James Greenwood (1778 – 1831) and Ann Gardner (1780 – 1850) were married in 1801, in Newgate, England. They arrived in NSW on the ship ‘Friends’ in 1811, as free settlers. James and Ann had three children John (1805 – 1872), James (1807 – 1884) and William (1812 – 1867). William was a ‘Currency Lad’ having been born in Australia, whereas John and James, born in England, were ‘Sterling’ Lads.
John Greenwood (1805 – 1872).
John Greenwood married Mary Ann Pickering (1818 -1889) in 1833 in Sydney and they had ten children; John Charles (1834-1913), James (1836 – 1908), William (1838 – 1891), Mary Ann (1840 –1907), Thomas (1841 –1923), Catherine (1843 – 1862), Edward (1846 – 1914), Alfred Gardiner (1848 – 1938), Rosetta (1851 – 1851) and Henry (1853 – 1924).
In November 1872 the Evening News1Evening News (Sydney, NSW: 1869 – 1931) Tue 5 Nov 1872 Page 2 Family Notices published a notice advising of the death ‘On the 24th October, at his late residence, Redbank, Araluen, [of] John Greenwood, an old resident of Ashfield, near Sydney, aged 67 years.’ John and Mary Ann are at rest in the Araluen Church of England Cemetery.
John’s son William (1838 – 1891) married Helen Ellen Summers (1844 – 1923) in 1863 and they had eleven children. William and Helen’s son George (1869 – 1916) enlisted in WWI under the name of George Smith and was killed in action in France, on 19 July 1916. At 46 years old, George Greenwood is one of the oldest known Australians to die at Fromelles, which, with more than 5,500 Australian casualties, is believed to be the largest loss by a single division in twenty-four hours in all of World War I. William’s probate notice details that he was a gold miner in Araluen in July 1891.
John’s son Alfred Gardiner (Alf) (1848 – 1938) was known as ‘Dad’ to the younger generation. Alf married Margaret Salmons (1842 – 1924) in 1868. He lived about 50 metres on the Moruya side of the Araluen Arms Hotel and was a legendary horseman who, it was claimed, could never be thrown from a buckjumper. On one occasion he is understood to have had two shillings and sixpence in change thrown from his waist-coat pocket while riding a particularly rough horse, though he was not unseated from the saddle. Alf Greenwood died in 1938 at the age of 90 years and is at rest in the Araluen Church of England Cemetery.
James Greenwood (1807 – 1884).
James married Mary McClure (1822 -1892) in 1857 in Braidwood and they had two children. James (1859 – 1939) and Alice (1860 – 1948). Alice married Samuel Swindells in 1886 in Sydney.
William Greenwood (1812- 1867)
William Greenwood was born in Sydney. William’s future wife Margaret Shanahan arrived in Australia in 1833 as a convict on the Caroline. William and Margaret were married in 1840 at Bungendore.
Margaret and William had 11 children: Mary, Ann, Margaret, Ellen, Johannah, Catherine, William, James I, John, James II and Bridget.
William spent many years in the Araluen area. He opened the second pub at Bells Creek in 1852, and in 1860 he owned the Currency Lad pub at Crown Flat, Araluen. Like many at the time, he worked several occupations and it was while working as a sawyer in 1867 he had a fatal accident ‘driving a horse and cart, when he came in contact with a stump. He was sitting on the cart, and his leg came in violent contact with the stump, being pulled over it and very much crushed.‘2Goulburn Herald and Chronicle (NSW : 1864 – 1881), Saturday July 6 1867, page 4 3FindaGrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/104908418/william-greenwood Accessed 19 February 2024
William’s daughter Ellen Greenwood married Michael Madigan in 1865 at Braidwood. In 1867 Michael and Ellen were living at Bourketown, where Michael was listed as an innkeeper of the Currency Lass (1867 to 1872), at Bourketown, Upper Araluen.
By December 1872 Ellen had given birth to three children at Araluen: Mary, Morgan and Catherine (known as Kate). Another three, Annie, Margaret and Michael, were born between 1874 and 1881, after they had moved to Majors Creek.
In 1882 Michael Madigan, by then a goldminer, died at Majors Creek from pleuro-pneumonia. In 1887 the family were back in Araluen when 5 year old Michael died of a cancerous growth in the throat and was buried at Braidwood. Ellen died in 1909 and was buried in Waverley Cemetery.
References
Myles Hannan, Where were they and what were they doing in 1872? Triple D Books, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2007, pp 47 – 53, and 61-63