LONELY GRAVES IN THE FOREST

 

MELINDA KENDALL

MORE ABOUT MELINDA FROM MRS A H HAMILTON-GREY

It is a little concerning that one of the most prolific writers on Henry Kendall and his life is Mrs A H Hamilton-Grey - a phrenologist. Extracts from her work were waiting for us when we returned from the Clarence - courtesy T.G. on the Illawarra. She might well have some factual data and has a flourishing way with words  - but the disconcerting aspects of her flowery language and odd turn of thought have left me CAUTIOUS whilst wishing to adopt the more appealing elements.

There are some descriptions of Melinda and her family - which appeal to me. I shall include some examples simply because they exist and will precede them with some links to sites which refer to this hyphenated lady. Keep in mind that she had not met any of the characters about whom she wrote. Nor is she likely to have had any idea of some of the details such as the weather on the day that Melinda gave birth to her twin sons.

• http://skepdic.com/phren.html
• http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-18814_ITM
• http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-103121850.html
• http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-6937414_ITM

• Not far from the ” Levy” fountain, rest a moment on the Henry Kendall Memorial
  Seat. The winged horses, carved by L Bicego, were completed in 1940. The
  seat was erected through the bequest of Mrs Hamilton Grey, an admirer of
  Kendall’s poetry.

 

VIEWS OF MELINDA FROM MRS AH.

THE BIRTH OF THE TWINS - HENRY AND BASIL E APRIL 18 1839 ILLAWARRA. The Kendalls were then living at Kirmington on Kendall land.

“Mother Nature gave her child - Nature’s Child- her sweetest welcome.

But preparations for the reception of the twins were not so perfect in other directions.”

Here she refers to the lack of cradle as did McCrae. Mrs AH describes Melinda on receiving the crib from the ” good-hearted bushmen”.

” Mrs Basil, a very vivacious and somewhat romantic young woman , was delighted and declared it the most beautiful cradle one could possibly have. “

“Mr and Mrs Basil Kendall’s family was increased while at Kirmington by several daughters. Two at least were born there - and may be the third.”

“When first married Mrs Basil is said to have been a handsome woman and lively in disposition. She was always good-natured, warm-hearted and very social; and as a rule she gained the good-will of those who really knew her. But it is said that she was not a clever housewife and had not the gift so desirable in a woman of limited means of making the home comfortable.”

” Life for adults, at best, especially for Mrs Kendall who was well-educated and intellectual must have been hard and rough in ‘those wilds’. Ulladulla District being a convict settlement it was a brave woman who faced it and all its inconveniences.”

“Mrs basil was an ardently loving wife and a warmly affectionate mother. She found her companionship in her own little home with husband and children, her special pride being her twin boys”

“He (Henry) always acknowledged her as favouring his poetic trend of mind though, with the exception of P J Holdsworth and later on Mr Bertram Stevens, those who have written of Kendall have always ignored the fact. She is said at one time to have written and published a small volume of verses which were very good but had not a large circulation, few volumes being printed. “

 

 

KENDALLS IN GRAFTON ACCORDING TO BAWDEN

LiveJournal Tags: CLARENCE RIVER HISTORY,KENDALL FAMILY,BASIL KENDALL,BAWDEN

 

 

One book which we purchased from the Clarence History Society is the Bawden Series of Lectures with accompanying notes by C.C.LAW. T. Bawden delivered these lectures on the FIRST FIFTY YEARS OF SETTLEMENT IN THE CLARENCE DISTRICT at the GRAFTON SCHOOL OF ARTS IN June 1886, July 1886 AND August 1888. Mr Bawden came to the Clarence in one of the very first overland parties as a 9 year old boy travelling with his family.

As with most research into Melinda and her family, there are conflicting stories and mysteries. As we hunted for Basil’s grave , we had several accounts of the Kendall period on the Clarence. Basil was arrested for some dodgy dealings with a cheque and his brother-in-law’s name. The Marjorie Kendall book “KISSIN COUSINS” says that Basil presented this cheque on Dec 15,1847. When it was declared to be a forgery ( the signature was in the name of THOMAS WHEATON BOWDEN who was married to Sister Susannah and was declared bankrupt earlier in the year of 1847) a warrant was issued on Dec 23 1847 and Basil was arrested in his home on Christmas Eve and sentenced early in 1848 to two years in Parramatta Gaol.

