| [Index] |
| Thomas William WILKINSON (1824 - 1904) |
| b. 20 Jan 1824 at Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia |
| m. 06 May 1851 Susannah Helena BRIDLE (1833 - 1912) at Tumut, New South Wales, Australia |
| d. 11 Jul 1904 at Tumut, New South Wales, Australia aged 80 |
| Parents: |
| William WILKINSON (1797 - 1860) |
| Margaret KEOGH ( - 1829) |
| Siblings (4): |
| John Terrence WILKINSON (1821 - 1892) |
| Elizabeth Margaret WILKINSON (1826 - 1889) |
| Henry WILKINSON (1830 - 1865) |
| Edward WILKINSON (1835 - 1906) |
| Events in Thomas William WILKINSON (1824 - 1904)'s life | |||||
| Date | Age | Event | Place | Notes | Src |
| 20 Jan 1824 | Thomas William WILKINSON was born | Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia | 6 | ||
| 27 Jul 1829 | 5 | Death of mother Margaret KEOGH | Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia | Georges Rover | 6 |
| 06 May 1851 | 27 | Married Susannah Helena BRIDLE (aged 17) | Tumut, New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| 04 Jun 1852 | 28 | Birth of son John WILKINSON | New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| 1854 | 30 | Birth of son Thomas Henry WILKINSON | New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| 12 Aug 1857 | 33 | Birth of son William Edward WILKINSON | Tumut, New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| 19 Jul 1859 | 35 | Birth of daughter Margaret Elizabeth WILKINSON | Tumut, New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| 31 Jan 1860 | 36 | Death of father William WILKINSON (aged 63) | Gilmore, New South Wales, Australia | At Yallowin | 6 |
| 1861 | 37 | Birth of daughter Martha WILKINSON | Tumut, New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| 1863 | 39 | Birth of son Henry George William WILKINSON | Tumut, New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| 1867 | 43 | Birth of son Philip Archibald WILKINSON | Tumut, New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| 1868 | 44 | Birth of son Alfred Ernest WILKINSON | Tumut, New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| abt 1868 | 44 | Death of son Philip Archibald WILKINSON (aged 1) | Tumut, New South Wales, Australia | 14 months | 73 |
| 1870 | 46 | Birth of son Philip Edmund Norman WILKINSON | Tumut, New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| 1874 | 50 | Birth of son Herbert Oswald Lewis WILKINSON | Tumut, New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| 1876 | 52 | Birth of son Sydney Fitzroy WILKINSON | Tumut, New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| 11 Jul 1904 | 80 | Thomas William WILKINSON died | Tumut, New South Wales, Australia | 73 | |
| Personal Notes: |
|
John, Thomas, and Elizabeth Wilkinson were an outstanding pioneermg trio. They were born at Liverpool, New South Wales - John Wilkinson on 30 December 1821, Thomas Wllkrnson on 16 January 1824, and sister Elizabeth Wllkinson on 16 July 1826.
