Caroline MIDDLETON (1810

Caroline MIDDLETON (1810 - 1863)

Children	Self + Spouses	Parents	Grandparents	Greatgrandparents
Eliza Middleton MCALISTER (1826 - 1873) Elizabeth MCALISTER (1830 - 1889) John James MCALISTER (1832 - 1882) Mary Henrietta Middleton MCALISTER (1835 - 1889) William Henry MCALISTER (1838 - 1840) Charlotte MCALISTER (1840 - 1890) Robert MCALISTER (1842 - 1925) James MCALISTER (1844 - 1890) Jemima MCALISTER (1846 - 1907) Thomas George MCALISTER (1849 - 1930) Sarah MCALISTER (1850 - 1915) Rebecca MCALISTER (1852 - 1927) George MCALISTER (1854 - 1928)	Caroline MIDDLETON (1810 - 1863) + Michael BRENNAN (1803 - 1892) Thomas MCALISTER (1802 - 1875)	William Henry MIDDLETON (1774 - 1828)



		Sarah GUNNER (1775 - 1836)

b. 31 Dec 1810 at London, Middlesex, England

m. (1) 1826 Michael BRENNAN (1803 - 1892) at Sydney Cove, New South Wales, Australia

m. (2) 14 Apr 1828 Thomas MCALISTER (1802 - 1875) at Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia

d. 25 Apr 1863 at Tumut, New South Wales, Australia aged 52

Near Relatives of Caroline MIDDLETON (1810 - 1863)
Relationship	Person	Born	Birth Place	Died	Death Place	Age
Father in Law	Robert MCALISTER	1761	Louth, Ireland	10 Feb 1832	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	71
Mother in Law	Elizabeth VOLLER	1781

Father	William Henry MIDDLETON	19 Oct 1774	Cripplegate, London, England	20 Jan 1828	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia	53
Mother	Sarah GUNNER	1775		1836		61

Self	Caroline MIDDLETON	31 Dec 1810	London, Middlesex, England	25 Apr 1863	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	52

Husband	Michael BRENNAN	1803		1892		89
Husband	Thomas MCALISTER	1802	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	31 Dec 1875	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	73

Daughter	Eliza Middleton MCALISTER	30 May 1826	Appin, New South Wales, Australia	26 Dec 1873	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	47
Daughter	Elizabeth MCALISTER	10 May 1830	Darbalara, New South Wales, Australia	26 Jul 1889	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	59
Son	John James MCALISTER	21 Jun 1832	Murrumbidgee River, New South Wales, Australia	18 Sep 1882	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	50
Daughter	Mary Henrietta Middleton MCALISTER	1835	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	06 Oct 1889	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	54
Son	William Henry MCALISTER	20 May 1838	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1840	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	2
Daughter	Charlotte MCALISTER	10 Sep 1840	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	06 Oct 1890	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	50
Son	Robert MCALISTER	10 Sep 1842	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	07 Aug 1925	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	82
Son	James MCALISTER	19 Nov 1844	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	24 Oct 1890	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	45
Daughter	Jemima MCALISTER	02 Sep 1846	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	14 Jun 1907	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	60
Son	Thomas George MCALISTER	24 Jan 1849	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1930	Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia	81
Daughter	Sarah MCALISTER	19 Sep 1850	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	16 Sep 1915	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	64
Daughter	Rebecca MCALISTER	27 Jun 1852	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	23 Sep 1927	Brisbane, Queensland, Australia	75
Son	George MCALISTER	12 Nov 1854	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	26 Jan 1928	Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia	73

