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| Nov 19 2009, 10:38 PM EST (current) | KenTurvey | 4 words added, 6 words deleted |
| Nov 19 2009, 10:34 PM EST | KenTurvey | 1298 words added |
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Thomas Turvey CLARK - Illegitimate son of Eliza Turvey and John Clark - research by Mark St Leon
On 15 July 1860, Eliza Turvey, formerly Redman [or Redmayne], the wife of Thomas Turvey, bore John Clark a son, ironically christened Thomas Turvey Clark. The birth of this child was not registered although its baptism was recorded in the register of the Anglican Church in Wagga Wagga. The child was baptised by the Rev Richard W. Young on 14 August 1860, less than eighteen months after the same minister had officiated at the wedding of John Clark and Ann Varney.
Eliza Turvey [c1822-1885] had married Thomas Turvey [c1800-1889] by banns at Dabee, near Bathurst, on 1 October 1842. During the 1850s the Turveys moved to Wagga Wagga, and Turvey took up a farm within sight of the township. In 1861 he went into the hotel business, purchasing the Hope Inn (later known as the Bridge Hotel) at South Wagga Wagga. But it seems that a twenty-two year age difference accounted for a growing lack of interest between Mr and Mrs Turvey.
Then, on 10 August 1873, Thomas Turvey Clark died. Various tragic accounts were given of Tom’s death in the country, one that he fell down a well, another that he died from eating mushrooms! According to Gladys Lewis, his death occurred while the family was ‘on a picnic in the country’, but a contemporary issue of the Wagga Wagga Advertiser recorded it differently:
Melancholy Accident: On Saturday afternoon last a sad accident occurred near the Cross Roads, whereby a son of Mr John Clark, of the Criterion Hotel, met his death. The boy was about fourteen years of age, and was subject to fits, induced it was thought by his medical attendant at the time, Dr Morgan, by eating poisonous fungi. He had been sent for change to a Mrs McCarthy residing near the Cross Roads, and on the day in question was, it appears, unknown to her, playing about a sawpit which contained little more than a foot of water. While there it would appear he was attacked by a fit, and must have fallen into the water and have been suffocated. His body was found by a little girl, who with Mrs McCarthy was searching for him, his head being entirely under water. An inquest was held on Monday, a report of which appears elsewhere, and a verdict in accordance with these facts returned.
An inquest was held at the Commercial Hotel before the District Coroner, Mr F.A.Tompson, ‘upon the body of Thomas Clark’ and the occasion was extensively reported in both of the town’s newspapers. The Wagga Wagga Advertiser of 13 August 1873 reported ....
.. The deceased, who had been a lad of imbecile mind and subject to fits, had been sent by his father in April last, to Mr McCarthy’s place, about twenty miles from Wagga with the view of his being taken care of. The poor boy was in the habit of playing about the place and it seems that he was carefully watched because of his liability at any time to be seized with a fit. On the day in question, however, he was missed and on search being made he was found lying on his back, dead in the sawpit, which contained only about a foot of water. From the tracks of his feet it is supposed that he had gone on top of the pit and being seized with a fit, fell into the shallow water, where he was suffocated. Dr Wren, who made a post-mortem examination of the body, gave it as his opinion that death had been caused by asphyxia, through the boy falling into the shallow water while in a fit. There were no external marks of violence on the body other than such slight bruises as might have been occasioned by the fall. A verdict in accordance with the evidence was returned and an order given for the interment which took place in Wagga Cemetery on Monday afternoon, shortly after the inquest ...
Clark had taken care to see that the death of Ada Louisa and the birth of John Milner were registered but neglected, probably intentionally, to register the death of Tom, neither under the name of ‘Turvey’ nor of ‘Clark’.
It is unlikely that any headstone was ever erected over young Tommy Turvey’s grave in the Wagga Wagga cemetery.
The status of ‘Tommy’ in relation to the Clark and Turvey families is not quite clear while Clark’s fatherhood of the illegitimate child was hardly any secret in Wagga Wagga, a town which had a population of only 1,800 in 1871. In the Wagga Wagga Public School register Tom’s name name was always entered as ‘Thomas Clark’ and the name of John Clark was given as his parent. A picture of the boy, in the possession of the Lewises, may have been arranged by old Turvey himself as it shows an alsatian sitting at Tom’s heels. However, when Eliza Turvey died in 1885, George Turvey, the nephew of Thomas Turvey who provided the details for Eliza’s death certificate, recorded, whether through ignorance or respect, that she had ‘no issue’. How Tom was treated in the presence of Mrs Varney, Clark’s mother-in-law, was not recorded.
