It is always lovely to get in touch with
other people who are researching the same family. In about 2002 I made contact with Glen Joyce,
who shared a great-grandfather with Cec Joyce.
Glen had visited Albert Charles Joyce in the 1970s- even taking a
photograph of the event. Glen has
undertaken significant research on the Joyce family and I am grateful that he was
happy to share the information. Samuel
Joyce is the first ‘shared’ relative of Glen and SNR (who are second cousins
twice removed).
Samuel was born on 2 January 1815 and his
baptism appears in the Church Register of the Independent Church, Little Baddow, Essex on 28 May. His parents were Samuel Joyce and Mary
Ketley, who lived in Little Baddow. The
preamble statement accompanying the Register stated that “the original Register
Books … have been kept for the Chapel or Meeting-house called Little Baddow
being of the Independent denomination, situate in Parish of Little Baddow in
the County of Essex founded about the year 1670”. Little Baddow was quite little at the time of
Samuel’s birth the population was around 500!
It is about 10km east of Chelmsford and 75km north east of London. The name Baddow comes from the old English
word meaning ‘bad water’ but it is thought the bad water was from the meadow
area in Great Baddow, not from Little Baddow.
Little Baddow is now known for its bluebell woods, which attract walkers
to the area. It’s a pretty village that
won a “Best Kept Village” award in 2005. In 1815 Little Baddow had just been
connected to the coastal trading ships through the canal system. Agriculture
was the principal occupation of the village; and Samuel senior was a farmer.
Little Baddow is unusual in that it has a well-documented
history, and I found reference to Samuel Joyce (Senior) in Sheila Rowley’s
history of the village, Volume I, written in 1975, under the section called
‘Tenements of “Tofts Mannor”’.
In 1819 Samuel Joice or Joyce was holding land near to
Monks garden, taken from the common, including ½ acre “whereon a Messuage is
built” – no doubt later to be known as “Joyces Corner”.
Joyces Corner can still be seen on maps of
Little Baddow; near the corner of Spring Elms Lane and Postman’s Lane (I was
rather surprised when I typed the address into google maps and it
appeared!).
Mary and Samuel Joyce were not able to read
or write, but young Samuel did receive a basic education. There was a small school in Little Baddow:
students rarely remained more than two years, although they had the option to
stay for four years.
When Samuel married Jane van der Vliet at
the Parish Church of Bethnal Green, Middlesex, on Monday 13 September 1841, he
was able to sign his own name. Samuel
was 26 and Jane was 20. 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 Samuel Joyce was from
County Essex, age 26, calling carpenter, religion Protestant, able to both read
and write.
Samuel and Jane’s first child, William
Catling Joyce was born in Sydney on 10 October 1842. William Catling was the name of one of the
witnesses to their marriage and was probably a friend. 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 in England, the family settled in Islington,
London and five more children were born, one of whom was given to Jane’s
brother and sister-in-law (see Henry Joyce’s story).
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.
On this trip, the family brought their
prefabricated home with them. Migrants
during the 1850’s gold rush were advised to do this. The house was built at 136 Oxford Street,
Collingwood; Jane and Samuel called it “Providence
Cottage”. The slabs of the house
were vertical instead of horizontal. Being
a carpenter one assumes that Samuel knew what he was doing! The house was still there at least till the
beginning of World War II.
Another son, Frederick was born in
1855. He died in 1863 when he was eight
and the couple had another daughter Annie Mahalah in 1864 (Mahalah was the name
of Samuel’s younger sister). Annie married
on 26 January 1882 and then died in July 1882 when she was 19.
Jane Joyce died on 30 December 1896 and
Samuel was heartbroken. He had a death
card made in her honour. They had been
married for 51 years.
It appears that after Jane’s death, Samuel may
have moved to Albert’s house, rather than remain in Oxford Street where William
lived with his family. Samuel Joyce died
on 28 August 1900, at 33 Stanley St Collingwood, aged 85 years. The cause of death was “Senile decay and
Cardiac failure”. Three sons and one
daughter survived him.
Samuel Joyce was buried with his wife and
two infant children on 29 August 1900 at the Melbourne General Cemetery,
Baptist Section, Grave number C.429. The
headstone reads:
Sacred to the
memory of
Frederick
Herbert
Beloved son of
Samuel and Jane
Joyce
[illegible line]
Annie Mahalah
Annie Mahalah
[illegible line]
Jane
Jane
[illegible line]
Samuel
Samuel
Beloved Father
of the Above
[illegible line]
in the 89th year of his Age
in the 89th year of his Age
Relationship to SNR = Great-great-great
grandfather
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