Sister	Jemima MIDDLETON	05 Feb 1803	London, Middlesex, England	1839		36

Son in Law	William EGGLETON	25 Jul 1815	Airds, New South Wales, Australia	10 Apr 1876	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	60
Son in Law	John Terrence WILKINSON	30 Dec 1821	Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia	19 May 1891	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	69
Daughter in Law	Anne Coyed JOYNT	1837		1918		81
Son in Law	John NORTON	1826		14 Jan 1865	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	39
Son in Law	Peter Briggs BEATTIE	22 Jul 1828	Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland	05 Mar 1891	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	62
Son in Law	Henry WILKINSON	04 Dec 1830	Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia	12 Nov 1865	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	34
Son in Law	John DODD	abt 1831	Somerset, England	27 Jun 1891	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	60
Daughter in Law	Sophia CLOUT	30 Jun 1848	Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia	23 Mar 1906	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	57
Daughter in Law	Caroline CLOUT	14 Feb 1847	Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia	1919		72
Son in Law	William ODDY	1843		1888	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	45
Son in Law	John ROBINSON
Daughter in Law	Sarah Elizabeth CROWTHER	1846		1926	Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia	80
Son in Law	Thomas DODD	abt 1830	Rimpton, Somerset, England	17 Aug 1917	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	87
Son in Law	William John SMILES	14 Jun 1846		01 Mar 1904	Parkes, New South Wales, Australia	57
Daughter in Law	Lily Dinah FIELD	1861	Young, New South Wales, Australia	10 Jul 1908		47

