Elizabeth Curtis (abt. 1837 - 1872)

Born about 9 Sep 1837 in Clacton-on-Sea, Tendring, Essex, England [uncertain]

Wife of Thomas Nix — married 25 Apr 1854 in Australia

Descendants

Died 26 Dec 1872 at about age 35 in Mill Creek, near Stroud, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Fred Nix [send private message]

Elizabeth Curtis was born in Essex, England.

Biography

Elizabeth Curtis is born on September 9, 1837, in Tendring, Essex, England [1][2][3][4][5]. Her parents are William Curtis and Elizabeth Gough. Tendring is (today) a local government district in the northeast of Essex and its council is based in Clacton-on-Sea. Elizabeth is likely born in Clacton-on-Sea.

At some point the family sails to Australia – most likely to New South Wales. Although this voyage has not been confirmed, it is possible to see the names of William Curtis and Elizabeth Curtis on a list of assisted immigrants to New South Wales [6]. No other details –ages of people, dates of arrival, etc – can be seen from this source.

On April 25, 1854, Elizabeth marries Thomas Nix at Motto Farm near Raymond Terrace [1][3][7]. Raymond Terrace is 29 kilometres north of Newcastle and Motto Farm is located somewhere between Raymond Terrace and Hexam River. Reverend John Tuckfield performed the ceremony. The location of Motto Farm has not been confirmed, but today there is a Motto Farm Motel and a Motto Farm Auto Repair just outside of Raymond Terrace on the A1 highway. Thomas Nix arrived in Australia in 1853 as an assisted immigrant from England. His first wife died on the voyage.

Thomas Nix brings two young children of his own, and a stepson, into the marriage. In addition to these three children, Elizabeth and Thomas have the following ten:

• William Nix 1857-1913 + (1880) Francis Fullick 1864-1928

• Elizabeth C. Nix 1858-1858

• John Daniel Nix 1859-1918 + (1885) Laura Emily Ward 1858-1911

• Thomas Nix 1861-1935

• Daniel Nix 1863-1942 + (1901) Dorothy Nicholson c1864-1932

• Mary Ann Nix 1865-1912 + (1884) Thomas Graham c1865-1945

• Charles Nix 1867-1867

• Sarah Elizabeth Nix 1869-1943 + (1887) John Robert Bowden 1864-1955

• Charlotte Nix 1871-1950 + (1890) James Burn c1870-?

• Alice Ellen Nix 1872-1933 + (1889) Andrew William Brindle c1872-1942

The lives of Elizabeth and Thomas after the marriage are difficult to trace. We know they live in the Raymond Terrace area until sometime after 1863 as the first five children are born in Raymond Terrace. Sometime after 1863, the family moves to Mill Creek where Thomas leases land. Mill Creek is a creek just north of the town of Stroud. And Stroud is about 47 kilometres north of Raymond Terrace. A postal directory lists Thomas Nix as a farmer in Mill creek in 1867. Five children are born in Mill Creek between 1865 and 1872.

Elizabeth dies on December 26, 1872 in Mill Creek [1]. The death is registered in Port Stephens [3][8]. We don’t know where she is buried. Thomas dies in 1909 and he is buried in the Stockton General Cemetery.

Sources

[1] Helene Shepherd’s family tree: ELIZABETH CURTIS, daughter of William CURTIS and Elizabeth GOUGH, married Thomas Nix on 25 Apr 1854 in Raymond Terrace, New South Wales, Australia. She was born on 09 Sep 1837 in Essex, England. She died on 26 Dec 1872 in Mill Creek, New South Wales, Australia. One of Helene Shepherd’s sources is Ann Davis who advised that, although the marriage was registered in Raymond Terrace, the actual wedding was at Motto Farm and that the ceremony was performed (this from Narelle Grant) by the Rev’d John Tuckfield.

[2] "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2NDF-ZB5 : 1 October 2014), Elizabeth Curtis, 1837; from "England & Wales Births, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Birth Registration, Tendring, Essex, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England. The record shows that Elizabeth Curtis has her birth registered in the period July-to-September 1837 in Tendring, Essex, England.

[3] Stuart Gregory at http://stuart.scss.dyndns.info/FamilyTree/ shows Elizabeth Curtis was born in New South Wales in about 1839. It gives a source as “Births Registered in New South Wales.” He shows Elizabeth married Thomas Nix on April 25, 1854 in Port Stephens and he shows Elizabeth’s age as 15 years. He shows that Elizabeth died in about 1872 in Port Stephens and gives as his source “Deaths Registered in New South Wales.” He shows the following children: (1) William 1857-1913; (2) Elizabeth C. 1858-1858; (3) John Daniel 1859-1918 + [c1885] Laura Emily Ward 1858-1911; (4) Thomas 1861-1935; (5) Daniel 1863-1942 + [c1901] Dorothy Nicholson ?-1932 ; (6) Mary A. 1865-? + Thomas Graham ; (7) Charles 1867-1867; (8) Sarah Elizabeth 1869-1943 + [1887] John Robert Bowden 1864-1955; (9) Charlotte 1871-1950 + [c1890] James Burns ; and (10) Alice Ellen 1872-1933 + [c1889] Andrew William Brindell

[4] Newlin-Noakes family tree at wc.rootsweb.ancestory.com: this shows Elizabeth Curtis born c1825, dying in 1872, and married as the second wife to Thomas Nix (1820-1909). It shows the following children for Elizabeth and Thomas Nix: (1) William (1857-1913), (2) Elizabeth C. (1858-1858), (3) John Daniel (1859-1919), (4) Thomas (1861-1935), (5) Daniel (1863-1942), (6) Mary Ann (1865-1912), (7) Charles (1867-1867), (8) Sarah Elizabeth (1869-1943), (9) Charlotte (1871-?) & (10) Alice Ellen (1872-1933).

[5] Birthplace of Elizabeth Curtis: In the first version of this biography, Elizabeth was shown to be born in 1839 in New South Wales. This followed the information from Stuart Gregory. However, after obtaining a copy of Helene Shepherd’s family tree – which showed her born in Essex on Sept 9, 1837, the biography was modified to read that Elizabeth was either born in 1837 in Essex of in 1839 in New South Wales. In the meantime, a birth registration for an Elizabeth Curtis was located showing that she was born (or the birth was registered) on Sept 9, 1837, in Tendring, Essex. It was not clear this was correct Elizabeth Curtis. Then Narelle Grant, a great granddaughter of Elizabeth Curtis, wrote to say that family records showed she was born in Clacton, Essex. It turns out that “Clacton-on-Sea” is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula and that Tendring is a local government district in Essex with the Council based in Clacton-on-Sea. This seems to confirm that the birth registration (see source note #2) is for the Elizabeth Curtis of interest.

[6] The State Archives and Records for New South Wales at https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/searchhits_nocopy?id=9&sur show on the list of assisted immigrants for the period 1839-1896 five people with the name “William Curtis” and four people with the name “Elizabeth Curtis.”

[7] NSW BDM registration #36/1854 V185436 86 Thomas Nix marries Elizabeth Curtis in 1854 in the district “IK”. (thanks to Daryl Murphy for finding this)

[8] NSW BDM registration # 6265/1872 Elizabeth Nix dies in 1872 in the district of Port Stephens. Her parents’ names were William and Elizabeth.

Acknowledgements

Fred Nix wrote this biography originally in 2018, with several updates thereafter. Some details of this biography were from Narelle Grant, the great granddaughter of Elizabeth Curtis. Fred is the gg grandnephew of Thomas Nix, Elizabeth’s spouse.