Who was actually buried in the Turvey Family Vault? Research by Ken Turvey.
From the Turvey Vault inspection report in 1941, it describes the skeletons of three persons other than an adult male (Thomas). The report is rather sketchy and I doubt if any examination was conducted by a medical practitioner on the remains.
It describes a "small leaden casket, intact, from which the wooden surrounds has decayed away. This apparently contains the remains of an infant." Thomas Turvey Clark was 13 when he died. Depending on the size of the casket, this may or may not have been the body of Thomas Turvey Clark.
Sherry Morris however describes; It was rumoured that Turvey had been greatly distressed over the death of his much loved daughter and had become mentally unbalanced and this caused him to spend many years of his life in a daily vigil of the burial place of his daughter.
I have not found any evidence thus far that Thomas and/or Eliza had a daughter, however this is not to say that this was not the case. It is possible that he did have a daughter and may have died in infancy or during childbirth and not been recorded. This daughter may have been the remains of the infant described in the report.
The next body was described as follows; "A skull, together with a few other human bones, and concluded to be the remains of Elizabeth Turvey by reason of the fact that the skull is smaller than the skull of the adult male referred to above".
This would appear to be an assumption to be a female, and being Eliza, rather than a conclusion. The smaller scull may have been the body of Thomas Turvey Clark or the mysterious daughter
The next body was described as; "Portions of the skull of a female with a very small number of other bones"
This would also appear to be an assumption to be a female, if Eliza's skull was not reported to be specifically female. This also could have been the skull of Eliza, an older daughter or 13 year old Thomas Turvey Clark.
Conclusion
It may be assumed that at least the bodies of Thomas and Eliza were buried in the vault as this is well documented, however it is impossible to determine beyond doubt who the other two bodies were.
ItThey may be assumed that they are of Thomas Turvey Clark andand/or an unknown daughter of Thomas and/or Eliza.
We will probably never know for sure.
On 15 July 1860, Eliza Turvey, formerly Redman [or Redmayne], the wife of Thomas Turvey, bore John Clark a son, ironically christened Thomas Turvey Clark. The birth of this child was not registered although its baptism was recorded in the register of the Anglican Church in Wagga Wagga. The child was baptised by the Rev Richard W. Young on 14 August 1860, less than eighteen months after the same minister had officiated at the wedding of John Clark and Ann Varney.
Eliza Turvey [c1822-1885] had married Thomas Turvey [c1800-1889] by banns at Dabee, near Bathurst, on 1 October 1842. During the 1850s the Turveys moved to Wagga Wagga, and Turvey took up a farm within sight of the township. In 1861 he went into the hotel business, purchasing the Hope Inn (later known as the Bridge Hotel) at South Wagga Wagga. But it seems that a twenty-two year age difference accounted for a growing lack of interest between Mr and Mrs Turvey.
Then, on 10 August 1873, Thomas Turvey Clark died. Various tragic accounts were given of Tom’s death in the country, one that he fell down a well, another that he died from eating mushrooms! According to Gladys Lewis, his death occurred while the family was ‘on a picnic in the country’, but a contemporary issue of the Wagga Wagga Advertiser recorded it differently:
Melancholy Accident: On Saturday afternoon last a sad accident occurred near the Cross Roads, whereby a son of Mr John Clark, of the Criterion Hotel, met his death. The boy was about fourteen years of age, and was subject to fits, induced it was thought by his medical attendant at the time, Dr Morgan, by eating poisonous fungi. He had been sent for change to a Mrs McCarthy residing near the Cross Roads, and on the day in question was, it appears, unknown to her, playing about a sawpit which contained little more than a foot of water. While there it would appear he was attacked by a fit, and must have fallen into the water and have been suffocated. His body was found by a little girl, who with Mrs McCarthy was searching for him, his head being entirely under water. An inquest was held on Monday, a report of which appears elsewhere, and a verdict in accordance with these facts returned.
