Adelaide

South Australia

Three years after South Australia was proclaimed a colony in 1836 Michael Brooker, his wife and eight of his ten children arrived in Adelaide from England.
Within four months of his arrival, in late 1839, Michael Brooker had most probably died from the deadly typhus disease and his family were destitute.
His wife Hannah Curd was left to look after the children. She was to later remarry for a short time and she died in 1891 in Melbourne at the age of 91 years.

Parish Clerk Michael Brooker had a great, great grandson, also named Michael who was born on February 27th, 1795, the fifth child in a family of twelve to Richard Brooker and his wife Elizabeth.
Michael, who worked as a sawyer, decided at the age of 44 to break ties with Framfield where his family had lived for so many years and emigrate to South Australia.

The register of applications by laborers for free passages to South Australia, gives the following information -:

Unlike the Colony of NSW, the new Colony of South Australia was to be colonized using free settlers, and to attract laborers and skilled tradesmen from England a fund was set up  by the Government to provide free passage for these people. Purchasers of land had to contribute 20 Pounds towards the fund.
Strict conditions were applied as to who would be eligible for free passage.
Emigrant laborers would be offered a free passage to the Colony, including provisions and every expense for the journey, providing they were of sane mind, honest, sober, industrious, and of general good character.
Married emigrants were preferred and were to be not less than 15 and not more than 30 years of age.

As Michael Brooker was 42 years old, he and his family must have  been a special case.  

The Brooker Family departed from London on the "Cleveland" a barque of 490 tons, under the command of Captain William Marley, leaving the Downs on the 25^th July, 1839 and Plymouth on the 8^th August, 1839.
The vessel carried 180 emigrants plus six cabin passengers and arrived in Adelaide on the 18^th December, 1839.

The official manifest for the "Cleveland" has the following entries -:

• Michael Brooker and Wife.
• John Brooker.
• Harriet Brooker.
• Caroline Brooker.
• Elizabeth Brooker.
• Samuel Brooker.
• Eli Brooker.
  
  In another part of the list the following two names appear -:
• Martha Brooker.
  Mary Brooker.

The index of deaths in South Australia, 1802-1842, reveals that Michael Brooker died four months after arriving in Adelaide.

It is possible he died from typhus, as there was an epidemic of typhus fever in Adelaide at that time.

The burial register of Holy Trinity Church, Adelaide, entry 437, records that Michael Brooker of Hindmarsh was buried on the 9^th April, 1840 aged 45 at the Public Cemetery, Adelaide.

The burial records at Holy Trinity show additional burials in the plot, which is situated in the West Terrace Cemetery as follows -:

26/11/1894. Arthur Bennett Clifford, 14 years 4 months,
High Street, Kensington.

5/6/1901. James Clifford. 49 years,
Home for Incurables.

12/7/1918. George Brown (took 99 year lease in 1891),
North Unley.

17/2/1939. Thirza Maria Brown, 80 years,
Florence Street, Woodville.

7/12/1966. Florence Brown, 76 years,
Florence Street, Woodville.

The headstone actually reads as follows -:

In loving memory
Of
Michael Brooker.
Died 1839.

Also

George Brown.
Loving husband of
T.M.Brown.
Died July 11th 1918.
Aged 61.

Thirsa M. Brown.
Feb. 16th 1839.
Aged 80 years.

George Brown who purchased the 99 year lease in 1891 was the grandson of Michael Brooker.
 He was born 27th July 1857 to Harriet Brooker and John Brown.

The situation in South Australia in 1841 at the time of Michael's death would have been extremely difficult for a widow with so many children.
The Government had sold 299,000 acres of land at 12 shillings an acre, but only 2,500 acres were under cultivation. The total population was 15,485 people, which included 12,000 assisted migrants many of whom were unsuited for a pioneering venture.

The Government returns at the time, 1839, noted on the Brooker family -:

The family recovered from sickness but on the 8^th April the husband died.
On inquiry into their circumstances, it was found they were unable to bear the funeral expenses and he was subsequently buried by this department.
The wife was left with nine children, six of whom with herself are now entirely dependent on this department for subsistence, which they receive weekly.
They are also placed in one of the oldest houses.
The mother earns a little money by washing, but not more than sufficient for the wants of young and growing family.
The son a boy is in employment, one daughter resides with the mother and the other is an improper character and has left her home.

The 1841 Census for Adelaide shows the following entry for Currie Street, Adelaide.

H.Brooker.

One Female under 50. Presume Hannah

One Male under 21. Presume John.

