| [Index] |
| John ISAAC (1827 - 1895) |
| draper |
| Children | Self + Spouses | Parents | Grandparents | Greatgrandparents |
|
Mary Christian (Molly) ISAAC (1854 - 1940) Elizabeth (Lizzie) King ISAAC (1855 - 1922) John Douglas ISAAC (1858 - 1901) Margaret Letetia (Lettie) ISAAC (1861 - ) Sarah Mona Jane ISAAC (1861 - 1940) William Ramsey H ISAAC (1863 - 1900) Leah Christian ISAAC (1865 - 1930) |
John ISAAC (1827 - 1895) + Elizabeth (Lizzie) KING (1821 - 1905) |
John (William) ISAAC | ||
| Letitia WEBB | ||||
|
|
| b. abt 1827 at Godalming, Surrey, England |
| m. 02 Mar 1853 Elizabeth (Lizzie) KING (1821 - 1905) at Braddan, Isle of Man, UK |
| d. 21 Nov 1895 at Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia aged 68 |
| Parents: |
| John (William) ISAAC |
| Letitia WEBB |
| Siblings (5): |
| Mary Letetia ISAAC (1821 - ) |
| Sarah ISAAC (1821 - ) |
| Thomas Webb ISAAC (1823 - ) |
| Charlotte Ann ISAAC (1835 - ) |
| William Steadman ISAAC (1835 - ) |
| Events in John ISAAC (1827 - 1895)'s life | |||||
| Date | Age | Event | Place | Notes | Src |
| abt 1827 | John ISAAC was born | Godalming, Surrey, England | |||
| 28 Jun 1835 | 8 | Baptism | Guildford, Surrey, England | ||
| 02 Mar 1853 | 26 | Married Elizabeth (Lizzie) KING (aged 32) | Braddan, Isle of Man, UK | ||
| 14 Feb 1854 | 27 | Birth of daughter Mary Christian (Molly) ISAAC | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | v18543937 40/1854 | |
| 18 Nov 1855 | 28 | Birth of daughter Elizabeth (Lizzie) King ISAAC | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | ||
| 01 Oct 1858 | 31 | Birth of son John Douglas ISAAC | Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia | 7513/1858 | |
| 23 Jan 1861 | 34 | Birth of daughter Margaret Letetia (Lettie) ISAAC | Adelong, New South Wales, Australia | 13481/1861 | |
| 23 Jan 1861 | 34 | Birth of daughter Sarah Mona Jane ISAAC | Adelong, New South Wales, Australia | 13480/1861 | |
| 1863 | 36 | Birth of son William Ramsey H ISAAC | Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia | 8236/1863 | |
| 15 Aug 1865 | 38 | Birth of daughter Leah Christian ISAAC | Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia | 9411/1865 | |
| 21 Nov 1895 | 68 | John ISAAC died | Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia | 12603/1895 | |
| Personal Notes: |
|
John Isaac proved quite difficult to trace though his baptism wasn't a problem. Three older siblings were baptised at Harts Lane Independent Chapel, Godalming in Surrey - Mary Letitia on 23 Ju11821, Sarah 14 Oct 1821 and Thomas Webb Isaac 19 Oct 1823. The mother of the children was Letitia nee WEBB who used her Christian and maiden names as second names for her eldest son and daughter.
