John & Ann
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The Descendants of Isaac Adsett

by F. J. Erickson

Isaac Adsett was born in Surrey on Friday, 21 August 1829, the third son of John Adsett and Ann Kitchenside. His childhood was spent in East Horsley, near Guildford, where his father was a hedger and farm labourer. An incident during his boyhood, the account of which is preserved in a letter written by one of his grandsons, undoubtedly changed the course of his life.

Isaac was very nearly sent out to Australia when a small boy, when caught with a band of poachers. The squire of the village (the local doctor) pleaded to the magistrate to spare the boy and hand him over to him (the doctor) which the magistrate did. He rose from squire's boy to second gardener in the doctor's employ.¹

Although no detailed information in the matter has survived, certain conclusions are self-evident. The first is that Isaac owed the doctor a considerable debt of gratitude; for, notwithstanding his youth, the penalty for poaching could well have been transportation for seven years. The second conclusion is that Isaac would probably have been obliged to leave his family, and take up residence in quarters, while serving the squire. He would probably have received a good training, but there could also have been some employment bond.

These considerations may offer some explanation why Isaac did not emigrate with his older brothers John and Moses, and his younger brother Aaron, late in 1850.

On Sunday, 18 February 1855, Isaac Adsett was married to Jane Elizabeth Thompson, daughter of William and Amelia Thompson. Jane Thompson was a true Londoner, having been born within the sound of Bow bells.² The ceremony took place at St Mary's, Bermondsey, in London. The first child of the union, Ann Amelia, was born in November 1855; and a son, Charles, was born late in 1856. Charles, however, died in early childhood. A second daughter, Jane Elizabeth, was born early in 1858.

In June 1858, four months after Jane's birth, the family boarded the ship Alfred, in Liverpool, to begin the voyage to Australia as assisted migrants. No record has been found to show if they were free, part-assisted, or remittance migrants; but the Courier remarked, after the vessel's arrival in Brisbane, that a a large number of migrants had received assistance by remittance from the colony.³ It would not be surprising to find that the three brothers already living in the Brisbane area had given financial help.

Evidence taken from birth certificates shows that at the time of Ann Amelia's birth Isaac and Jane Adsett were living at 32 Saint George's Place, Water Lane, in Brixton, and that Isaac was a domestic gardener. In 1858, when the second daughter, Jane Elizabeth, was born, the family lived at 38 Saint George's Place.⁴ The Immigration Board's list (Queensland), however, shows otherwise, and is almost certainly incorrect. It shows that Jane Thompson came from Bermondsey, which was, in fact, her place of birth. It also shows that Isaac and the two daughters came from Bristol.⁵ As place of birth, this is inaccurate for all three; and as place of residence, it is improbable. It is highly unlikely that the family would have moved from Brixton to Bristol in the few months between Jane's birth and the date of emigration. It would appear that there has been a clerical error. one can easily imagine an overworked clerk, perhaps at Liverpool, the port of embarkation, being told "Brixton" and confusing it with "Bristol". Clerks then, as now, had no claim to infallibility. As a matter of interest, the Board's list also reveals that Isaac and Jane could both read and write, and that both were Church of England.⁶

On their arrival in Brisbane in September 1858, Isaac and Jane Adsett made their home at Breakfast Creek. Baptismal records held at St. John's show that Isaac was a labourer. The Post Office Directory for 1859 lists him as a quarryman, living at Breakfast Creek. The 1868 list also shows him as a quarryman, his address then being Sandgate Road. It is obvious that he worked for wages during his years in Brisbane.

During the years 1859 to 1866 five children, two sons and three daughters, were born to Jane and Isaac Adsett. These were Alfred (born 1859), Maria (1861), Emma Matilda (1863), Georgina (1864), and John Francis (1866). Evidence suggests that at some time after the birth of their eighth child - possibly in 1866 or early in 1867 - the family moved to Goodna. Here Isaac engaged in farming, although there is no record to show that he held his own farming property. The Post Office Directory for 1874 lists him as a farmer, living at Goodna.

During the years from 1867 to 1874 three daughters were born, at Goodna. They were Louisa Harriet (born 1867), Charlotte Rubina (1869), and Clara Augusta (1874). Charlotte died in 1871, aged two. In 1876 the youngest child of the family was born, at Redbank. This was James Robert, the fourth son.

