Australian Royalty: Genealogy of the colony of NSW

"His character reference of 1801 lists his age as 26, giving a birth year of circa 1775. This reference is held in the Mitchell Library and came to notice after the time of Historian Geo. Reeve. The widespread listing of circa 1767 as his birth year appears to be based on Geo Reeve's statement in an article published in the Windsor and Richmond Gazette of 1924, regarding the burial vault. Later entries by Arndell in "Pioneers of Portland Head", ISBN 0 85881 019 0, seem to echo this without any other evidence. A facsimile of the 1801 reference appears in the publication by the Stubbs Family Reunion Committee 2004, "William Stubbs and Sarah Wingate and their Children, Volumes 1 & 2 (revised)."

Name William Stubbs
Spouse's Name Sarah Wingate
Event Date 27 May 1796
Event Place Saint Anne Soho,Westminster,London,England

A group of Presbyterian families from Scotland and Northern England emigrated to Australia aboard the ship 'Coromandel' which departed Deptford on 12 Feb 1802 and arrived at Sydney Cove on 13 Jun. They chose the Coromandel because William Stirling, the uncle of one in their number, George Hall, was her captain. The same George Hall kept a diary of the voyage. They settled along the River below Windsor. Six years after they came to the colony they commenced building a stone church at Portland Head, now known as Ebenezer. This is now the oldest church building in Australasia.
They were:
- George Hall, his wife Mary Smith, children Elizabeth 9, George 7, William 5, John 1. George was the son of a Northumberland tenant farmer, educated, and conversant with 'agricultural machinery'. He was a London carpenter when he returned north in 1791 to Lowick to marry Mary Smith.
- John Howe, his wife Francis Ward, children Mary 2, Elizabeth 2 months. Soundly educated and, by his own statement, brought up to husbandry, he worked in a grocery business in London while waiting for a passage and when in the colony he proposed to become a teacher.
- Andrew Johnston, wife Mary Beard, children Thomas 11, William 7, John 5, Alexander 2 (Died at sea 21 Mar, buried at sea), Abraham 1.
- John Johnstone
- Lewis Jones
- James Mein and wife Susannah Skene
- Andrew Mein (died on voyage 28 Apr, buried at sea)
- William Stubbs, wife Sarah Wingate, children William 5, Sarah 4, Elizabeth 1.
- John Suddis
- John Turnbull, a tailor, wife Ann Warr, children Ralph 10, Mary 5, James 4, Jessica 2.
They had decided to accept the English government's offer contained in the following document of Jan 1798, which George Hall had acquired while living in London.
"We whose names are undersigned acknowledge that, at our own request, we offered ourselves as settlers to go out to N.S.W. with our families on the following terms:
To have our passage found and our families victualled by the Government during the voyage. On our arrival in the Colony we have a grant of 100 acres of land at Port Jackson, or fifty acres at Norfolk Island. To be victualled and clothed free from the Public Stores for a term of twelve months after being put in possession of our allotments, and to be allowed the labour of two prisoners maintained by the Government for the same term. After which term we and our families are to be no further expense to the Crown. Likewise we have the same proportion of stock, such grain and agricultural tools as have been furnished to other settlers, together with such other assistance as the Governor need judge proper to afford us.
Outfit for men: 1 jacket, 1 shirt, pair of trousers, pair of shoes, 1 hat.
ditto for women: 1 Jacket, 1 petticoat, 1 shift, pair shoes, 1 cap, 1 handkerchief,
Children as above on stores.
Tools; I billhook, tomahawks, 1 spade, 1 handsaw, 2 west Indian hoes, 1 cross-cut saw (between two men), quantity of nails, one iron pot, 1 old musket, quantity of powder and 16 musket balls."

William took up 100 acres at an isolated spot called Crescent Reach. His misfortunes are indicative of the hazardous existence the early settlers had in establishing themselves. After he had cleared land and grown crops, his farm and home were raided by aborigines four times in 12 months. The day before his death the house had been plundered of all its contents.

William was crossing the river in a canoe when it capsized. He was unable to reach the bank and was drowned. His small son William, aged 8, witnessed the drowning but was unable to do anything. His wife Sarah, who had gone in to Parramatta for supplies the previous day, returned to find she was a widow with four small children to care for.

ACCIDENTAL DEATH.
On Wednesday se'nnight Wm. Stubbs, a
settler on the River Hawkesbury, was un-
fortunately drowned in crossing that river
in a canoe ; a second person was accompany-
ing him, and when in about the center the
vehicle unexpectedly upset, and the above
unfortunate man depending on his ability
to swim on shore, advised his companion not
to quit the boat, as it would be sure to drift,
on the banks. He did so, and saved his life
and Mr. Stubbs, after very nearly gaining
the shore, unfortunately became entangled
among a cluster of reeds, from which unable
to extricate himself, it was his fate to perish
in the presence of one of his children, who
witnessed the melancholy disaster from the
bank. The accident is the more afflicting,
as the deceased leaves a widow and large fa-
mily to deplore his untimely fate ; the cir-
cumstances that led to which still heighten
the calamity. The house was the day be-
fore surrounded by natives, at whose appear-
ance Mrs. Stubbs being excessively alarmed,
she fled towards the river side, and would
have precipitated herself into the stream, had
she not been prevented by assurances from
one of the natives that she or her infants
should not be harmed. They afterwards gut-
ted the house of its whole contents, and re-
treated with the plunder, and as soon as the
deceased was made acquainted with what had
happened, were closely pursued towards the
Mountains, but in vain, as no single article
of the property was recovered. As not a re-
quisite to comfort remained to the family,
Mrs. Stubbs set out that night for Parramatta,
in order to procure a few requisites more
immediately wanting ; and during her ab-
sence the unfortunate event of her husband's
death took place.
In addition to the lamentable circumstances
that tend to multiply embarrassment upon
the above unfortunate family, we have
feelingly to mention, that within the space
of twelve months they have been four times
bitterly distressed by hostile natives, who
have at either time stripped them of domestic
comforts or "swept their fields before them."
The poor child who sadly witnessed the dying
struggles of an unfortunate parent is a fine
boy, nearly eight years old; and eldest of
four helpless Orphans in the dispensation of
the Divine Will left to deplore a father's
loss. For poignant affliction, happy for the
unfortunate, Heaven still provides by bestow-
ing its bounties upon some among the many,
who by the most delightful application give
testimony, that all Mankind are not insen-
sible of what they owe to Providence, and
when distress like this presents her claim to
sensibility, generously step forward to dis-
charge the debt.