Sophia Kensey / Hollebone / Dowswell (1849 - 1929)

When I first looked at Sophia Kensey’s life, I thought that she had a sad life. But then again, who knows what she was like other than the bare facts. And I have no idea about the type of person that Sophia was.  I’ve decided that I like to focus on the positives in her life, and I hope that she did as well.

Sophia Kensey (or Kensie) was born in 1849 in Albury, Hertford, England and baptised in the parish church on 4 November 1849.  Her parents were James and Ann.  At some point during her teenage years, Sophia came to Australia with her family. 

In 1871 she married Henry Walpole Hollebone in Sydney, NSW. They were both 22 years old.  The following year her first son was born, Albert Henry, but he died soon after birth.  In November 1873 her second son was born, George James.  By this time Henry was ill and he died on 26 November at their house in Gippe Street, off Elizabeth Street, in Sydney. It can’t have been particularly easy for Sophia at this point.  I’d like to think that both her own family, and Henry’s family helped Sophia. I don’t know much about Sophia’s family, but Henry had an older brother and five sisters, who were all close.  Two years after Henry’s death, his sister Charlotte, named her newborn child Henry.

For the next seven years Sophia raised her son in Sydney.  She married for the second time on Saturday 9 November 1878 at St Mary’s, Balmain, Sydney when she was 29. A notice of the wedding was placed in the newspaper. The groom was John Dowswell. A 36 year old widower with five children aged from seven to 16, one can understand why he was keen to marry. The ‘hows and whys’ of their union is not known, but it is possible that some within their family may have been bemused, as John’s first wife was Charlotte, the older sister of Henry Hollebone.  This meant that Sophia’s son and John’s children were cousins. I would like to think that Sophia and Charlotte had become friends and that she knew the children well: that it was a good arrangement.

Three years after their marriage, Sophia had another son, named Ernest Walpole, whose birth was registered in Canterbury, Sydney, NSW, Australia. 

On Tuesday 8 July 1890 Sophia’s elder son George James Hollebone died.  He had suffered from ‘fits’ for the previous ten years, which can’t have been easy for him, or for Sophia.  The funeral notice in the Sydney ‘Evening News’ perhaps shows the extent of family support (well, I’d like to think it does):

“The Friends of Mr John Dowswell are respectfully invited to attend the Funeral of his late beloved Step-son, George James Hollebone, aged 16 years; to move from the residence of his grandfather, Mr James Kensey, No. 1, Adolphus Lane, Balmain, tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon, at 3 o’clock, for Balmain Cemetery.”

By this stage, the first of John’s children had married, and over the following two decades sixteen grandchildren were born (including two daughters of Ernest).  Sadly, John’s youngest daughter died in 1894 when she was 23 years old: she was unmarried.  Then on 20 February 1909 John’s eldest son died aged 47: he was married with two adult sons and a fourteen year old daughter.

John Dowswell died at their home in Concord, Sydney on Friday 20 June 1913 age 77.  A year later, Sophia inserted a notice in the Sydney Morning Herald:

"DOWSWELL – In loving memory of my dear husband John Dowswell, who died June 20 1913.Your kindly face and your vacant chairIs the lonely widow’s only share.Inserted by his loving wife and little Violet"

Little Violet was one of John’s great grandchildren and it is not known why she was specifically mentioned. I like to think that she was a good mother, grandmother and great grandmother to her step family.

Sophia died in 1929 and is buried with John Dowswell at the St Thomas’ Church Cemetery, Enfield, Sydney.  She was 79 years old.

Relationship to SNR – Great, great, great grandfather’s sister-in-law

Thomas Hollebone - born 1749 - died 1794

This Thomas Hollebone is the reason that I like family history.  Discovering him made me interested in discovering as much about my genealogy as I could.  Maybe something else would have later grabbed my interest, but it all started with this Thomas.

In 1991 I spent a year overseas, predominantly living in London.  Mum, Dad and my sister Ruth came over to England for a holiday.  On Monday 5 August we had drived to Battle (as in of Hasings) to soak up the history.  Dad was also very keen to visit the area because his family had lived in the region before migrating to Australia.  Two well known towns in the area are Eastborne, a lovely little sea-side village, and Lewis, an old market town.  Between the two is West Firle.  Firle itself is just a T-intersection! West Firle is little more than a shop, a few houses and the Church.  Dad tried to get us to wander around the graveyard beside the church looking for family ancestors.  Mum, Ruth and I were much more interested in the beautiful church!  But eventually Dad’s enthusiasm enticed us to go and assist.  And our efforts were rewarded when we discovered a number of relevant graves including one for Thomas Hollebone – a direct ancestor.

Thomas was born in 1749 and baptised at Southover, Lewes, Sussex on 9 April 1749.    His parents were Richard and Elizabeth Hollebone.  He had at least two sisters; Phoebe and Delphia.

On 9 July 1776 he married Elizabeth Bollard at Seaford, a fishing village to the west of Eastborne.   Elizabeth had been baptised at Seaford in 1751.  Their first child, Charles was also baptised at Seaford in 1778.  The family relocated to West Firle where Thomas worked as a blacksmith.  Thomas and Elizabeth’s children: Rueben, 1779; Richard 1783; Flora Ellis, 1786; and Thomas, 1787, were baptised in the Parish Church. 