Did he actually serve this time in Parramatta ? Were convicted criminals still assigned as servants in this time ? Might Basil have been sent with Dobie as such ?

On Page 105 Of BAWDEN’S LECTURES with notes by CC LAW , Mr Bawden says( THIS  being the only first hand report we have of this period at this time );

It was at Gordon Brook that I first knew the poet Kendall. Mr and Mrs Kendall were engaged by Dr Dobie in Sydney to take charge of a sheep station and two flocks of sheep.  One of these flocks was tended by the poet Henry Kendall and his twin brother Basil who was also animated to a slight extent with the poetic fire. After living 12 months at Gordon Brook, the Kendall family left and came to Grafton where Mr Kendall kept a school for some years up to the time of his death. His remains lie in the Old Cemetery at South Grafton. From his time of leaving Gordon Brook, I saw no more of Henry Kendall until some years afterwards he came to Grafton as a clerk in the office of that extraordinary man JAMES MICHAEL LIONEL.

 

http://www.clarencehistory.org.au/

MORE CLARENCE SCATTERINGS

 

SCHAEFFER HOUSE GRAFTON.    

Back as we are from the Clarence, Izzy is out on the front porch with Mac laptop open and papers covering the round table. It rained heavily for the 2 days we were in Grafton and we were accommodated in a small caravan. That all added nicely to the explorative atmosphere. 

Some of the areas on which we were seeking elucidation were:

• Location of Basil Kendall’s grave
• Location of GordonBrook, Bushy Park and Rose Valley - the three properties on which the Kendalls lived whilst on Clarence.
• The route taken by the Kendalls to reach the Big River Settlement
• Details of the Kendalls’ lives in this period
• Exact dates
• The events following the death of Basil.

HUT ON RUSHFORTH ROAD NEAR POLEY  BRIDGE ON THE ORARA RIVER

Some of the details which came to light were:

• Rose Valley was a sheep run of James Aitken - owner of Bushy Park. It was on RUSHFORTH ROAD - the very road which we were directed to by ‘chance’ in the Clarence Historical Society rooms.
• The first Presyterian Minister on the Clarence was John Gibson who arrived in 1851 - taking up residence in what was Durno’s Hotel.

SEEKING THE LONELY GRAVE DEEP IN THE FOREST

Now bear with us as we try to weave them into a Clarentian tapestry and determine some more of the missing threads.

Still known to be eluding us are:

• The means by which Melinda and Family arrived in and departed from the Clarence.
• Basil’s precise status on the 3 properties
• Where did Basil serve his 2 year sentence ?

GRAFTON

SOME OUTCOMES FROM THE CLARENCE TRIP

LiveJournal Tags: CLARENCE RIVER,MCLENNAN

 

IZZY on RUSHFORTH ROAD at POLEY’S BRIDGE.

THE MCLENNANS ON NEW ENGLAND AND CLARENCE

This is a great little story of one of the early Clarence families. We saw many of their graves at COUTT’S CROSSING cemetery. In this article there is a connection made between them and Bushy Park which is one of the stations on which the Kendalls lived.

BACK FROM THE CLARENCE AND THE NEW ENGLAND

Peter outside ARMIDALE (UNE) Regional Archives and History Centre. 

We set off for the Clarence and the New England. Down the Pacific Highway from the Tweed River. This is Northern Big River Country and 160 years app since Melinda and Co were down there on the Clarence. In some places times seems to have stopped and in others it might well have gone backwards.  We saw a sign saying MAIN ROAD CLOSED. That meant the main highway from Grafton to New England is cut by rock slippages seemingly without any haste or 21st century method of fixing it in any kind of hurry. Here is what RTA says.

Gwydir Highway - Mulligans Bluff at west of Jackadgery

Roadworks

RTA advice:
Between 55km west of Grafton & 100km east of Glen Innes.
Slope stabilisation and associated works. The highway will close each day, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 3pm (excluding public and school holidays).
Alternative signposted travel options during the temporary closure are north through Tenterfield and Casino or south through Guyra and Ebor.
The work is expected to continue until the end of 2008.

