Thomas Austin

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Golden Point and the Alluvial Goldwashers
Courtesy Ballarat Heritage Services.

Background

Thomas Austin probably lived at Hadlow Down, Sussex, England, as in his letter to his mother at that location he enquires about people in that neighbourhood. He married Ann in the early 1850s. possibly in the Ballarat area on the Victorian goldfields.[1] Austin dug for gold at Golden Point near Ballarat in September 1851. His son William Alonzo was born at Magpie in 1856. [2]

Thomas Austin wrote letters to his mother Mrs Lillian Austin. They were found, unearthed from the attic of a cottage in Hadlow Down, Sussex, England. They were left there undisturbed for around 140 years. Austin left home at about 22 years of age, going to Scheneckady USA where he wrote the first of the extant letters dated 5 May 1850. Various letters were written from California before Austin arrived in Creswick Creek. Then he travelled to New England, New South Wales, in November 1853. After this the letters are posted from Geelong, Sebastopol Hill near Ballarat, and Creswick Creek.[3]

Thomas Austin on 31 January 1853 wrote from Luther Creek, Calaveras County, Upper California and he included a small specimen of gold, saying that he 'will send a bigger pese [sic]" to his mother in the next letter. On 22 June (no date) he wrote from Seabastipole Sebastopol Hill, near Ballarat. He indicates in this letter that "I wrote to you from Callifornia [sic] and from Sidney Sydney and have not had any from you since I left the Missisippa [sic]". "William Alonzo Austin Melbourn [sic] Victoria That is my little son's name."

Goldfields Involvement, 1854

Mentioned on Rev. T.J. Linnane's List.[4]

Post 1854 Experiences

Austin later lived at Linton.[5]

See also

Further Reading

References

  1. Thomas Austin, letter dated 24 May 1855, Australia
  2. Wickham, D., Gervasoni, C. & Phillipson, W., Eureka Research Directory, Ballarat Heritage Services, 1999.
  3. Simon Wright, UK, Letters from Thomas Austin
  4. Names in the Eureka Story, self published, c1972.
  5. Wickham, D., Gervasoni, C. & Phillipson, W., Eureka Research Directory, Ballarat Heritage Services, 1999.

External links