On 27th July 1829 the Wilkinson children’s mother, Margaret Wilkinson, was drowned whilst crossing the Georges River in a canoe. In December 1830 a half brother, Henry Wilkinson, was born to their father, William Wilkinson, and Catherine Ryan. A few years later William Wilkinson, Catherine Ryan and the four children moved to Gundaroo, twelve miles from Lake George. Another son, Edward “Wilkinson, was born to William Wilkinson and Catherine Ryan at Gundaroo circa 1834. By 1838 cohesion of the family had broken down. Young Thomas Wilkinson, then aged 14 years, and his sister Elizabeth Wllkinson, aged 12 years left Gundaroo for the Tumut district, where they joined their brother, John Wilkinson. Accompanied by Thomas Boyd (previously a member of the Hume and Hovell party) and his wife Ellen, as well as bringing 70 head of cattle with them, they journeyed to the Gilmore just upstream from Boyd’s Selection. They had crossed the Murrumbidgee at Darbalara and the Tumut River at Mundong crossing (known later as Mill Angle). After settling down on the Gilmore, building a hut and putting in a crop of wheat, George Shelley claimed that he held under licence the whole of the whole country from the Tumut River to the head of Gilmore Creek and that the Wilkinsons had no right to depasture their stock on his run. Henry Bingham, the Crown Lands Commissioner, who had wide powers over land occupancy, ordered the Wilkinsons to move to Yallowin, where they were granted a licence for twenty-five square miles of country. Thomas Wilkinson married Susannah Bridle. She was the daughter of William Bridle and was born at Liverpool on 12 November 1833. Thomas Wilkinson continued to live at Yallowin until his death on 11 July 1904. His wife died on 16 December 1912. A Wilkinson has owned Yallowin ever since it was first settled. The children of Thomas Wilkinson & Susannah Wilkinson were; >John (married Mary Martha Bertha Lampe, then married Beryl Annie Stewart Blacket), >Thomas Henry Wilkinson (married the widow Jane Margaret Logan -—nee Raper), >William Edward Wilkinson (married Allace Maud Whitehead), >Margaret Elizabeth Wilkinson (married Edwin John Bridle), >Martha Wilkinson (married William Augustus Lampe), I >Henry George Wilkinson (married Sally Wilkins), >Phillip Archibald Wilkinson (died aged 14 months), >Alfred Ernest Wilkinson (married Ethel Hennessy), >Phillip Edmund Norman Wilkinson (married Ethel Florence Hole), > Herbert Oswald Lewis Wilkinson (married Elizabeth Georgina Brooks), Memories of Thomas Wilkinson Pioneers of the Tumut Valley page26 [Thomas, John and Elizabeth Wilkinson were amongst Tumut's earliest pioneers, arriving in the district in 1838. In 1840 they proceeded to Yallowin where Thomas Wilkinson lived until his death in 1904. Some time before his death, he dictated his reminiscences to his son, the late Mr. Sydney F. Wilkinson. The whereabouts of Syd's original handwritten version is not known. This article has been published in several newspapers in various versions over the years. The version used here, from The Buddong Flows On, Vol I, is the earliest known copy from the Adelong Argus/Tumut & Adelong Times (19-29 July 1904) with some clarification, or added extracts, from the family's typed copy. More paragraphing has been added than appefred in the original versions. Ed.] I was born at Liverpool, New South Wales, on 20th January, 1824 and lived there until 8 years of age. There were only three or four business places In existence then. The present Benevolent Asylum was used as a hospital, under Dr Hill. My father was a farmer on George's River, 2 miles from town. My mother was drowned in that river when I was 7 years old, through getting capsized out of a log canoe she was taking across. There were no houses in Goulburn when I came through then on my way to Gundaroo, but on Mulwary River there was a police station, hotel, and store. Later on, a number of convicts were put on to alter the road. On a hill this side of where the present town of Goulburn stands I saw two skeletons of men hanging on a gallows, and learned that they had been gibbetted for murdering a man named Roche, an overseer for Broughton, who lived on a government grant near the present town. It was all convict labor those times. The first governor to visit Goulburn, Gov. Bourke had the skeletons removed. Men were hanged those days for stealing sheep and cattle. I stayed for 9 months 4 at Gundaroo. 