Grandson	Thomas EGGLETON	08 Nov 1842	Gundaroo, New South Wales, Australia	11 Sep 1897	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	54
Grandson	William EGGLETON	1845	Yass, New South Wales, Australia	16 May 1921	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	76
Grandson	John EGGLETON	abt 1847	Yass, New South Wales, Australia	07 Feb 1858	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	11
Granddaughter	Sarah EGGLETON	1850	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	07 Mar 1851	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	1
Grandson	Robert EGGLETON	1853	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1892		39
Granddaughter	Margaret Elizabeth WILKINSON	1862	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	02 Feb 1925	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	63
Granddaughter	Caroline Sarah "Carrie" WILKINSON	28 Apr 1864	Yellowin, New South Wales, Australia	15 Sep 1939	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	75
Granddaughter	Charlotte Ellen WILKINSON	30 Sep 1865	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	19 May 1915	Springfield, Monaro, New South Wales, Australia	49
Granddaughter	Eliza Ann WILKINSON	1867	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1935		68
Grandson	John Thomas WILKINSON	1869	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	18 Mar 1947	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	78
Grandson	Thomas Edward E WILKINSON	1873	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1956	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	83
Granddaughter	Bridget MCALISTER	1858	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1899		41
Granddaughter	Mary MCALISTER	1860	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1936		76
Grandson	James MCALISTER	24 Aug 1861	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1947		86
Grandson	Patrick MCALISTER	1866	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1884		18
Granddaughter	Elizabeth Catherine Kate MCALISTER	1870	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1965		95
Grandson	Francis J MCALISTER	1872	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1917		45
Grandson	Thomas Phillip NORTON	23 Sep 1857	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1908		51
Granddaughter	Caroline NORTON	03 Aug 1859	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1942		83
Granddaughter	Elizabteh Ellen NORTON	27 Jun 1861	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1919		58
Granddaughter	Elisa Ann NORTON	14 Jun 1862	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	25 Jun 1868	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	6
Grandson	James William NORTON	18 May 1865	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	17 Jun 1940	Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia	75
Grandson	George Tosach BEATTIE	06 May 1867	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1955		88
Grandson	John James BEATTIE	16 Oct 1868	Blowering, New South Wales, Australia	21 Feb 1945	Adelong, New South Wales, Australia	76
Grandson	David Alexander Patrick BEATTIE	27 Aug 1870	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1940		70
Granddaughter	Mary Jane BEATTIE	30 Mar 1874	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1953		79
Grandson	James Peter BEATTIE	14 Jan 1876	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
Granddaughter	Charlotte Ellen BEATTIE	08 Feb 1878	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1951		73
Grandson	Robert BEATTIE	07 Mar 1880	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1963		83
Granddaughter	Elizabeth Caroline WILKINSON	30 Jun 1858	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	05 Feb 1943	Brungle, Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	84
Grandson	Edward WILKINSON	05 Sep 1859	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	15 Aug 1942	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	82
Granddaughter	Eliza Amelia WILKINSON	07 Dec 1862	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	14 Nov 1869	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	6
Granddaughter	Mary Catherine WILKINSON	10 Nov 1863	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	03 Dec 1869	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	6
Grandson	Henry William WILKINSON	1865	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
Granddaughter	Helena Lockyer DODD	1872	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1924		52
Grandson	John Thomas Roland DODD	1875	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	29 Jul 1958	Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia	83
Grandson	George Marden Metcalfe DODD	1877	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	31 May 1934	Yass, New South Wales, Australia	57
Grandson	Samuel Phillip DODD	1881	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	12 Sep 1940	Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia	59
Granddaughter	Caroline Amelia MCALISTER	07 Feb 1870	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1968		98
Grandson	William Henry MCALISTER	1871	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1945		74
Grandson	Alfred Edward Ernest MCALISTER	1873	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	Apr 1963	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	90
Grandson	Thomas David MCALISTER	1875	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1876	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1
Granddaughter	Ethel Sophia MCALISTER	1876	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	03 Aug 1966	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	90
Grandson	Charles Frederick MCALISTER	02 Feb 1878	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	23 Nov 1960	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	82
Granddaughter	Elizabeth Ellen (Sis) MCALISTER	27 Jul 1879	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	02 Jul 1963	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	83
Grandson	Robert Roland MCALISTER	12 Nov 1880	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	06 Aug 1959	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	78
Granddaughter	Florence Sarah MCALISTER	20 May 1882	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	06 Jul 1953	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	71
Granddaughter	Mary Ann MCALISTER	1884	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1961		77
Granddaughter	Emily Francis MCALISTER	1887	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	25 Dec 1904		17
Granddaughter	Essie J MCALISTER	1889	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1889	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	0
Grandson	Herbert John MCALISTER	1890	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1965		75
Granddaughter	Alice May MCALISTER	1894	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	18 Oct 1975	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	81
Granddaughter	Sarah MCALISTER	1867	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1867	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	0
Grandson	William MCALISTER	09 Sep 1868	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	27 Sep 1869	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1
Grandson	Arthur MCALISTER	15 Jan 1870	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	15 Jan 1870	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	0
Granddaughter	Emily Jane MCALISTER	08 Feb 1871	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	23 Oct 1931		60
Grandson	Charles Albert (Bert) Augustus MCALISTER	07 Dec 1872	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	26 Sep 1953	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	80
Grandson	Thomas Arthur MCALISTER	10 Jul 1874	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	28 Feb 1953	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	78
Grandson	Edward George MCALISTER	31 Aug 1876	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	28 Apr 1958	Manly, New South Wales, Australia	81
Granddaughter	Edith Caroline MCALISTER	18 Jul 1879	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	03 Nov 1945	Adelong, New South Wales, Australia	66
Granddaughter	Harriet Helena MCALISTER	27 May 1880	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	04 Dec 1958	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	78
Grandson	John James MCALISTER	19 Sep 1882	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	06 Oct 1883	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1
Granddaughter	Margaret Elizabeth MCALISTER	21 Aug 1884	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1962		78
Grandson	George Middleton MCALISTER	14 Jan 1887	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	07 Oct 1976	Eastwood, New South Wales, Australia	89
Grandson	Percy Edgar MCALISTER	29 Mar 1890	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	27 Nov 1961	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	71
Granddaughter	Phoebe ODDY	21 Feb 1867	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	07 Jan 1908	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	40
Granddaughter	Emma ODDY	1869	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	03 Feb 1937	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	68
Granddaughter	Caroline Alice ODDY	1873	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1954	Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia	81
Granddaughter	Elizabeth V ODDY	1882	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
Grandson	John L ODDY	1885	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1886	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1
Granddaughter	Ethel Amelia MCALISTER	26 Apr 1875	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1953		78
Granddaughter	Elizabeth DODD	1872	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1921		49
Granddaughter	Martha DODD	1873	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1947		74
Grandson	William John DODD	1874	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1942		68
Grandson	Robert DODD	1876	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1890	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	14
Granddaughter	Amelia Mary Millie DODD	06 Feb 1878	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	08 Mar 1964	Concord, New South Wales, Australia	86
Grandson	Thomas Arthur DODD	1879	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1954		75
Grandson	Charles Cuthbert DODD	1881	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1960		79
Granddaughter	Ethel Caroline DODD	1882	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1959		77
Grandson	Henry George DODD	1885	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1959		74
Grandson	Edward Lockyer DODD	1887	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1969		82
Grandson	Clarence Frederick (Harry) DODD	1889	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1974		85
Granddaughter	Emma May DODD	1891	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1946	Lismore, New South Wales, Australia	55
Grandson	Ernest Middleton SMILES	30 Oct 1874	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1933		59
Granddaughter	Selina Victoria SMILES	1875	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1940		65
Granddaughter	Amelia Caroline SMILES	1879	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1963		84
Grandson	Wallace Edgar SMILES	1881	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1956		75
Grandson	Harry Ivor SMILES	1887	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1925	Brisbane, Queensland, Australia	38
Grandson	George Clyde MCALISTER	1883	Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia	1929		46
Granddaughter	Sylvia Lillian MCALISTER	1884	Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia	1956		72
Grandson	Guy Harold MCALISTER	13 Aug 1886	Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia	1928	Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia	42
Granddaughter	Olive Constance MCALISTER	1888	Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia	Feb 1924	Canterbury, New South Wales, Australia	36
Granddaughter	Annie V MCALISTER	1890	Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia
Granddaughter	Lillie Elizabeth MCALISTER	1892	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	1971		79
Grandson	Hubert T MCALISTER	1894	Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia	1906	West Wyalong, New South Wales, Australia	12
Grandson	Cecil R MCALISTER	1896	Adelong, New South Wales, Australia	1900	Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia	4
Grandson	William James MCALISTER	1896	Adelong, New South Wales, Australia	1984		88
Grandson	Sidney Vivian MCALISTER	1898	Adelong, New South Wales, Australia	1935		37
Granddaughter	Minnie Caroline MCALISTER	1901	Adelong, New South Wales, Australia	1950		49
Grandson	Albert Edward MCALISTER	1904	Adelong, New South Wales, Australia	1944		40

