#52ancestors #week1 #first

My ancestors came to South Australia from various parts of England, Scotland, with some originally from Ireland. The first of those to arrive were Charles and Susan West who arrived aboard the Prince Regent in 1839 with children Maria and Robert in tow [1].
Some sources suggest four children travelling with the family, though I have only found accurate reference and record for Robert and Maria. It is entirely possible any other children may not have survived the journey, or life in the new colony, and died before accurate records were kept.
They departed London on June 6, and arrived in Port Adelaide on September 25 1839. The state of South Australia was not yet three years old when they disembarked. The first Proclamation Day occurred on Dec 28 1836[2].  I often wonder what their first impressions of their new home was. Many people will have been living in tents, and other temporary dwellings. The streets unpaved; muddy and slippery in the wetter months, dry and dusty in the summer months.
Charles is listed as being a gardener. He has not left a large footprint to follow. Did he work establishing gardens for the city, or in stately homes? Despite his tender age at the time of arrival, son Robert (about 7 years old) is listed as a farmer. Perhaps Charles found occupation farming, and growing food for the new Colony.
The paper trail they leave is scant. Charles and Susan were apparently married in Ireland, and until I stumbled across the obituary of Maria Hall (nee West) I had no idea of where to begin looking[3]. Maria’s obituary tells us she was born in County Wicklow, Ireland. Susan’s maiden name is currently ‘Unknown’.  In keeping with their small footprint, Charles and Susan are buried in West Terrace Cemetery in an unmarked grave[4].

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[1] State Library of South Australia. ‘Bound for South Australia’

[2] Adelaidia. ‘The Proclamation’ http://adelaidia.sa.gov.au/subjects/the-proclamation. accessed Jan 4 201

[3] Obituaries – Maria Hall. Critic, Adelaide SA: 1897 – 1924. Wednesday 21 Nov 1917. Page 6

[4] Adelaide Cemeteries Authority, ‘Charles West’, http”//www.aca.sa.gov/records. Accessed Jan 4, 2019.