John Phillipps

This comes from Tomothy Sullivan's Web page:
http://www.timothysullivan.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87:john-phillipps-jr&catid=82&Itemid=474



 

This article is about John Phillipps, son of John Phillipps and wife Maria (nee Rundle), who was born in Cornwall , married Maria Anna Grose Wearne, and migrated to South Australia with his young family in 1854. The John Phillipps family is closely connected to the Timothy Sullivan family, as both John and Timothy's wives were sisters, and two of Timothy's sons maried two of John's daughters, their cousins

The article is largely based on a personal letter from John Phillipps written in Ballarat to his son Arthur Edwin Phillipps towards the end of John's life.

JOHN PHILLIPPS (1820 - 1905) AND WIFE MARY ANNA GROSE (WEARNE) (1824 - 1900)

John Phillipps senior, the father of the John Phillipps of this article, married Maria Rundle in St Clements Church Truro on 02/02/1820. Their family, all born in the same house, is as follows:

  • Henry baptised (24/07/1820) at St Clements Church Town near Truro Cornwall, who eventually died on 24/11/1843 in Hong Kong China.
  • Ann baptised (04/05/1822), and who died when about 2 years old.
  • Elizabeth baptised 01/01/1824,  and who died in New Zealand aged about 66.
  • Mary Ann baptised 04/03/1826. See link here.
  • And John, baptised on 30/06/1828 at St Clements Church Town near Truro Cornwall.

Little is known of John Phillipps childhood other than it was apparently a  happy boyhood. Quoting from the above mentioned letter:

"Often in my imagination I am home in my boyhood again, making small boats, fishing for crabs and eels, or rowing on the river, and out in the fields looking for birds nests or under a gas lamp in the evenings playing Jack of All Trades. It seems such a short time ago to look back, but now all these scenes have passed away for ever....."

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John Phillipps junior married Mary Hannah (Anna /Ann) Grose Wearne on 25/12/1849 in the Parish Church of St Ives Cornwall, repeating the tradition of his grandfather's Christmas marriage. John is described as a miner of St Ives, with his father John Phillipps a maltster. Father in law Richard Wearne is described as a carpenter, allthough at the time of the marriage he was deceased.

The Phillipps had two children born in Cornwall:
  • Mary Phillipps was born in Camborne on 28-11-1850.
  • Edwin John was also born in Camborne on 12-08-1853, and subsequently died on the voyage to Australia on 20-02-1854 and was buried at sea at Longtitude West 22 degrees and Lattitude North 4 degrees.
The emigrant Phillipps family arrived in Port Adelaide on the “Time  & Truth” arriving Port Adelaide 08/05/1854, John aged 25, Mary aged 29. After a short time in Adelaide where they lived in King William St they moved to the copper mine at Burra where John presumably continued his profession as a miner. At Kooringa (part of Burra) daughter Hannah Maria Phillipps was born on 19-03-1855, although no official birth record has yet been found. About 10 months later the family left Burra and moved to Victoria, where :
  • Elizabeth Ellen was born in Ballarat on on 27-02-1858 and subsequently died on 12-02-1859 and was buried in the Ballarat Old Cemetery.
  • Arthur Edwin Henry Phillipps was born in Ballarat on
  • John Rundle Phillipps was born in Ballarat on 12-04-1865 and subsequently died on 30-09-1871 and was also buried Ballarat Old Cemetery

It is uncertain when John Phillipps ceased being a miner and took up his profession as a cooper.Various Ballarat directories list him as a cooper at Barkly St East Ballarat adjacent to the Synagogue from the early 1860s through to the mid 1880s

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John and Mary Anna Grose Wearne Phillipps around 1880
Photo courtesy Mrs C Griffin

Mary Anna Grose Phillipps died in 1900.

John Phillips died aged 80 at Ballarat East in 1908 (12487). He was buried in the Old Ballarat Cemetery in Area D, Section 3 Row 1 Grave 2 in the same grave as his infant son John Rundle Phillipps. There is no headstone remaining nor is their any headstone record held by the Ballarat Historical Society.


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As he wrote in his letter to his son Arthur :

"I am looking forward to the time when I meet my dear parents in Heaven where parting shall be no more and where we shall see our Blessed Saviour and be with Him for evermore."