Family stories - Living in the times of Bushrangers

Crossing the Clyde River on Punt at Nelligen - circa 1962

As a small child I loved to hear the stories that were passed down through the generations and one that fascinated me most was the "Capture of the Clarke Brothers".  When we caught the punt across the Clyde River at Nelligen, we would all jump out of the car as we crossed the river and peer over the edge of the punt at the conglomeration of jelly fish as they blobbed past and under the punt.

My dad would lean over with us, and reminisce on time's past when as a small child he lived a little further up the Clyde river with his Grandmother on "The Farm". As we crossed the river, he would point out an old tree on the opposite side of the river and tell us " Back in the olden days, that is where the bushrangers  - the Clarke Brothers, were tied before they were taken by boat to Sydney for their trial". 

He would then relate the stories from his childhood, told to him by his grandparent. They were young children in the times of the gold-rush and lived with the ever present threat of bushrangers.  My great great grandparents Thomas and Emma Lee (nee Weston) lived and ran the local store in Nelligen, at the time of the Clarke Brothers capture and shipment to Sydney. They would have experienced first hand, the sigh of relief from the community, knowing they would be a little safer when travelling between the colony settlements. 

Clarke Brothers - Thomas and John 

The Clarke Brother's were among the most notorious of the bushrangers that held the goldmining communities to ransom during the late 1850's through to the 1870's.  They became known as the "most bloodiest" of all the bushrangers, even considering, Ben Hall, Frank Gardner and Ned Kelly. They were part of a gang that included their uncles and other relatives and friends and were well practised in the art of cattle duffing and horse stealing.  As the areas of Araluen, Braidwood and Majors Creek boomed with the discovery of gold the Clarke gang moved into holding up stage coaches, inns, banks, storekeepers, local farmers and travelers.  It was reported that they were responsible for over 36 hold ups and the murder of five policemen.

Following their capture Thomas and John Clarke were shipped from Nelligen to Sydney where they faced trial and were hanged on the 25 June 1967.  Their deaths marked the end of Bushranging in Australia. 

Anyone who follows my blogs Family Stories, Photographs and Memories, would know that my fathers side of the family were settlers in the gold mining district of Araluen and Braidwood, as farmers, gold miners and overland transporters. All branches of this family would have lived through the time when the Clarke brothers and other bushrangers ran rife in the district.  Another branch of my family who worked the goldmines in the district were the McGregor's. Last year when I was looking through some research notes made by another family researcher, I was fascinated by a letter by one of my great great Aunt Jessie McGregor that talked about her father James McGregor having a run in with the Clarke Gang! Fascinating!

Then after little searching on Trove.  I found what I was looking for!  A small article in The Tumut and Adelong Times, which gives details of the Araluen coach being held up by the Clarke Brothers, "One of the passengers, McGregor, had about 40 pounds; (quite a bit of money for then, I would think), he gave Tommy (Clarke) one coat containing 14 pound, and stated that was all he had, whereupon the knight of the road very liberally returned him 7 pounds". 

So my great great grandfather James McGregor seemed to have escaped this incident with out losing a large sum.  I did however, find the journalist's comment at the end of the article quite amusing, "It serves people right if they will carry money about them, where for the sake of a few shillings they could easily secure the safety of it by procuring a draft".

I often wonder if any other of my relatives who lived in this district during this era knew or meet up with the bushrangers?  Would it be great to hear their stories! No wonder my dad loved to relate the tales that were passed down to him as a young child.  Did any of your ancestors brush shoulders with the other side of the law?

Bushrangers holding up Coach 

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Resources.
1. The Clarke Gang, Our Town Our People,  http://ourtownourpeople.com/www.ourtownourpeople.com/32._The_Clarke_Gang.html, viewed 9.3.2015. 
2. The Bushragers of Araluen, http://www.goldrushcolony.com.au/australian-gold-history-culture-info/bushrangers-araluen, viewed on 9.3.2015.
3. O'Sullivan, J. (1973), The Bloodiest Bushrangers, Rigby, Adelaide.
4. Colonial Summary." The Tumut and Adelong Times (NSW : 1864 - 1867; 1899 - 1950) 4 Feb 1867: 3. Web. 9 Mar 2015 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article144774022>.

World War I Relic of Some Significance

As always the 9th of the month has caught me by surprise again, where has that month gone.  I was wondering what I should write about when I saw Yvettes wonderful pictures of WWI on her post "World War I Photos". Such powerful photos!! 

I was reminded of an amazing WWI family relic that I was privileged to see earlier this year.  One of my second cousins contacted me last May, after he had read a post I had written about my grandfather Malcolm Michael Shepherd.  His grandfather, Angus Shepherd, was my grandfather's older brother and they both enlisted in the Army and fought in Africa and Europe during the first world war. The following week, I met with my cousin at the 175 year celebration of the small town of Braidwood, the town that our great grandfathers had grown up in and was delighted that he had bought with him a wonderful collection of family photos and memorabilia to share with me.