Niece	Sarah Eliza WARBY	02 Feb 1833
Niece	Mary Ann IBBOTSON	1831	Cooks River, New South Wales, Australia	1909	Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia	78
Nephew	Robert George (George) IBBOTSON	15 Nov 1834	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	26 Jun 1926	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia	91

Sister in Law	Mary Ann MCALISTER	27 May 1803	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	04 Nov 1845	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	42
Brother in Law	William WARBY	Jul 1801	Prospect, New South Wales, Australia	1885	Victoria, Australia	84

Events in Caroline MIDDLETON (1810 - 1863)'s life
Date	Age	Event	Place	Notes	Src
31 Dec 1810		Caroline MIDDLETON was born	London, Middlesex, England
12 Jan 1814	3	Immigration	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia	per 'Kangaroo' Free
1826	16	Married Michael BRENNAN (aged 23)	Sydney Cove, New South Wales, Australia
30 May 1826	15	Birth of daughter Eliza Middleton MCALISTER	Appin, New South Wales, Australia		73
20 Jan 1828	17	Death of father William Henry MIDDLETON (aged 53)	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia
14 Apr 1828	17	Married Thomas MCALISTER (aged 26)	Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia
10 May 1830	19	Birth of daughter Elizabeth MCALISTER	Darbalara, New South Wales, Australia		73
21 Jun 1832	21	Birth of son John James MCALISTER	Murrumbidgee River, New South Wales, Australia		73
1835	25	Birth of daughter Mary Henrietta Middleton MCALISTER	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
1836	26	Death of mother Sarah GUNNER (aged 61)
20 May 1838	27	Birth of son William Henry MCALISTER	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		73
1840	30	Death of son William Henry MCALISTER (aged 2)	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		73
10 Sep 1840	29	Birth of daughter Charlotte MCALISTER	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
10 Sep 1842	31	Birth of son Robert MCALISTER	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		73
19 Nov 1844	33	Birth of son James MCALISTER	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		73
02 Sep 1846	35	Birth of daughter Jemima MCALISTER	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		73
24 Jan 1849	38	Birth of son Thomas George MCALISTER	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
19 Sep 1850	39	Birth of daughter Sarah MCALISTER	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
27 Jun 1852	41	Birth of daughter Rebecca MCALISTER	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia		73
12 Nov 1854	43	Birth of son George MCALISTER	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia
25 Apr 1863	52	Caroline MIDDLETON died	Tumut, New South Wales, Australia

