I was intrigued and amused that you had promoted Sarah to hotel keeper as I always assumed she kept what was called a shanty and had no proper licence. I expect the Cobb & Co coaches changed horses there and travellers were able to get a snack (she was famous for her savoury delicacies) and the drivers and those in the know were given something strong to drink.
It was Margaret Clarke and her brother John who suggested that their parents should emigrate, and Sarah and the young ones came out before Alexander who remained behind to settle their affairs. I do not have a date for the arrival of the Clarkes in 1849 but you have provided a clue in regard to the birth of Mary Ann. I can tell you that Agnes (pet name Nancy) was born in County Down on 11 July 1839 (Nelson family bible) and I believe I have a correct birth date for Sarah Hall. I agree that the different dates are confusing. John Fagan never married and is buried in the same grave as Agnes and James Nelson at Lang Lang. I was told William Fagan did marry but they went to make their fortunes in Boulder City in WA and lost touch with their family in Victoria.
Another buyer [of land in the Cranbourne area] in 1852 was Colin Crillie Clarke of 'Beaulieu'(1807-1880) who had arrived in the late 'forties. A man of some education; he is said to have been either a remittance man or a school teacher. At 'Beaulieu' he experimented with viticulture and made his own wine. In later life, he was regarded as a somewhat eccentric recluse, and a story widely held, is that on his deathbed he was unable to tell his wife or family where his cache of sovereigns was hidden. Margaret Fagan, his wife, was a North of Ireland woman. Her father and brother, John, had arrived several years earlier and they sent for Mrs Fagan at Clonvaraghan to bring out the remaining members of the family. Mrs Fagan came out by the Earl of Charlemont which was wrecked off Point Henry [sic] in June 1853. All the passengers were saved and no personal property was retrieved. Alexander Fagan died at Lyndhurst in 1857; the sons farmed Algernon Lindsay's property. The widow occupied the block adjoining, known locally as Fagan's Hill (Lyndhurst Radio Station). Here she is said to have dispensed the 'water of life' to the coach drivers who stopped at her house. A colourful character she was known as Granny Fagan and William Greaves (d. 1935) remembered receiving 'many a tasty portion from her kindly hands' when on messaged for his mother. Both she and her other daughters, Mrs George Hall and Mrs Nelson shared a reputation for two things: generosity and kindness to the deserving stranger and fearlessness in rebuking injustice or cruelty. These good women were also marathon walkers, Mrs Hall walking from Narre Warren to Dandenong (at the age of 80) shortly before her death. Part of Clarke's 'Beaulieu' was leased to George Hall and James Henderson and later bought by the Facey family. Colin Clarke's daughter Jane was a talented artist and her paintings of Western Port and Gippsland scenes were at one time exhibited in Melbourne. (2)
Alexander Fagan died on March 8, 1857 aged 65. His death certificate lists his birth place as County Down in Ireland and his parents as John Fagan, a farmer, and Mary Gatt. The certificate also notes that Alexander had married Sarah in 1826 in County Down; and had lived in Victoria for two and half years at the time of his death (3). Sarah Fagan was born Sarah Jones in Northern Ireland. On her Death Certificate her father is listed as Evan Jones, a farmer, and her mother as Sarah (with no maiden name listed). (4)
Sarah died at the age of 89 on January 12, 1879 at Eumemmerring and her son, William, also of Eumemmerring was the informant. Her occupation was grazier. Alexander and Sarah are buried at the Dandenong Cemetery and in both cases the service was conducted by the Reverend Alexander Duff, the Presbyterian Minister. (5) Their children, as listed on Sarah's death certificate were Mary Ann, aged 58; Margaret, 56; John 54; William, 52; Sarah 50 and Nancy (also known as Agnes) 48. According to the shipping records at the Public Records Office of Victoria Sarah was 58 when she arrived in 1853 on the ill fated Earl of Charlemont. If this age is correct then Sarah was born around 1795, even though her age at death makes her birth date 1790. Also on the ship were three of her children - William, aged 17; Sarah, aged 16 and Ann aged 12. (6) As you will see below there are a lot of discrepancies in the birth dates of the Fagan family, depending on what source you use.