The Post Office Directory for 1877 continues to show Isaac Adsett as a farmer, at Goodna. Later lists, however, from 1894 to 1900, show his address to be Redbank.

Jane Elizabeth Adsett died on 3 August 1901, and was buried in Goodna Cemetery. For reasons now unknown, she was re-interred at Woodhill Cemetery in January 1902. Family lore indicates that this was carried out on Isaac's orders, against the wishes of his family.⁷

It would appear that Isaac Adsett was not an easy man to live with during his later years. A further extract from Cyril Adsett's letter confirms this.

When Isaac had the court case against your father (Charles) he did not go to live with James as they were not good friends at the time, but went to live with a stranger on a half share basis. This stranger eventually did Isaac for all that he possessed then kicked him out. Isaac then went to live with Ann his eldest daughter at Lowood where he died.

The death certificate shows that he died at Tarampa, near Lowood, on 24 July 1919 - less than a month before his ninetieth birthday; and that by occupation he was a labourer. The informant was Ann Amelia Denning, daughter. Isaac Adsett is buried in Lowood cemetery.

Ann Amelia, eldest daughter of Jane and Isaac Adsett, married Henry Denning (from Monmouthshire, England) in 1877.⁸ The following passage is reproduced from The Adsett Families 1851-1981:

She married a coal miner, Henry Denning. The wedding ceremony was performed by a Wesleyan Methodist minister in the Goodna residence of her father, Isaac Adsett. They then lived on a 100-acre property at Glamorganvale which had been selected by Henry in 1876. Fourteen acres were cultivated, seven acres were fenced and two acres were cleared and stumped. Beside the two-roomed house and barn, an underground tank of bricks was built. The homestead still stands, overlooking the township of Glamorganvale.

The property lay between Glamorganvale and Tarampa and the two centres are not more than a few miles apart. Aborigines were troublesome during the family's early years on the farm, and the house was secured each night. Firearms were held in readiness for self-protection. During his last years Isaac Adsett lived here with the Denning family, occupying a room under the residence.

On the Tarampa farm the Denning family milked twenty to thirty cows. Fodder, vegetables and grapes were grown. Each Friday a trip was made to Ipswich to sell butter and produce. Ann Denning was esteemed as a cook, and she had good skill in needlework. She made clothing for the family, and also accepted work from outside the family.

The family lived for many years at Tarampa before moving to Sandgate, probably in the early 1920s. In Sandgate Henry Denning worked in a sawmill. During this period the Smallwood family lived with them.

Ann Amelia Denning died in December 1924, in Sandgate. Henry Denning continued to live for a time in Sandgate. but later held a property at Roma. where he cultivated grapes. Later yet he held a property at Burpengary. His death took place at Booval in 1947. Descendants remember him as a deeply religious man. Henry and Ann Amelia Denning are buried at Bald Hills.

Four sons and three daughters were born to Ann Amelia and Henry Denning. The first two sons, William John (born 1878) and Charles (1880) died in early childhood.

The eldest daughter, Louisa Matilda, was born in 1886. She married Joseph Smallwood, and the couple had one son, Norman. Joseph Smallwood was a dairy farmer at Lake Clarendon, with a milk run in Ipswich. The family later shifted house into Lowood, and lived there until the middle 1920s. At this time a property of 53 acres at the back of Bundamba Racecourse was purchased, and the couple retired here.

James Herbert Denning (born 1888) was the first son to reach adult years. He married Elsie Walton, and the couple had a daughter, Nyria, and a son, Leslie. James Denning worked for the Hargreaves jam factory, in Manly. The family home was in Mountjoy Terrace.

Jane Elizabeth (born 1889), second daughter of Ann and Henry Denning, married Edward Francis Mensforth in 1921. They had two children, Edna and Edward. Edward Mensforth was a moulder, working for the railway workshops at Woodend.

Georgina Amelia, the third daughter, was born in 1892. She married Isaac Denning, a cousin, who worked a small crop farm at Manly. Their two children were Elspeth and Desmond. The family later lived at Brackenridge.

Francis Henry Denning, youngest of the family, was born in 1895. He married Irene Violet King. There were six children in the family, Sylvia, Stella, Douglas, Marjorie, Hazel, and Valma. Frank Denning was at first a dairy farmer at Kadanga, near Gympie. In the 1930s he held a property in the Murgon area, and later he worked a dairy farm in Manly Road, growing small crops.