12 miles from Lake George, which was dry excepting one small swamp. where the water was a few inches deep. All lands were owned by the Crown, and people's stock ran where they liked. Terrence Murray claimed one end of Lake George, where he ran a dairy and milked 300 cows, sending the butter to Sydney. Scrubby ridges about the land were swarming with wild cattle. McLeod was the only sheep-owner. Blackfellows were very plentiful, but they were pretty well civilised. In 1838 I left Gundaroo, and rode up to Tumut, accompanied by Boyd, who drove a bullock team. My sister came up also with Boyd's wife, in a cart. What were termed settled districts extended as far as Bomen in this direction. We struck the Tumut River at Darbalara, where Trecillia had a cattle station. Wagra was held by Osborne, and Brungle by Katherine, each of whom owned cattle. We crossed the river above the Tumut Race-course, the crossing being known as Mundong. There was no town then. The first store was opened a few months after I got there by a man named Cams. Where the police station now stands was a thick cluster of saplings, and a big cattle-camp. There was only one station on the Gilmore, which was owned by Shelley. At that time there were no defined boundaries to any of the stations. From Darbalara up this way there were only twelve stations, known as follows - Tooth owned Tarrabandra, Broughton Gocup, T. Boyd west side of Gilmore, G. Shelley from Westwood to the head of the Gilmore, Rose Springfield and Wereboboldra, W. Shelley Bombowlee, Broughton Mundonga, Troys Killimicat, McEachrin Brungle, Osborne Wagra, and Trecillia Darbalara. We lived 18 months on the Gilmore, at the place now known as Rosebank. The Gilmore creek was dry from the end of 1838 until the middle of 1839. Wheat was then worth £2 per bushel, and hard to procure at that. We took up a license for a holding on the Gilmore, but a dispute arose with Shelley as to the boundaries. We were ordered to move by Commissioner Bingham, who possessed great power at that time. We built where O'Brien's house now stands, and had one crop of wheat which was half smut. My brother John was with me then. We had about 70 head of cattle. Bingham moved our license over to Yallowin that was in June 1840, and, we were the first there. We settled on the flat and put in a crop of wheat at the top end of it. All wheat was ground by hand flourmills, the nearest mill worked by power being at Yass. McAlister was the only man who grew wheat for sale, on a farm on Gilmore where Korn now resides. Cultivating was done with the old swing plough drawn by bullocks. All crops were reaped by hand and threshed with flails. Rations were served out in wheat and each man had to grind his own flour. We bred cattle at Yallowin, fat bullocks then being worth 20s, per head in Sydney, and hard to sell at that. Two-year-olds were worth 10s, 3 ys 14s, and 5 and 6 year old store bullocks 20s. We paid about £25 a year for our squatting license. We could hire good men for £l2 a year. Whitty used to pay his men £5 a year, and gave them a 2 yr. old filly each. He was one of the best employers at that time. Dr. Clayton owned East and West Blowering in 1839, and about two years later Whitty bought the property. There were no fences existing anywhere. Our cattle grazed from Tumut to Lobb's Hole. Davis had Yanangobilly run in 1840. There had been stations on Long Plain, Tantangra, Coolamon, Currangorambla, but they were all deserted on account of the snow. In 1850 we took our cattle up to Long Plain. I was in partnership with W. Bridle, sen., then [In 1904 this would be William Bridie 2nd]. We thought we could dairy there, but the 6th March, 1841 [sic should be 1851] snow fell, and this disgusted me, so we came back to Yallowin, leaving our cattle at Long Plain, where 80 of them perished in the snow. In 1851 gold was discovered in Victoria. The blacks were very thick when we went to Yallowin, and were troublesome in killing the cattle. They had packs of native dogs called "Warrigals" (white men call them "dingoes") and they were used in chasing the life out of the cattle. The blacks used to come in from Yass, Wellaregang, Omeo and Mitta Mitta and held corrobories at Yallowin. I have seen 300 there at one time. I saw a fight between four of them one day through a dispute over food. They fought two at a time, and one got his leg split open with a boomerang. I was not frightened of the blacks when Hamilton was with us, as he was civilised having been reared by the Shelley's. The blacks increased in number after a while and 600 of them used to come in from Tumbarumba way. Not more than a dozen of them could speak English. One named Diamond was at the head of the tribe; he was well known to me and friendly. To give us a chance of moving our cattle out of the way he usually sent a man along a day before the blacks came to warn us. But the cattle indicated by their wild and troubled appearances when the blacks were within a day's journey of them, evidently being able to scent their approach. On one occasion the blacks came along unawares, causing from 150 to 25O of the cattle to stampede from Yallowin to where Mrs N. B. Johnstone now resides. On a hill in front of Yallowin homestead there still remains the mark of a ring formed by the blacks in going through their corrobories which were carried on as part of the ceremony attached to "making men" of the youths after they had attained a certain age. The corroboree was kept up all 6 days, but the young blacks were kept out of the way. Afterwards these were taken out on the Bogongs and put in a stooping position, whilst their elders raced past them, digging their thumb-nails into the gums of