Francis Symonds
Contents
Background
Born 1829 at Nankervis Farm, St Enoder, Cornwall, England, the son of Francis Symonds (1796-1885) and Kitty Francis (1798-1838). Francis was baptised on 01 January 1830 at St Enoder, Cornwall, England.[1] His name is Francis Francis Symonds, which is accounted for because of the surname of his mother Kitty. He was their second child and eldest son. When he was around 24 years of age he emigrated to Victoria. He resided near Geelong but due to the gold rushes moved to Ballarat around 1854.
Goldfields Involvement, 1854
By 1854 Francis Symonds was following the gold rushes and was in Ballarat, we presume with his brother William Gumma Symonds.
A notice placed in the Observer in Messages to the Diggings by Francis Symonds reads:
- Francis Symonds, Chain of ponds near Adelaide
- wishes to hear from his sons, Francis and William G Symonds
- as he has not heard of them for some time
- Should any person know or hear of them a
- letter would be thankfully received.[2]
Under the Spelling of Symmons[3], Francis Symonds was listed as wounded and since recovered from the Eureka Stockade battle [4]
John L. Symonds writes: Francis and William Gumma Symonds must have been in Ballarat prior to the period when the diggers began objecting vociferously to the way the police enforced and harassed them over their possession or otherwise of mining licences. Francis became involved in the Eureka Stockade affair at Ballarat and was wounded during the ensuing fracas. In the report by Peter Lalor on those killed and wounded on the morning of December 3, 1854, one person involved was listed as Frank Symmons, England under the heading Wounded and since Recovered. One gathers that Frank Symmons must have been in the thick of it and recognised as a colleague and participant by Lalor.[5]
Post 1854 Experiences
Francis Symonds died on 23 June 1907 at Inglewood, Victoria, Australia, aged 78 years old. he is buried at Kingower Cemetery, Victoria, Australia.[6]
On 05 April 1856 Francis Symonds married Catherine Scott (1838-1867) at Kingower, Victoria and they had the following children:
(Female) Symonds 1859-
Francis Symonds
Thomas Drysdale Symonds
Ellen Caroline Symonds 1864-
Mary Louisa Symonds 1867-
Francis Symonds first wife Catherine, died in 1867 aged 29 years, possibly in childbirth.
Francis married 22 year old Caroline Hicks in 1867 but Caroline died in 1868.
He remarried once again to Mrs Anastasia Nash (nee Hickey) and they had two more children.
William Gumma Symonds born 1872, Inglewood and died in 1873.
Amy Flora Symonds born Inglewood 1873 and died in 1948.[7]
Anastasia Symonds (Nash/Hickey) died in Kingower in 1891.[8]
See also
Further Reading
Corfield, J., Wickham, D., & Gervasoni, C. The Eureka Encyclopaedia, Ballarat Heritage Services, 2004.
References
- ↑ https://gw.geneanet.org/zandy51?lang=en&n=symonds&oc=0&p=francis+francis, accessed 20 August 2019.
- ↑ Torrens Valley Historical Journal, No. 39, December 1991, p. 14.
- ↑ Carboni, Raffaello, The Eureka Stockade, 1855, pg 137.
- ↑ Dorothy Wickham, Deaths at Eureka, 1996
- ↑ John L. Symonds, Which Francis Symonds? Cornish Oak or Australian Eucalypt?: A History of the Symonds Families in Cornwall and Australia 1675 to 1992, Published 1993, pp. 114-115.
- ↑ https://gw.geneanet.org/zandy51?lang=en&n=symonds&oc=0&p=francis+francis, accessed 20 August 2019.
- ↑ https://gw.geneanet.org/zandy51?lang=en&n=symonds&oc=0&p=francis+francis, accessed 20 August 2019.
- ↑ John L. Symonds, Which Francis Symonds? Cornish Oak or Australian Eucalypt?: A History of the Symonds Families in Cornwall and Australia 1675 to 1992, Published 1993, pp. 114-115.
External links
Genealogy - https://gw.geneanet.org/zandy51?lang=en&n=symonds&oc=0&p=francis+francis
