George MEADE b. 1817, Somersetshire, England and Eliza COX b. 1821, Langport, Somerset, England were married in 1841 at Langport, Somerset, England. They emigrated to Tasmania in 1841 where two children were born and moved across to Portland Bay in Victoria in 1846 where more children were born.
What happened to George & Eliza MEADE after 1851 in Victoria......?
Notes from Bob McAuley - Mar 2010
George Mead and Eliza Cox Leave Somerset For Van Diemen's Land Our gt-gt-grandparents were married in the Langport Register office in Somerset on October 28th, 1841 and as Eliza was already pregnant the plans were well advanced for their departure for Australia.
The sister of George, Honor, married the next day also in the Langport Register office to Enoch Baulch and she was also pregnant and embarked on the same voyage to Van Diemen's Land as George and Eliza; both were expecting the birth of their first issue during the sea voyage of the ship "Arab".
Alice, the sister of George and Honor, stayed in High Ham and although she never married it is known that she had at least several children, William in 1856 and Charles born 1862. She lived in poor circumstances and the 1881 census for Somerset lists Alice Mead aged 57 years, unmarried and living with her son Charles, age 19, at Stout Cottage which was a "workhouse". In 1883 it is noted in the parish register for High Ham that sheets were given by the parish to Alice Mead.
Alice died on August the 21st,1889 and was buried the 23rd of August in High Ham; her abode was given as "the workhouse".
The ship "Arab" sailed from London and arrived Launceston in Van Diemen's Land on the 31st of March 1842 and at sea on the 9th of March 1842 John, the first child of George and Eliza was born and on the 29th of March 1842, Mary Ann, daughter of Enoch and Honor was delivered into the world; also their first child!
George and Eliza settled initially in Whisloka (no longer listed), Clarendon, Evandale and Winbourne and in this period two more children were born, Jane in 1843 and William in 1845.
In the same period Enoch and Honor added to their family with the birth of Martha 1843, William 1845, Joseph 1847, Ann 1849 and Charles 1851; all born in the same areas as George and Eliza's children so the relationship would have remained close between George and his sister at this stage. George was employed as a farm laborer and Enoch had embarked on farming.
In 1846 George and Eliza and the three children decided to leave Van Diemen's Land and in March of that year departed for Portland in Victoria on the ship "Minerva". Eliza was with child and and on her birthday the 14th of May, Sarah Ann was born; although the location in Victoria is not known she is believed to have died at the age of about 30 years in a location not established although one death is recorded for a Sarah Meade in Camberwell, Victoria ; age 33 years and parents unknown.
George and Eliza re-established themselves in Black Swamp (now known as Balmoral) in Victoria and in this area two more children were born, Alice 1848 and Joseph 1850.
As the descendant sheets will show ongoing information on the fate of George, Eliza and William is unknown and the only unconfirmed indication is that George may have died in a rock fall while gold mining in Eldorado in North Eastern Victoria in 1857; this death is recorded and was the subject of a coronial enquiry but no indication is given of any spouse or children. He had on his person at the time of death 54 pounds (about 108 dollars in today's decimal currency.)
The timing of this possible death coincides in a very great degree with the marriage of Joseph, their youngest son, in 1869 and Joseph being a minor his marriage certificate states "with the permission of his guardian". Note! not his parent(s) ; Precilla, his wife, was 17 years of age.
No clues have been discovered that would confirm any details of the lives of Eliza and her son William.
George MEADE & Eliza COX had the following known family...
John MEADE 1842-1913 & Sarah PRICE 1846-1938
John MEADE b. 1842 at sea "Arab", son of George MEADE and Eliza COX, was married in 1863 at St John's, C.of.E., Digby, S-W Victoria to Sarah PRICE, b. 1846, Oxfordshire, England, daughter of Richard PRICE and Jane DRINKWATER.
John & Sarah MEADE had children at Coleraine, Greenvale and Milltown near Heywood and Hotspur in S-W Victoria from 1864-1885.
John & Sarh MEADE moved to Western Austrlia in 1899 with the parents John and Sarah MEADE being buried in the Bunbury Cemetery, Western Australia and some members returned to Victoria. Two of the daughters married two CLARKE brothers.
John & Sarah MEADE had the following children...
Jane MEADE b. c1843, Evandale, Van Diemen's Land, daughter of George MEADE and Eliza COX, was married at St John's, Digby, Victoria in 1863, Victoria to Charles WARD and they had the following children:
William MEADE b. 1845, Evandale, Van Diemen's Land, son of George MEADE and Eliza COX. What happened to William........?
Sarah Ann MEADE b. 1846, Port Phillip District, daughter of George MEADE and Eliza COX. Sarah is reported to have died ages about 30y........?
Alice Elizabeth MEADE 1848-1916 & William Francis HALL 1830-1916
Alice MEADE b. 1848, 'Moree' Station, near Harrow, Victoria, daughter of George MEADE and Eliza COX was married in 1882, ___, Victoria to William Francis HALL, b. ca 1830, Van Diemen's Land, son of John HALL & ___. William HALL and Alice MEADE had a number of children at Coleraine, Victoria.
Joseph MEADE 1851-1895 & Priscilla MALING 1853-1919
Joseph MEADE b. 1851, Balmoral, Victoria, son of George MEADE and Eliza COX was married in 1869, ___, Victoria to Priscilla MALING, b. 1853, Portland Victoria, daughter of Israel MALING and Mary Ann HOUGHTON.
Joseph MEADE & Priscilla MALING had the following known children...