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Sunday's Obituary - Amelia Roots (nee Guymer) (c.1834-1925)

Today's obituary is for my 3rd Great Grand Aunt Amelia Roots (nee Guymer).  The daughter of David Guymer and his wife Marianne (nee Bentley) she was christened on the 15th June 1834 at Great Thurlow in Suffolk, England.  Together with her parents and siblings Amelia came to Australia in 1853 on board the ship Harriett.  In 1856 she married James Flanagan and they had four known children together. After James death in January 1869, Amelia married Thomas Roots in December of the same year.  Thomas died in 1877, while Amelia died in 1925.



Source: Death of Mrs. Amelia Roots. (1925, August 29). Taralga Echo(NSW : 1924 - 1927), p. 3. Retrieved June 16, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110087133

Transcript:


Death of Mrs. Amelia Roots

EARLY TARALGA RESIDENT.

With the passing of Mrs. Amelia Roots, the Goulburn district loses another of its notable pioneers.  She was amongst the early arrivals at Taralga, and her recollections of the town were historical.
The deceased, who was 93 years of age, hed been in failing health for some time past.  She recently contracted a severe cold, and for over a week was confined to bed at the residence of her son, "Roma," Cowper-street, Goulburn.  She died there at 9 a.m. on Sunday.
The late Mrs. Roots was a native of Suffolk (England)m and came to Australia with her parents and brothers and sisters about 75 years ago, reaching Sydney by the ship "Harriet." Her father was the late Mr. David Guymer, a sturdy pioneer of the south.
The family travelled to Taralga via Camden per bullock dray.  They camped for about a week at Camden, where they were hospitably entertained by the Macarthurs and others.  On continuing their journey, which was not without its adventurous side, they had numerous delays and mishaps owing to bad roads, and eventually reached Richlands, where they took up their residence.
The late Mrs. Roots was married at a comparatively early age to the late Mr. James Flanagan, and came to live at Kingsdale, where she resided until about 19 years ago.  Her first husband died while she was still a young woman, and some years later she married the late Mr. Thomas Roots, of Kingsdale, who predeceased her by 49 years.
Mrs. Roots was widely known and highly respected throughout the district.  She was of a hospitable nature and delighted all with whom she came in contact by her interesting recollections of the early days.
The family by the first husband are Mrs. Carleton, of Kensington, Mr. J. F. Flanagan, of the Goulburn Saleyards, Mr. Arthur Flanagan, and Mr. Frank Flanagan (Wallsend).
One son and one daughter of the second marriage survive.  Mr. Edwin Roots, Goulburn, and Mrs. Miller, of Ashfield.
There are fourteen grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
In addition the deceased leaves a brother, Mr. Mark Guymer, of Brisbane, who is 80 years of age, and is now the last surviving member of the original family.  A sister, Mrs. Tamar Twemlow, died in Goulburn on December 2nd last, at the age of 82, and six weeks prior to that the death occureed of a brother. Mr. Alfred Guymer, at the age of 88.  The mother was a grand old lady who lived to pass her 94th milestone.

New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896 about Amelia Guymer

Name: Amelia Guymer
Birth Year: abt 1834
Age: 19
Arrival Date: 3 Jun 1853
Vessel Name: Harriett
Origin Location: Kimbury, Berks

Source: Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.

James Flanagan and his wife Amelia (nee Guymer) had the following children:  

  • Mary Ann Sarah Carleton (nee Flanagan) (?-1951)
  •  James Frederick Flanigan (1860-1946)
  •  Joseph Arthur Flanagan (1863-? ) 
  •  Francis Flanagan (1866-1930)

Thomas Roots and his wife Amelia (formerly Flanagan nee Guymer) had the following children together:

  • Thomas Edwin Roots (1870-1956)
  •  Robert Walter (1873-1906)
  •  Minnie A Crichton nee Roots (1875-1904)
  •  Florence Harriet Miller nee Roots (1878-1957) 

NSW BDM Birth Indexes

7067/1860 FLANIGAN JAMES F JAMES AMELIA GOULBURN 
7924/1863 FLANAGAN JOSEPH A JAMES AMELIA GOULBURN  
8563/1866 FLANAGAN FRANCIS JAMES AMELIA GOULBURN  
9892/1870 ROOTS THOMAS E THOMAS AMELIA GOULBURN
10439/1873 ROOTS ROBERT WALTER THOMAS AMELIA GOULBURN  
11560/1875 ROOTS MINNIE A THOMAS AMELIA GOULBURN 
12585/1878 ROOTS FLORENCE HARRIET THOMAS AMELIA GOULBURN  

