Thomas James Bushell married Mary Long White (born 1811) on 14 May 1832 in Deal, Kent. They had at least one child, James Thomas ('Tom') Bushell, who was born in 1833 or 1834. A TJ Bushell, possibly Tom's father, died in 1837. Mary Long Bushell died in 1840. At the time of the 1841 census, Tom Bushell (junior) was living in what appeared to be an orphanage, Admiralty House, in Queen Street, Deal. In the 1851 census, he was a farm servant on a farm at Ickham and Well, Kent.
James Thomas 'Tom' Bushell left England in 1852 and arrived in Geelong, Australia. He may (but also may not be) the Thomas Bushell who arrived in Melbourne as an unassisted passenger on board the Countess of Elgin with an Alfred Bushell. There is no obvious sign of his arrival in the assisted passenger lists. Tom married Martha Ann Howe in (possibly Geelong in) 1857 (Vic BDM Ref 4135). They had three children, all born in Geelong:
Thomas Bushell's birth was recorded in the Geelong Advertiser on 28 July 1863 as follows: 'On the 26th instant, at the Clyde Hotel, Mrs Bushell, of a son'. The Geelong Advertiser also recorded on 25 August 1863 that Mrs Bushell had given birth to a son at the Clyde Hotel on 26th July.
On 4 September 1865, Tom Bushell, noted as a storekeeper living at the Clyde (hotel) near Geelong, was declared insolvent (See Geelong Court of Insolvency VPRS 815/69/1723).
In May 1868, Tom's wife Martha died, leaving him to raise his three children who were all under 10 at the time. Martha's death was recorded in The Geelong Advertiser on 11 May 1868 (and again on 23 May 1868). It stated that 'On the 10th May, at Herne Hill, Martha Ann, aged 30 years, the beloved wife of J T Bushell. The funeral will move from the above place on Tuesday 12 instant at 11 o'clock for the Kensington Cemetery'.
Perhaps through connection with Deal the widower Tom Bushell met Margaret Knight before 1869. On 10 September 1869, Tom (then aged 36) married Margaret Knight (then 18, but stated as being '21' on the marriage certificate) at St Paul's, Church of England in Geelong. There is a family story (from Gwen Caldwell) that Margaret eloped but there is no other evidence for this. By this time, Tom's daughter Hannah was 11, only 7 years younger than her new step-mother, so the idea of eloping may have been difficult.
Sadly, only 7 months after they were married, in April 1870, Tom died from phthisis (tuberculosis) and pleurisy. His death was recorded in the Geelong Advertiser on 23 April 1870 as follows: On the 21st April, at about 2 o'clock pm, at the Clyde Hotel, of pleurisy, James Bushel, aged 37 years.
No mention is made of his wife Margaret who was only 19 at the time. She was now a widow with three children from her husband's former marriage, the eldest of whom (Hannah) was only 12, the youngest (Thomas) was seven.
Tom and Martha Bushell's second child, Mary Ann Bushell (born 1860), died in Geelong in 1875 aged 15. Her sister Hannah was 17, her brother Tom (junior) was 12.
At the age of 25, Hannah Bushell married William Wylie (1855 - 19 January 1918) in Geelong in 1883 (VIC BDM Ref 963). They had the following children, all born in Geelong:
It seems that the Wylie family decided to move to Sydney some time before 1905, based on the death of Florence in Waterloo by that date.
Note there is another George Wylie - http://www.zades.com.au/susiez/family/2/1304.htm
William Wylie (1884 - 1951)
William Wylie junior does not appear to have gone to World War 1, based on military records. He married by 1918 as he is referred to as 'Mr and Mrs William Wylie' in his father's funeral notice in 1918 - see below.
