This diary is an extract from a longer document that was written by the Reverend WB Clark during the voyage of the Roxburgh Castle in 1839. Your will find the 9 pages of the diary in my images.

Several members of my family sailed and died on this fateful voyage.

The family members were:

Samuel Barnes b1784 and his wife Philadelphia Selmes b1787.
Samuels children:
William b1809 (appears to be unmarried)
Samuel b1810 (appears to be unmarried)
Jane b1812 and her husband Henry Jarrett b1807 with their three young children Henry b1833, Jane b1834 and Thomas b1837.
James b1814 and his wife Sarah Ann Selwyn b1819c and their two young sons Samuel b1834 and James b1838.

Of the family members Samuel (Snr) and Sarah Ann both died on 11 May 1839. James' son Samuel died on 16 Feb and his other son James died just as they arrived in Sydney on 7 Jun 1839. All these events are mentioned in the attached diary. A very personal account is given.

Whilst it was a terribly sad voyage the family did eventually recover. Later in 1839 James married WInifred Henley and they had a further 6 children all of whom appear to have survived to adulthood.

Philadelphia Selmes married Jonas Unicomb in 1842. There were no children in this marriage but she appears to have been with him until she died of old age in 1870.

No spouses have yet been identified for either William or Samuel. Further details of William are unknown but Samuel lived until 1867 and died at Liverpool NSW.

Jane and Henry lived in several areas of NSW including Paramatta, Hunters Hill, Kissing Point, Ryde, Nowra and finally to Broughton Creek in Shoalhaven. They had a total of 9 children of which at least 7 of whom lived to adulthood - although Henry b1833 died as a young man in 1857 but by that time had married Jane Mitchell and had had five children at least two of whom lived until the 1940s.

Henry (snr) lived until 1886 and Jane until 1884.

Their daughter Jane married William Vidler b1830, son of William Vidler and harriet Waters of Kent. William and Jane had 17 children of which at least 14 lived until adulthood. They eventually settled in Jamberoo NSW and William diedin Terara and Jane at Barrengary.

Thomas b1837 married Kate Knight b1834 daughter of George Knight and Mary Ann Basset of Lodsworth Sussex. Thoams and Kate had 6 children before Kate died in 1870. Thomas then married Jane Vidler, sister of William, and had a further four children. It is from this line I am descended.