The Tate Family

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The Tate Family

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George Tate (born circa 1794) and Elizabeth Kell (born circa 1791) were married on 1 June 1815, and recorded in the parish book of Bowden, by the Revd. Belfour, Roxburghshire, Scotland. Their eldest child, Elizabeth Tate, was born at Shawburne, Roxburghshire, on 3 March 1816. John Kell Tate, the second child, was born at Bastfield, Roxburghshire, on 13 January 1818. Both Elizabeth Tate and John Kell Tate were baptized by the Revd. W. Belfour, Minister of the Gospel, at Bowden.

The Tate family embarked on the ship "Minerva" as the only free passengers to emigrate to Australia. George Tate, the third child, was born at sea on the way out to Sydney, on 12 September 1819. The "Minerva" arrived in Australia on 17 December 1819.

When George Tate arrived in Australia he initially became the overseer on Surveyor John Oxley's farm "Kirkham" at Camden NSW. Edward Kell Tate was born at "Kirkham" on 5 December 1821.

On 22nd June, 1824, he received a grant of 500 acres at Springhill, Wollongong, on which he built an hotel, becoming the first recognised publican in Illawarra. He carried on cedar getting and cattle breeding, principally raising bullocks for hauling timber.

Later he took an hotel at Campbelltown where Mary Kell Tate was born on 26 July 1825.

George, Edward Kell, and Mary Kell Tate were baptized by Revd. Dr. John Dunmore Lang, Presbyterian Chaplain at the Scots' Church, Sydney on 22 March 1826.

Mrs. Elizabeth Tate died in January 1827 aged 37. Elizabeth was buried on 23rd January 1827. The service was conducted at St Peter's Campbelltown, and she was buried at Spring Hill, the property at Berkely Vale, where George had his Hotel, from 1829 to 1831. The property stood where Transfield now operates, and in 1989 there was still one of the two original giant fig trees on the site.

After Elizabeth's death George Tate married Mary Evans on 28 August 1828, in Sydney.

In 1832 he sold the Springhill property to Captain Charles Waldron of the 39th Regiment of Foot, and took over the Wheatsheaf Hotel., opposite the old Toll-bar in George Street, Sydney. From the Wheatsheaf Hotel he went to the "Forbes" Hotel. near the saleyards, Haymarket, where he was gored by a bull and died on 27 December 1835 age 41.

After George's death Mary Tate (Evans aka Tait or Barns) married John McDermott, Sydney Publican, on 22 June 1839. The McDermott's (aka Mac Dermott) opened the first hotel in Jamberoo, "The Man o' Kent," Woodstock.

George Tate jnr was a blacksmith and Edward Tate a wheelwright, with Fowler Bros., Campbelltown. John Tate was a storekeeper. All three came to Jamberoo in 1841. George and Edward at the side of an old track that led past where the Catholic Church now stands, John opened a store on the adjacent hill.

Elizabeth Tate married James Donnelly. One of her grandsons, George Donnelly, was a celebrated jockey and racehorse trainer at Randwick. Elizabeth Tate (Mrs. James Donnelly) died at Cowell's Farm, Kiama, NSW on 30 December 1854, age 38. James Donnelly intended buying Cowell's farm. The property was owned by Daniel Cooper who lived in London. In 1853 Daniel Cooper sold the property to Samuel Charles, who called it "Eureka." At the time Samuel Charles was bringing out the steamship Kiama from England. As Samuel Charles was not a deep sea captain he put the "Kiama" under the control of Captain Grainger for the trip to Australia.

John and Edward Tate married the daughters of George Wood Snr (Sarah Ann and Jane Ellen Wood respectively) of Jamberoo. George Wood jnr married a daughter of Elizabeth Donnelly (the daughter of James Donnelly and Elizabeth Tate ... see the Wood Family history for more details of this line). John Tate, Edward Tate, George Tate jnr and George Wood jnr combined dairying, agriculture and business in Jamberoo.

John Tate and his father-in-law, George Wood Snr played an important part in the establishment of the Anglican Church of the Resurrection in Jamberoo. It stands on Tate's Hill, on land donated by George Wood Snr, who also contributed £50. The church was of a Norman design by E.T.Blackett. The church was vandalised several times. John Tate offered a reward for information leading to the culprits, on behalf of the Building Committee, in the "Independent" on 17th May 1866.

Nearly ten years after its completion, four stained glass windows were installed in the church, two of them at the expense of John's and Edward's wives, Sarah (Wood) Tate, and Jane (Wood) Tate. Sarah Tate installed hers in memory of her three children who died young. Sadly Sarah died before it was installed.( The headstones were in the old Church of England Cemetery).
Jane Ellen Tate contributed the other in memory of her father, George Wood Snr who died in 1871.

George Tate became a cattle breeder and dealer on a large scale. His farm was leased from Dr. Robert Menzies (the site is now known as Hugh Dudgeon's Hillview Farm). He purchased his first stud bull from John Marks of Terragong on the Kiama-Jamberoo road. George Tate jnr bought all the village lots at Broughton Village. When the land was cleared he built a house at Broughton Village and left Jamberoo. George Tate jnr then bought all of Ben Osborne's cattle. Most of these had been let to run wild in the Kangaroo Valley. He engaged Harry Thomas and two blacks, including the clever-bushman, Owney, to collect the cattle. They collected around 500 head most of them unbranded. George sold them thoughout the district but kept the best for his own farm at Broughton Village.

The Tate Family