On November 16th 2002, the Australian Descendants of this family got together in West Geelong, Victoria, Australia, to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of their common ancestor William Moss Francis Williamson arriving in Australia. Another Williamson cousin, Ken Williamson, had come from England to attend. This web page is to mark the occasion and I would welcome any enquiries or inclusions or corrections to these records.
The Williamson family lived in the Medway area in Kent, England, consisting of the adjoining towns Strood , Rochester, Chatham, and all linked by the common High Street. The family had long followed the occupation of mariners, fishermen, watermen and bargemen working on the Medway River near Rochester, Kent which is a tributory of the River Thames.
At this stage the first recorded member of the Williamson family is Joseph Williamson (c.1730) who married Elizabeth Arlidge (b.1728) on Friday 28th June, 1751 at St.Margarets Rochester Kent. Their third son Francis Williamson (b.1767 ) married Anne Cassé (b.1767) on Sunday 24th Aug 1788 at St.Nicholas Church, Strood. Francis & Anne’s first son, William Williamson (1789-1862) married Elizabeth Watson (1798-1869) on Saturday, 13th November 1813 St.Margarets Church, Rochester. Their first son William Moss Francis Williamson was born on 1st June, 1819 in Rochester. William was baptised in St.Nicholas Church Rochester on 27th June 1819.
On Saturday, 25th June, 1842, when he was 23 years old, William Moss Francis Williamson married Mary Neal of Wadhurst, Sussex (aged 21) in St.Mary’s Parish Church at Chatham, Kent. Their firstborn child was Emily (March 1843) –she died in the same year. Then followed William Henry (25 Jul 1845), Francis (26 Jan 1847), Anna (13 Jan 1849) and Edward Moss (7 Aug 1851) all christened at St.Mary’s Church, Chatham.
William Moss Francis boarded the ship Tippoo Saib in Liverpool on 25th June 1852 headed for Melbourne Victoria, Australia in search of gold in the Victorian goldfields.
In August 1855, Mary Williamson duly arrived in Geelong, Victoria on the ship Maria Hay having emigrated with her four children, William, Francis, Anna and Edward. It is stated on the ships records that she was to join her husband at Cowies Creek (now Corio,Geelong).
The Williamson family settled in Ashby, Victoria (now West Geelong) and the Australian children began arriving with William Henry being born on 21st May 1856. On 23rd April 1858, George Williamson was born.Charles Williamson was born on 17th July 1860 in Ashby and two years later on 31st December, 1862 the third daughter Emma Williamson was also born in Ashby.
In June 1876, Mary Williamson (nee Neal) died at her residence, Hope Street, Ashby aged 56. The funeral was on Sunday 2nd July and Mary was buried at Herne Hill Cemetery (West Geelong) (Geelong Advertiser 29/6/1876).
In 1877 the 22 year old William Henry Williamson married Fanny Frost.The 24 year old Edward Moss Williamson married Jane Smith also in 1877. In April 1878, Henry Williamson married Louisa Caroline Wilcox, eldest daughter of Charles Wilcox, a monumental mason. Emma Williamson married John James Smithers in 1888 when she was 26 years of age. John Smithers was born in Geelong also. They moved to Lorne and their seven children were all born there.
Charles Williamson and Edith Mabel Franks were married in the public hall at Krambruk [later Apollo Bay] on Saturday 30th October 1897. In 1899, Francis Williamson married Ellen Phillips.
William Moss Francis Williamson died on Sunday 13th January, 1901, in Collins Street, Geelong West, aged 87.
So, it was an end of an era. William Moss Francis Williamson and Mary Neal had brought a spirit of adventure and endeavour to Australia. This spirit is now entrusted to their descendants.!
If you think you might be a descendant of this family I would be pleased to hear from you.
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