Angus John Shepherd

Malcolm Michael Shepherd (Angus's brother)

Among my cousins collection of photos, cards and memorabilia, there was one item that really caught my attention. It was a menu hand drawn by Angus Shepherd for the 7th platoon, 33 Battalion's Christmas Celebration in France. The menu is drawn up on a target practice card, and the back the men from the 7 platoon have all signed across the target.  I was very excited that he let me take a copy of this  valuable piece of Australian World I history.

Christmas Menu - Celebration of the 7th Platoon of the 33 Battalion  25.12. 1918

Back of Menu and Target Practice - Signtures of the men of the 7th Platoon, 33 Battalion

I can't begin to imagine how these men felt at this time.  They had fought and survived through some of the most horrific battles and living conditions.  They had seen unimaginable horrors, witnessed the death and wounding of their comrades in a country so far from their home and families.  You would think that their first Christmas celebration after the end of WWI would have been very bittersweet. 

What Did Your Ancestors Do? – Shepherd Family Carriers in the Braidwood District

Lynn Shepherd III Bullock Team in the Main Street of Braidwood taking boiler to Araluen

In my last post "Visiting Past Connections- a Reflection on the Influence of the Gold Rush on our Family History" I mentioned that my father’s family were involved in the carrier business in the Braidwood district. Last week, quite by coincidence,  I received a phone call from a cousin who advised me that Braidwood was celebrating their “Back to Braidwood 175 Years”.  Deciding that this was too good an opportunity to miss, I made plans to return to Braidwood for the celebrations.  Seven generations of the Shepherd family have lived and worked in the Braidwood District since the late 1840’s and it was a good chance to catch up with relatives and follow up on some family tree research.

Braving a cold wet drizzly day, my sister and I set out to join the community to celebrate 175 years of the old gold mining town of Braidwood.  We had a wonderful day watching the parade which featured modes of transport through the times, even a bullock waggon hauled along by  a band of very content cattle.  During the parade there was a re-enactment of the  local bank being held up by a band of whip cracking bush rangers on horseback.  However, the display that really caught my attention was organised by (coincidentally) another distant cousin in the old Braidwood paper shop.  This display featured over 500 large photos of local families and their connection with local industry.  The Shepherd family featured strongly in this display with amazing pictures of the family members and their involvement in the carrier industry. Photos and a description of my return to Braidwood can be found in my recent post "Thankful Thursday - Back to Braidwood 175 Year Celebration".

A little back ground history on the Shepherd family.  (This is very abridged as the Shepherd Family branches now spread far and wide).  Lynn David Shepherd(I) (1795-1845) came to Australia with his wife Elizabeth Mariner and family in 1825 as a member of the Veteran Corps. When he retired from the regiment he was given an allotment of land at Bongbong.  Following Lynn Shepherd I’s death the family moved to the Araluen a gold  mining settlement in the Braidwood district. Elizabeth Shepherd remarried Richard Chappel in 1848 in Braidwood and they continued to live in the Araluen district until their death.  Initially the family were attracted by farming and mining for gold, however they soon recognised that there was an opportunity to provide carting services within the community and out to other centres such as Goulburn and Nelligen.*  

Lynn and Elizabeth's sons, followed by their grandsons worked together, helping each other in the carrying and logging business, transporting wool, gold, timber, mining equipment and stores between the various settlements, gold fields and even as far as Sydney.

The carriers played an important part in supporting and establishing the economy of the district carrying goods to the mining settlements and in later years the timber cutting industries, carrying produce such as timber, wool to the commercial hubs of Goulburn or to Nelligen for shipment to Sydney as well as the transport of mining equipment and boilers between mining centres.  This was a tough way to make a living, camping by the side of the road and travelling on substandard roads that were no more than dirt tracks.  The road over the Clyde Mountain from Braidwood down to Nelligan was particularly hazardous, with many horse teams coming to grief over the side of the mountain. 

Shepherd Brothers resting before taking their teams over the Clyde Mountain

The horse teams and bullock waggon teams were critical to the survival of the early settlers in the remote outlying areas of this area. They travelled along the tracks through all types of weather, some coming to grief as they traversed the precarious roads. One such incident is described "On the evening of October 11th, 1915, the 11 horse team of Johnny Rogers went over the precipitous side of the Clyde Mountain road, near Cabbage Tree Creek.  In the morning all except for 2 horses were found dead.  Such a tragic accident was nothing new in the history of the district, as the steep mountain ridges and flooded rivers and creeks had been a danger and a barrier since the first days of settlement."** 

They travelled through dust, snow and floods with mud up to the axle of their waggon.  One of these hazardous journey's is described in my blog about Angus Shepherd "Angus Shepherd - A story from TROVE"

Searching through TROVE  there are numerous articles that mention the exploits of the Shepherd Family  and other carriers of the district, describing their arduous journey's, pulling extremely heavy loads and providing much needed supplies for those in the outlying areas.

