Article U - Found Drowned

The Story Behind a Newspaper Verdict

Selina Wheeler Crump Jones  •  c.1834–1899

 This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (#AtoZChallenge), where I’m exploring historical newspaper clippings—one story at a time—through my series “Behind the Newsprint.”

The Clipping

The trail begins with a few column inches of newsprint. Buried on page four of The Herald of 27 July 1899, under YARRA VICTIMS, a short inquest report appeared:

 

“The Inquest on Selina Jones was first held. John Crocker gave evidence as to having seen the body floating down the river at Studley Park last Tuesday. Wm. Barton, laborer, said that deceased was his mother-in-law. She was 64 years of age, and at times was a little queer in her mind. She had been in the asylum. About a year ago she was taken away from the bank of the river by the police. Dr Neil deposed that death was due to drowning; there was a contusion on the temple. Christina Barton said that she last saw her mother alive at half-past ten last Monday evening, when she retired to her room. Next morning the front door was open, and the deceased was missing. A verdict of found drowned was returned, the jury adding that there was no evidence to show how she got into the water.”[i]

 What It Suggests

At first glance, this is a tragedy of its era: an elderly woman, mentally fragile, slips from her family’s care and is found dead in the Yarra. But the clipping is dense with suggestion. The same river bank, a year earlier. The open front door. A contusion on the temple. A woman discharged from an asylum just three months before. The newspaper tells us what happened. What it cannot tell us is why.

 Looking Closer

The woman the Herald calls “Selina Jones” carried several names across her lifetime. She was born Selina Wheeler in Gloucestershire, England, around 1834, and emigrated with her family to Port Phillip on the Himalaya in 1841.[ii] At sixteen she married Thomas Crump, a widower twice her age, at the Melbourne Wesleyan Church.[iii]  They had six children together. Thomas died in 1874,[iv] leaving Selina a widow at around forty, dependent on her eldest sons and later her daughter Christina and son-in-law William Barton.

On 23 August 1898, Selina was admitted to the Kew Asylum, brought in by police. The admission records describe her as suffering from Mania attributed to senility, and note she was displaying suicidal tendencies alongside hallucinations of both sight and hearing. She was discharged on 1 May 1899, deemed recovered.[v] She was dead within three months.

The coroner’s proceedings preserve what the newspaper did not print. Christina’s full statement reads:

“Deceased has been peculiar for some time past. She threatened a year ago to take her life. She had no injury to her head when she left home. She left 2 shillings behind her but no letter or note.”[vi]

What Lies Behind It

Selina’s story sits at the intersection of several silences Victorian records maintain with great consistency: the silence around women’s mental illness, and the silence around suicide. Victorian coroners and juries were deeply reluctant to record a suicide verdict; the stigma was religious, social, and practical. “Found drowned” was a merciful ambiguity, a way of acknowledging a death without pronouncing on its meaning.

Placed alongside each other, the records reveal a woman whose mental health had been deteriorating for at least a year, who had been hospitalised, discharged, and returned to a working-class household with limited means to care for her. She had made at least one previous approach to this same river. On the night of 24 July 1899 she retired to her room. Sometime before morning she left the house and walked to Studley Park.

The police report noted she still wore her gold wedding ring. She had carried it across a lifetime — from the Wesleyan Church in 1850, through six children and two widowhoods, through the Kew Asylum and back out again, to the Yarra on a winter’s night in 1899. The Herald gave her four sentences. The records give her back her name.

Reflection

Newspaper inquest reports are invaluable to family historians, but they reward careful handling. The Herald’s account is not inaccurate, but it is shaped by convention and column inches. Comparing it with the fuller coroner’s record reveals what was left out — the prior threat, the two shillings, the missing note — details that change the texture of the story entirely.

Newspapers open doors. Behind each door, there are more records.  And behind the records, if we look carefully enough, there is a person.

Selina Wheeler. Selina Crump. Selina Jones. Born in Gloucestershire, buried in Victoria. Found drowned, 25 July 1899.

Further reads

For those interested in learning more about Selina Wheeler’s profile on WikiTree.

