Henry Thompson (1833 - 1896)

Born 28 Oct 1833 in Pennant Hills, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Lydia Ann (Curtis) Thompson — married 12 May 1853 in Wesley church, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 20 Jan 1896 at age 62 in Rats Castle, Berowra, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

Henry was born in 1833[Thompson -28240]. BDM 320-17. Henry was the child of Thomas Thompson and Hannah Russell. Christened on 24/11/1833.St Phillips Church, Sydney. He married Lydia Curtis [ Curtis- ] at Wesleyan church, Castle Hill on 12/5/1853. They had 15 children.

Henry passed away 20/1/1896 at Rat's Castle, Berowra BDM 4034. The Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1919), Saturday 25 January 1896. ^[1] OBITUARY Death of Mr. Henry Thompson. On Tuesday morning word was received of the sudden death of Mr. Henry Thompson, of Pennant Hills, and the information caused quite a shock to his many relatives and friends. On Saturday last Mr. Thompson and his wife left their house at Pennant Hills for a trip to Berowra, where it was their intention of staying for a week or ten days, in order to enable them to recoup their health, neither having been very well recently. They arrived safely at their destination, and put up at "The Cave," on Mr. Atkins' property, the cave being fitted up for the accommodation of picnicking parties. Sunday and Monday were pleasantly spent. At about 6.30 on Monday evening Mr. Atkins called to see if Mr. Thompson would go fishing that evening, but the latter declined, because his wife was not too well. Mr. Thompson then seemed as well as he had been during the past two years, till which time he was a strong and active man, when general debility and heart failure overtook him. The old couple retired to rest in 'The Cave" after Mr. Atkins left about 9 p.m. Towards midnight Mrs.Thompson noticed her husband move in the bed and heard him draw a long breath and sigh heavily. She spoke to him and thought she noticed a quiver in his body. He did not answer, and she called him by name, and as he did not answer then she lit a candle and was horrified to find that her husband was dead, life having departed without a struggle of the body. The shock which the poor old lady sustained may be better imagined than described. Ill as she was, her first thought was to seek assistance, as she proceeded to make her way as best she could along a rugged mountain path to Mr. Atkins' residence. In doing so she attracted the notice of some fishermen on the creek close by, and they thought at first it was Mrs. Atkins, but concluding at last that it was "that poor old lady they saw in the cave," as they said, they ascertained the cause of Mrs.Thompson's distress and brought Mr. Atkins, who was fishing further up the stream. Everything that Mr. and Mrs. Atkins could do was then done to soothe the bereaved lady and attend to the last offices for her departed husband. On Tuesday a shell was procured and the remains of the deceased gentleman were brought to his late residence near the Wesleyan Church, Pennant Hills. Mr. Thompson was 62 years of age, and a son of the soil. He was born on the property, on part of which he resided up to the time of his death. In the early days, Mr. Thompson was apprenticed to the boot making trade, but he soon abandoned this, and successfully devoted his attention to fruit-growing. He was highly respected for many miles around by all who knew him, and was a faithful adherent of the Wesleyan Church at Pennant Hills. With the exception short visits on business to Bathurst and Mudgee, he was never away from his native place. An exciting incident in his career occurred some 12 or 13 years ago, when he was in the habit of carting produce to Windsor. One night he was driving along the road, making for that township, and, when near McGrath's Hill, he was set upon by a number of ruffians and assaulted and robbed of all the money he had on him, about £40. He was severely injured in the encounter, and lay for two hours on the road in an insensible state. The injuries to his head were said to have affected his nervous temperament from that time forward. The outrage was known to have been a concocted affair, and, although suspicion was strong in a certain direction, no arrests were ever made. Mr. Thompson was the eldest son of Thomas Thompson, a native of England, and one of the colony's earliest free settlers. He leaves a widow - Lydia, the fourth daughter of the late Mr. William Curtis, whom he married in 1853 - seven sons and six daughters. The sons are Messrs. William, Arthur, Thomas, Walter, Henry, Charles, and Leslie, and Mrs. Anlezark, Mrs. Alf. Best, Mrs. Trivett and another married lady whose name we did not glean, besides two unmarried. All his children are living, with the exception of one who died at an early age, alongside of whom the deceased was buried in the Castle Hill Wesleyan Cemetery, where also lie the remains of his father, mother and grandmother. Mr. T. Thompson, of Thompson's Corner, is his only brother and his sisters are Mrs. W. Hawkins, sen., Mrs. B. J. Moore, sen., (of Dural), Mrs. Joseph Harrison, son., (of Pennant Hills), Mrs. W. Bellamy (of the Clarence) Mrs. Frank Allsop (of Pennant Hills). Mrs. Vince Carr (of Sydney). Mrs. Joseph Sandy (of Willoughby), and Mrs. O. Osborne (of Hornsby). The funeral took place on Wednesday afternoon at 4 o'clock. A short service was held in the local Wesleyan Church adjoining the old chapel in which the deceased was married - by the Rev. J. W. Moore (of Ryde). The impressiveness of the service was added to by the singing of the hymn "Rock of Ages." Mr. Moore in the service paid a tribute to the deceased's memory and expressed his sincere condolence with the bereaved family. As the funeral left the church the "Dead March in Saul" was played on the organ. The cortege exceeded 200 persons, and among those noticed, besides most of the relatives already mentioned above, were:- Messrs. John Hunt, C. J. Moore, Samuel Moore, W. Walters, J. Shields, Roughley, Duffy, W. Williams, J. W. Foster, Harrison (2), John Small, J. Fuller, J. Allsopp, B. Perry, K. Thame, Morris and many others. There were many nice wreaths. The Rev. Mr. Moore again officiated at the grave in the cemetery belonging to the church. The funeral arrangements were under the management of Mrs. Jordan Sparks' representative.

See also Cumberland Free Press (Parramatta, NSW : 1895 - 1897), Saturday 25 January 1896, page 8. ^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/85773837
2. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/144436107

• https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search
• Birth - NSW BDM BC 320/1833 V1833 320 17 - F = THOMAS, M = HANNAH
• Baptism 24 November 1833 - "Australia Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTC8-N8C : 28 January 2020), Henry Thompson, 1833.
• Marriage - NSW BDM MC 349/1853 V1853 349 85 - Groom = THOMPSON, HENRY; Bride = CURTIS, LYDIA A - IB = Wesleyan Field of Mars, Parramatta. [or "Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950"; Ancestry.com [database on-line]; Henry Thompson and Lydia A Curtis, 1853; Field of Mars, Parramatta, New South Wales. - Subscription required]
• Death - THOMPSON, HENRY - NSW BDM DC 4034/1896 - F = THOMAS, M = HANNAH - CASTLE HILL (place of registration)
• Find a Grave memorial #143419194, Henry Thompson, b. 20 Oct 1833, d. 20 Jan 1896.
• Headstone image - https://www.austcemindex.com/inscription?id=7065374#images .
• Link - https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LVM3-JK2