An inquest was held at the Commercial Hotel before the District Coroner, Mr F.A.Tompson, ‘upon the body of Thomas Clark’ and the occasion was extensively reported in both of the town’s newspapers. The Wagga Wagga Advertiser of 13 August 1873 reported ....
.. The deceased, who had been a lad of imbecile mind and subject to fits, had been sent by his father in April last, to Mr McCarthy’s place, about twenty miles from Wagga with the view of his being taken care of. The poor boy was in the habit of playing about the place and it seems that he was carefully watched because of his liability at any time to be seized with a fit. On the day in question, however, he was missed and on search being made he was found lying on his back, dead in the sawpit, which contained only about a foot of water. From the tracks of his feet it is supposed that he had gone on top of the pit and being seized with a fit, fell into the shallow water, where he was suffocated. Dr Wren, who made a post-mortem examination of the body, gave it as his opinion that death had been caused by asphyxia, through the boy falling into the shallow water while in a fit. There were no external marks of violence on the body other than such slight bruises as might have been occasioned by the fall. A verdict in accordance with the evidence was returned and an order given for the interment which took place in Wagga Cemetery on Monday afternoon, shortly after the inquest ...
Clark had taken care to see that the death of Ada Louisa and the birth of John Milner were registered but neglected, probably intentionally, to register the death of Tom, neither under the name of ‘Turvey’ nor of ‘Clark’.
It is unlikely that any headstone was ever erected over young Tommy Turvey’s grave in the Wagga Wagga cemetery.
The status of ‘Tommy’ in relation to the Clark and Turvey families is not quite clear while Clark’s fatherhood of the illegitimate child was hardly any secret in Wagga Wagga, a town which had a population of only 1,800 in 1871. In the Wagga Wagga Public School register Tom’s name name was always entered as ‘Thomas Clark’ and the name of John Clark was given as his parent. A picture of the boy, in the possession of the Lewises, may have been arranged by old Turvey himself as it shows an alsatian sitting at Tom’s heels. However, when Eliza Turvey died in 1885, George Turvey, the nephew of Thomas Turvey who provided the details for Eliza’s death certificate, recorded, whether through ignorance or respect, that she had ‘no issue’. How Tom was treated in the presence of Mrs Varney, Clark’s mother-in-law, was not recorded.
Who was actually buried in the Turvey Family Vault? Research by Ken Turvey.
From the Turvey Vault inspection report in 1941, it describes the skeletons of three persons other than an adult male (Thomas). The report is rather sketchy and I doubt if any examination was conducted by a medical practitioner on the remains.
It describes a "small leaden casket, intact, from which the wooden surrounds has decayed away. This apparently contains the remains of an infant." Thomas Turvey Clark was 13 when he died. Depending on the size of the casket, this may or may not have been the body of Thomas Turvey Clark.
Sherry Morris however describes; It was rumoured that Turvey had been greatly distressed over the death of his much loved daughter and had become mentally unbalanced and this caused him to spend many years of his life in a daily vigil of the burial place of his daughter.
I have not found any evidence thus far that Thomas and/or Eliza had a daughter, however this is not to say that this was not the case. It is possible that he did have a daughter and may have died in infancy or during childbirth and not been recorded. This daughter may have been the remains of the infant described in the report.
The next body was described as follows; "A skull, together with a few other human bones, and concluded to be the remains of Elizabeth Turvey by reason of the fact that the skull is smaller than the skull of the adult male referred to above".
This would appear to be an assumption to be a female, and being Eliza, rather than a conclusion. The smaller scull may have been the body of Thomas Turvey Clark or the mysterious daughter
The next body was described as; "Portions of the skull of a female with a very small number of other bones"
This would also appear to be an assumption to be a female, if Eliza's skull was not reported to be specifically female. This also could have been the skull of Eliza, an older daughter or 13 year old Thomas Turvey Clark.
Conclusion
It may be assumed that at least the bodies of Thomas and Eliza were buried in the vault as this is well documented, however it is impossible to determine beyond doubt who the other two bodies were.
ItThey may be assumed that they are of Thomas Turvey Clark andand/or an unknown daughter of Thomas and/or Eliza.
We will probably never know for sure.