Sources:

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[i] YARRA VICTIMS. (1899, July 27). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861–1954), p. 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article241855444

[ii] Ancestry, State Records Authority of New South Wales; Kingswood New South Wales, Australia; Persons on bounty ships arriving at Port Phillip (Agent's Immigrant Lists); Series: 5318; Reel: 2144; Item: [4/4814]     Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007.  Vessel: Himalaya, for passengers Rueben & Elizabeth Wheeler & their two children Selina & George.

[iii] Victoria, Australia Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages.; Marriage Certificate of Thomas Crump and Selina Wheeler, married 30 December 1850, Melbourne 2648/1848; citing Wesleyan(Methodist) marriages solemnized in Victoria between the years 1844 and 1853, nos 3474-3808

[iv] Registry of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Australia, Death Certificate Thomas Crump (Year 1874, Reference #4922

[v] Kew Mental Hospital Case Book entry for Selina Jones admitted 23 August 1898 discharged 1 May 1899 (recovered); Case Books of Female Patients (VPRS7397) 27/10/1896 - 09/08/1899 Image 586 unstamped and Image 589 stamped as 267  [research note – digital images are out of order relevant pages are Image 586 https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/A6E7714A-F4EE-11E9-AE98-7FEE6CC74622?image=586 & Image 589 https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/A6E7714A-F4EE-11E9-AE98-7FEE6CC74622?image=589  (of 894 images : accessed 9 July 2023))]

[vi] Selina Jones: Inquest Deposition File VPRS 24/P0000, 1899/876 ( https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/4D4F7B46-F1C0-11E9-AE98-2946BBD176C8/content?image=1 [10 images] : accessed 9 July 2023)

Article S - Advertising the Estate

What three newspaper notices reveal about Reuben Wheeler's will — and the daughter who had to fight for it

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (#AtoZChallenge), where I’m exploring historical newspaper clippings—one story at a time—through my series “Behind the Newsprint.”

The Clipping

Three short notices in The Argus newspaper, published over four months in 1874–75, seem at first to be routine legal announcements. They concern the will of Reuben Wheeler, a labourer from East Collingwood.

• 2 December 1874: Selina Crump of Hawthorn will apply for Probate of the will, described as “executrix according to the tenor” of the will. (The Argus, 2 Dec 1874, p. 7)
• 11 February 1875: The same Selina Crump will now apply for Administration of the estate with the will annexed. (The Argus, 11 Feb 1875, p. 7)
• 12 March 1875: A court list records that a grant was made in the will of Reuben Wheeler (estate valued at £70). (The Argus, 12 Mar 1875, p. 7)

The shift in legal language – from “probate” to “administration” – is subtle. But it tells a hidden story of loss, legal rigidity, and a daughter’s determination.

What It Suggests

At first glance, this looks like a routine estate settlement with a minor paperwork change. A labourer dies, a widow steps forward to manage his affairs, and the court eventually grants her the authority.

But the change of wording is unusual. Why would the same person first seek to be recognised as an “executrix” and then later as an “administrator”? To a layperson, it might seem like a typo or a lawyer’s whim. In fact, it signals a legal problem – one that the newspaper clippings alone cannot explain.

Looking Closer

To understand, we need to examine the actual will, the family, and the timeline of deaths.

The Family
Reuben Wheeler and his wife had two children:

• George (the eldest) – died young in 1865, around age 29, in Collingwood.
• Selina – the only surviving relative.

Selina married Thomas Crump, a brickmaker of Hawthorn. She became Selina Crump.

The Will (27 January 1870)
Reuben Wheeler left everything to his wife, and “at her decease to my Selina Crump absolutely, wife of Thomas Crump, Brickmaker, Hawthorn.” The will also named Thomas Crump as the executor.

Reuben could not read or write; he signed with a mark (“marksman”). His estate was modest: a narrow block of land on Napoleon Street, Collingwood (33ft frontage by 75ft depth) valued at £70. with two old sheds valued at just £3, plus a few pounds of furniture. Total value: £73. Against this stood a mortgage to the Oddfellows society of £30 and unpaid rates of £8, leaving a net balance of only £35.