the young men over a certain tooth so as to loosen it, and the removal of the tooth completed the proceedings. Until that formula had been gone through the young fellows are forbidden to marry, and if they declined to be operated on it was certain they would have been killed. Hamilton (whose grave is marked by an elm-tree growing on a mound in Mrs. Vyner's paddock near Stony Creek) at first refused to be "made a man of' but under a threat of murder he submitted. This blackfellow however, was possessed of wonderful control over the tribe, and certainly was the means of preventing them from permitting depredations. My brother John did a most daring thing one day, and was lucky in having Hamilton's protection. Having been annoyed by the blacks' dogs, he went to the camp, where there were 600 blackfellows congregated, and shot several of their dogs, causing great constemation. They quickly formed a ring around him, and were in the act of sending a volley of spears at the one who dared to interfere with the dogs, attached to which there was much devotion; but Hamilton, by some means, pacified the enraged men. The Bogong moths, caught in the mountains named after such, were a great relish with the blacks. After being properly cured for eating they were more like prunes than anything else. They were carried about in "coolamons" [A Hollowed out bend of a tree.]. Different tribes of blacks were met with, but they were nearly all friendly towards each other. If any outsiders came along, though, they were quickly made short work of. Horses were very dear in 1851. We only had one to ride amongst all of us. There were no vehicles of any kind. Nearly all labor was convict-assigned to different station owners. Some ticket of leave men got wages, and they had to report themselves at Goulburn once a year. They had certain districts which they could not leave without a pass from the police. There used to be gangs of them on the road at work. I had bullocks, but no dray. I took a load of wool to Sydney on a bullock dray between 1840 and 1850. I took two tons, which was considered a good load, and 8 bullocks were a good team. Ten shillings per cwt. was considered a good price for carrying. It took three weeks to go to Sydney, if you did not lose your bullocks. Sydney was our nearest market. We used to bring station supplies back. I got loading from stores in George-street. It was then all hill and hollows. There was a toll bar on Brickfield Hill, where you had to pay; there was also one on Lansdowne Bridge, at Liverpool. There was no forming in George-street, and the buildings were low with shingled roofs. There were a lot of little shops, kept principally by Jews who would run after you trying to pull you in to buy. The traffic was principally bullock and horse teams. The gaol was down at the lower end of George-street, on the left-hand side. It was a big gaol. I used to go to Sydney about once a year with the dray. I started off to the diggings in 1852, to Beechworth. Harry Kemp and Johnny Myers were with me. We went to Albury, then only a small town. We crossed the Murray at what is known as Doctor's point, about three miles up. There was no town at Wodonga; it was a cattle station. The diggers were mostly a happy crowd. On-Saturday night especially would the happy element show itself. The rudejest, the hearty laugh, the careless swagger of independence, rendered it impossible to be dull if you were possessed of any heart at all. The hotels would be crowded to their doors, while those that were at the bar spent their hard-earned gold with a lavishness that only a hard worker or a hard drinker will understand. I took cattle to Melbourne in 1850. We had about 300 or 400 store bullocks and were a month going down. They averaged about £3 per head. They were all full grown bullocks and some fat. Melbourne was known as Port Phillip. It was a very small town, not as large as Sydney, and it was a terribly scattered place. We did not take them to a sale-yard, but sold them to a man in the paddock named Mooney. There were settlers all the way along the route to Melbourne. It was a terribly dry year. On the way to Port Phillip from Albury we had to pay £1 per night for hay for our horses. We paid £7 a ilght for a small paddock near Melbourne, and 10s for each horse for the night. I have never seen the Tumut River so low as it was in the years '50 or 51. The drought started in 1850 and did not break up until May, 1851. The river nearly went dry. It was the worst drought I have seen. We had no rain to speak of in the winter. It was in this drought that the well-known black Thursday happened in Victoria - the whole country side seemed to be on fire. The drought extended as far as Goulburn; below that the feed was good. We were coming up from Sydney with the teams then, and lost a number of bullocks through the Cumberland Disease. I was married in May 1851. I reached Beechworth in 1851. There were about 100 men there and a policeman used to grant a licence, or miner's right. It was 30s per month. The rush started soon after