY ELI P DIGBY IDA F AUBURN
13831/1920 PUCKERIDGE JAMES DIGBY ROSEINA WEST MAITLAND
11512/1921 MARR MAURICE J DIGBY EMILY A BRAIDWOOD
14326/1921 BOTTLE FRANCIS E DIGBY HILDA E SYDNEY
7795/1922 SAYCE HARRY D DIGBY VIOLET C WEST MAITLAND
18453/1928 SMITH JONATHAN J S DIGBY CHARLOTTE A EAST MAITLAND
14108/1929 THIBAULT WALLACE J DIGBY EDNA M TAMWORTH
2883/1923 CASHMAN JOHN E DIGBY VERLIE S ST PETERS
10787/1923 ANDERSON GEORGE DIGBY AMY I MOSMAN
4045/1925 ANDERSON JOHN M DIGBY HAZEL D M WEST MAITLAND
12653/1925 BAIRD HAROLD A DIGBY HILDA A CARCOAR
14351/1925 GARDINER ARTHUR E DIGBY LOTTIE E SYDNEY
10146/1927 BELL SAMUEL G DIGBY THELMA I CARCOAR
10764/1927 GILROY JAMES A DIGBY FLORENCE G SYDNEY

MALE STRINGER marriages recorded in NSW from 1909 to 1930:-

6636/1909 STRINGER ALFRED W AHERNE CHRISTINA YOUNG
15411/1923 STRINGER KENNETH ANDERSON ENID M WOOLLAHRA
13102/1910 STRINGER JOSEPH J ARMSTRONG MARY J PARRAMATTA
5704/1921 STRINGER HERBERT BERG EVA DRUMMOYNE
15835/1913 STRINGER ALFRED W BOLLMANN MAY C ORANGE
5884/1926 STRINGER JOHN E CADY IRIE R AUBURN
10425/1922 STRINGER EDWARD W CHESWORTH LILY M C TAMWORTH
16315/1920 STRINGER BENJAMIN S CRAGG GRACIE J BALMAIN NORTH 15326/1922 STRINGER TERENCE DAVIES DOROTHY CHATSWOOD
15328/1922 STRINGER TERENCE DAVIES DOROTHY CHATSWOOD
11642/1924 STRINGER JOHN S DEARIE ELSIE MCG AUBURN
5078/1926 STRINGER WILLIAM T DEARIE FLORA M SYDNEY
5627/1917 STRINGER WILLIAM A DEIGHTON ETHEL H NARRABRI
586/1910 STRINGER FITZROY P M DOWNEY MARY SYDNEY Bu
6093/1916 STRINGER JAMES E ELLIS MAY BALMAIN SOUTH
11238/1917 STRINGER FRANCIS E C GRANT DORIS E PETERSHAM
11343/1929 STRINGER HAROLD J HAHN NELL J RANDWICK
16982/1920 STRINGER BEN A HEYWOOD MAY D WOOLLAHRA
11046/1912 STRINGER FRANCIS F JARMAN LYDIA V J PETERSHAM 1558/1920 STRINGER WILLIAM A MOORE LILLIAN M BALMAIN NORTH
1558/1920 STRINGER WILLIAM A MOORE LILLIAN M BALMAIN NORTH
7522/1911 STRINGER PERCY O'CONNOR MINNIE R WAVERLEY
7522/1911 STRINGER PERCY OCONNOR MINNIE R WAVERLEY
8296/1914 STRINGER JOHN PAGE ILMA G E TAMWORTH
7809/1911 STRINGER EDWARD W PARKER MINNIE M SYDNEY
10065/1926 STRINGER SAMUEL R PEARSE EMILY E SYDNEY
13055/1909 STRINGER WALTER S REYNOLDS EDITH R YOUNG
8428/1920 STRINGER FREDERICK P SELBY EDITH WELLINGTON
14682/1912 STRINGER STANLEY C SMITH STELLA C MARRICKVILLE
9000/1920 STRINGER GEORGE H STONE JESSIE E WAVERLEY
6674/1930 STRINGER EDMUND WAINWRIGHT IVY RANDWICK
10320/1924 STRINGER WILLIAM WALLIS ELSIE CANTERBURY
7719/1927 STRINGER CHARLES E WHEELER ELSIE M RANDWICK
6153/1927 STRINGER JAMES B WILLIAMS DULCIE GRANVILLE
3404/1912 STRINGER CHARLES J WOOD CLARA A TAMWORTH
2263/1930 STRINGER ARTHUR WOODS VALERIE E J HURSTVILLE

