THE JACOB FAMILY IN AUSTRALIA
by the late Michael Abley
Joseph Jacob, 1908-1879, was born at Pakenham, the son of Trew Jacob and Susanna (nee Sterry). At Stowlangtoft Church (only two miles away from Pakenham), he married in 1834 Susan Savage. The census of 1851 shows that he was then living at 55 Uppertown, Pakenham (aged 41), his occupation was that of an agricultural labourer.
He and his family emigrated to Australia in 1853, under the Wakefield Scheme (I think), travelling on the "Caucasian" and arriving at Adelaide on 25th April 1853.
South Australia began as a settlement in 1838, planned by the South Australian Company, whose director was the Quaker George Fife Angus, and based on the Wakefield Scheme. The scheme was to sell land at a uniform and suficiently high price (£1 per acre), this purchase money to be used to bring out agricultural workers, who, after a time (say ten years) could buy land for themselves at this same price (£1 per acre), which in turn would be used to bring out further farm workers, so that the colony would develop in an orderly and progressive way. There are hidden catches in this scheme, but we need not go into that now.
My eight great grand parents all came out to South Australia in this way, all seeking the independent life of a land-owner and farmer, because, presumably, there was no land left in England. They were Solomon Richard Maddern (1837-1922), who arrived in 1856, from Madron, Penzance, Cornwall; his future wife Margaret Ann Dermody, (1833-1915), who arrived with her parents in 1846, from Borrisokane, Tipperary, Ireland, the parents being Michael Dermody (1802-1861) and Anne Dermody (nee Magill) (1804-1884); John Baker (1803-1878) and his wife Harriet Baker (nee Mogg) (1809-1875), of Street, near Glastonbury, Somerset, England, who emigrated to South Australia in 1856 with their family, which included my grandfather Alfred Baker (1843-1891); and finally Joseph and Susan Jacob (nee Savage) who arrived in South Australia in 1853, with one of their children Charlotte Jacob (1845-1920), being eventually one of my grandparents.
I do not know if they went straight to the Gt Gambier District of South Australia, but they did arrive there pretty early, and it was there that they met the Baker family from Street. Brother and sister married sister and brother - Charlotte Jacob and Alfred Baker, and Edmund (or Edward) Jacob and Maria Baker.
Apparently the Jacob family did not increase after it left Englasnd, the children being shown as in the census of 1851.... True (born in 1835), John (born in 1837), Harriet (born in 1843), Charlotte (born in 1845), Harry (born in 1848), and Edward (born in 1851). Mary Ann had died as an infant, born and died in 1847. I have just checked with the 1841 census, and I see that at that time, between John and Harriet, there were two more children, Charles (1838-1841) and James (1840-1842).
At the present moment, I do not know what descendants there are in the male line, that is to say, what are the male descendants of my grandmother's brothers, True, John, Harry and Edward.
The Baker family (Charlotte Jacob) came to Victoria about 1873 when the Wimmera land of Victoria was being opened up, at much cheaper prices than under the Wakefield Scheme in South Australia. I think Harry Baker came to Victoria also, settling in the Nhill area, about 50 miles away from the Horsham area (Jung) where Alfred and Charlotte Baker took up land. I think the other Jacobs remained at Mount Gambier.
Here are two interesting situations. When I was a boy attending Horsham High School, 1918-1922, I found that one of the girls, Kathleen Ghrimes, was a second cousin, being a granddaughter of Harry Jacob. The Ghrimes family is related in some way to Kneller, the well known artist-painter of the early 1800s, and Kneller is often incorporated in their names. Now a granddaughter of this same Kathleen Ghrimes (Mrs Fechner) is attending my school here in Morwell, as a pupil in Form V (sub-matriculation year). Her name is Marilyn Pittaway, and she is about 16 years old.
Michael Abley
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