Isabella (Court) Hails (1864 - 1920)

Born 24 Feb 1864 in Hartley Vale, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Daughter of John Court and Isabella Brimble

Wife of Robert Cornelius Hails — married 19 Feb 1881 in Hamilton, New South Wales, Australia

Wife of Benjamin Batey — married 23 Dec 1899 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 7 Oct 1920 at age 56 in Helensburgh, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Vicki Hails [send private message]

Biography

Isabella (Court) Hails was born in Australia

Isabella's birth was registered by her father who signed with his mark. The witnesses to her birth were W. Irwin and Mrs Boundy. She was the fifth of John and Isabella's children.

Isabella was just 16 years of age when her father died of heart disease, and following his death, she resided with her older brother, William at Hamilton. Although the youngest, she was the first of the Court children to marry. Isabella and Robert were married in the home of her brother, William who also consented to the marriage as her guardian, as Isabella was under 21 years of age and her father was deceased. In fact, she was 5 days short of her 17th birthday. The ceremony was performed by George James, a Minister of the Primitive Methodist Church and was witnessed by her brother William and Sarah Jane King.

It appears that Isabella and Robert moved a couple of times during their marriage, most likely in search of employment. They had seven children prior to Robert's untimely death in 1895.

Isabella married Benjamin BATEY at 157 Elizabeth St, Sydney by the rites of the Congregational Mission Church. He gave his occupation as a Miner and she Home Duties. He was a bachelor, and she a widow. Benjamin's surname was recorded as BEATY. The witnesses to their marriage were James JEFFREY and N. HENNESS. It is possible this was Isabella's son-in-law, as her daughter Annie married a James JEFFREY in 1897.

Following her marriage to Benjamin, life must have looked a little more prosperous. Isabella and Benjamin both made a number of land purchases in the Helensburgh area during the early 1900's. These included:

• Portion 599 fronting Boomerang St which was bought by Benjamin on 17 Dec 1904 and sold on 17 May 1919.
• Portion 600 fronting Boomerang St was bought by Benjamin on 16 Aug 1908, the property was transferred to Andrew McCulloch in 1918 then to Charles James Campbell in 1922. Following James' death in 1943 the title was transferred to his wife Mary who subsequently subdivided and sold in 1945 and 1947.
• Portion 594 (which was behind the above properties) was purchased by Isabella on 17 Dec 1904 and was transferred to her daughter, Dorothy in 1919. Dorothy sold the property in 1970.
• Portion 12 on Undola Rd, Lily Vale was purchased by Benjamin on 10 Jan 1908, however the deed was cancelled in 1919.

Both Isabella and her husband, Benjamin appear on the Illawarra Electoral Roll at Helensburgh in 1903, 1906, 1908, 1909, and 1913. He as a Miner, her occupation listed as Domestic Duties.

A funeral notice appeared in the 'Sydney Morning Herlad' of 8 October, 1920: "BATEY - The relatives and friends of the late Mrs. Isabella Batey are kindly invited to attend her funeral to leave her late residence Park Street, Helensburgh, this day at 4pm for Church of England Cemetery, Helensburgh."

Isabella was buried at Helensburgh Cemetery near the grave of two of her grandchildren and her headstone reads: "My dear mother. Erected by her loving daughter and son-in-law Mary and C.J. Campbell."

A search of the Probate Indexes for the years 1919-1928 has failed to locate wills for either Isabella or Benjamin, and no record of either could be found on the Intestate Index.

Sources

• Birth Certifcate, NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
• Marriage Certificate, NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages - to Robert Hails, 1881
• Marriage Certificate, NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages - to Benjamin Batey, 1899
• Land Titles Office records
• Death Certificate, NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages, 1920
• Funeral Notice Isabella Batey Sydney Morning Herald 8 Oct 1920
• Funeral Notice Isabella Batey Daily Telegraph 8 Oct 1920
• Isabellla Batey Obiturary South Coast Times 15 Oct 1920
• In Memoriam Isabella Batey South Coast Times 7 Oct 1921
• Vicki Hails, Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record (ABGR) Bicentennial Project, research papers held by the Society of Australian Genealogists, Sydney NSW Australia, Item 21/002735

DNA

• Maternal and Paternal relationships are confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between Colin Hails and his third cousin, PA. Their most-recent common ancestors are their great great grandparents, John Court and Isabella Brimble. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 4th–6th Cousin, based on sharing 20 cM across 1 segments.
• Maternal and Paternal relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between SH and her third cousin, once removed, JA. Their most-recent common ancestors are JA’s great great grandparents, John Court and Isabella Brimble. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 5th–8th Cousin, based on sharing 12 cM across 1 segment.