Jane Elizabeth Adsett, second daughter of Isaac and Jane, married David Buckenham in 1882. Five daughters were born to the marriage. The eldest of these, Georgina Elizabeth, was born in 1882, and died in 1884. The other daughters were Jane Amelia (born 1884), Florence Beatrice (1887), Louisa Gertrude (1892), and Clara Augusta (1895) It is known that the family lived in the Dinmore area. Beyond this no information is available at time of writing.

Alfred Adsett was the second son of Isaac and Jane Adsett, but the first to reach adult years. Like his sisters Jane and Emma, he married a member of the Buckenham family. Alfred and Sarah Jane were married at Ipswich in 1885.⁹

Alfred and Sarah Adsett lived at Redbank for a number of years following their marriage. Four of their six children were born there during the years 1886 to 1893, and the remaining two were born at Dinmore in 1896 and 1900. The Post Office Directory for 1896-97 shows that Alfred Adsett was a farmer, at Undullah.

Leaving Redbank, the family moved to Woodhill, where Alfred engaged in casual labour. It is known that he was an undertaker at this time, and presided over a number of funerals in the area during the early years of the century. It is possible that he assisted his father Isaac, in transferring the body of Jane Adsett from Goodna Cemetery to the reburial site at Woodhill in 1902.

The family's next move, probably made in 1900, took it to a dairy farm at Veresdale, a few miles from Woodhill. Alfred Adsett worked this farm until his death in April 1907. at the age of 47. Sarah Adsett and her family continued to work the farm until her death in January 1920.

Descendants have described Alfred Adsett as a man whose health was not robust, but who did not spare himself in his efforts to support his wife and family. It is also recalled that his widow, Sarah, experienced difficult times in the years after her husband's death.

Charles William Adsett, eldest son of Alfred and Sarah, was born in 1886. He married Amelia Walker. In earlier years he was employed on the railway, but after his mother's death he took over the family dairy at Veresdale. This property was sold in 1928, and Charles Adsett with his family moved to a cane farm at Yandina, on the Maroochy River. The two sons of Charles and Amelia Adsett were Alfred and William.

Martha Ethel and May Ada Adsett, twins, were born in 1888. Martha did not marry. For many years she worked as a domestic in a household at Wynnum.

May Adsett married John Willson in 1922. John Willson was a road ganger, employed by the Beaudesert Council. The family lived at Veresdale, on a property of about forty acres, which supported a small dairy herd. The children of May and John Willson were Violet, Alfred, and Doris.

Sarah Jane, third daughter of Alfred and Sarah Adsett, was born in 1893. In 1914 she married Robert Edward Freeman, a dairy farmer at Veresdale. Later the Freeman family moved to a cane farm at Yandina, and remained there for many years. In time they returned to run a dairy property at Veresdale. The five daughters of Sarah and Robert Freeman were Evelyn, Merle, Edna, Dulcie, and Beryl. Their four sons were William, Harold, Arthur, and Herbert.

Annie Frances, the fourth daughter, was born in 1896. She married Henry Cavell in 1917. For many years the Cavell family ran a dairy farm at Veresdale. The children were Dorothy, Beryl, and Donald.

Dorrie Mabel, youngest daughter of Alfred and Sarah Adsett, was born in 1900. She married Albert William Kittle, and the couple lived on a cane farm at Yandina. Military service during World War I had undermined Albert Kittle's health, and this led to his early death. His widow moved to Euroa, Victoria, to be near her only daughter, Ethel.

Maria Adsett, third daughter of Jane and Isaac, married Francis (Frank) Jimmieson, at the family home of Isaac at Redbank, in April 1885.¹⁰ Her father, Isaac, and sister, Georgina, were witnesses. The couple lived on a farm at Latimer’s Crossing, Gilston, a few miles southwest of Nerang. The farm, held on lease from Frank's mother, Zeruiah Jimmieson. had originally been acquired as a land grant. As well as running dairy stock for the production of cream and milk, the farm grew sugar cane, potatoes, pumpkins, and other vegetables. A medal won for exhibition of vegetables in the Nerang show is still in the family's possession.

