Elizabeth Barnes was born in Wiltshire, England.1 In 1826, aged 20, she travelled to New South Wales with her father William and four brothers, after her mother died young. William had accepted a contract as a shepherd with the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) at Port Stephens.2
Life in the colony quickly proved eventful. Elizabeth narrowly escaped kidnapping by a captain and mate from a brig waiting to load sheep that Elizabeth and two brothers had herded for five weeks from Bringelly to Port Stephens. The men were thwarted by Robert Dawson, Chief Agent of the AACo.3
At 22, Elizabeth married Richard Merchant, a sheep overseer with the AACo.4 They had at least 12 children before moving to Vacy and Paterson when Richard’s contract ended.
The couple became interested in the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). The LDS had established a presence in Australia as early as 1840, with a mission following in 1851. Many early Australian converts emigrated to Utah to help build the church.5
On 28 May 1856, Richard, Elizabeth and their six youngest children boarded the Jennie Ford to emigrate to Utah. According to a family record submitted to the LDS, Richard got cold feet and jumped overboard a mile from shore, swimming back to land. It may be more likely that he “jumped ship” before sailing. Whatever happened, the family was separated for the rest of their lives, with Elizabeth travelling to America with the six youngest children while Richard remained with the older children.
Elizabeth died in Beaver, Utah, on 10 June 1862.6 Her extraordinary journey had taken her from rural England to colonial Australia and ultimately across the world to America. Today, many of Elizabeth’s descendants are still living in Utah and Australia while descendants of her siblings continue to live in the Manning Valley and surrounds.
Author: Janine Roberts
This story was based on the research of K. G. Laycock, “Barnes: An Australian Agricultural Company Family”, unpublished MLit essay, University of New England, 1984. Forwarded by James Cross.
Additional references:
1 Born 9 June 1805, baptised 14 June 1805, Eastrop, Wiltshire. Ancestry.com, Church of England parish registers, baptisms, Highworth, Wiltshire, UK
2 K. G. Laycock: AACO records, A.B.L. 160/89, p 165.
3 The Present State of Australia, Robert Dawson, ESQ. Late chief of the AACo, 1831, 33. https://archive.org/details/presentstateofau00dawsiala/page/32/mode/2up?ref=ol
4 NSW BDM, marriage Index for Richard Merchant and Elizabeth Barnes, Hexham, No. 4203/1827 V18274203
5 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/facts-statistics/australia?lang=eng
6 Ancestry.com. U.S., Cemetery Index from Selected States, 1847-2010 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/201701007/elizabeth-merchant