We will have a look in detail at the children of Sarah and Alexander -
Mary Ann - born c. 1821, if the age as listed is correct on Sarah's death certificate. This is, however, five years before 1826, the date of Sarah and Alexander's marriage, as listed on his death certificate. I have no other details at the moment. I wonder if she came to Australia?
Margaret - born c. 1822, died on December 15, 1889 aged 67. Once again, Margaret's birth took place a few years before her parents stated 1826 wedding date, so this does throw doubt on the veracity of the 1826 date. Margaret was the wife of Colin Crillie Clarke (1807-1880) who as we saw before, had arrived in Victoria in the 'late forties'. We can actually narrow this date down to 1849 as their daughter, Mary Ann, was born 'at sea' in 1849. Mary Ann died in 1866 aged 16. They had one other daughter, Jane, who was born in 1868 at Cranbourne and died at the age of 25 in December 20, 1893. She was the 'talented artist' that Dr Gunson refers to in the excerpt, above. (7)
William - born c. 1827 according to his mother's death certificate or 1836 according to the shipping record. William was living on the farm he and his brother rented in Lyndhurst in 1879 as his mother died at this property, but as noted by Dr Gunson in his email - I was told William Fagan did marry but they went to make their fortunes in Boulder City in WA and lost touch with their family in Victoria. As the brothers are not listed in the rate books after 1880, it is possible William moved to Western Australia at this time.
Sarah - died on June 11, 1915 aged 80, which means she was born c. 1835 or 1829 according to her mother's death certificate or 1837 according to the shipping record. Sarah was the one who used to walk from Narre Warren to Dandenong! Sarah married George Hall in 1855. They were the first name on the Cranbourne Presbyterian Church Marriage Register, as noted in history of the church published in the Dandenong Journal in December, 1935. (9)
George Hall (died 1883, aged 48), and his son George, were pioneer bullock teamsters with teams of magnificent bullocks who made their own roads through the light timber county of the ranges, through to Scotty creek, now known as Emerald, and its vicinity. (10) George and Sarah lived at Narre Warren North and their children were - Margaret (1856), George (c. 1858), Mary Ann (1863), Susan Emily (c. 1865), Annie (1869), Jane (c. 1870), William John (1871), Alexander (1873), and Herbert Henry (1876). (11). Jane married William Cadd of Clyde in 1887 and they lived on Patterson's Road. Sarah married, firstly, Thomas Williams, and when he died she operated the general store at Clyde. She married for the second time to Thomas Ridgway and they lived at Clyde. Thomas had been born at Clyde in 1860 to Anthony and Sophia (nee Cadd) Ridgway. (12)
Agnes - died on June 17, 1914 aged 74, at Bay View, Lang Lang. As we saw, Dr Gunson said that Agnes was born in County Down on July 11, 1839. Agnes married James Nelson (1831 - 1916) in 1855 when she was 16 years old. James was a blacksmith and his family had arrived in the Eumemmerring area in 1854; their property was where the General Motors-Holden factory was built in the 1950s (13). In 1868 James, Agnes and their family moved to Bay View at Lang Lang. Dr Gunson writes that James Nelson took to Lang Lang a modest library of theology and general works which he used to support his arguments with visiting clergymen. (14). They had eleven children - Alexander (1856), Sarah (c.1858), James (1860), William (1862), John (1865), David (c. 1866), Elizabeth (1868), Mary (1871), Margaret (1875), Henry (1877) and Agnes (1879). (15) Sarah married Daniel Gunson (1847 - 1915) in 1882. He was a Methodist Minister whose parish went from Yannathan to the Powlett River (Wonthaggi) - it was fortunate for him that he was an experienced bushman (16). Sarah and Daniel are the grandparents of Dr Gunson.
The Bay View property is on the Cardinia Shire Heritage Scheme.(16)
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