Maria Jimmieson is remembered as a competent and caring homemaker. She grew flowers around the family home, and tended fig trees and grapevines. Maria and her daughters were skilled cooks and accomplished needleworkers. It is recalled that church services were held in the home, for the family and neighbours, and that two daughters (Maud and Carrie) would provide piano music.

Twelve children were born to Maria and Frank Jimmieson in the years from 1886 to 1903. Three of these, however, died in infancy. They were John Francis (born 1890), Laura Ada (1895), and Danby (1903). The other nine children were educated at Gilston School.

Following the death of Frank Jimmieson in 1925, Maria moved to Nerang, taking up residence in Martin Street. She was bedridden for a considerable time before her death in 1929. Both Maria and Frank Jimmieson are buried in Nerang cemetery.

George Norman Jimmieson (born 1886), eldest son of Maria and Frank, did not marry. He was a farm worker in the Gilston area, and died in 1912.

Maud Jubilette, the eldest daughter, was born in 1887. She married Neill Pollett, who managed the grocery section of Morley's store in Tweed Heads. The family home was in Recreation Street. The couple had six children. The four daughters were Dorothy, Grace, Nita, and Ivy. The sons were Frank and Edward.

Carrie Thompson Jimmieson, second daughter of Maria and Frank, was born in 1888. In 1909 she married Herbert Edwin Batten, at Gilston. The family lived in Martin Street, Nerang. Herbert Batten was a house builder and general carpenter. There were four children in the family, Isobel, Francis, Edna, and Norman.

Albert Roy Jimmieson, the third son, was born in 1891. He married Helena O'Shea. Roy Jimmieson served in the Queensland Police Force. At the time of his death at the age of 52 he was stationed in Charleville, and held the rank of Sergeant. The couple had one daughter, Joan, and five sons, Francis, Colin Ray, Harold, Michael and Thomas.

Percie Jimmieson, fourth son of Maria and Frank, was born in 1892. It is recalled that he received good training in saddlery. In 1916 he married Frederica Charlotte Goodfellow. Early in his life Percie Jimmieson worked the family farm, which was eventually left to three brothers. After the farm was sold, he took up share farming at Crystal Creek, near Murwillumbah. His family lived here for many years. At a later stage he was share farming at Stratheden. The farms were primarily dairy farms, but also produced pigs and grew lucerne and corn. Percie and Frederica Jimmieson had six children, Phyllis, George, Viola, Norma, Marlene, and Iris.

Grace Ethel Jimmieson, born 1894, was the third daughter of Maria and Frank. She married Arch Polson, a cane farmer of Wardell, in the Northern Rivers. In later years the family moved to Brisbane. The children of the union were Ethel, Hugh, Frederick, and Brenda.

James William Jimmieson (born 1896) was the fifth son. He married Edna Surman. In earlier years James Jimmieson was a farmer at Rosebank, near Lismore. Later he worked as a gardener with the Brisbane City Council, and the family lived for many years at Nudgee. The four children of the marriage were Judith, James, Norman and Edna.

The sixth son of Maria and Frank Jimmieson was Richard Alfred, born 1899. In 1924 he married Elsie Flechner. At this time Richard Jimmieson was a farm worker. Later the family moved to Southport, and lived in Jimmieson Street, which was named after them. Richard Jimmieson then worked for the local council. The four daughters of the marriage were Grace, Ruth, Jean, and Coral. The two sons were Richard and John.

Isaac Harold, born 1902, was the seventh son of Frank and Maria Jimmieson. Isaac married Mavis Ovens. In earlier years Isaac Jimmieson worked on the home farm, and for a time he worked on a farm at Banora. Later, in Brisbane, he was employed as cable recorder in the Post Office, and worked in Fortitude Valley. A daughter, Iris, was the only child of the marriage.

Emma Matilda, fourth daughter of Isaac and Jane Adsett, was born in September 1863, at Breakfast Creek. In 1883 she married George Stephen Buckenham, whose brother David had in the preceding year married Jane Adsett. Four children were born to Emma and George Buckenham in the years from 1884 to 1889. They were Clara Ann, James William, George Albert Edward, and John Henry. The youngest of the four, John, died in infancy.¹¹

Following the death of her first husband in 1890, Emma Buckenham married John Nettleship Skelton. This marriage took place in 1895. Four children were born of the union during the period from 1896 to 1902. The eldest child, Lilian Elsie, was born in 1896 but died in the following year. The others were Thomas Thompson, Marion Annie, and John Arthur.

