James Bennett

Story

James Bennett’s parents were Thomas Bennett and Sarah Ricketts (Rickards?). His birthplace was Clewer Field, Windsor, England. James married Elizabeth Curtis born about 1819, whose parents were James Curtis and Hannah Clements 11th October 1836 in Windsor. James and Elizabeth came to the colony with his parents and siblings in 1837 in the vessel “Lady McNaughton.” On the shipping records James aged 19, married, read and write, calling plasterer and healthy. Elizabeth, read and write, healthy. James’s mother Sarah was a matron on the boat and Elizabeth was her deputy. (See story on Thomas and Sarah Bennett for reason and boat trip.)

In 1840 on baptism records from 2 of their children they were living at “Oatley’s Farm” where James worked as a labourer. In 1852 James is recorded as a timber cutter living at St. George from their son Frederick’s baptism at Enfield.

Children:- Catherine, Samuel Thomas, James, Elizabeth, Stephen Haltry, John, Sarah, Frederick, Mary Anne, and George (my grandfather.)

Re James’s death as recorded in the Sydney Herald Newspaper 8th April, 1858.

Inquest held at Baulkham Hills, by the coroner, Mr C. R. Lyons, on the bodies of James Bennett and Mary Perkins in the house of the deceased James Bennett. On the previous evening about 5 pm, Mrs. Mary Perkins and her son, a lad of 14 years of age, had gone to a water hole, which was within 80 yards of Bennett’s house, with a cask and dray to fetch water. The horse had, according to the boys evidence gone to sleep while Mrs. Perkins was filling the cask and he stood at the horses head. The horse was attempting to lie down when it stumbled and slipped back into the water with the dray and Mrs. Perkins who had been standing on the wheel, was thrown into the water. They screamed out and Bennett and his son ran to the spot, Bennett jumped into the water to save Mrs Perkins, when she caught him by the shirt collar; they both went under water, rose again and Bennett called to his son to fetch a pole, but before assistance could be got they sank and rose no more. These facts were desposed to by the son of the deceased. The waterhole is only about 15 feet square, but very deep and the entrance to it is almost perpendicular. There was about 12 feet of water in the hole and nearly an equal depth of mud. The horse and dray had to be got out first, before they could get at the bodies, which were not recovered for nearly 3 hours afterwards.

Bennett who was a farmer (as also the husband of Mrs. Perkins) has left a family of 12 children and Mrs. Perkins 6 children. A most lamentable occurence this, two people drowned within a few yards of home, and in a water hole that could almost be leaped across.

James aged 40, was buried in All Saints cemetery, Parramatta. His wife Elizabeth later married William Perkins (husband of Mary who died with James) 30th September, 1865 at the Registrar Office in Parramatta.

Elizabeth Perkins died 29th January 1904 at 87 years in Newington Asylum, Dist. of Granville and is buried in Church of England cem., Rookwood.

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