Ellen Jones
| Town/City | Ballarat |
|---|---|
| First name | Ellen |
| Last name | Jones |
| Country of Origin | Wales |
| Date of Birth | 7/14/1873 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1898 |
| Submitted by | Margaret Lewis |
Story
Ellen Jones was born on 14th July 1873 at Manod Terrace, Ffestiniog, County Merioneth, North Wales, the daughter of Robert Jones, a slate labourer, & Jane (nee Pritchard). Her parents had probably moved to Ffestiniog for employment, but by 1878 they had returned to Robert\’s home village of Rhyd-y-foel, near Abergele, Denbighshire, Wales. Here they settled in one of the homes in the Tai Terfyn building which was a terraced building of four homes.
Before her marriage Ellen worked in a castle, presumably the nearby Gwrych Castle, which had been built in 1819, and was located on the outskirts of Abergele, not far from Rhyd-y-foel. It was in Rhyd-y-foel that she met Cornelius Jones, a miner, to whom she became engaged before he left to work in the Brilliant Mine in Charters Towers, Queensland around 1895.
It seems likely that Ellen Jones, was the servant, aged 27 yrs, who departed London on 27th May 1898 on board the ‘Austral’ bound for Sydney. From there she would have travelled by ship to Townsville and then train to Charters Towers. Cornelius and Ellen were married on 23rd July 1898 in Charters Towers. Five children were born in their Natal Downs Road home in Charters Towers Ð Elsie May (born 1899), Gwendoline Jane (born & died 1901), Robert (1903), Llewelyn (1907) & Trefor Cornelius Thomas Jones (1910). When she arrived in Australia Ellen spoke mainly Welsh, but she spoke more English as her children grew up.
Cornelius continued to work as a miner at the Brilliant Mine until after 1910 when he moved to the Black Jack mine. He retired from there circa 1923 due to ill-health. By then their daughter Elsie had married Edgar Philip Edgerton and moved to Mourilyan, North Queensland, so Cornelius and Ellen moved to Mourilyan as well, settling at 28 Bombala Street, Mourilyan. Once out of the mines Cornelius was able to return to work. He worked initially at Horsford\’s Sawmill, New Harbour Line Rd, Mourilyan and later at Mourilyan Sugar Mill where he greased trucks in the weigh bridge.
Her husband Cornelius Jones died on 13th August 1935 in the nearby Innisfail District Hospital, aged 63 years. Ellen lived for another 20 years in Mourilyan. Soon after Cornelius\’ death she was asked by Walter Sloan to take in a check chemist from the Mourilyan Sugar Mill as a boarder and later took up to 3 boarders at a time.
Ellen died on 30th April 1955 at her Bombala Street home, aged 82 years. She was buried next to Cornelius in the Innisfail Cemetery.