The Skelton family moved to Southport in 1910. Here John Skelton acquired and built up a butchery business, Skelton and Sons, eventually operating from two shops in Southport and one in Surfers Paradise. The family residence stood beside one of the Southport shops.

Emma Skelton is remembered with affection as a very small woman, who had excellent needlework skills. She died in September 1942, at the age of 79.

Clara Ann Buckenham, only daughter of Emma and George Buckenham, was born in 1884. She married Basil Bleakley, a dairy farm and bush worker. He was employed in the Northern Rivers area and in the Caboolture and Toogoolawah areas. The family of Clara and Basil Bleakley included Lillie, Edith, Laurie, Irene, Maisie, Phyllis, and Robert.¹²

James William Buckenham, the first son of Emma and George, was born in 1886. He worked for his stepfather in the butchery at Southport, and later ran his own business. He was twice married. His first wife was Alice Gordon, and his second wife Helen Wallace. The children of James Buckenham were Darcy, Edna, Thelma, and Hazel.

George Albert Edward Buckenham, the second son, was born in 1887. He married Alice Ivy Nicholls. Like his older brother, he worked at first in his stepfather's butchery business. Later he ran his own shop in Brisbane. It is thought that Bert and Alice Buckenham had one daughter, Vera.

Thomas Thompson Skelton, born 1897, was the eldest son of John and Emma Skelton. He married Phoebe Rita Franks. Thomas Skelton worked with his father in the family business. Three daughters and a son were born to the marriage. They were Joyce, Mavis, Phyllis, and John.

Marion Annie, second daughter of John and Emma Skelton, was born in 1899. In 1935 she married Norman Talbot Clarke, who was a teacher in Southport for many years. The couple had one son, Edward, and a daughter, Joan.

John Arthur, youngest of the family of John and Emma Skelton, was born in 1902. Like his older brother, he worked with his father in the family butchery business. He married Elizabeth Binstead. Three children were born to the marriage. These were Judith, John, and Sandra.

Georgina Adsett, born 1864, was the fifth daughter of Isaac and Jane Adsett. She did not marry. For many years she ran Stanton House, a boarding house at the corner of Welsh Street and Marine Parade, in Southport. In her late years she lived with a niece, Jane Edgeworth (daughter of Clara and William Lobley). She died at the age of 89.

John Francis, third son of Isaac and Jane Adsett, was born in 1866. He also did not marry, and no information concerning his life is available. He died in 1894.¹³

Louisa Harriet Adsett, sixth daughter of Isaac and Jane, was born in April 1869. In June 1890 she married Thomas Dellaway, of Goodna. The wedding, conducted by a minister of the Congregational Church, took place in the Redbank residence of the bride's father.

The family's first home stood on low-lying land in Goodna, and here three chi1dren (John, George, and Evelyn) were born. Following unfortunate experiences in the 1893 Brisbane River f1ood, however, the family moved to a house built for them on a hilltop site, in Goodna, and in the years to 1906 four more children (Florence, Mi11icent, Phyllis, and Edgar) were born. The hilltop home was relatively isolated, and the land was sufficient to allow the family to grow fruit trees and vegetables, and to raise some stock. The house, later removed to Southport, still stands in Kate Street.

A fine needlewoman, Louisa Dellaway made all her children's clothes. She was known as a very good cook and a keen gardener. Her family recalls her as a pleasant and kindly mother who nevertheless expected obedience. The family strongly supported the Congregational Church, and acted as hosts to ministers on circuit visits.

Thomas Dellaway worked at Goodna Asylum from about 1893, and in time became head attendant. Providing for his retirement from the Public Service, he purchased a Southport guesthouse, Ocean View, at the corner of Welsh and Scarborough Streets. Louisa Dellaway and the youngest five children moved here around 1915. After his retirement in 1918 Thomas Dellaway also lived here permanently. Ocean View was conveniently situated, and built up a fine reputation for good food, cleanliness, and hospitality. It was a popular holiday centre for Brisbane, Ipswich, and south coast hinterland visitors.

Louisa Dellaway died in June 1928, at Ocean View. Thomas Dellaway died in July 1945. Both are buried in Southport Cemetery.