Last updated:
1:11pm 5 June 2008

 

Makes it sound like a wee little detour when in fact its 100s of mountain kilometres around. The reason I’m mentioning it is that it echoes Melinda Days way back. The first white fella known to have found the Clarence was Richard Craig. There is a line of road down from Armidale to Grafton and its called the Craig Line of road. Craigs interest me as my family came on the Beejapore in 1853 - more of the ‘assisted’ emigrants. I have only recently realised how firm that ASSISTANCE was.  The Lady in Clarence Historical would not have it that the pronunciation is cregg - but we of CRAIG descent are firm on that matter. Regardless of there appearing to be no connection between my Craigs and Richard Craig of Clarence fame, I fell affinity with his LINE OF ROAD especially when a major arterial like Gwydir can be closed without apology or explanation or even outrage from the population.

In Armidale we spent a morning in the Regional Archives.

We were able to travel and explore the Clarence, Bellinger and up Dorrigo Mountain to Armidale.

In Clarence Historical Society we spent from 9am till 4pm in consultation with several research assistants. One lady in particular deserves a medal for her attention, astuteness and generosity.  I was remiss in not getting her name and acknowledge her untiring attention to our work here on this site.

One outcome of the day in the Clarence Historical Society is the DEPARTMENT OF LANDS

WEBSITE which has online viewing of parish and pastoral maps. 

http://www.lands.nsw.gov.au/_media/lands/pdf/general_publications/FamilyHistory.pdf

LiveJournal Tags: ARMIDALE,NEW ENGLAND,GRAFTON,CLARENCE RIVER

FIELD TRIP TO THE CLARENCE

Late in the 1840s, Basil Kendall was convicted of a crime (details as yet not verified ) and is said to have been sentenced to two years in Parramatta Prison. He is said to have FORGED AND UTTERED  just before Christmas 1847. Following the term in Parramatta which he presumably served, he re-located with his family ( Himself, Melinda, the twins Henry and Basil E, and three little girls, Mary Josephine, Christiana Jane and Emily ) to the Clarence River where he is said to have been employed as a shepherd or manager on GordonBrook, then Bushy Park and according to McCrae then on Rose Valley where he succumbed and ” did a perish” in 1852 on September 23rd.

Your intrepid researchers have packed tents and sleeping bag and are heading south from the Tweed River to see what can be discovered on the Clarence. We have taken one short look around in Christmas 2007 and this time we will be approaching the Clarence Historical Society which looks impressive indeed  as well as attempting to find the ROSE VALLEY McCrae has written about. We believe Basil was buried in the Old Vere Street Cemetery which now seems to be underneath South Grafton School.

Did they come to Clarence by boat or up New England and over the Ranges ?

There are tales of Melinda prostrate beside the dying Basil while the young lads ride to ‘town’ for help. We have been to Coutts Crossing and Nymboida and this time we are going down the back road through Glenreagh to Bellingen and Kalang.

Then we head West to the Armidale mountaintops and into the Regional Archives. Are there any clues in there as to how they travelled to Gordonbrook ? We surely did hear BellBirds calling last time we travelled that way.

All being well as we follow these threads we then go South to the Camden Haven which was to become Henry’s home. Did he leave any papers or tales there which might bring his mother into view ?

Apart from that, Laurieton houses the history of this Research Assistant’s Bell Family. Last time she attempted to investigate the Camden Haven HIstorical Society , she was there on the wrong day - we are learning about booking ahead. Somewhere the mysterious self-published book of Melinda’s poems exists . We comtinue the Hunt.

 

• PARRAMATTA GAOL : http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au/Entity.aspx?Path=%5CAgency%5C406
• GRAFTON AND CLARENCE VALLEY . http://www.riversoflife.com.au/Clarence_Valley_p270.aspx
• CLARENCE RIVER GEN WEB : http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nswclare/biohistory/index.htm
• GRAFTON IN LIBRARIES AUSTRALIA http://nladom-test.nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an21355812
• ROWING ON THE CLARENCE: http://www.graftonrowing.asn.au/oldgrcsite/history/1800s.htm
• GRAFTON STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY: http://newenglandhistory.blogspot.com/2008/03/grafton-steam-navigation-company.html
• SANDEMANS WHO WORKED FOR DR DOBIE AT RAMORNIE: http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/SANDEMAN/2006-02/1139070642

LiveJournal Tags: POETRY,CLARENCE RIVER,GRAFTON,SOUTH GRAFTON,BASIL KENDALL,MELINDA KENDALL,HISTORY

GRAFTON ON THE CLARENCE

http://www.heritageaustralia.com.au/search.php?state=NSW&region=11&view=579#a

AUSTRALIAN HERITAGE - HISTORICAL TOWNS