Two Males under 7. Presume Samuel and Eli.

Three Females under 14. Presume Harriet, Caroline & Elizabeth.

One Female under 7. Presume Hannah junior.

Mary was not shown as she had married Edward Barnes on December 12th, 1840.

Martha is also not shown as residing with the family, as she had married William Best on December 18th, 1840.
She was also a witness at Mary’s wedding in 1840.

Hannah Brooker, after the death of Michael, married John Viant, who was a widower on June 18^th, 1843 at Holy Trinity Church, Adelaide. His occupation was described as laborer.

John was born in Plymouth, England and he married Ann Polkinghorn on March 4th, 1826, in Redruth, Cornwell, where he worked as a miner and where their three children, Thomas James, John Edward and Elizabeth Ann were born.

They arrived in Adelaide on the Waterloo in 1840, the year John applied to immigrate to South Australia. Their application for passage to South Australia stated that John was 30 years of age whilst the sons were aged 12 years and 4 years and the daughter aged 10 months.

Ann and John were living in the Pirie Street end of Hindmarsh Square in April 1843, when Ann died during childbirth. A Colonial Grant was provided to bury Ann.

After he married Hannah Brooker, it appears by June 1847, he had accumulated sufficient funds to purchase land at Gawlertown, now known as Gawler, which is 42 Km from Adelaide.

The marriage had broken up by February 1849 because at that time John was living at Kooringa (Burra) with Caroline Shugwin.
A child was stillborn to them on February 15th 1849.
Another boy was stillborn on February 15th 1850.
Another son was born on July 4th, 1852 but died at 6 weeks of age.

John Viant and Caroline Shugwin were married on February 28th, 1855 at Kooringa.
During the goldrush times, they searched for their fortune near Bendigo in Victoria for a few years before returning to Burra where John Viant died on February 22nd, 1880.

Returning to Hannah Viant (Brooker) she moved to Victoria in the 1860's, the 1878 and 1879 directories indicate she was living at Stafford Street, Collingwood, however she died, aged 91years, on July 6^th,1891 at 44 Harmsworth Street, Collingwood.

The death certificate listed her father as Benjamin Curd however, no details were known of her mother’s maiden name.

The certificate shows she was married to Michael Brooker in England and an "unknown" Viant in South Australia from which marriage there was no issue.
Hannah was shown as born in England and as living 22 years in South Australia and 20 years in Victoria.

Hannah was buried at Melbourne General Cemetery. Click here for photo of Hannah.

She is buried with her son John Brooker who died in January 1877 and also with two great grandchildren who were born to William James Wormhill Brooker and Annie Nash (Naish), Annie Wilhelmina b1885, and William George b1887.
William George died, aged 4 months, in 1877 and Annie Wilhelmina died, aged 9, in 1894.
William James Wormhill Brooker was born at sea in 1861.

The informant on the certificate was shown as her daughter, Hannah Cox also of 44 Harmsworth Street, Collingwood, Victoria.

Children and their ages listed on the certificate were -:

• Michael - Dead.
• William. - Dead.
• Mary. - Dead.
• Martha. - Dead.
• John. - Dead.
• Harriet. - 68 Years.
• Caroline. - Dead.
• Elizabeth. - 63 Years.
• Eli. - 54 Years.
• Hannah. - 52 Years.
  Hannah may have been born during the voyage, or soon after arriving in South Australia, as with her age being 52 years in 1891 suggests she was born in 1839 which was the year the "Cleveland" arrived.
  She does not show on the Shipping Manifest.

The following is known about the children of Michael and Hannah Brooker -:

• Michael Brooker is the oldest child on Hannah's death certificate.
  He, in fact, was baptised Michael Curd on the 30th January,1820 in Framfield Church, Sussex.
  He was baptised the same day as his sister Mary Brooker and was probably 3 years of age at the time.
  He died age11, and was buried in Framfield Churchyard on 16th August, 1829.

• Mary Brooker christened 30th January,1820, Framfield, Sussex, England married Edward Barnes on December 12th, 1840 in South Australia.
  Children were Mary, Jane, Edward, Anne, Amelia, Richard, William, John, Joanna, Emma Isabella.

• Martha Brooker christened February 3rd, 1822, Framfield, Sussex, England, married William Best on December 18th,1840 in South Australia.
  William Best died October 24th, 1903 in Adelaide aged 76 years.

• William Brooker christened June 27th, 1824, Framfield, Sussex, England.
  He died age 12, and is buried in Framfield Churchyard.

