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

Appendix A
Search for a family
The following is based on the speech of Robert S. Belcher at the Reunion Dinner for
the Belcher Family at Miepoll Hall on Saturday 20th September 1999.
Beginnings
In January 1942, when I was almost 14 years old, my cousin Jean Williams, who was
then 18 years old and a teacher trainee, and her sisters Margaret and Noela from
Mildura, came down to Euroa, where they stayed for part of the Christmas holidays
with their Aunts and Uncles. Their mother had died the year before, and their father
wanted them to know her family. For a week or so they stayed at “Elmslea”, my
home, the home of their Uncle Bill and Auntie Ilma Belcher. During that week, Jean
and I started to investigate our ancestors. We first enquired of our various Aunts and
Uncles as to the history of the Belchers. We heard a number of stories, including the
following :-
Among the Belcher ancestors was a Colonel Belcher, associated in Ireland
with a Dolly Rayson. There was a mixed marriage in the family (Protestant
and Catholic) and it was thought that John Belcher, a Protestant,
was working as a gardener at a house, and was turned down by someone,
possibly the daughter of the house, so ran away with a servant girl, Eliza
Fleming, who was a Roman Catholic. Since they lived in Ireland where
the religious bias was very strong they had to emigrate to the Colonies, so
they came alone to Australia just before the Gold Rush. John Belcher had
an Elder Brother in Ireland, Edward Belcher, who went to the Klondyke
after gold. After gold had been discovered in Victoria, John went mining
in various goldfields, taking his wife and children. Eventually John Belcher
was drowned in the Loddon River, while returning home from Guildford
– he was on a horse, possibly drunk. His widow was left with 3 children,
Sarah about 15, William about 5 and the baby Mary. Eliza Belcher died
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