Elizabeth Torrens

Story

In October 1853 Elizabeth Torrens, aged 29 and unmarried, arrived in Sydney Australia from Northern Ireland on the sailing ship ‘Ellenborough’. Immigration shipping lists revealed that Elizabeth was born at Moyletra Toy Garvagh Parish of Desertoghill County Londonderry and that her parents were Alexander and Margaret (Campbell/Gamble) Torrens. Only her mother was living when she applied for assisted passage to Australia for which she paid one pound for her fare. She gave her occupation as a house servant and was able to read.

In 1922 fire destroyed the public records building in Dublin and many records were burnt. Fortunately some Torrens history was preserved in a genealogist\’s private file and notes lodged with the Public records office in Belfast later. Extracts from the 1821 census returns for the Parish of Desertoghill reveal the following.

Town land of Moyletra Toy, Alexander Torence age 25 farmer 8 acres one story house. Margaret his wife aged 23 flax spinner. John Torrens his son age 2, Nancy Gamble his cousin aged 17 flax spinner.

The 1831 census shows that the household of Alexander Torrens in the town land of Moyletra Toy was listed as follows:

1 family Ð 5 males, 3 females. 8 persons (Presbyterian) One of these three females was Elizabeth Torrens.

What reasons influenced Elizabeth to leave her family and homeland is not known. Being 29 years of age and unmarried was most likely a result of the potato famine, which devastated her country from 1846 to 1850. By 1851 and by 1854 1,600,.000 had emigrated to the US and Australia. The famine changed the social and cultural lives of the Irish people with political uprisings, poverty and depression. No doubt the hope of a better life enticed her to leave Ireland perhaps coupled with expectations that she might have a better chance of finding a husband and thus a family in a new land. Whether she had friends already in Sydney or a job as a housemaid arranged we don\’t know but whatever the circumstances she obviously had the courage to face whatever was ahead of her.

Evidently Elizabeth was happy here and sent home good reports of living standards and opportunities. Two years after arriving she marred Thomas Bush at the Ashfield Church of England on January 15 1855 in Sydney. They and their witnesses all signed their names with ‘x’ mark. It was around this time Elizabeth sponsored her brother William and his wife Jane as emigrants from Ireland. She was living in Chippendale NSW and contributed five pounds towards their fare. Her brother, wife and baby eventually bought farming land. All of Elizabeth\’s siblings emigrated in the following years spreading the length of the NSW east coast from Kiama in the south to Ballina and Mullumbimby to the north. One exception was John the eldest who stayed on the family farm. His descendants are still on that propery.

Elizabeth\’s husband worked on the construction of the Great Northern Railroad from Sydney over the New England Tablelands and through the north western towns of NSW to Stanthorpe. Thomas became a sub contractor and carrier for the railways between Sydney and Stanthorpe. Elizabeth a true pioneer moved with him from camp to camp and lived in very primitive conditions. Six children were born to Elizabeth in various parts of the state over ten years from 1855-1865. How difficult life had to be in the Tablelands winter climate travelling and living in bush camps. Caring for young children without medical or communication facilities, running water, electricity or a shop is difficult to even imagine today. Elizabeth was nearly 32 years of age when she had her first child which accounts for why she only had six children and not nine or thirteen children as her daughters did.

During 1883 when Elizabeth\’s husband was 55 years of age, The Robertson Land Act of 186 enabled hard working men to choose land and have time to pay for it, giving the Bushes the opportunity to settle down. They took up a selection of land 15 miles from Tenterfield at Sandy Flat. They increased these holdings over the years and several of their children took up land around them. Their descendants still live on their property and those of their chldren.

In 1902 when Thomas was 74, and Elizabeth 76 they sold their properties and retired to a comfortable cottage in Tenterfield. Thomas died only three years later of a heart attack and Elizabeth followed him within the year at 79 years of age. They left behind six children all with land of their own and 54 grandchildren.

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