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Re Thomas Matthews, who arrived in Australia on the Joseph Soames.
Hi i would love to see this "details about Thomas MATTHEWS.    Hopefully this will include the Biography that Phil and I put together."
Regards, Jenni

hi I am also a descendant of Thomas Matthews thru his daughter Matilda who married a Stevenson and then had my nanna. I’ve been stuck for years being able to go back any further on he and his wife as they both came to Australia separately as orphans and I have never heard mention of parents names or if they had siblings and help would be greatly appreciated

Dear Tony

Hi my name is Amanda and I have information on one of your parkhurst boys i think, i have information that my great great grandfather Thomas Matthews was a parkhurst boy. Although I don't have any information on him before he came to Australia on the Joseph Soames, I have extensive info on his life here in Australia. Here is what i know and if you have any info to give me on him before he got here ie parents and birthplace would greatly appreciate it.

Thomas Matthews was born in 1830 in Bath England and was convicted of stealing ? and was transported to Australia on the Joseph Soames and sailed from Spithead, Portsmouth, on 09/06/1847 for the Port Phillip District of New South Wales, finally disembarking at Point Henry, Geelong, Victoria on 24/09/1847. Thomas met an Irish girl named Mary O’Boyle who also appears to have been an
     orphan born in Newry, Ireland, and came to Australia in 1844 when she was ten
     years old with an Aunt, living in Melbourne.   Thomas and Mary were married in St.
     Francis Church, Melbourne, on the 10th July 1852.   This was 20 months after Ned Kelly’s parents were
     married there and with whom they were friends.   Thomas and Mary’s son, John
     Henry, rode with Ned Kelly until Ned found himself in trouble.
        Thomas and Mary left Melbourne in a horse and wagon for the Tallangatta
     Station, owned by James Wilson, in 1855.   Prior to this they had lived on
     Welergang Run.   Their first child Charles was born on the Greg Greg Station and
     Mary Ann their daughter at Colac Colac Station.   They settled at a waterfall in Tallangatta
     Valley and built their first home, where there is a creek named the Matthews
     Creek.   In 1868 Thomas, Mary and family (now 9 children) moved to a spot on
     the Mitta River.   There was no township of Tallangatta at that time, only very
     thick bush.   Their nearest neighbours were the Moore family of the Wagra Run.
     They opened a public house, the first in the district, on Tallangatta Flat…….in
     those days there was a punt on the Mitta River nearly in front of the hotel, making
     it a good position for business, but flood waters forced them to move to higher
     ground.    Their son Joseph was born there with flood waters lapping around the
     hotel.  Later, the Victoria Hotel was built on that spot.   About 1873 they sold the
     hotel and shifted to Bullioh where he selected land and opened a hotel on the
     Corryong Road.   Later this hotel was shifted about ½ a mile away to the fork of
     the Tallangatta Valley Road and Corryong Road, so as to get more trade.   He
     named it ‘The Travellers Rest’.   In later years it became known as ‘The Rest’.
     Ned Kelly was a customer at the hotel one night.   Alice Matthews waitressed at
     the table, his horse was fed and watered before he journeyed on.   He was
     described as a perfect gentleman.
        Thomas and Mary owned 26 miles of land in 3 areas, 13 miles of Tallangatta
     Run and the rest divided between Corryong and near Tumbarumba.   They had 13
     children.   Mary was pregnant with Gideon her 13th child when Thomas was
     drowned in the flooded Tallangatta Creek at the age of 45 years.   He undertook to                                                       
     pilot a traveller across the flooded creek into the township.   There was no bridge
     and they were able to ford the creek at the Cascade.   After obtaining some
     supplies, Thomas impatient to reach home, decided on a shortcut and crossed the
     creek further up, but the current was too strong and horse and rider were swept
     away.   Next day searchers found his injured horse in James Wilson’s paddock but
     it was two days before Thomas’s body was found in the reeds in Toal’s Swamp,
     200 yards from where he attempted to cross.   This was on 1 Sept 1875 he died in leaving his wife with 12 children and 1 on the way. She managed to raise the kids by herself and also run a hotel as well until her death in 1900. Here is a list of Thomas and Mary's 13 Children
Joseph Matthews b1871-1958
John Henry Matthews b1860-1949
Charles Matthews b1853-1921
Thomas Matthews b1856-?
William Matthews b1858-?
George Matthews b1865-?
Gideon Simon Matthews b1875-? She was pregnant with him when thomas died.
Mary Ann Matthews b1854-1933
Alice Matthews b1862-?
Emily Matthews b1864-?
Elizabeth Matthews b1867-?
Catherine Matthews b1869-?
Matilda Matthews b1873-1955
Hope that helps and if you have any more questions you can contact me.