Elizabeth (Courtney) Campbell (abt. 1813 - 1865)

Born about 1813 in Clogherny, County Tyrone, Ireland

Wife of William (Steenson) Stinson — married 1838 in Ireland

Descendants

Died 1865 at about age 52 in New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

Elizabeth Courtney was born in the rural Northern part of Southern Ireland, either in Clogherney or Louth in about 1813. The family was Irish Protestant (11), but I dont' yet know anything more about them.

1838 She married William Steenson, a farm labourer 5 years younger than her.

At this time, Ireland had experienced massive population growth, followed by repeated crop failures and cholera outbreaks. Extreme poverty was widespread and emigration rates were increasing. The typical immigrant was "one class up from the poorest" i.e. those with some trade. This is because the poorest could not afford the expensive fares but there were many assisted immigration schemes which Elizabeth an William would have used. Those who were better off did not have to leave their home. There was some shame associated with emigration, it was seen as an exile, with little chance of ever seeing home soil or family again. It would have been a very difficult decision by Elizabeth and William to leave their country despite the desperation of the times.

The 20 year old William and his 25 year old wife Elizabeth began their journey. It is not known why they chose to come to Australia, as only a small proportion came here rather than America. Many surviving letters from convicts and free settlers home to Ireland talk about how much food there is, encouraging them to come. They were lucky to leave when they did. A few years later the Potato famine decimated the Irish, killing up to 1.5 million out of a population of 6 million (a).

The first leg of the journey was 130 kms from Louth up to the Port of Belfast where they boarded the ship Mandarin. Ezekial and Jane Waters, also from Co, Tyrone were onboard. Perhaps they knew each other from home, or perhaps they became good friends on the voyage. Either way - they were destined to travel and settle together until the end of their time. There were also many families with children. 97 were aged under 7! They departed on the 15th of June and arrived just over 4 months later on the 19th of October. With their strong Irish accents, the spelling of their name was changed from Steenson to Stinson, possibly by immigration officials.

The docks on Sydney Harbour were a bustling place, used to receiving ship after ship of immigrants. Accommodation could be found in The Rocks in a spare space in the houses of the people who lived there, or The Immigration Building in Bent St also had short term accommodation.

The immigration buildings also functioned as an employment agency, advertising new arrivals to potential employers who would come to select workers. William and Elizabeth could have organised work here in Maitland or they could have already decided to travel to the 130kms north to start a new life. There was a convict by the name of Stinson living there at the time who may have been a relative.

In Maitland, Elizabeth and William occupied land, farmed and had 4 children, Hamilton (1840), Thomas (1842), Sarah (1844) and Margaret (?).

10 years on, William became ill with Hepatitis, and Elizabeth was pregnant with their 5th child. William died in 1849, leaving Elizabeth with 4 children and baby Elizabeth.

The family suffered in the next few years, with baby Elizabeth dying, a brief remarriage to a man named Campbell, who went off to the gold fields never to be heard of again and finally floods destroying all possessions and livestock, leaving the family destitute.

In 1856 Elizabeth, along with her friends Ezekial and Jane Waters made the decision to head off with their families into the remote Yarramalong Valley. The only Europeans to know of this area were the timber getters. There were no roads, no bridges, fences or houses.

The Darkinjung people had lived here, and the name, Yarramalong is their name for the area, meaning "Place of Cedar" or possibly "Place of Horses". Their interactions with the whites are rarely documented, so we can only guess, based on history of other places, that initially if the white settlers were peaceful, they either got along or ignored each other for a while. Then acts of violence or cruelty by whites were met with retaliation by the aboriginal people. Which were then answered by white settlers with massacres of whole groups, children included, often as they slept. Smallpox also claimed may lives. One historian estimates that the last of the Darkinjung had left the area, or been wiped out by smallpox and the earlier timber getters by 1850 (b), however other sources mention the "blacks" far later than this time.

Elizabeth and her 4 children cleared land, built a shelter and began to farm, living at a subsistence level. The Waters family lived nearby. Occasionally they would make the 50 mile return trip by pack horse to the nearest shop in Gosford to sell surplus and buy supplies.

In 1865 Elizabeth dies aged 52. She is the first white woman to be buried in the Yarramalong Cemetery.

Her children marry and remain in the area, becoming very successful and amassing large tracts of land and many businesses. She had more than 20 grandchildren and countless descendants now. She is my Great Great Great Grandmother.

Timeline

1813 Born (5)

Married William

10 June 1838 Depart Belfast (5)

15 June 1838 The Mandarin, from Belfast, for N. S. Wales, with Government emigrants, was spoken with on the 15th J une, in lat. 50° north, long. 8° west. (3)

19 Oct 1838 Arrived from Belfast onboard the "Mandarin" with Elizabeth (2) and 269 other assisted immigrants, 36 of these were aged between 7- 14 and 97 were aged under 7 (10) . They were under the Master Donal and Superintendance of Dr Leah, R.N. (6). William is listed as a farm Labourer (2)

Click here for Full Passenger list

Shipping Arrivals and Employment notice

20 Oct 1838 A Message of thanks to Dr Edward Leah , the ship's surgeon is publishedin the newspaper, signed by Andrew Gribbin, Francis Hamilton and Hugh Henry Weir. Perhaps William and Elizabeth's son is named for Francis Hamilton? (7)

24 Oct 1838 William and Elizabeth were probrably amoungst the recent arrivals looking for work at the Immigrant buildings at Bent St, Sydney. A notice advising employers is published (8).

1840 Hamilton born

1842 Thomas born

1843 Margaret born.

1844 Sarah born

1849 Elizabeth born, and Elizabeth becomes a widow when William dies of Hepatitis.

1850 Baby Elizabeth dies

She remarries a man named Campbell, however he rushes off to the Goldfields and was not heard from again (11, 12)

Floods (11)

1856 She brings her family to Yarramalong (11)

1865 She dies

Background reading

How and why did the Irish emmigrate in this time?

Sources

• 1. NSW BDM Death indexes for sons
• 2. Assisted Immigrant Passenger lists ancestry.com. Name is listed as Steenson
• 3. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/2548551?searchTerm=mandarin belfast&searchLimits=l-decade=183
• 4. Trove
• 5. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/166587452?searchTerm=mandarin belfast&searchLimits=l-decade=183
• 6. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/12861171?searchTerm=mandarin belfast&searchLimits=l-decade=183
• 7. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/2547875?searchTerm=mandarin belfast&searchLimits=l-decade=183
• 8. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/12860241?searchTerm=mandarin belfast&searchLimits=l-decade=183
• 9. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/31721934
• 10. http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/au1838.shtml
• 11. Stinson, Edward. A pictorial History of the Wyong Shire
• 12. NO NSW BDM for 2nd Marriage.

Historical Sources

• a. http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/magazine/emigration/pre-fam.htm#general
• b. http://paulbuddehistory.com/bucketty/the-darkinjung/

Research notes

• No BDM marriage for Elizabeth to Campbell
• No BDM death for Elizabeth Stinson or Campbell in 1865
• ANCESTRY doreenbailey59 has death date as 11 Feb 1865. Messaged to find out how.
• ANCESTRY allangray72 has Hamiltons's birth at Woy Woy, Marriage at Drumshanbo, Messaged to find out how.

• SEE Edward Stinson's Vol 1. Pg 78 for details of father.