Family History Friday

Family History Friday(early): Joseph PRINCE & Eliza MUTTON

Joseph Blackburn CAWTHERAY was born 8th March 1840 at Wortley near Leeds, Yorkshire, England.  He is Mr R.’s great great grandfather. On the 13th January 1870, as Joseph Cawtheray PRINCE,  he married seventeen year old Eliza Jane MUTTON at Seymour, Victoria, Australia.

Joseph and Eliza Jane Prince and family, 1885

This photo was taken to celebrate the arrival of the first son, in 1885, after seven daughters. They went on to have another six children, fourteen in total and they all survived to marry and have children of their own. Mr R’s grand-mother Helena is the eldest girl. Joseph was a painter and decorator and knew how to make linoleum.

Joseph left a wife and child back in England. However, this marriage seems to one merely to legitimize his firstborn as they were not living together in the year after the marriage – at the time of the British census.  After his death, Probate of Joseph’s estate was granted to this English child, Eleanor, now the wife of Alfred Fox, living in England.

At some stage during his marriage, Eliza Jane found out about this first marriage but kept it to herself until after his death.  They are both buried in the Avenel cemetery and the headstone bears Eliza’s pride to have been the first white child to born in Avenel, her elder brother being born in nearby Seymour.

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14 thoughts on “Family History Friday(early): Joseph PRINCE & Eliza MUTTON”

    • I have found so many fascinating stories Barbara. Yes, I should pull all the elements together and create an epic historical fiction! 😀 😀 😀

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  2. Sue says:

    Isn’t it amazing how we were all lead to believe that our ancestors were so prim and proper. A lot of finger pointing and whispering outside church on sundays (did you hear she ….. ….. ….. oooh really) shock, horror.

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    • “it” went on everywhere. The cake is topped by the lady who had children with her sister’s husband, and they all went along to church together for the baptisms. The minister even put exclamations marks in the parish register. 😀

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  3. raroto says:

    How come people in the olden days never smile into the camera..?
    *just thinking aloud*
    The part about Joseph leaving a wife and child back in England would make a juicy story. I’d go for a horror version – he had gone back to England one day to find his kid had turn into a zombie…
    *these voices in my head just won’t go away*
    Heh 😉

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    • Zombies, raroto? Voices? Ha Ha. You have a horror novel in you trying to get out. 😀 The oldies had to stand really still for the cameras because those days the exposure took longer, I think. Look at the grumpy look on the kids. They have been told off for squirming and moving when they shouldn’t.

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  4. Such a fascinating history Mr R. has! Reading it makes me want to go research my family roots … especially now that I’m living “on the other side of the pond” and closer to my German, English, and Scottish roots.

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  8. Neil Cawtheray says:

    Joseph Blackburn Cawtheray was the brother of my great great grandfather and I often wondered why he disappeared after the 1861 census for New Wortley where he was described as a married postman, but I have no idea where the surname PRINCE came from. I have lots more information on the ancestry of this family, as it is the same as my own.

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    • Welcome to the family, Neil. I’ve been in contact with David Cawthra, who is/was conducting a One Name Study. He is fairly confident that our line descends from William Cawtheray and Rebecca Townend who married 1798 in Guisely, Yorkshire. Is this the information you have? I have all my information on a private tree on TribalPages. Please contact me via the home page on there, and I’ll let you in. My husband is very pleased to hear from an English cousin from this line.
      http://christineparish.tribalpages.com/

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