A 17 year-old came out on assisted passage - Alfred Benjamin Martin - alone amongst 350 on the "Isles of the South" (check out this trove article by the captain on the voyage - the man should take a masterclass in understatement - would go nicely with a decent port!)
Six years hence he married a 20 year old German girl who had lived half her life in Queensland. Wilhelmina - or Minnie - Schultz.
Over the next 10 years , four children had been born and the wife had died when the youngest was not yet three years old. I saw a very old photograph of them - Bennie, Rosie, Lennie and Lillie.
He brought his father (Alfred) and 3 siblings out to Australia from a changing England - an older sister (Esther) and two much younger brothers (William and George).
The sister looked after these four motherless children until a business discussion led to a new wife nearly half his age. Phoebe Emma (or Anne - it appears interchangeable) Edwards.
I have several matrons in the family tree who had a dowry. Both have stories attached.
One great great grandfather - no relation to the above for another generation - was a total scoundrel but did not touch the 1,000 pounds that his wife Hannah brought with him.
But this great grandfather was a great bloke and friend to all, had well-taxed deep pockets and Phoebe's 10,000 but 5 years later Phoebe had four well-married stepchildren, a 19 year old son (another Alfred - James Alfred), a sadness (Hector died at 1 day old and there is a family story told many years later that there were up to 10 pregnancies) and two late surprises with an 8 year old girl (Jean) and a 4 year old boy (Ian - my grandfather) - widow's weeds and a line of business associates of her late husband requesting that she waive the IOUs that were due - and less than 400 with no money coming in.
He was many more things than the above in his amazing life - he was a scholar, an engineer, a mill manager and spokesperson for all things sugar in the region - first Mackay and then Maryborough, both serving pivotal roles in his life journey.
But back to the trove story - unfortunately this post - I was about to make up a word - anniverses - does it work? This post doesn't anniverse the story with hailstones
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