In consultation with two family members (daughters Millicent and Phyllis), Ian Dellaway (grandson of Louisa) has penned the following biographical sketches:

John Dellaway ("Jack") was the first of Thomas and Louisa's seven children. After leaving school, he began work at the Ipswich Railway Workshops. He remained in Ipswich when his mother and the younger children moved to Southport around 1915 and continued to work at the Railway Workshops, retiring from there as a foreman boilermaker. In 1916, he married Edith Kinnear and they had three children - Thelma, Allan, and Dulcie. He is remembered as a man with a keen sense of humour. In later years he devoted much time to gardening and participated in many floral shows. He died in 1972, aged 81.

Like Jack, George Dellaway began his working life at the Railway Workshops where he completed his apprenticeship as a moulder. During World War I, he served with the First AIF and was wounded in France in 1917. While in a convalescent hospital in Edinburgh, he met and later married a Scottish girl, Elizabeth Telfer. They returned to Australia at the end of the war and George resumed his trade as a moulder at Maryborough and later in Ipswich and Brisbane. Their three children were Edna, Colin and Noela. George died in 1954, aged 62.

Evelyn moved to Southport around 1915 to help her mother run their guesthouse, "Ocean View" and also help look after the younger children. In 1922. She married Richard McDougall and they lived at "Ocean View" where they both worked. They did not have any children. After Dick's early death, Evelyn remained at "Ocean View" and helped her sister and father run the guesthouse. Evelyn did much of the cooking at the guesthouse and she was also a skilled florist and needleworker and strong supporter of the Congregational Church. She lived to the age of 81.

Like her sister, Evelyn, Florence ('Flossie') was actively involved in the running of the family guesthouse in Southport. After her mother's death in 1928, Florence took over many of her responsibilities and helped her father with "Ocean View " until he died in 1945 and the property was sold. Florence and Evelyn then worked for some years at a florist shop in Nerang Street, Southport and lived nearby in Scarborough Street. Florence devoted much time to Church work and producing fine fancywork. She did not marry and died in 1974, aged 78.

Millicent ('Millie') also helped with the running of "Ocean View". In 1928. She married Cuthbert Cowie, a teacher at the Southport State School who was boarding at the guesthouse. They then moved around Queensland as Cuth rose through the teaching ranks to become a Class One Principal. They eventually returned to Brisbane and settled at Kedron. Millie now aged 92. has enjoyed good health and has continued to live in the family home and look after herself since Cuth's death in 1969. They had one child, Alexander ('Alec').

Phyllis was 15 years old when the family moved from Goodna to Southport. Like the other girls, she helped with the guesthouse. In 1925, she married Samuel Johnston, an electrician at the Southport Power House. In 1928, Samuel and Edgar Dellaway formed a partnership and purchased the Southport Ice Works and Samuel worked there until his death in 1956. Their three children, Donald, Marjorie, and Barbara all live in Brisbane and Phyllis (aged 90) now lives with Marjorie at Moorooka. She maintains good health and continues the family tradition of producing fine needlework.

Edgar, the youngest of Thomas and Louisa's children, was 8 years old when the family left Goodna. After finishing his primary education at Southport, he worked briefly for an electrician before joining with his brother-in-law, Samuel Johnston, to purchase the Ice Works in Windmill Street, Southport. Edgar managed this business, "Pacific Ice and Cold Stores", which became the major distributor of ice cream and frozen food in the Gold Coast region. In 1929, he married Irene Mathewson and their four children, Kevin, Norma, Ross and Ian all remained in the Southport area. Edgar died in 1968, aged 61.

Clara Augusta, youngest daughter of Isaac and Jane Adsett, married William Henry Lobley in 1896.¹⁵ Clara was born in Goodna. And it is thought that before her marriage she was employed as a domestic at the mental asylum, where William Lobley was also employed as a wardsman.

The couple lived for many years in Goodna, and it was here that their family of three daughters and four sons were born, in the years from 1897 to 1915. Later the family moved to a farm at Haigslea, near Marburg. Clara Lobley lived here until her death in 1929. She is remembered by descendants as a good housekeeper and an excellent cook, her pumpkin pies being especially noteworthy. William Lobley died in 1960.

