Governor Richard BOURKE - niece Margaret ?

[Essie]

The obit for Charles Hunt mentions the great flood of 1870.
(The Sydney Morning Herald - Saturday  5 August 1905 )
GUNDAGAI, Thursday.  "Mr. Charles Hunt, aged 79, died to-day. He came to the colony 63 years ago, and was present at all the big mining rushes in this State. He was the first man to sink a shaft on the Snowy River. Deceased was a resident of Gundagai for 40 years. In the '70 flood he had heavy losses, his place being swept away, and a large sum of money he had in the house was lost. Deceased went through many phases of life, mining, grazing, and farming. He leaves one son, Alderman Hunt, of Gundagai."

The Sydney Morning Herald - Thursday 5 May 1870 -
A description of this flood event mentions a Mr Bourke living next to the Commercial Hotel.  A number of BOURKE bmds for Gundagai and thereabouts. Possible connections to Margaret?  

From what I've seen (so far) there was only one Charles HUNT at Gundagai.

Essie

[majm]

I tend to think that Marguerite Mary HUNT on the 1903 Electoral Roll would be the wife of Charles Hunt.   It is very likely that Charles had been on the roll for many years, and perhaps the address shown on that 1903 roll is mis-leading you to think otherwise.  The address for Marguerite would be the address she gave when enrolling in 1902.  It is the name of the home, but it does not give the name of the street/road etc.

Marguerite and Margaret may well be inter-changeable names....  Margaret being the name "heard" by others when she was announcing it, while Marguerite was her actual name.

From trove, I read of Alfred Hunt .... SMH 2 September 1908 "....Probate Jurisdiction.-In the Will of ALFRED HUNT, late of Gundagai, in the State of Sew South Wales, hotelkeeper, deceased -Application will be made after fourteen days from the publication hereof that Probate of the last Will and Testament of the abovenamed deceased may be granted to ANNE HUNT, the sole Executrix....."

I will try to find Charles HUNT on earlier rolls in the Gundagai area, and also try to find Thomas Phillips (and variations) in that area also. 

Perhaps Alfred's 1864 birth was registered under the surname Phillips.

Cheers,  JM  Edit to Add,  Like Essie, So far, I have found only ONE HUNT family in that area at that time

[majm]

NSW ER 1870  The Hume
Charles HUNT, Yarra Yarra, The Billabong

NSW ER 1878  The Hume
Charles HUNT, Copabella

No likely sightings for Thomas Phillips (or variations).... Remembering that a Margaret Burke was married to a Thomas Phillips and then quite some time later a Margaret Phillips married Charles Hunt.  If that is the same bride, then perhaps she was past bearing children when marrying Charles Hunt.   I have noticed that children from earlier marriages often took on the new surname of their mother. 

Of course, bdm certificates may help clear up any confusion.  Albert Hunt's marriage cert could help, and if there are any blanks on that cert (or on Charles Hunt's) then that may be simply because the NSW BDM Reg General has not ever completed reconciling their records with the local parish records.   Those m.c.s from that era are often incomplete.  The information was of course provided by the bride and groom at the time of the marriage and is likely still available in the local parish archives.   Perhaps a family history group in the Gundagai area may have transcribed their local parish records... perhaps even have transcribed the parish' family history sheet on which the clergy entered additional details.  (eg arrival into the colony, and then the district, names of family members, dates of birth, baptisms, marriages, burials etc)....

Cheers,  JM

[majm]

From 1867 directory of Walter Samson & Co Country Districts The HUME
Ten Mile Creek

C Hunt,  Yarra Yarra
J Phillips, Mullengandra   (note this is for "J" and not for "T")
J Burke, Mullengandra
R Burke, Doodle Cooma

Cheers,  JM

[hopeful1915]

majm -- *I'm hitting my head with a fist* .. duh! Of course, tht might be why Alfred's birth is hard to find. I have heard that he was born in Lambing Flat (Young) ...  Wow! What a lot of help you lovely fol have given. Have sent for Probate packets for all 3. Trisha

[hopeful1915]

Hi everyone who has helped me on this , and thanks for all your thoughts, which have been noted.

Transcript of Margaret's Death Certificate has arrived, but Probate Packets not yet. Name of Margaret is given as Maragaret Hunt, widow, female, age 88 and death 26 Oct 1906, all of which tallies with what I have been told. (1906-88 years makes her born roughly 1818.)

No previous names given, no previous children given, father's name and occupation and mothers also not given.  Alfred, aged 42, is listed as the only child of the marriage, living or dead.  SHe is said to have married Charles at Young,  in the transcript and her age is given at marriage as 43 years, which tallies with a marriage date of 1861, which in fact is apparently written on the certificate and then crossed out.

 She is supposed to have been born in county Limerick, Ireland, and to have spent 70 years in the colony, which tallies with  arrival at age 18 in 1836-ish. Governor Bourke resigned on 30 January 1837 which means that IF Margaret did come out to be a companion to his daughter Elizabeth she was faced soon after with the choice of staying here or returning pdq to Ireland. Hmmm. Would she have stayed here without family?  Possibly, if she had a husband or other means of support.

More digging required.

Have noted other research suggestions, and will be reporting back - thanks again .. Trisha in beautiful sunny Port Augusta South Australia

[Patricksearch]

Hi Trish,

I also have an interest in the area you have been investigating and was wondering if the probate packs revealed anything?

Cheers

Patrick

[eregli_gene]

Sooo...  if she was born about 1818,   and came to NSW as a teenager while her "uncle" was Governor (  he was Governor until 1837 ? ),    and he went back to Ireland,  when she was about 19,    then if she was going to stay ....  she would have been married off to someone fairly quickly in those days.   She would not have been hanging around single for another ten years or more.

Perhaps you should look at Bourke and Wills too.

Well here is something a bit interesting:  from the online "australian dictionary of biography", which has quite a long entry about Richard Bourke:

"Bourke's eldest son, John, was an invalid. His younger son, Richard (1812-1904), came to New South Wales as private secretary to his father from 1831 to 1834; he returned to England to study law, was called to the Bar and practised as a barrister in Dublin. He became an assistant commissioner for the Poor Law in Ireland in 1847 and was deputy-lieutenant for Limerick. Bourke's eldest daughter, Mary Jane, married Dudley Perceval, clerk of the council at the Cape of Good Hope and later an official in the British Treasury. His second daughter, Anne (1806-1884), married Edward Deas Thomson; his youngest daughter, Frances, married Rev. John Jebb."

Now unlike most Governors,  who went back to Britain and promptly died,  Bourke lived in Ireland for almost 20 years after he left Sydney.

Now Edward Deas Thomson was a bigshot in the NSW Government for many many years - decades.   Long after Bourke had left.

So whether your Margaret came out in the 1830's,  or quite a lot later,   she would have had very well placed family connections in Sydney -   her cousin Anne  and Anne's husband Edward Deas Thomson.