Jane Joyce (nee van der Vliet) - 1821 to 1896

The family has some wonderful mementos from Jane van der Vliet’s life (and death).  I remember being absolutely amazed at the photograph of her sewing sampler plus the beautiful card printed on her death, presumably by her husband, Samuel Joyce.  And it is through Jane that the family has their longest enduring family history story: that her father was the Burgomaster (or Burgomeister) of Amsterdam.  Jane’s life is interesting enough without these things, but is enhanced by it.  With regard to the family myth, there is absolutely no evidence that her father was the Burgomaster of Amsterdam.  Firstly, there is no mention of a person called Adrian van der vliet ever occupying the position; secondly, Jane was born in England and appears to have been educated there, so her father would have had to have been very old when she was born or not with the family; thirdly, at the time of the 1841 and 1851 Census her mother’s occupation was listed as laundress – as was Jane’s own when she first came to Australia in 1842 – hardly the occupation of the Burgomaster’s wife (although I know that financial situations can change quickly); and lastly, her father’s occupation on both her marriage and death certificates was clerk.  Family stories sometimes have an element of fact; and potentially at some stage the family may have held such a position, but it wasn’t Jane’s father!

Jane van der Vliet was born on 14 April 1821 in Mile End.  At the time Mile End was on the outskirts of London – part of East London – but it became part of the metropolitan area of London in 1855.  Her parents were Jane and Adrian van der Vliet.  At the very least she had an older and younger brother – we have baptisms for them – but there may have been other siblings.  

Jane received a basic education and could read and write.  She could also sew and in October 1829, at the age of 8, Jane completed her ‘sampler’.  A sampler was a piece of cloth on which the girls sewed patterns, letters of the alphabet, and simple designs, using different stitches and brightly coloured threads.  Samplers were considered an important part of a young female’s education.  The job prospects for girls were very limited, with most becoming household servants or working for local farmers or shopkeepers. Sewing was an important skill. Mothers would teach girls who didn’t attend school how to make up samplers.  I’m not sure where Jane’s sampler is now, but at some stage in the mid-late 20^th Century a photograph was distributed to various family members.  The photograph I was given has itself got old!  The text reads:

JESUS permit thy gracious Name to stand

As the first effort of an Infants hand

And while her fingers on the Canvas move

Engage her tender heart to seek thy love

With thy dear Children let her have a part

And Write thy Name thyself upon her heart.

Jane Van Der Vliet

Born April the 14 1821

Finished this Work Oct^r 1829

On 13 September 1841 Jane married Samuel Joyce at the parish church in Bethnal Green, Middlesex.  Almost immediately they left England.  Samuel and Jane Joyce arrived in Sydney on 14 February 1842 as two of the 248 Bounty Passengers aboard the “Sir Edward Paget”.  Bounty for the trip was £19 per person.  The records state that Jane Joyce was from London, age 20, calling laundress, religion Protestant, able to both read and write.  There is a suggestion that Samuel and Jane were compelled to leave England due to the displeasure of her family upon their marriage – but evidence of this has not been found, indeed, a marriage notice was put in a London paper, which was unusual for the time.

Samuel and Jane’s first child, William Catling Joyce was born in Castlereagh Street, Sydney on 10 October 1842. Then, having spent nearly three years in Sydney, Samuel, Jane and William returned to London on the  “St George” that departed Sydney on 5 January 1845. Once back in England, the family lived in Islington, London and five more children were born:

• Amelia born 23 April 1845;
• Henry born 20 January 1846 – Henry was given to Jane’s brother and sister-in-law (see Henry story);
• Albert born 13 July 1847;
• Thomas born 1850; and
• Emily born 1854.

In 1854 the Samuel and Jane made the decision to again immigrate to Australia, this time to Melbourne.  They left England on board the “Morning Star”, arriving in Melbourne, Australia in August 1854. It is not known why they had initially returned to England and why, having made that choice, they then travelled back to Australia!

Two more children were born to the couple in Australia.  Frederick was born in 1855 and died in 1863 when he was eight.  Annie Mahalah was then born in 1864 (Mahalah was the name of Samuel’s younger sister).  There was a ten year gap between Annie and Emily!  Jane became a grandmother in 1875 when both Amelia and her husband; plus Albert and his wife each had a child.

1882 was a significant year for Jane and Samuel.  By this stage Samuel and Jane had ten grandchildren: Amelia had three children; and Albert, four; and Thomas, three.  During 1882:

• Annie married on 26 January 1882
• William married on 10 May 1882
• Annie then died in July 1882 when she had just turned 19.
• Albert and his wife had a daughter, born in late 1882, whom they named Annie Mahalah in her young aunt’s honour. 

Jane Joyce died on 30 December 1896 and Samuel was heartbroken.  They had been married for 51 years. He had a death card made in her honour, which contained an acrostic poem and a picture of Jane and said:

In Affectionate Remembrance of

Dearly beloved MotherJane Joyce 

Dearly beloved Wife ofSamuel Joyce 

Born 14^th April 1821 

Died 30^th Decr., 1896 

Gone but not forgotten. 

To memory ever dear.  

Join’d with those who have gone before, 

A dear Wife’s face I see no more; 

No sin, no sickness, and no pain, 

Ever can mar her endless gain. 

Just as we feel her race is run, 

Oh! May we say, “Thy will be done.” 

Young and old, who miss her good cheer, 

Can never fail to hold her dear, 

Each day God spares them to live here.

I find it fascinating that the family seems to have wanted to ‘keep’ the name “van der Vliet”.  Both William and Thomas had daughters with van der Vliet as a middle name (Mabel and Letitia respectively) and Thomas also named his home ‘vanderVliet’.  Perhaps this is why the stories of the Burgomaster persisted in family folklore.

[Relationship to SNR = Great-great-great grandmother]