Caroline Gillingham
(Abt 1828-1906)

 

Family Links

Spouses/Children:
1. Thomas Towells

2. James Ellis

Caroline Gillingham

  • Born: Abt 1828, Herefordshire England
  • Marriage (1): Thomas Towells in 1851 in Ilminster, Somerset England
  • Marriage (2): James Ellis in 1861 1061
  • Died: 1 Jun 1906, Armidale, NSW Australia about age 78
  • Buried: 2 Jun 1906

  General Notes:

[towells.FTW]

Born at Herefordshire- Source = 1851 census and Shipping papersforthemalvina Vidal 1853.
Death details from Publication "Somerset to Saumarez"byRossEdmonds[Allenopen010305.fbc.FTW]

[towells.FTW]

Born at Herefordshire- Source = 1851 census and Shipping papersforthemalvina Vidal 1853.
Death details from Publication "Somerset to Saumarez" by Ross Edmonds

Garry Bung notes:
Caroline married James Ellis in Armidale in 1861 and had a number of children with him. She had abandoned Thomas Towells within a year of arriving in the colony in 1853.
She took Emma with her and James took both of them in.

Initially Thomas had published a newspaper declaration stating his view of the situation, refusing any liability for Caroline's transactions and threatening legal action to anyone helping her.

Having found a more suitable partner, Caroline settled into her new life with James, who continued to prove a humane husband and father.
She and James are buried in the same grave in Armidale cemetery where the headstone shows that he outlived her and that both were in their 80's when they died.

I descend from James and Caroline, hence my interest in the issue.

  Research Notes:

Garry Bung notes:
The reason that Thomas Towells felt free to marry Sarah Smith was probably that he assumed that Caroline was deceased (or legally could be regarded as deceased, 7yrs after she abandoned him in 1854).
Caroline appears to have assumed the same at about the same time when she married James Ellis. There is a record of Caroline "Towells" marrying James Ellis in Armidale in 1861.

This is consistent with Emma (Towel?) marrying Joseph Edmonds in Armidale. Emma had traveled with her mother when she left Thomas.
When Emma died her family gave James as her father (the one she'd grown up with) and Caroline as mother.

Below is a reference to the Newspaper advert Thomas paid for when Caroline scarpered. {Trove}

"The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), Saturday 1 April 1854, page 3"

There is also an Ad inserted by William Dangar offering a reward of 5pounds for Thomas' apprehension on the grounds of deserting his master. {Trove}

"The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), Saturday 29 April 1854, page 1s"

These were the times of the "Master and Servant Act" when even a free settler could be chased by an employer to force continuance of a labour.

  Noted events in her life were:

• Record Change, 21 Aug 2006.


Caroline married Thomas Towells, son of John Towels and Sarah Rice, in 1851 in Ilminster, Somerset England. (Thomas Towells was born on 14 Jun 1829 in Ilminster, Somerset England, christened on 16 Jun 1929 in Ilminster, Somerset England, died on 4 Jun 1908 in Campbells Creek, Mudgee, NSW Australia and was buried in Windeyer, NSW Australia.)


Caroline next married James Ellis in 1861.1061 (James Ellis was born circa 1825.)


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