There were two Reuben Digby families. The one you want Marc is Reuben Digby who married Mary Jane Croucher at Carcoar. The other one is Reuben Digby of Morpeth.He married Jemima Stephens in 1859 and he died on 23 Jan. 1903. He's buried at Hinton Anglican Cemetery which is 3 Ks from Morpeth.

I have Reuben Digby and Jemima Stephens in my tree. Weird how you can have exactly the same name for two different people. Must be a connection there though.

Allycat, Your Reuben also had a brother John Digby 1841-1911 I have their father Thomas's death certificate (1893) if you don't already have it.

WOW, you guys hare digital documents, Im so impressed, This is a most awesome site, so glad you guys are here and thankful i have found it.

Marc.

Jan - yes please I would love Cert.

Hi Marc

Browsing DIGBY postings and came across yours :)

I published a book "DIGBY Families in Australia & New Zealand" along with 3 other DIGBY researchers in 2001

Ethel Grace was the daughter of Rueben DIGBY and Mary Ann CROUCHER
NSW Birth Index: 9957/1891
DIGBY ETHEL G
Parents: REUBEN & MARY J
Place: CARCOAR NSW

Your DIGBY line goes like this:
William DIGBY married Elizabeth BROUGHTON
William DIGBY (b. 1728 - Great Leighs, Essex, England) married Mary POOL in 1760
Thomas DIGBY (b. 1768 - Great Leighs) married Ann COCKERTON in 1803
Thomas DIGBY ( b. 1812 - Great Leighs) married Elizabeth HAWKS in 1836
John DIGBY (b. 1823 - Great Leighs) married Mary Ann PEARCE in 1877 Sydney
Rueben DIGBY (b. 1865 - Lucknow) married Mary Ann CROUCHER in 1886

Around the time that Rueben DIGBY and Mary Ann CROUCHER's children were born the DIGBY family were living at Mandurama Ponds / Galley Swap / Galleymont which were "Gold" Diggins sites in the Carcoar / Morepeth area of NSW.

The CROUCHER family may have been NSW "Timber cutters" but our DIGBY'S were Gold prospectors from NZ expats Essex, England

My records show that Ethel Grace DIGBY married Albert STRINGER in New Zealand? Is this correct?

Cheers for now
Chrissy DIGBY
Sydney Australia

NZ.BD&M
Marriages:
1911/5 Ethel Grace Digby Albert Stringer
I think they divorced and she then married John Russell 1886-1971 in 1936.
Ethel Grace died 18 December 1965, she is buried at Birkenhead-Glenfield Cemetery, North Shore City, Auckland, in the Public Lawn area Row R, Plot 95 with John Russell.

Many thanks for that additional information

Hi Marscus and others
Have just come across the postings on Ethel Grace DIGBY. My g grandmother was Gertrude Maud DIGBY- Ethel Graces sister. My mother thought Graces married name was Stirling but reading the above this is obviously not correct. I have a copy of the death entry of Reuban Henry DIGBY and it says that his mother was Mary ASPINHALL though this is in contradiction to the above information which says she was Mary PEARCE?

My mother also thought that Mary Jane Croucher/Digby remarried when Reuban died to someone named PRECIOUS and I can see from the info that Janiyle has posted that Mary Jane DIGBY married Charles PRECIOUS in Newtown in 1913 which is a year after Reubans death. It was thought that Mary Jane had returned to Sydney and purchased a hotel.

I have a photo of Gertrude, Adeline, Edith and Grace (daughters of Reuban and Mary Jane), Not sure when it was taken but I would say in the early 1960's and could send you a copy if you wished.

I have learned so much from reading the above posts. Did not realise that the Crouchers and Digbys were so closely related.

Regards
Julie