There are many many stories to tell about the escapades, hardships and adventures that were experiences generations of the Shepherd family in the Braidwood district. They lived in a colourful and exciting time, a time of bush rangers, gold mining and discovery.  They along with the other carriers of the district played an important and pivotal role in the settlement of the district.  

I am sure others have some interesting stories to relate about their ancestors and the industries and work they were involved.  It would be great to hear some of these tales!!!

Waggon fully laden with sSupplies at Nelligen on the Clyde River - ready to make the journey over the Clyde Mountain to Braidwood.

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* The Shepherd Book, (2001) compiled by Helen Jamieson.
**Braidwood Heritage (1983) Historical Photos and text by Netta Ellis, p.46.

Visiting Past Connections - a reflection on the influence of the gold rush on our family history

Peter McGregor

Last weekend I was visiting family in Queanbeyan and to follow up on my family tree research on the McGregor and McDonald branches of my family tree I thought it would be a good idea to visit the old gold mining district of Braidwood, Majors Creek and Araluen.  My sister and I decided to take our mother on a Saturday afternoon drive.  Our plan was to see if we could find the gravestone of our great great great grandfather Peter McGregor (1809-1882) who arrived in Australia from Scotland in 1849  and along with his family settled in the Araluen district.  Peter McGregor is the grandfather of the "McGregor Sisters" who feature in my blog "The Other Half of My  Tree: stories of my female ancestors." 

As we drove through the undulating country side, past the rivers that still bear the scars of the bygone mining 

View of the Araluen Valley

days I pondered on the significance of past gold mining days and how it played such a significant part in the development our family history. As with many countries, the discovery of gold and other minerals has played a significant role in our countries.  In fact I would go so far as to say that the discovery of gold was a turning point in our history, and therefore pivotal in our own family stories.

The itinerant life of miners and their families leaves us with a difficult, though interesting story to trace.  Many of the gold miners left on a whim to seek their fortunes in the gold fields, and if at first they were not successful the moved on to new diggings.  Others finding the life too arduous or unprofitable, sought a living in other areas such as farming or providing services to the miners, while others moved on to the cities. One side of my father’s family made their living carting with horse and bullock trains in this district.  Three generations of this family were responsible for moving  mining equipment, timber and supplies from Araluen and other towns in the district, to Braidwood and from Braidwood down the Clyde mountain to the port village of Nelligen. 

our map

As we drove down the steep windy road into the Araluen valley I couldn’t help but think of how difficult this must have been for fully laden buggy on dirt tracks of the mid 1800’s.  The views down into the valley were quite spectacular, and we finally arrived in the sleepy settlement of Araluen with just a few houses scattered amongst the green fields.  It was hard to believe that in the 1860-1870’s this area was a booming settlement with the reputation as being one of the richest goldfields in NSW and Australia.  There were as many as 20 pubs scattered through the mine fields and by the 1870s the settlement could boast some 20 butchers, a number of general stores, bakers, shoemakers, blacksmiths as well as a number of churches to serve the different denominations of the population. 

After dropping into the small pub on the highway to get directions to the two cemeteries (nicely drawn on a

flooded creek

scrap of paper) we headed off to find Peter McGregor’s gravestone.  Luckily we had our little map as the cemeteries were certainly off the beaten track.  As I thought it was more likely that Peter McGegor would have been buried in the Anglican Cemetery we headed there first, turning off on to a dirt track, over a cattle ramp, as far as the small creek which was surrounded by mounds left over from the mining days.  To our dismay, the creek was flooded and we weren’t able to get through to the cemetery.  How disappointing!! 

catholic cemetery - Araluen

Not to be put off, we headed back out to the road and turned on to another dirt track, making our way through numerous puddles and over many bumps, till we came to the small Catholic cemetery, sitting on a hill out in the middle of the valley.  Quite a spectacular resting place with the hazy mountains in the background.

It was time to move on to another small mining town, Majors Creek. This was one of the small gold mining settlements that our forefathers had lived in, and there is still a working gold mine there today.  Here we found the lovely old St Stephens Church which was built in the 1870's. 

After snapping a few photos, we drove out of the town over the old stone bridge which was built by Peter Rusconi, the same master mason who build St Stephens Church.  As we crossed the bridge, we could see along the river evidence of the diggings that were once the gold mines of the 1800's.

main street of Briadwood

War Memorial

Our last stop was the beautiful little historical town of Braidwood . It was time for some refreshment and to take a few pictures of the lovely old historical buildings in the main street as well as visit the Braidwood War Memorial which has our great-grandfather Malcolm Michael Shepherd listed on it.

Unfortunately, we were not successful in finding Peter McGregor's grave. This will have to wait for another day, however, it was wonderful to drive through the area and visit the little settlements that were so important in the lives of our family members past and to reflect on how the discovery of gold in this area has shaped our family history.