Personal Notes:

From ‘Relict of ‘ Book
CAROLINE MCALISTER nee Middleton
By George and Lois Stathers
There are many written accounts of famous or inﬂuential people from the early days of the Colony of NSW but far fewer concerning women from humble origins. This is the story of one such woman. In many ways she was a victim of the harsh social and economic conditions of the Industrial Revolution, in other ways she rose above these misfortunes of birth to forge a new life and family in a frontier society.

Caroline Middleton was her name and she was born in London around 1810. The family consisted of her mother Sarah, father William, and two older sisters- Jemima and Sarah. Her father, a carpenter, was sentenced in 1812 to be transported to Botany Bay for 14 years. Her mother was pregnant for the fourth time at the time of the sentence and a boy was born in February, 1813.

By a twist of fate her mother was able to obtain permission from the Government to join her husband, and she and the children sailed on the Brig, Kangaroo in June 1813. The journey was long and tough, taking 7 months and 8 days, going by Madeira and Rio de Janiero. At the Cape of Good Hope they were delayed by the need for extensive repairs to the ship owing to storm damage. Sarah’s little boy died
on board during the voyage. This whole saga and the circumstances of the Kangaroo’s voyage is described at length by Portia Robinson in her book “Women of Botany Bay.”

Caroline was about 4 years of age when she arrived in the brash town of Sydney. Her father was soon given a Ticket of Leave and took up his trade as a carpenter. By 1820 Sarah, his wife, had obtained a grant for 60 acres of land at Appin, south of Sydney. William was assigned to her.

The grant was just north of the little village next to John Oxley’s grant. It was not easy land to farm and life must have been difficult at best. There, two more children were born, making eight mouths to feed. The neighbours were mainly Irish, mostly with a convict past.

By 1821 William Middleton was noted to be “off stores” and Jemima, Caroline’s eldest sister, married William Warby in the St. Luke’s Anglican Church at Liverpool. William Middleton appears to have achieved early success as he obtained land grants at Airds (Campbelltown) and for a period ran an Inn at Appin.

By the mid 1820s the Middleton family had assigned servants which probably made the work on the farm easier or perhaps gave more mouths to feed. There was a severe drought in 1826.

Then a tragic phase in their lives was entered. Caroline became pregnant at age 16 to a Michael Brennan from Appin, and a daughter Eliza, was born in May 1826. They did not marry and the baby stayed with the Middleton family. Also William Middleton, Caroline's father, died in 1828.

Caroline married Thomas McAlister in the St.Peter's Anglican Church at Campbelltown on 14 April 1828. She went to live in a hut with Thomas and his mates at Bulli near the Five Islands ( current Wollongong). One can only imagine the circumstances of her life there. Thomas was a wild Currency Lad and his friends were of doubtful character. After three local robberies, which involved serious threat to life, two of them were convicted and given capital sentences on the information given by Thomas. Unfortunately Caroline's mother, Sarah Middleton, was also convicted as being a "receiver" of goods, especially a watch, and was sent for 14 years to Moreton Bay.

During the time of the trial Caroline delivered a baby which, not surprisingly, died within two days.

Life has many twists of fate. By this time Caroline's sister Jemima and husband William Warby had taken up a land warrant, at a site known as Darbalara, on the junction of the Murrumbidgee and Tumut rivers. This was beyond the borders of defined settlement.