William Victor Lobley, eldest son of Clara and William Lobley, was born in 1897. In 1920 he married Mary Meaney, from Maryborough. He served an apprenticeship with Hixco, of Brisbane, and became a furniture maker and upholsterer. He was in business in Sandgate, and later in Ipswich. In private life he was active in several lodges, notably the Masonic Lodge. The five sons of Mary and William Lobley were Victor, William, Lesley, Raymond, and Dudley. Their two daughters were Lilian and Nora Joyce.

Elsie May, eldest daughter of Clara and William Lobley, was born in 1898. For a considerable time she was employed in a Casket agency in Brisbane. She married George Curtis, who worked in the railway workshops in Ipswich. The couple lived in North Ipswich.

Hilda Gertrude, second daughter of Clara and William Lobley, was born in 1900. She married Francis Joseph Burns, also a railway workshop employee, in 1925, and the couple lived in Inala, The five children were Leonard, Shirley, Graham, Allan, and Colin. The marriage was dissolved.

Jane Elizabeth (born 1902) was the third daughter of Clara and William Lobley. She married Joseph Edgeworth, a supervisor in the hardware department of Coles, Brisbane. The family lived at Camp Hill. The five children of the union were Ronald, Leonard, Alan, Doris, and Joyce.

Gordon Thompson Lobley (born 1904) was the second son of Clara and William Lobley. He was employed as a manager at General Motors, Brisbane. In 1932 he married Madge Thurlow, whose family were well known in Brisbane as manufacturers of blinds. The couple lived at Ashgrove. They had one son Neil.

Robert Augustus Lobley, third son of Clara and William, was born in 1908. He worked in the railway workshops at Ipswich. In 1937 he married Constance Mole, and the couple lived at North Ipswich. Their five children were Desmond, Marjorie, Bruce, Coral, and Errol.

Harold Henry Lobley, youngest son in the family, worked for a sawmill in Eumundi, and married a Eumundi girl, Muriel Mason, in 1940. The five children in the family were Clara, Lorna, Raymond, Beryl, and Glenys.

James Robert Adsett, youngest son of Isaac and Jane Adsett, was born at Goodna in 1876. As a young man he found employment nursing at the mental asylum in Goodna, and continued to work there for approximately twenty years.

In March 1902 James Adsett married Ruby Kathleen Mary Toft Law, of Goodna, and the couple made their home in this centre.¹⁶

The following passage is taken from The Adsett Families 1851-1981:

When the eldest son, Cyril, was thirteen years the family moved to a f arm at Haigslea in 1917. They then had six children and two more were born at Marburg.

In 1923 Jim Adsett selected a block of land in the Callide Valley about 75 miles south of Rockhampton. He and Cyril moved up to the property in December 1923, making provision for his wife and children who followed in April 1924.

He worked on the road gang for some years to help with the income. In the new soil, cotton, potatoes, corn and pumpkins flourished. Jim worked in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture in Rockhampton growing experimental crops. Different varieties of cotton. sorghum. onions, wheat, vegetables and grasses were trialled. Records were kept of rainfalls, yields and weights of harvests. Ploughing was done with horses.

Jim was an honorary ambulance bearer for the district. Transport facilities were very poor as roads were merely tracks and doctors were many miles away. He was also a Justice of the Peace. His wife died at the age of 51 in April 1932 after ill health for some years. Jim lived on the farm at Jambin till 1942 when he retired to Yeppoon and later to Rockhampton where he died on 1 June 1950 at the age of 74.

Ruby Adsett is buried in Jambin cemetery.

Two sons and six daughters were born to James and Ruby Adsett. The elder son, Cyril Robert, was born in Goodna in 1904. He came to the Callide Valley with his father in 1923. In 1932 he married Minnie (Tottie) Pearce, in Jambin, and the couple made their home on a scrub block a mile or so outside Jambin on the road to Argoon. They worked this property until 1949, when they sold out and made their home in Rockhampton.¹⁷ Their two children were Estelle and Basil.

Muriel Adsett, eldest daughter of James and Ruby, was born in 1906. She married George Edward Watts, a Mount Morgan miner. and the family lived at that centre. Their children were Merle, Dawn, Roy, Ian, and Colin.

