What if........................?

What if my Great Great Grandfather, Alexander Walker, had died on the ship, rather than his younger brother, John?

What if my Great Great Great Grandfather, Samuel Drayton, had stayed on the whaling boat and returned to America, rather than jumping off in Australia?

What if my Great Great Great Grandmother's first husband, Andrew Hayes, and their two children had lived?

What if any of my ancestors had chosen to go anywhere other than Australia?

I would not be here today!  Our ancestors are our foundations.

According to DNA testing, my origins like many Australians are primarily English, Irish and Scottish.

Although there is speculation (no evidence) that we have aboriginal ancestry, the first known ancestors to arrive in Australia were Samuel and Catherine Mottram, who arrived at Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) on 8th August 1838 aboard the convict ship Lord Lyndoch. Samuel was a soldier and was accompanying 330 convicts from England to Australia.  The wives of 6 soldiers were also onboard.

1848 was the most popular year of immigration with 11 of my ancestors arriving in Australia.

Of the 36 direct line ancestors who made their way to Australia;

• The majority were from England
• There were 9 couples
• 6 Children (youngest was 2 years old and the average age was 7)
• 9 Singles (average age of 25), including a 23-year-old Irish lass
• 2 Widowers (oldest was 64)
• 1 Widow

Although there are many stories of hardship and challenges, there is one story that sticks in my mind.

Amelia 'Jane' Bound was 38 years old and pregnant with her 11th child when her husband died in Cornwall in 1877.

Jane had a brother in law, Thomas Bound at Macau Creek, near Riverton in South Australia, who had written glowing stories about Australia as a land of "Milk and Honey".  One of the recounted stories (tall tales) was that he could row a boat along the river and fill it with oranges from trees overhanging the bank. This convinced Jane that she should take her children to Australia.

'Tommie' became Jane’s Australian nominee, and whilst Jane’s age was beyond that acceptable for migration, the fact that her family contained six boys influenced the Queen to grant a special dispensation, which Jane applied to the authorities for, and the migration was allowed to proceed.

Jane Bound had one strong and abiding faith, namely that “The Lord will provide”.  When she was unable to muster sufficient financial resources to fund the migration project, there was a storm that blew down a huge oak tree in the house yard. Only when it was on the ground was its cash value realised.  The local timber merchant made oak chests out of a portion of it, in which the family belongings were packed, and the sale of the remainder allowed the migration to proceed. "The Lord will provide".

On 5th July 1878, being within 10 months of becoming widowed, Jane and her nine surviving children (aged 19, 16, 14, 12, 10, 7, 5, 2, and 7 months) having surmounted all obstacles were aboard the SS Oaklands which sailed out of Plymouth bound for Australia.

Their next hardship came when the Oaklands was becalmed for many days around the equator area.  Drinking water had to be rationed and the younger children nearly perished in the heat.

Also during the voyage, Jane had her purse containing all her worldly wealth stolen.  The Captain had a collection taken up which saved the day, so once again the Lord did provide.

 On September 22nd, 1878 the family arrived safely in Port Adelaide to begin their new lives in Australia. Seven Year Old, Edith Bound, would become a strong pioneering lady also and one day would be my Great Great Grandmother.

Information about Amelia Jane Bound was provided by her Grandson Frank Bound, primarily from family stories. Immigration records provide confirmation.

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This is the first instalment of the 52 ancestors in 52 weeks challenge. This week's prompt is "Foundations"