• John Brooker christened July 30th, 1826, Framfield, Sussex, England, never married and died January 14th, 1877, aged 50 years of cancer.
  He is buried at Melbourne Cemetery with his mother.

• Harriet Brooker christened October 26th, 1828, Framfield, Sussex, England married John Brown at Holy Trinity Church, Adelaide on September 17th, 1850. She was 21 years of age.
  They had at least four children Hannah born January 12th, 1854, George born July 27th,1856 and Alfred born June 16th, 1865.
  George purchased and is buried in the same grave as Michael Brooker.
  Another daughter Hannah Sophia Brown b1862, d1939 , married Peter Johans Clausen b1851 d1930, a native of Denmark, which was the start of the Clausan Boat building business at Birkenhead, Adelaide..
   Note – Their son George purchased and is buried in the same grave as Michael Brooker.

• Caroline Brooker christened April 24th, 1831, Framfield, Sussex, England married Charles Haines, butcher at St. Johns Church, Adelaide on January 17th, 1852. She was 21 years of age.
  Whilst he was married under the name of Charles Haines he was listed as John Haines on his Death Certificate when he died of apoplexy on November 1855.
  His death was not registered until June 18th, 1856. He was also called John Haines on his daughter Emma's death certificate.
   

  Name	Mary Jane Willmot Haines	Emma Martha Haines
  Born	02-02-1852	09-05-1854
  Died	28-03-1928	28-02-1904
  Marr.	Joseph Wilson	Henry Peacock

  
  Nothing further is known of Charles Haines but Caroline married George Kempster on the 25th November, 1857 at St. Georges Church, Gawler, South Australia.
  They had the following children.

  Name	William Kempster	Anne (Annie) Kempster	Clara Rose Kempster	Thomas George Kempster
  Born	18-07-1858	30-08-1860	25-09-1863	02-10-1865
  Died		01-02-1939 at Pingelly WA.
  Marr.		John Jules Parker 29-07-1890

  Caroline died age 34, of Low Fever in Adelaide on 16th February 1867.

  Their daughter Emma Martha Haines married Henry Peacock and they had 13 children.
  Eleven of whom were still living when she died in 1904.
   

  Name	Alice	Lucy	Mary	Harry	Rose	Lydia	Isaac	Annie	Margaret	Iris	Charles
  Born	1876	1877	1879	1881	1882	1885	1889	1892	1894	1895	1898

   

• Elizabeth Brooker married William Homan, who was born in London, at Holy Trinity  Church, Adelaide on January 6th, 1853.
   She was 20 years of age.  Not long after their marriage Elizabeth and William moved to Victoria and had the following children.
   

  Name	William Henry Homan	James Edward Homan	Frances Laura Homan	Charles Turner Homan
  Born	b1854 Melbourne.	b1857 Collingwood	b1859 East Collingwood	b1862 Collingwood
  Died		d1859 aged 1 year

  William Homan, died in in 1860 aged 33.
  Elizabeth Brooker remarried on 28th October 1863 at the Church of St. Peter, Melbourne which was Church of England.
  She married Theodore Anthony Gruner who was born in Copenhagen, Denmark the son of Frederick Gruner, musician and Valentina Brunt. He was 30 years of age and also a musician.
  Elizabeth is listed as a "Widow" with the date 23rd April, 1860 listed underneath.
  She advised she had 2 living children and 1 deceased..
  Her was 30 years old and her parents are listed as Michael Brooker, carpenter and Hannah Curd.
  She stated she was born in Sussex with a usual residence shown as East Melbourne and present residence of Collingwood.
  The marriage was witnessed by Charles and Susan Ziegler.

  Ten years later, in 1873, her husband Theodore, who she calls Anthony, commits suicide.|
  He is a music teacher in Collingwood and plays with various orchestras.
  He has a row on a Saturday night at the Melbourne Town Hall performance of "Moses in Egitto" (Moses in Egypt) with two musicians. 
  They were -:
  W. Stoneham, Professor of Music of 221 Lygon Street, Carlton who was a trombonist and leader of "Stoneham's Brass Band".
  and B. Levy, Musician of Collingwood, who was first violinist with the Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra.
  Early the next week he kills himself with a razor, cutting his throat.
  His wife Elizabeth told the coroner she found him at 8pm dead in their bedroom.
  She had seen him one hour before.
  He said he was going to lay down, while waiting for a student.
  She was alone apart from her 12 year old son when she made the gruesome discovery.
  Mr. Gruner left a note which is still in the coroner's file in Melbourne which reads -:
    "Stoneham - Levy. Your handiwork is don. My blood will be revenge you cowards. God bless my poor wife and children".