Alan John Francis, second son of James and Ruby Adsett, was born in Goodna in 1908. He did not marry. Following war service he found employment as a railway fettler, and for many years worked in the Brisbane area. He lived at Marr's Boarding House, in Tank Street.

May Elizabeth, the second daughter, was born in 1910, at Goodna. She married Ron Schmidt, and the family ran a farm at Fernvale, in the Brisbane Valley, for many years. The three children of the marriage were Judith, Carol, and James.

Dulcie Kathleen, the third daughter, was born in 1912, also at Goodna. She married Ron Anderson. The couple had three sons, Lyle, Gregory, and Russell.

Joyce Martha, the fourth daughter, was born in 1914, at Goodna. She married Arthur Richardson, who had drawn a Callide Valley block in a land ballot in 1930. For many years the couple worked this farm at Jambin, growing cotton at first, and later turning to dairying and growing other crops.¹⁸ They had one son, Adrian.

Edna May Toft Adsett, fifth daughter of James and Ruby, was born at Marburg in 1917. She married Keith Wilson, who had purchased a property at Smoky Creek, in the Callide Valley, in 1936. This farm was their home for many years.¹⁹ Their children were Vivian, Wilma, Zelda, Lois, and John.

Beryl Adsett, youngest of the family of James and Ruby, was born in Marburg in 1919. She married Bernie Richardson, brother of Arthur Richardson. Bernie Richardson had been a farmer at Kenilworth, before becoming a cream carrier in Jambin. At a later stage the family moved to a cattle property north of Rockhampton. Their children were Desmond, William, Edward, Helen, and Cherry.

NOTES

1 Letter written by Cyril Adsett, 1967; extract reproduced from N.E. Adsett, The Adsett Families 1851-1981 [Brisbane]: n.p. [p. 8].

2 Letter written by Cyril Adsett.

3 Moreton Bay Courier, 2 October 1858.

4 Birth certificates, Ann Amelia and Jane Elizabeth Adsett. Information provided by Daphne Lewis.

5 Assisted Immigrants (Board's List) 1858, as inspected by the Immigration Board 24 September 1858;
microform copy held in State Library, Brisbane.

6 The Agent's Immigration List (Queensland), probably derived from the inaccurate Immigration Board's List,
shows that Jane (Thompson) came from Middlesex, but that Isaac and the two daughters came from Gloucester.

7 Recorded conversation with Georgina Amelia Denning, granddaughter of Isaac Adsett;
information provided by Daphne Lewis.

8 Information concerning the Denning family has been provided by Daphne Lewis, Marjorie Mitchell, and Norman
Smallwood, all descendants of Ann Amelia and Henry Denning.
Other information has been drawn from The Adsett Families 1851-1981 [p.12].

Coral Gray, descendant of Aaron Adsett, has provided biographical data for the Denning family and for other
families mentioned in this chapter.

9 Information has been provided by Violet Day (granddaughter of Alfred Adsett) and by Daphne Lewis.
Other information is drawn from The Adsett Families 1851-1981 [p. 13]

10 Information concerning the family of Maria and Frank Jimmieson has been provided by Edna Graham and
Iris Harper (both descendants of the family), and by Daphne Lewis.

11 Information concerning Emma Matilda, the Buckenham family and the Skelton family, has been provided by
Daphne Lewis. Other information has been drawn from The Adsett Families 1851-1981 [p. 14].

12 Information concerning Clara and Basil Bleakley has been provided by their daughter, Edith Baker, and their

son, Laurie Bleakley.

13 Information concerning Georgina Adsett and John Francis Adsett has been provided by Daphne Lewis.

14 Information concerning the family of Louisa and Thomas Dellaway has been provided by Ian Dellaway.

15 Information concerning the family of Clara and William Lobley has been provided by Joy Townsend, granddaughter.

16 Information concerning James Robert and Ruby Adsett has been provided by Basil Adsett and Estelle Knickel,
grandson and granddaughter respectively.
Other information has been drawn from The Adsett Families 1851-1981 [p. 15]

17 "The Cyril Adsett Family“, Jambin State School Golden Jubilee 1929-1979, p. 122.

18 Arthur Richardson Story, Jambin State School Golden Jubilee 1929-1979, pp. 122-123.

19 Edna Wilson (nee Adsett), "In the Early Days," Jambin State School Golden Jubilee 1929-1979, pp. 65-66. top