NSW BDM Marriage Indexes

1382/1856 FLANIGAN JAMES GUYMER AMELIA GOULBURN
2354/1869 ROOTS THOMAS FLANAGAN AMELIA GOULBURN
3998/1876 CARLETON JAMES E FLANAGAN MARY A S QUEANBEYAN
3998/1876 CARLETON JAMES EVAN FLANAGAN MARY ANN SARAH QUEANBEYAN
4090/1897 CRICHTON JOHN J ROOTS MINNIE A ST LEONARDS
8366/1901 MILLER JOSEPH F ROOTES FLORENCE H SYDNEY

NSW BDM Death Indexes

3663/1869 FLANAGAN JAMES PATRICK DIED GOULBURN GOULBURN  
5392/1877 ROOTS THOMAS GEORGE DIED GOULBURN GOULBURN 
8102/1904 CRICHTON MINNIE A   AMELIA SYDNEY  
5086/1906 ROOTS WALTER R THOMAS AMELIA GOULBURN
15357/1925 ROOTS AMELIA DAVID ANN GOULBURN  
9365/1930 FLANAGAN FRANCIS JAMES AMELIA GOULBURN 
17392/1946 FLANAGAN JAMES FREDERICK JAMES AMELIA GOULBURN  
28043/1951 CARLETON MARY ANNE JAMES AMELIA PETERSHAM 
33452/1956 ROOTS EDWIN THOMAS THOMAS AMELIA GOULBURN  

Source: NSW BDM Indexes. Retrieved from http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/

Comments

  1. Thank you for this. I Have been following similar lines of inquiry and am descended from Amelia's little brother Joseph Guymer, who was with her at The Green, Greater Wratting in 1841 Census(David 35+,Marian 30, Harriett 10,Amelia 7 (your ancestor), Alfred 4, Matilda 2 and Joseph 1; and arrived with her on ship The Harriett, in 1853. THEIR ELDEST daughters, Harriet, Matilda and Amelia were all baptised after birth ( 1830,1832 & 1834 Great Wratting repectively) while Alfred, Joseph, Tamar, Benjamin John, Mark and Frederick were baptised in 1853 prior to disembarking to Australia. DAUGHTERS Harriet and Matilda did not emigrate but stayed in Little Thurlow Heckford. The family had moved in Suffolk between the births of Amelia and Alfred.In the 1851 Census David (40+ at Thurlow : woodman) and Maryann ( b. CASTLE CAMBS aged 40) had moved to Upper Green, Little Thurlow with children Alfred 13, Joseph 11 (my ancestor), Tamar 9, Benjamin 6, Mark 3, Frederick 9th, born Little Thurlow (Haverhill Witherfield). AMELIA was working as a dairymaid hence not living with family for 1851 Census. The boys became woodchoppers like their Dad..so were wood choppers on immigration records. Joseph became the black sheep. He married Eliza Little and had a few children, one of which was injured in a paddle-steamer accident when Joseph was in his mid-thirties. Unfortunately he then cut down a neighbour Lynch's trees and was arrested. On arrest he attacked the constable, so was imprisoned for years. His wife Eliza became an alcoholic, while Joseph was incarcerated in Goulburn Gaol, probably due to lack of income and despite his release he didn't recover, with several criminal charges. His wife died of exposure due to intoxication leaving several children and he later remarried a widow Jesse Preston, but got into more trouble. Of his children a few of them did well, one of which was my great great grandfather James Guymer who went onto to marry a Catherine Amelia Murphy and with his father in law John Murphy's help established a successful blacksmith's shop in Clinton Street Goulburn. They had three daughters; Mary, Daisy (my great grandma) and Dorothy(officially Vera E) who all married. I recently received a copy of photos of Daisy as bride and Dorothy as bridesmaid at Daisy 1914 wedding to Holt King my great grandfather. I was surprised to find a member of the family who I resembled when I was approximately the same age ie early twenties.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~guymer/genealogy/longsutton.html

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  2. Lovely to hear from another Guymer relative! I have read of Joseph's run ins with the law through Trove. How wonderful to be able to identify your family resemblance through old family photographs.

    ReplyDelete

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