What is strange is that John Isaac Senior was a clergyman so one would think he'd make sure to have his children baptised after birth. In actual fact, a period of 12 years elapsed before the next three children Charlotte Ann, John and William Steadman Isaac were baptised 28 June 1835 at Guildford New Chapel in Surrey. It is unlikely they were triplets so actual ages will only be approximate. If they were triplets, what a shock for poor Letitia, the mother of three teenagers! Nothing came to light about John Isaac Jnr until he wed Elizabeth KING at Kirk Braddan, Isle of Man, on 02 Mar 1853. The marriage certificate said he was a draper whose place of residence was Liverpool. The official Record Book shows that on 08 Dec 1857 John Isaac took over the license of the Murrumbidgee Ferry Inn at South Gundagai from Frederick Gasse. This was renewed on 20 ApI 1858. John was active in town affairs and was reported at the end of 1858 as pressing for the appointment of a postmaster at Gundagai preferably someone unconnected with business who could devote all his time to such an important job. John was a partner (albeit a silent one) in the Adelong Mining Journal and was its Gundagai agent in 1859, empowered to receive monies, advertisements, etc on its behalf. He reported the affairs of Gundagai Court and was most likely the official correspondent for the district news. Struggling back from the disastrous flood of 1852 which virtually wiped out the township, Gundagai was developing quite rapidly, helped enormously by reports of discoveries of gold in 1858 and again in 1859. The Gundagai correspondent for the Wynyard Times wrote in December 1859 that considerable excitement was aroused in the normally peaceful town by discovery of gold in a creek - but it was not until 1861 that large nuggets were found and Gundagai was officially declared a goldfield. Twins, Mona Jane and Margaret Letitia were born at Tumut on 23 Jan 1861 and in November John sold his interest in J.B. Elworthy & Co's Tumut based paper, the Wynyard Times and went back to South Gundagai. The Bench Book for Oct 1862 noted John Isaac had taken over the Flour Mill. William Ramsey arrived in 1863 and Leah Christian in 1865. Although described on Leah's birth certificate as a writing clerk, Johnseems to have been proficient in many areas. As an accountant, he was aware of the excellent opportunities in the fast growing town. Frequently he chaired public meetings and was involved in many town activities, particularly those relating to South Gundagai. His financial expertise was well regarded. A proposal to make the Murrumbidgee navigable between Gundagai and Wagga had John's total support - and he showed that this could be done at very little expense. At a function for the mining interests of the district, John said that in the absence of more orthodox 'knights of the pick and shovel' he had been elected to respond to the toast. Although not a practical miner, he had been mixed up in mining matters and if he didn't know how to work a claim, he certainly knew how much it cost to work it! The following year John was Secretary (and the Bank of NSW Treasurer) of a committee pressing for a bridge at Brungle. The government promised to double any local collection and in a short time the neighbourhood raised 171 pounds (although the estimated cost was 1400-1500 pounds! Undaunted, John headed a subscription committee to collect the rest of the money. He was extremely interested in politics. At a meeting to consider proposed changes to the Amended Representation Bill, he had all the relevant facts and figures at his fingertips and obviously had researched the subject thoroughly. This Bill proposed increasing the number of MsL.A. from 72 to 80 by dividing the eight largest constituencies. A proposal that the meeting should " ... express its decided opposition to the ministerial plan of uniting the Gundagai police district with the electorate of Bland" was seconded by J.B. Elworthy. John's outspoken opinions riled one parliamentary candidate who said 'an attempt had been made by individuals to rend the veil from his private life' and 'a gentleman of Israelitish name had dared to traduce him'. He was not going to let this person get away with repealing ad valorem duties and substituting a property tax. He believed many acres of the best land in the district would be absorbed by squatters instead of passing into the hands of selectors. Such a merry meeting! John tried to reply to 'gratuitous insults'; was cheered by the audience; was ruled out of order by the chairman as he wasn't a candidate and therefore had no right to address the meeting - and was accused by the candidate of being a paid agitator for his rival! John then proposed that the candidate was not 'a fit and proper person to represent the Tumut electorate'. Apparently the meeting agreed with him as, ultimately, the rival was elected. Among other things John was a commission agent, Secretary of the Hospital and later ran the booking office for Cobb & Co coaches when they began operating through the town in 187l. Over a period of years John had suffered a series of mild strokes and died at his South Gundagai home on 21 Nov 1895. His obituary gave the cause of death as 'general breakdown of the system' and said in part: "Mr Isaac was one of the oldest residents of Gundagai. A remarkably well informed man and a first-class accountant, he held many positions of trust in the town. In early days he was associated with nearly every public movement and was popular with all classes." John was buried the next day at South Gundagai Cemetery. The age shown on the death certificate was 68, making his year of birth 1827 - eight years prior to his baptism! |
| Source References: |
| 2. Type: Book, Abbr: Devon to Downunder, Title: Devon to Downunder, Auth: Bettie Elworthy, Publ: Bookbound, Date: 1997 |
| - Reference = 83-86 (Name, Notes) |