William Wylie may have married Ethel Ada Alderson, whose name ('Ethel Ada') appears in the death notice for William Wylie, late of 77 St Marks' Road, Randwick, who died on 31 December 1951. If this is correct, they married in Redfern in 1911 (NSW BDM Ref 14930) and had the following children (who are also recorded in their father's death notice):
William Wylie, late of 77 St Marks' Road, Randwick, died on 31 December 1951 but his death was not registered until the next day or so. (NSW BDM Ref 19/1952). His death notice was carried in the Sydney Morning Herald of 1 January 1952.
Annie Wylie (1885 - 1925)
Annie Wylie married Francis S (or C) Gambell (also recorded as Gambelli) in 1910 in Waterloo, Sydney (NSW BDM Ref 6839). Francis Gambell was born at Bundanoon to Thomas Gambell. He had three brothers and a sister. Francis Gambell was employed by a large firm of timber merchants. (Source: The Southern Mail, Bowral, 10 October 1952)
Annie Gambell (nee Wylie), late of Annandale, an inner Sydney suburb, died 'at a private hospital' on 22 December 1925 aged 40. Her death notice was recorded in the Sydney Morning Herald the following day. The same newspaper notes that they were living at 55 Annandale Street, Annandale, at the time and were Presbyterians. She was buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery, Rookwood, Sydney. Newspaper articles make no mention of any children.
Francis then appears to have sold a great deal of the content of the family house at 55 Annandale Street, Annandale, by the look of an article in the Daily Telegraph, Sydney on 15 February 1928.
Francis Gambell, aged 72, of Crane Street Concord, was accidentally killed on 23 September 1952 when he accidentally stepped in front of a timber carrier in a timber yard, according to the Sydney Morning Herald of 24 September 1952.
Florence Wylie (1887 - 1905)
Florence Wylie died in Sydney in 1905, aged 18.
George Wylie (1888 - 1952)
George Wylie should not be confused with another George Wylie who lived around the same time (see reference above). He married Pearl Irene Sproull at Newtown in 1922. (NSW BDM Ref 16044). Based on his death notice, George and Pearl had two sons:
George Wylie, of 17 Darling Street, Newtown, was injured when a lorry he was driving skidded and overturned twice whilst coming down a hill near Kangiara in October 1941, as reported in the Yass Tribune-Courier on 30 October 1941.
George Wylie died aged 63 years on 28 January 1952 (a month after his brother William) at 1 Silver Street, Randwick (a Sydney suburb just south east of the city). His death notice on 29 January 1952 in the Sydney Morning Herald states that he was 'late of 12a Rae Street, Randwick' and died at his residence. He was stated to be the husband of Pearl Irene Wylie and father of Russell Wylie and Kenneth Wylie, and the 'devoted son of Mrs Hannah Wylie'.
Pearl Irene Wylie, the daughter of Thomas and Hannah Sproull (according to her death register NSW BDM Ref 13457), aged 90 and 'late of Randwick' died on 19 June 1984, putting her birthday at around 1894.
Unlike his sister Hannah, Thomas Bushell remained in Geelong. He met and married Edith H Hender in 1902 in Geelong (VIC BDM Ref 5903). According to her death certificate, Edith Hender was born 'at sea' in around 1879/1880; her parents names are not recorded (VIC BDM Ref 22941) and no record has yet been found in assisted or unassisted passengers lists for Victoria for any family that might match Edith's. They may be related to the Thomas Hender who arrived in Melbourne from Launceston in 1881. There may be a connection with the Thomas Hender who died in Sale in 1888 aged 32 (VIC BDM Ref 3606).
Thomas and Edith Bushell had the following children, all born in Geelong:
Thomas and Edith Bushell's first son, Thomas James Bushell (born 1904) died aged 3 years and 6 months on 5 July 1907. His death notice was recorded in the Geelong Advertiser on 8 July 1907, noting that his parents lived at 42 Clarke Street, Newtown. Thomas was buried at the Geelong Western Public Cemetery (Methodist, 01, Grave 1100).