Thomas did not live a particularly long life.  He died when he was 45 and was buried in the Churchyard of the West Firle Parish Church on 15 January 1794.  His tombstone reads: “To the Memory of Thomas Hollebone; 1784; Aged 48 years” (Even though his age is only 45!). The rest of the writing can’t be deciphered…

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

Matilda Walpole

Brighton, Sussex is a lovely beach town on the southern coast of England.  Until the mid 18th Century Brighthelmston was a fishing village, but development of Georgian terraces along the beachfront and the patronage of the Prince Regent after his first visit to the town in 1783, the village because known at the fashionable resort of Brighton.   It was in the bustling town that Matilda Walpole was born in 1819. It is the very fact that it was a growing town that makes further investigation into exactly who Matilda was so difficult (there were so many churches!).  

On 11 January 1836, at the tender age of 18, she married Augustus Richard Hollebone - who had a rather impressive name and was twelve years her senior!  Eighteen months later, she and Augustus Richard left Plymouth, England on board the Andromache bound for Sydney, Australia.  

The Andromache was 468 tons (old measure), 35 metres long and about 10 metres wide at her broadest point. In Greek mythology, Andromache is portrayed by Homer as the epitome of the perfect wife.  I suspect that Matilda was also being a perfect wife by agreeing to the journey at this particular time!  She was seven months pregnant with her first child when the vessel departed.  Now, various members of my family tend to get seasick - including myself - and I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it must have been to get into the boat with over 200 other people KNOWING that you were going to give birth for the first time before you left the boat!  And for that alone, Matilda has my profound respect!

As third class passengers, Matilda and Augustus do not have their names recorded in the basic information about this trip, but, interestingly, the Rev Joseph Walpole and his wife were also passengers.  I have tried to determine if there is a connection, but with no success (both have a father called John?).

Matilda's first child, Augustus John Hollebone, was born almost exactly halfway into the trip - on 17 August 1837.  I just hope it wasn't a rough sea that day!

The Andromache arrived in Sydney, Australia on 31 October 1837.  Augustus, Sarah and baby Augustus were the first of my ancestors to set foot in Australia.  (If only they had sailed a few months earlier, Augustus may have been the first to be born in Australia - but that "honour" went to young Augustus' son-in-law!)

Matilda and Augustus 'settled' in Sydney and had a further six children: Eliza (1840), Charlotte Elizabeth (1843), Mary Ann Matilda (1845), Henry (1849), Elizabeth Catherine (1852) and Isabella Frances (1855).  The fact that three of these names had Eliza/Elizabeth in them (and all but Mary survived childhood) leads me to think that perhaps Matilda's mother had been called Elizabeth.  Something to discover one day!

Augustus was a tinsmith, but he tried a number of other positions as well.  One of Augustus's more interesting jobs, was as the first postmaster of the new Balmain Post Office!   Someone sent me a newspaper article about it!

On 26 January 1866 at William Street, Redfern, Matilda died.  She was 47 years old and the memory of her good nature has been passed down from generation to generation.  The younger children were cared for by their older siblings.  For unknown reasons Augustus Richard was estranged from the family by the time he died - just over ten years later.

Matilda means 'mighty in battle', and many would say that life for most women in the 1800s was a battle.  I think she did pretty well!

In 2004, members of the Hollebone family decided to honour our 'first Australian family' by putting the Hollebone name onto the Immigration Wall at Darling Harbour.  There was some discussion about what name to put.  We finally agreed to simply put 'Hollebone Family'.   

Relationship to SNR = Great, great, great, great grandmother

Sarah Edwards

I inherited the "family history" gene from my father.  When I was growing up, I knew that Sarah Edwards was one of the people that fascinated Dad the most.  I used to tease him about it - but just a little.  Once I became interested in my family history, I could totally understand how easy it is to get interested in a particular person, and more specifically, interested in Sarah Edwards.  It's the mystery of actions...

Sarah Edwards was born in 1849 in Winchester. Her parents were John and Eliza.  John was a butcher.  She was the eldest of four children.  For some unexplained reason, she came to Australia on the Burlington in 1867 when she was 18.  I guess people were expected to be a lot "more mature" back then, but still.  Why??  Had she been naughty?  Disgraced the family?  She was educated and she kept in touch with her family (which was good for my dad because he obtained some early photos of Sarah through a family member in Winchester).  One of her prized possessions was a glass photograph of her family in Winchester - she kept it with her all her life (note that her younger brother had not yet been born).

On 26 February 1870 she married Augustus John Hollebone in Orange (of all places!).  She had nine children plus adopted the son of her daughter  (Her last child was born after this son - I like to think that she didn't want Ernest to feel left out or suspect anything, but he was born only two years after her daughter!!).  She was involved in a "performing group" - which involved acting and singing (on one occasion a duet with her husband called 'Gypsy Countess').  At the end of her life she lived with her youngest daughter.  Sarah gave the photo to one of her granddaughters before her death.  She died on 17 July 1915, age 66.   One daughter had died age 4, but the remaining children, with the possible exception of one, died after her.  Later two of her sons, including Ernest, died as a result of illness sustained through the Great War...

(Relationship to SNR = Great-great-great-grandmother)