Agnes Mary (McPhail) Ashworth (1824 - 1862)

Born 1824 in Govan, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 1862 at about age 38 in Tarnagulla, Victoria, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: JS Miller [send private message]

Biography

Agnes had a short and tragic life.

She was born to Peter McPhail and Margaret Sommerville on 11 Sept 1824, in Govan. ^[1]

The children's birth entries indicate the family was from Linlithgow, Stirling, but had moved to Govan by Agnes's birth. They then moved on to New Kilpatrick, where Peter worked as a calico printer.

In the 1841 census they are living in New Kirkpatrick, Scotland, and at that time they comprised: Peter Mcphail 45 Margaret Mcphail 42 Sophia Mcphail 19 James Mcphail 17 Agnes Mcphail 15 Christina Mcphail 9 Peter Mcphail 7 ^[2]

Agnes married Robert Andrew in 1845 in New Kirkpatrick. ^[3]

Their first child together, Margaret, died, ^[4] but a son Robert was born in 1848 ^[5]

In the 1851 census they are in New Monkland, Robert Andrews 30, an Engineer, Agnes Andrews 26 Robert Andrews 2. ^[6]

They must have immigrated to Victoria, Aust, around 1852, however I have found no record of their travel. Agnes's death entry in 1862 says she had been in the colony 10 years. ^[7]

Soon after they arrived, her husband died. ^[8]

It must have been very difficult for Agnes to be left alone newly arrived in Australia and with a little boy.

It must have been a relief when her sister Christina also emigrated in around 1854 ^[9]

Agnes and her child Robert somehow met Moses Ashworth, an ex convict, a miner and publican. Her death entry says they married in Forest Hill, Vic (now Chewton) when she was aged 24. However her dates are 4 years behind from the point she reached Australia. So her death entry has her aged 34 when she was in fact 38. Thus it's likely she 'married' (entry not found) around 1853. ^[10]

In 1855 she had a son William to a William Ashworth in Forest Hill, near Castlemaine. This child died. ^[11]

In 1857 she had a child Ashworth in Sandy Creek/Tarnagulla to Moses Ashworth, and this child must be son William. ^[12]

In 1860, daughter Margaret Sommerville Ashworth was born to Agnes and Moses Ashworth at Sandy Creek/Tarnagulla. ^[13]

It's likely that William Ashworth and Moses Ashworth, fathers of her children, were one and the same.

Agnes had family at Tarnagulla when her sister Christine McPhail married local soda water manufacturer and publican Robert Rumsey in 1859. ^[14]

Regardless of this extra support, Agnes died by drowning in Inglewood, near Tarnagulla, on 16 Sept 1862. The coroners report states she was intoxicated and committed suicide. In the report Moses states she had not been sober for three months in the last two years, and frequently had the 'horrors'. She had been living away from him since June. ^[15] The coroners report is sobering reading, and it is unclear who was looking after her small children while she was living apart from Moses and in a distressed state for some months with 'the horrors'. ^[16]

Husband Moses died of delerium tremens later that year. He had been the manager of the Victoria Hotel and Theatre in Tarnagulla.

After Agnes died, two orphans were adopted by her sister Christina McPhail and husband Robert Rumsey, also living in Tarnagulla. This must have been Robert Andrew and Margaret Ashworth, as son William went to the Melbourne Orphanage. ^[17]

Be aware that Agnes's death certificate contains many inaccuracies (e.g. no mention of son Robert), but the dates all fit together if she had taken 4 years off her age in emigrating. Her brother in law was the informant. Interestingly Moses and her sister Christina also lied about their age. Moses and Agnes both listed 34 when they were 38 at death - did they lie to each other?

The Ashworths have no grave in Tarnagulla, but Christina's grave is there. Christina died herself in 1868, ^[18] and Robert Rumsey married again, ^[19] can't help wondering what happened to the adopted children at that time, although they went on to marry and have their own families, as did my ancestor William, who was respectability itself.

Agnes must have arrived in Australia in 1852 full of hope, yet the next 10 years must have been difficult indeed.