No better place to escape to could be afforded to Thomas and Caroline. Thomas's life would have been in danger as an informer and the Middleton family was fractured. This must have been an epic journey through the rather primitive towns of Bungonia, Goulburn and Yass. Their rough life would have prepared them and given them necessary survival skills. They also possibly had with them young Eliza, aged 3, and the two younger Middleton children.

At Darbalara a farm had been laid out. There was a stock yard, wheat paddock, and a settler's cottage, as described by a Dr. Bennett in a book written about his wanderings in NSW in 1832. Sturt also had passed through earlier in 1828 and described meeting Warby and being given provisions and milk by him. There were bell-birds, abundant fish and water fowl. Dr. Bennett noted that Aboriginals were employed at the station, particularly for their ability to track lost cattle.

After "working their way down the river" it was to this idyllic spot that the young family came, and where, on 11 June 1830, a child Elizabeth, was born to Caroline. This child is reputed to be the first baby born of a white woman in the Tumut district.

It must have been very lonely for a young woman. There were few neighbours and these were usually ticket of leave men. It is likely that Caroline only had her sister Jemima, and perhaps older sister Sarah, as white female companions in the vast district. (Mrs Amelia Shelley, wife of George Shelley, came to Bombowlee Station in 1835.) However Caroline must have been busy, she had a new baby, other young
children to care for, plus all of usual domestic chores of a woman living in a frontier settlement.

They stayed at Darbalara until 1835 when another personal tragedy eventuated.

William Warby was convicted of “receiving” cattle and was transported to Tasmania in 1835. Jemima followed him but could not tolerate the cold, returned to Sydney where she died in 1839, aged 36 years.

Two more children were born at Darbalara before they moved to the area known as Gilmore Creek. There Thomas grew the first saleable wheat in the district. In 1835 the Yass Church Register records the birth of William, son of Thomas and Carolyn MacAlister, farmer, Gilmore Creek, Tumut River. William however died in infancy.

Then the family moved to Shelley’s farm at Bombowlee where three children were born between 1840 and 1844. Caroline was now 34 years of age. It was around this time that Eliza Middleton-Brennan, Caroline’s first child, married William Eggleton, probably in the first church at Tumut.

By 1842 Thomas appears to have become more affluent and purchased two properties, Westwood and Wereboldera, in Tumut. Five more children were born at “Wereboldera”, the last, George, was born 12 November 1854, when Caroline was 44. From a frontier community Tumut was assuming the characteristics of a town. The McAlisters were associated with the Anglican Church and a donation by them to support the Rev. Thomas Wilkinson is on record.

The last 18 years at Wereboldera must have been years of relative peace, living in such a beautiful area so close to the Tumut river. Caroline lived to see Elizabeth marry John Wilkinson in 1847, John James marry Ann Joint in 1857, and Mary Henrietta marry Henry Wilkinson in 1857.

At the time of her death on 26 April, 1863, aged 53 years, she still had five children under the age of 17 years. She was buried in an unmarked grave in the Tumut Pioneer cemetery.

These are merely the chronicles of Caroline’s short life. They give glimpses of a life lived in harsh and unforgiving circumstances. She was obVIously tenaCIous, tough and loyal. What we can say is that she represents characteristics which have allowed Australia to prosper and her descendants should be proud that she is their forebear.

Acknowlegement; To Mrs, Val Wilkinson for giving the encouragement, knowledge and insights to allow preparation of this story.

Prepargd by George apnd Lois Stathers- LOIS is a great, great, grand-daughter of Caroline: March,2001.

Source References:

69. Type: Book, Abbr: Relict of, Title: Relict of … Lives of Pioneering Women of Tumut and District, Auth: Tumut Family History Group, Publ: Tumut Family History Group, Date: 2001

- Reference = 55-57 (Notes)

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 = 33 (Name, Notes)

76. Type: Web Page, Abbr: Find a Grave, Title: Find A Grave, Locn: https://www.findagrave.com/

- Reference = https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/206434000/caroline-mcalister (Name, Notes)

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