Thomas and Edith Bushell's fifth child, William John Bushell, died aged 3 on 17 February 1914. He was buried with his brother Thomas.
William Wylie senior (born 1855) died in Sydney on 19 January 1918. His death notice in the Sydney Morning Herald of 21 January 1918 states that he died at his residence, 7 Princess Avenue, Waterloo, and was the 'dearly beloved husband of Hannah Wylie'. His funeral notice on 21 January states: 'The relatives and friends of Mrs Hannah Wylie, Mr and Mrs William Wylie, Mr and Mrs Francis Gambell, and Mr George Wylie are invited to attend the funeral of their late beloved husband and their father, William Wylie; to leave 7 Princess-avenue, Waterloo, this day, at 12.45 pm, for Presbyterian Cemetery, Rookwood. A notice also appears from a Mrs Howe and family of Stanmore. It is not known who Mrs Howe is/was.
A Fredrick Henry Bushell, a 'bookseller' of 66 Preston Street, Geelong, date of birth 15 May 1906, with a fair complexion, blue eyes, and 'golden' hair registered on 1 February 1920 in Military Area number 23AB. This is believed to be the same person as Henry Frederick Bushell (1906 - 1981).
Edith May Bushell (1908 - 1970) married Walt Thomas Matthew Tournier in 1930 (VIC BDM Ref 9040).
Walt Tournier was born in Dimboola in 1909 (VIC BDM Ref 18538) to Thomas Matthew Tournier and Evelyn May Lobb. Four of Walt's five siblings were born in Ballarat. Walt may be the 18 year old Walter Tournier accused of stealing from the house of his father Thomas Tournier in Geelong, as noted in the Geelong Advertiser of 25 February 1928. Walter was also noted as a 23 year old labourer again in trouble with the police in the Herald (Melbourne) of 13 April 1932.
Edith and Walt Tournier presumably moved to Ballarat where she died in 1970.
Annie Vera Bushell (1910 - 1975) married George Hedley Ryder (1900, Drysdale (VIC BDM Ref 16442) - 1980, Drysdale (VIC BDM Ref 2661) in 1936 (VIC BDM Ref 4019). George was the son of Francis Hedley Ryder (born Cornwall 1863 - died 1953, Geelong) and Elena Werring.
Lilie/Lillian Florence Bushell (1915 - 1981) married Cyril William Ingles (1915, Leopold (VIC BDM Ref 5163) - (died? (VIC BDM Ref ?) in 1938 (VIC BDM Ref 12850). Cyril was the son of Ormond John Bushel Ingles and Alice May Beckley.
Thomas James Bushell (born 1863) died in 1938 (VIC BDM Ref 18230). His death certificate states that his mother was Alice Howe - it was in fact Martha Ann Howe.
Henry Frederick Bushell married Gracie May Richards (born 1893, Hawthorn (VIC BDM Ref 4375)), the daughter of John Richards and Eveline Sherrard, in 1941 (VIC BDM Ref 769). (This needs additional confirmation given their ages at the time, no record of the wedding has been found in Trove yet)
Leslie George Bushell (1921 - 1989) married Marjorie Jean Haines in 1951 (Vic BDM Ref 19813).
It appears that Hannah never re-married. 37 years after the death of her husband William, Hannah Maria Wylie (nee Bushell), 'late of Rosebery' (an inner south west suburb of Sydney) died aged 99 on 8 April 1955. Her death was recorded in the Sydney Morning Herald on 11 April 1955.
Gracie May Bushell died at Parkville in 1967 aged 74 (VIC BDM Ref 4033). Henry Frederick Bushell died in 1981 aged 75 (VIC BDM Ref 28638)).
See also the separate story about the life of Richard and Margaret Clement.
Page created 11 December 2011, updated 27 October 2024 (added a child to Thomas James and Edith Bushell (nee Hender)). Copyright Andrew Warland. email: andrewwarland(at)gmail.com