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the family of james belcher of waterford, ireland - University of ...

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John Furlong is recorded on <strong>the</strong> Ratepayers Roll <strong>of</strong> Guildford Riding, Mt. Alexander<br />

Shire, as owner <strong>of</strong> a house and garden at Shicer Gully East, valued at £10.<br />

23<br />

A second tragedy in <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong><br />

On 12 May 1871, tragedy again struck <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong>. Sarah Furlong died at Shicer Gully<br />

at <strong>the</strong> age <strong>of</strong> 21 (reputed 23) <strong>of</strong> “Phthisis Pulmonalis 3 years” and “Febris Hectic 3<br />

days”. She left her two young daughters, Louisa aged 5 and Dora aged 5 months,<br />

toge<strong>the</strong>r with her 15 year old bro<strong>the</strong>r William and 8 year old sister Mary, to <strong>the</strong> care<br />

<strong>of</strong> her husband John. After a funeral conducted by a Wesleyan Lay Preacher, she<br />

was buried in Vaughan Cemetery. It is noted that <strong>the</strong> informant <strong>of</strong> her death was a<br />

Charlotte Cantin, possibly <strong>of</strong> Mauritian or Swiss origin, <strong>of</strong> Fryars Rd., Guildford as<br />

a friend. It is possible that Charlotte helped to bring up <strong>the</strong> young <strong>family</strong>. However,<br />

she obviously knew little <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong> background as <strong>the</strong>re are a number <strong>of</strong> errors on<br />

<strong>the</strong> death certificate including Sarah’s name and those <strong>of</strong> her parents.<br />

It is interesting to note that at that time <strong>the</strong> ratepayers <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Gully were predominately<br />

Italian <strong>of</strong> name, with two or three French or Mauritians and 12 names<br />

<strong>of</strong> Anglo-celtic origin. Names which occur ei<strong>the</strong>r on documents associated with <strong>the</strong><br />

Furlong <strong>family</strong> or appear in <strong>family</strong> records include Charlotte Cantin informant for<br />

Sarah’s death in 1871, P. (Phillipo) Martinoja, informant for John Furlong’s death<br />

in 1895 and his sister Mary Passalaqua née Martinoja, a long time friend <strong>of</strong> Sarah’s<br />

sister Mary, know to her <strong>family</strong> as “Granny Passalaqua”.<br />

Little is known <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Furlongs over <strong>the</strong> next 20 years. In 1890, Clarice Dora<br />

married Joseph Fox, a member <strong>of</strong> a prominent local <strong>family</strong>, possibly a son <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> witnesses to John Belcher’s drowning. Louisa Jane married Edmund Harrop in<br />

1894. On 8th August 1895, John Furlong died in Castlemaine Hospital <strong>of</strong> Pneumonia<br />

and Exhaustion at <strong>the</strong> reported age <strong>of</strong> 65 and was buried in Guildford Cemetery after<br />

a Church <strong>of</strong> England service. The informant, a friend, was named A P Martinoja, <strong>of</strong><br />

Guildford. This death certificate was in error as to his wife’s name as Mary Belcher<br />

(not Sarah) and his age at marriage as 27 and not 26.<br />

William Belcher and Ellen Belcher née Jamieson<br />

WilliamBelcher, survivingson<strong>of</strong>JohnandElizaBelcher, wasbornatButcher’sGully<br />

nearFryarstown, on<strong>the</strong>MountAlexanderGoldfieldsinVictoria, on1stJanuary1856.<br />

His fa<strong>the</strong>r and mo<strong>the</strong>r were 31 and 33 years old respectively, and <strong>the</strong>re were two o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

surviving children at <strong>the</strong> time, Sarah aged about 6 and James aged about four, three<br />

children having died already. Shortly after his birth, <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong> moved to Shicer

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