John Robert Manfield
and
Margaret Ellet Simpson
John Robert Manfield was born in 1833, the son of George Manfield and Sarah Ray of Nailsea, Somerset, England. George and Sarah had married at Easton-in-Gordano in Somerset on 28 July 1828 (http://freespace.virgin.net/paul.mansfield1/famtree.txt). John was christened in Holy Trinity, Nailsea on 29 December 1833.
With his brother, James Samuel Manfield, he sailed to Australia on the ship Sultana in 1855. The brothers arrived in Australia when the gold rush was at its height. They went first to the Turon Valley, north of Bathurst, NSW which had been very rich in gold finds in the early 1850s but was quickly exhausted. The brothers went to the Buckland Valley area in Victoria. They were among the first white men to climb to the top of Mt Buffalo making their ascent via what later became known as Goldie Spur. Their ascent took them close to the foot of the Horn. Locating a huge rock as suitable for camping purposes they made camp. Next day they climbed the Horn, and spent three days exploring the mountain top. In 1856 James and John conducted a party of thirty miners to the top and in the years that followed took many parties up this track and thus began the long years of guiding by this family on Mt Buffalo.
On 8 January 1862, a little over a year after the marriage of his brother to a daughter of William Simpson, John married another daughter, Margaret Elett Simpson. The marriage took place in Beechworth, Victoria. Their children were:
- Eliza Manfield (1863-unknown)
- William Manfield (1864-1907)
- Daisy Emily Manfield (1867-unknown)
- Sarah Manfield (1867-unknown)
- Walter Manfield (1869-unknown)
John Manfield died at Buckland, Victoria, on 17 August 1868 of pleuro-pneumonia at the age of only 34. After his death, life must have been very difficult for John's young widow trying to support a young family. The youngest child was reported to have been born in the Benevolent Asylum and the reported date of birth of the youngest child is more than one year after John's death.
Six years later, his widow Margaret remarried. Her second husband was John Laurie Jones. Details about Margaret's later life and death are not known.
Some of the above information was provided by Kathy Jackson. Anyone who can add to this information about John Manfield or Margaret Simpson and their family is invited to contact FamilyOrigins network.