The name Somerville has been continued down the female line and is said to be bad luck in the family.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth entry - Agnes Mcphail Birth Date 11 Sep 1824 Birth Place Govan,Lanark,Scotland Father Peter Mcphail Mother Margaret Sommerville
2. ↑ 1841 census - Agnes Mcphail Age 15 Estimated Birth Year abt 1826 Gender Female Where born Scotland Civil parish New Kilpatrick County Dunbartonshire Address Cheapside Parish Number 500 Household Members Name Age Peter Mcphail 45 Margaret Mcphail 42 Sophia Mcphail 19 James Mcphail 17 Agnes Mcphail 15 Christina Mcphail 9 Peter Mcphail 7
3. ↑ Scotland's People: Married - MCPHAIL AGNES and ROBERT ANDREW/FR923 MONTH ASSUMED (FR923) Date 00/05/1845 500/ 30 285 at New or East Kilpatrick.
4. ↑ ANDREW MARGARET child of ROBERT ANDREW/AGNES MCPHAIL FR5938 (FR5938) F 19/02/1847 644/1 380 54 Glasgow
5. ↑ ANDREW ROBERT, of ROBERT ANDREW/AGNES MCPHAIL FR3536 CHILD 2 (FR3536) M 22/10/1848 622/ 130 339 Barony
6. ↑ Agnes Andrews Age 26 Estimated Birth Year abt 1825 Relationship Wife Spouse Robert Andrews Gender Female Where born Glasgow, Lanarkshire Parish Number 651 Civil parish New Monkland Phillimore Ecclesiastical Parish Maps 9109 County Lanarkshire Address Kapps-works 1 ED 1A Page 16 Household schedule number 53 Line 5 Roll CSSCT1851_170
7. ↑ Victorian Department of Justice, "Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages", database, Births Deaths Marriages Victoria (http://www.bdm.vic.gov.au : accessed 22 January 2019), index entry for death of Agnes Ashworth (1862/6761).
8. ↑ Victorian Department of Justice, "Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages", database, Births Deaths Marriages Victoria (http://www.bdm.vic.gov.au : accessed 22 January 2019), index entry for death of Robert Andrew (1852/20287).
9. ↑ Closest entry on shipping lists - C McPhail Estimated Birth Year abt 1826 Age 28 Arrival Date 12 Jul 1854 Arrival Port Port Phillip Bay, Australia Departure Port London Ship Ballarat Nationality English Website: prov.gov.vic.au
10. ↑ Victorian Department of Justice, "Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages", database, Births Deaths Marriages Victoria (http://www.bdm.vic.gov.au : accessed 22 January 2019), index entry for death of Agnes Ashworth (1862/6761).
11. ↑ Victorian Department of Justice, "Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages", database, Births Deaths Marriages Victoria (http://www.bdm.vic.gov.au : accessed 22 January 2019), index entry for death of William Ashworth (1855/5299).
12. ↑ Victorian Department of Justice, "Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages", database, Births Deaths Marriages Victoria (http://www.bdm.vic.gov.au : accessed 22 January 2019), index entry for birth of Ashworth (1857/3845).
13. ↑ Victorian Department of Justice, "Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages", database, Births Deaths Marriages Victoria (http://www.bdm.vic.gov.au : accessed 22 January 2019), index entry for birth of Margaret Ashworth (1860/10068).
14. ↑ Victorian Department of Justice, "Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages", database, Births Deaths Marriages Victoria (http://www.bdm.vic.gov.au : accessed 22 January 2019), index entry for marriage of Christine McPhail (1859/3219).
15. ↑ See The Argus newspaper, 19 Sep 1862 for coroner's report.
16. ↑ Public Records Office Victoria, website: www.prov.vic.gov.au - coroner's report for Agnes Ashworth, 1862/240 Female
17. ↑ William Ashworth personal file report from orphanage records
18. ↑ Victorian Department of Justice, "Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages", database, Births Deaths Marriages Victoria (http://www.bdm.vic.gov.au : accessed 22 January 2019), index entry for death of Christina Rumsey (1868/7502).
19. ↑ Victorian Department of Justice, "Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages", database, Births Deaths Marriages Victoria (http://www.bdm.vic.gov.au : accessed 22 January 2019), index entry for marriage of Robert Rumsey (1869/4431).