Frederick was baptised in St James Church, Paddington, just north of Hyde Park in London, on the 3rd December, 1826. His parents were Sarah and Samuel – a gardener (in Hyde Park I wonder?). He was the 3rd of three sons.
In 1850, Frederick married Maria Caroline Bell and they emigrated to Australia together with Elizabeth Tucker (aged 8) aboard the “Thames” arriving in Geelong on the 11th October 1855. The ship’s record lists Frederick as a Gardener and they were “going to brother” in Melbourne.
Maria Caroline died in 1860 and Frederick later married Isabella in 1862
Isabella Lang was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1837, the middle of 5 children. Her father was a cotton worker and, by the age of 15, Isabella was a “steam loom weaver”. Her older siblings also worked in cotton fabric production. In 1858, aged 22, she boarded the ship “Jessie Munn” in Liverpool to emigrate to Australia, arriving in Melbourne on the 24th Feb 1859.
 |
| Jessie Munn (painting) |
The following is a diary excerpt of a single young woman emigrating from England to Morton Bay QLD in 1861-1862 aboard Jessie Munn – NOT Isabella’s voyage but similar:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Octr 26th – We have sailed today at one o’clock; unfortunately we were at dinner when she started. I got on deck as soon as I could to view the scene. I stood gazing along the coast of England which soon got out of my view. It was then I thought I had left all that were near & dear to me never to see them more, at least a mere chance if I will, but there is no good looking to this now. We lost sight of land in about half-an-hour. The ship is sailing at the rate of ten miles an hour. We are all sick already and the fishes has [sic] got the benefit of our dinners and we cannot take any tea. We are getting fair wind, thank God for His kindness in the beginning of our voyage which is to be a long one.
http://www.aniodhlann.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ows/documents/t2003-33-1.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frederick and Isabella had 7 children – one died young and 6 grew to adulthood: 3 sons who appear to have remained single (including William James, for whom the records are sketchy), and 3 daughters who all married and had children.
The following newspaper report refers to an accident at a chemical works on 10th April 1876. Frederick, then working as a Storeman, died in hospital 8 days later on the 18th April aged 49, no doubt as a result of this accident. He left his wife with 6 children aged between 1 and 12 years.
The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954) Mon 10 Apr 1876 Page 2 NEWS OF THE DAY.
The family was living in a cottage at 85 Charles Street Abbotsford. Frederick died without a will and Isabella must’ve decided against the expense of Probate. It wasn’t until after her death 34 years later that Probate was applied for, the cottage then valued at 150 pounds.
The family continued to live in the cottage, the girls
leaving as they got married, the sons staying and working as boot-makers.
Isabella died at home on 11th Feb 1909. A year later, notices were
placed in the Age in memory of her:
