Jabez Grimble
| First name | Jabez |
|---|---|
| Last name | Grimble |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 3/4/1814 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1853 |
| Submitted by | Verle Wood |
Story
Jabez and Sophia Mary Grimble
Jabez Grimble, baptised 4 March 1814, emigrated from England with his wife, Sophia Mary nee Felgate, and six children as cabin passengers on the barque SS Orestes, arriving at Pt Adelaide, South Australia, on 19 September 1853. The ship was damaged in a storm off the coast of Portugal and was forced to enter the Tagus, Lisbon, for repairs.
A man of many talents, and in England an employer of 23 workmen (British Census 1851), Jabez probably saw a challenging future in a new country.
The family lived at Norwood for the first few years but had moved to Encounter Bay by 1856. Here, Jabez farmed and also took contracts to build roads, bridges and culverts in the area. He became clerk of the District Council of Encounter Bay and its Chairman 1866Ð1868. He was a dedicated and popular worker in the community, and the family was also involved with the Tabernacle Chapel, a congregation of the Independent Church later known as Congregationalists, established by Rev W Ridgway Newland.
Sadness fell upon this family. Three children died at Encounter Bay. In 1856, 12-year-old John Felgate died from ‘Peritonitis with mortification of bowels caused by the recoil of a gun against the abdomen’; in 1861, 18-month-old Eva died from convulsions; and in 1865, 14-year-old Emily died from bronchitis.
In 1868 Jabez Grimble completed a contract to build a dry stone parapet wall on Cut Hill, to make safer for travellers the main road descent from the ranges to the coast. The Cut Hill wall stands firm today as a much admired and wondered at landmark on the main road to Victor Harbor. A plaque at the site pays tribute to the craftsmanship of its builder and a small picnic area invites passers-by to contemplate this masterpiece of skill and ingenuity.
Cut Hill wall, however, was a mixed blessing for the Grimbles. Family stories say that after Jabez had paid off the workmen there was no money left. He moved to Yankalilla and set up shop as a plumber, painter, glazier and paperhanger. In 1870 he moved interstate, spending four years in Victoria before settling in New South Wales where he worked as a painter and decorator, and as a builder on the southwestern outskirts of Sydney. Several of Jabez and Sophia Mary\’s children married in NSW and established families there.
Jabez Grimble died aged 75 years at Rockdale NSW on 6 June 1889 and was interred in the Hurstville Cemetery. Sophia Mary died
1 November 1907 and, as there were no more burials allowed at Hurstville, shares a grave with her great nephew Freddie Warskitt, in the Necropolis, Rookwood NSW.