I got there. [There were 9000 or 10000 men there.] Gold was found in pound weights. We were on Beechworth 7 weeks. In one hole we put down we got 3lbs of gold in the bottom. While at Beechworth John Bridle and my brother Henry came from Bendigo, which was a dry diggings and Beechworth was wet. Half the people did not know how to save the gold. I saw a big riot, when 12 policemen and 2 Commissioners were run off the field through the 30s per month fees. They were run and pelted with stones, aad they afterwards decided to reduce the license to 10s per month. We left nine strong. I found that I had 391b of gold. I gave £10 for a muzzle-loading carbine which I now have. We left the diggings intending to stay at home for Xmas, and then go back thinking that there was no end to the gold. We gave our claim away to some Tumut men, Alf. Duffy and Chas. Oddy among them, and we heard afterwards that they got £600 worth of gold out of it. I sold my horse to a Yankee at Beechworth for £29, and I would have taken £10. He lost him there, and when I came home I found him at Gocup. The Yankee told me that I could keep him if I found him, which I did; and I used him for 7 years, when he died. The gold was all washed in cradles on Beechworth. A man worked it with one hand and poured the water in with a long-handled dipper with the other. You could see thousands of these cradles working up the creek. We used to throw the worked stuff on the unworked ground so as to make people think it was worked and then throw it back in where it was worked. There was a great lot of coarse black and ruby sand which was very hard to separate from the gold. This was thought to be valueless then, but later on it was found to be nearly pure tin, and was sent to Melbourne and sold for £60 a ton. We were getting half an ounce of gold to the dish at Beechworth when we left for home at Christrnas time. Finding all the ground taken up there on our return, and thousands of people on the field, we went back to Yallowin again. Not long afterwards Kiandra diggings broke out, but we didn't go there. People passed by our house en route for Kiandra in such numbers that the roadway was like a busy street. All sorts of conveyances were in use, and "packs" were carried on horses, cattle and dogs, as well as on the backs of all kinds of travellers. I saw one party of father, mother and six children with a Newfoundland dog, each of whom carried a swag and the dog had a load in saddle-bags. Not long after the people got to Kiandra snow began to fall which drove nearly eyeryone away from the place for the time being. There were fully 2000 people camped along the creek banks at the foot of the Talbingo and lawlessness was a bit rife there I can assure you. In one case there was a murder committed which caused some excitement. After the winter people went to Kiandra again, and fully 10,000 people got onto the field at that time. To give an idea of the price of fruit, 3d a piece was given for quinces. Whilst I was driving the team between Tumut and Sydney I brought Terence Murray to the district and the late Mr and Mrs Keneally came up with me. To show value put on stock in those days the two Carnes brought 2000 sheep to Yallowin, and left them with an assigned servant who acted as shepherd for 18 months, when his ticket of leave expired and, as the sheep had become affected with scab, he left them. An inspector came along afterwards and killed the lot of them. Shepard's Creek was named in connection with these circumstances. Father Therry an ex-priest owning a station near Yass, only went in for branding his cattle once every two years, (and then he used to cull out the) weedy ones and kill them - he once killed 1000 head. It was seldom cattle from Yallowin were sent away for sale. Those that were not used by us for meat died of old age. I once sent 100 big bullocks to market and got 12s a head for them which was reckoned good value. I was born on the 16th January 1824 and on the 6th May 1901 my golden wedding day was celebrated ar Yallowin, the whole of the members of my family being present My late brother John and I were partners in Yallowin for 30 years, during which lengthy period we never had one disagreement. My late brother Henry had cattle on the station, and the first land he took up was that now owned by the Messrs John and Thomas Wilkinson of Springfield, fronting the Tumut River, which was sold to them recently by Mr E. Wilkinson. |
| Source References: |
| 6. Type: Book, Abbr: Queanbeyan Register, Title: Biographical register of Canberra and Queanbeyan: from the district to the Australian Capital Territory 1820-1930, Auth: Peter Proctor, Publ: The Heraldry & Genealogical Society of Canberra, Date: 2001 |
| - Reference = 337 (Name, Notes) |
| - Reference = 337 (Birth) |
| 73. Type: Book, Abbr: Pioneers of Tumut Valley, Title: Pioneers of the Tumult Valley , The History of Early Settlement, Auth: H.E. Snowden, Publ: Tumut & District Historical Society Incorporated, Date: 2004 |
| - Reference = 39 (Marriage) |
| - Reference = 39 (Death) |