Elizabeth CANDY and Thomas TREVITHICK

I've put the emphasis on Elizabeth in this bio. As always would love to hear from others. There are details on Thomas TREVITHICK that are not included in this bio. My intention is to expand to incorporate details of Thomas and their children. As with most things posted here, several people have contributed primary sources.

Elizabeth Candy (1832-1871) and Thomas TREVITHICK (1832-1913)

On 1 October 1853 in Plymouth, Thomas TREVITHICK married Elizabeth Randal CANDY (1832 – 1871). Their marriage certificate states that she was born in Truro in 1832, the daughter of John CANDY and Elizabeth Watkins ALLEN. The only evidence of Elizabeth’s life before marriage uncovered thus far is her entry on the 1851 UK Census at age 18, a dressmaker, living with her grandmother Elizabeth CANDY and sister Susan on Lemon Row in Truro, where many of the CANDY family lived – her parents lived on the same street at the time.

Less than a year after marriage, Thomas and Elizabeth sailed from London on 3 Aug 1854, on the ‘Panama’, a ship of 734 ft, carrying 275 migrants, arriving in Portland, Victoria on the 25th October 1854. After they set to sea, Elizabeth gave birth to the first of their ten children, Elizabeth Trevithick.

Their arrival entries in the Victorian PROV site are incorrectly transcribed, and they are listed under 'Assisted British Immigration' arrivals:
TREWITHICK ----INFANT WITH I OCT 1854 PANAMA
TREWITHICK ELIZH 21 OCT 1854 PANAMA 10
TREWITHICK THOMAS 21 OCT 1854 PANAMA
(I am yet to find a way to obtain a copy of their arrival records)

Elizabeth’s certificate was registered in Belfast (now Port Fairy) in Victoria. Thomas and Elizabeth had three more children in the Ararat area of Victoria (undergoing a gold rush at the time): Thomas (b.1857), and the twins Ellen and Emma (b. 1859). They then appear to have followed gold to NSW (though Thomas always gives his occupation as blacksmith in certificates) as their last three registered children were born in Burrangong (Eliza, 1862), Young (Harriet, 1864) and finally Mary Ann (Grenfell, NSW).

Elizabeth died in Sydney three years after the birth Mary Ann, on July 20th 1871. She had moved into Sydney with the children, living in a notorious slum area, Linden Lane (Linden Lane still exists, in Surry Hills). Thomas had remained in the gold field area around Tambaroora and Hill End. Her death received attention in the Sydney Morning Herald, and gives some insight into their life at the time, and the family was clearly poor:

Sydney Morning Herald.
Friday, 21 July 1871.
FOUND DEAD IN BED

"It was yesterday reported to the City Coroner that at about 8 o'clock that morning a woman, named Elizabeth Trevithathick (sic), thirty-nine years of age, residing in Linden Lane, off Parramatta Street, had been found dead in bed by her daughter, Elizabeth, nine years of age. It would appear that the deceased had been drinking for the last week, and complaining of pains in the chest, but had no medical attention. She was married and had a family of young children. Her husband is said to be at the gold-diggings. The City Coroner will hold this forenoon an inquest touching the woman's death."

This article was following by another outlining proceedings of the coronial inquest into the death of Elizabeth Trevithick.

CORONER'S INQUEST
DEATH FROM APOPLEXY, ACCELERATED BY INTEMPERANCE.

"Yesterday forenoon, the City Coroner (Mr Henry Shiell) held at te Australian Inn, Parramatta Street, an Inquest touching the death of a woman named Elizabeth Trevithick, who was found dead in her bed on the previous morning. Elizabeth Trevithick, daughter of deceased, deposed that she was in the service of Mr Abigail of Goulburn –street; her mother, who had resided at 27 Linden-lane, off Parramatta Street, was 39 years of age, and a native of Cornwall (England); she had been in the colony nineteen years, and had been seventeen years married. Her husband (witness’s Father) was alive, and at present at Tambaroora, where he was employed at a crushing machine; deceased has left seven children, of which witness was the eldest; the last time she saw her mother alive was on Monday last at her residence; she ten complained of a pain in the chest, of which she had complained for the last three weeks; she did not observe that she was suffering from cold; her father had not been in Sydney for the last eight months; believed that her mother was near her confinement; occasionally she drank to excess; for the last three weeks she had taken a little pale brandy for the pain in her chest; her children were the only persons living with her; witness and her eldest brother lived away from home; previous to the last three weeks she enjoyed good health; she had not been under medical treatment; she was not aware that she had taken any medicine; in consequence of something she heard on Thursday morning; witness went home and found her mother dead.

Emma Trevithick, twelve years of age, deposed that on Monday last, her mother took three penny worth of laudanum for pains in her chest; a woman in their lane gave deceased a bottle of medicine on Sunday; her mother had been confined to her bed since Monday last; she took a shilling’s worth of brandy daily; witness got the brandy and went twice daily for it; her other sister also went for brandy for her; she had had nothing to eat since Monday; she and her four sisters were the only persons in the house; witness prepared the meals; she got some corn flour on Monday for her mother, but she would not take it; witness had been at home since Monday; on last Wednesday night deceased would not speak; she was groaning; got up on Thursday, called her mother, but got no answer; found she was dead; some times she would have a glass of ale as well as the pale brandy’

Adele Fifer also gave evidence, which was corroborative. Dr Schuette deposed that, from his own observation and the evidence given at the inquest, he was of the opinion that death had resulted from pulmonary consumption. The jury found that death had resulted as above."

Elizabeth’s brother Roger CANDY had also emigrated to Australia before her, and Roger is listed as a witness on her burial at Rookwood Cemetery (he would again be a witness at his brother John’s burial three years later). Her death certificate states her age as 39, and the informant was Henry Thiell, Coroner, Sydney. After her husband arrived in Sydney from Tamabaroora/Hill End, he also was listed as an informant in tiny writing in the small space left on the certificate: ‘Thos Trevithick, Widower of deceased, Parramatta St’. It must have been overwhelming to arrive to collect his children following an inquest into her death, burial and find the death certificate already completed.

Thomas returned to Hill End, presumably with all his children – the Greville Post Office Directory for 1875 lists him as an engineer. Thomas married twice more, to Margaret HOSIER in 1881, and Mary Ann Green in 1900, with no issue. In the 1903 Electoral Roll Thomas is living at Hill End with his wife, and his son Thomas and grandson Thomas William were both married in also living in Hill End. Thomas did not die till 1913 in the Hill End district of NSW, at the age of 81.

Sadly, Lauris Candy-Kidd states in her book ‘A Thin Place - Some History of the Cornish Candy’s’ that the place where Elizabeth was buried is now under roadway. There is no headstone.”