  They had a number of children at the time of his death, including Albert Gruner aged 5.
  Elizabeth appears to have been pregnant at the time of Mr.Gruner's death on September 8th, 1873.
  Next year she gives birth to a boy and names him Anthony after his late father.
  Sadly the child only lives until the age of 9.
  Elizabeth comes home in November 1883 to find Anthony (junior) is not in the yard where she left him that morning.
  Two weeks later his body is washed up in willow trees near a tannery in Richmond.
  Elizabeth has to identify her son, and does so by recognising his "shirt, boots and stockings".
  She told the coroner "I had cautioned him about going near the river.  

• Samuel Brooker was christened February 14th, 1835, Framfield, Sussex, England and moved to Victoria from South Australia in 1860, and he became a farmer at Wangoom near Warrnambool.
  He married Agnes Ann Negus at Warrnambool on August 2nd, 1866.
  Agnes, 20, had been born at Mirboun, Cambridge, England, the daughter of farmer Edward Negus and his wife Ann.
  Click here for photo of Samuel, Agnes and their two oldest children.

  In 1873, Samuel applied for a selection of 320 acres of virgin bush on the eastern side of Lardner's Track, near Warragul in Gippsland.

  On October 1st, 1873 of that year he received approval and was the fourth settler in the district, he spent a year clearing a section of it and erected a primitive dwelling.

  He returned to Warrnambool for his wife and four children in 1874.
  The following year the Brooker's son Sydney Benjamin was the first white child to be born at Lardner (3-12-1875).

  The couple were to have ten sons and two daughters, Charles, Lucy, Percy, Albert, Sydney, Edwin, Samuel, Ada, Malcolm, Francis, Ernest, Stanley and Norman.

  Three of the sons served Australia in three different wars, Sydney - The Boer War, Stanley - World War 1 and Norman - World War 2.

  Samuel Brooker died age 62 in 1897 at Warragul. Ann died in 1904 also at Warragul.

• Eli Brooker was born approx. 1837, and married Mary Ann Nicholls.
  He was a miner at Cochranes Creek near Bealiba near the gold mining town of Molliagul.
  Both he and his wife are buried at the Bealiba cemetery.
  Click here for photo of Eli and wife Mary Ann
  Click here for cemetery headstone.
  They had thirteen children, George, Samuel Eli, Alice Mary Maud, Cecelia Jane, John Enoch, Susan Caroline, Thomas Henry, Richard William, Mary Elizabeth, Hannah, Victor Charles, Percy Edward and Stanley Frederick.

• Hannah Brooker, the daughter of Michael Brooker and Hannah Curd, the date and place of christening are not known.
  She appears to have been born in 1849 the same year the family arrived in Adelaide
  On December 6th, 1865, Hannah Brooker gave birth to a son at Wangoom, Victoria and called him Henry David Brooker.
  She was 26 years of age, unmarried, and stated she was born in Sussex.
  The informant was her mother Hannah Brooker of Wangoom. Both mother and daughter would have been living with Samuel Brooker who was then living at Wangoom.
  The father of the child was noted as David Harper, Farmer, but his name was crossed out on the Certificate. 
  She married Thomas Cox, of London in 1884.
  Hannah had previously married Thomas Goulding Bond  on December 24^th, 1868 at Fitzroy and she stated at the time that she was widowed in 1867 and had three children, two living and one deceased.
  At that time she was 30 years of age, a dressmaker and living at Patterson Street, Collingwood.
  Thomas Bond stated his wife had died in 1867 and he was aged 44 years, born in London and a paperhanger.
  He had five living children and one was deceased.
  Hannah stated she was born in Sussex and her parents were Michael Brooker, sawyer and Hannah Curd.
  They were to have 5 additional children all born in Collingwood -:
  

  NAME	Harriet Caroline	Rebecca Caroline	Eli	Mary Goulding	Mercy
  BORN	1870	1871	1872	1875	1879
  DIED		1872 aged 4 months	1876 aged 3		1884 aged 4

Thomas Goulding Bond died in 1882 aged 60.

It therefore appears that Hannah the daughter of Michael and Hannah Brooker married twice or perhaps at least three times.

Hannah Cox passed away in 1916 aged 77 years at Collingwood. Her parents were shown as Michael Brooker and Hannah Curd.

If you can add to or correct any of this information

Please email Ray Lane

[email protected]

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