Thomas Greenwell (abt. 1810 - 1860)

Born about 1810 in Durham, England

Husband of Margaret (Buckley) Greenwell — married 1838 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 8 May 1860 at about age 50 in Greenwich, New South Wales, Australia

Biography

Thomas Greenwell migrated from England to New South Wales.

Thomas Greenwell was born about 1810 in County Durham, England.

Thomas migrated to the Colony of New South Wales (Australia) where he became a boat builder at Balmain, on Sydney Harbour.

He married Margaret Buckley in 1838 at St James CofE in Sydney (church code CJ = Church of England, Sydney, St James'), Colony of New South Wales (Australia) ^[1].

They had children:

1. Thomas Blackett Greenwell
2. John Greenwell
3. William Henry Greenwell
4. Agnes Greenwell
5. George Greenwell
6. Isabella Greenwell
7. Catherine Greenwell
8. Annie Greenwell
9. Joseph Greenwell
10. Bridget Greenwell

He became insolvent in 1842 and sought various employment, eventually working as a quarryman on the opposite side of the harbour, at Greenwich.

^[2]Thomas passed away suddenly, aged about 50 years, on 8th May 1860 whilst working in the Greenwich sandstone quarry. .
The newspaper reported on 10th May that "The City Coroner held two inquests yesterday. The first at the Balmain Hotel, Balmain, on the body of a man named Thomas Greenwell, aged fifty years. The deceased was a quarryman, and worked at Greenwich, on the North Shore.
On Tuesday morning, the deceased, in company with his son, a youth of seventeen (Joseph Greenwell), pulled across the harbour to his work, in his usual health. He commenced work by rolling some heavy stones a short distance, and then employed himself in sinking a hole to blast the rock.
While so engaged he was observed to commence coughing and retching, and then vomited a quantity of blood, he was assisted down from the block of rock on which he was working, and expired about five minutes afterwards.
The deceased was by trade a boatbuilder, had been upwards of twenty years in the colony, and had generally enjoyed good health. About a month previous to his decease he complained of a pain in his left side, and said he felt his heart beating like the ticking of a watch.
Verdict, natural causes." ^[3]

FUNERAL.—The Friends of the late Mr. THOMAS GREENWELL are respectfully invited to attend his Funeral, which will take place THIS DAY, the 10th instant, at 1 o'clock. The procession to move from his own residence, George-street, Balmain.^[4]

He was buried in Camperdown Cemetery, Newtown, Colony of New South Wales.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #1675/1838 V18381675 22
2. ↑ New South Wales Death Index #1856/1860; registered at Balmain
3. ↑ Inquest into death, SMH, Thursday 10 May 1860
4. ↑ Funeral Notice The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Thursday 10 May 1860, page 8 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13040402>
5. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/187982024/thomas-greenwell: accessed February 12, 2024), memorial page for Thomas Greenwell (-), Find A Grave: Memorial #187982024, citing Camperdown Cemetery, Newtown, City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Maintained by Stombell (contributor 48335209).