The Lawyers
Selina Crump was represented by Wisewould and Gibbs, proctors of 10 Collins Street West, Melbourne. They were experienced; their change of approach was deliberate.

What Lies Behind It

Here is what each notice actually records.

The First Notice (Probate, Dec 1874)
With Thomas Crump dead, the will had no living executor. Wisewould and Gibbs attempted an argument: they claimed Selina Crump was “executrix according to the tenor” of the will. This is a legal doctrine used when a will does not explicitly name an executor, but the wording clearly implies a particular person should act. Selina was not only the sole beneficiary – she was Reuben’s only surviving child. The lawyers hoped the court would accept her as the implied executor.

The Second Notice (Administration, Feb 1875)
The argument failed (or was withdrawn). The law is clear: if a will names a specific executor and that person dies before probate, no one else can become “executor by tenor.” Even a daughter cannot override that rule. The correct legal remedy is Letters of Administration with the Will Annexed. This allows the court to appoint an administrator – here, Selina – to carry out the will’s terms. The second notice is the lawyers' correcting course.

The Third Notice (Mar 1875)
The court list uses “Probates” as a general heading for both probate and administration grants. The outcome was almost certainly Letters of Administration granted to Selina Crump, giving her the legal authority she needed to settle her father’s debts and take the net £35.

Behind the dry legal language lies a raw human story: a labourer who couldn’t write, a son who died young, a wife who predeceased her husband, a son-in-law named as executor who died too soon, and a daughter, Selina, who lost everyone and still had to fight through rigid probate rules to claim a tiny inheritance from her father’s two sheds and a mortgage.

The timeline tells the real story:

• 16 November 1865 – George, Reuben’s only son, dies young 9 Napoleon St, Collingwood East, Victoria, Australia.[i]
• 27 January 1870 – Reuben makes his will, naming Thomas Crump as executor.[ii]
• 9 July 1871 – Reuben’s wife dies in Napoleon Street, Collingwood.[iii]
• 19 July 1873 – Reuben Wheeler dies in Napoleon Street, Collingwood.[iv]
• 13 April 1874 – Thomas Crump (executor) dies in Finch Street, Hawthorn, before applying for probate.[v]
• 2 December 1874 – First notice in The Argus: Selina seeks probate as “executrix according to tenor.”[vi]
• 11 February 1875 – Second notice in The Argus: Selina seeks administration with will annexed.[vii]
• 6 March 1875 – Probate granted.[viii]  
• 11 March 1875 – Final notice in The Argus: Supreme Court grants representation; estate valued at £70.[ix]

These dates, stacked together, show the shifting sands of reality – each death changing the legal landscape, each notice a desperate attempt to keep up.

Reflection

As a family historian, I have a mental tick list. When I find a death certificate, I check for: cause of death, place of burial, and informant’s name. When I find a land record, I look for mortgages, witnesses, and neighbours. And when I find probate notices in newspapers, which appear after most deaths, I collect them, file them, and move on. I assume I know what they say.

This time, I looked closer.

The first notice said “probate” and “executrix according to the tenor.” The second  said “administration” and “will annexed.” I almost skimmed past the difference. But because I paused, because I asked why the wording changed, I uncovered a story the newspaper never intended to tell.

Newspapers omit things. Sometimes, by choice, they have limited space, and legal notices are printed as cheaply as possible. Sometimes by design, they report only what the court requires to be made public, not the human drama behind it. The Argus did not tell me that Reuben Wheeler’s son George, died young, leaving Selina as the only surviving child. It did not tell me that Thomas Crump, the named executor, died before he could act. It did not tell me that Selina was Reuben’s daughter, not just a random widow.

I had to find those details in death certificates, wills, and family records. The newspaper gave me the skeleton: three dates, three notices, three shifts in language. I had to put the flesh back on.

The lesson is this: never assume a document says what you think it says. A probate notice is not just a probate notice. It is a clue. And the most valuable clues are the ones that make you stop and ask, “Why is this different?”

Newspapers are imperfect witnesses. But if we read them slowly, sceptically, and with curiosity, they will lead us to the records that tell the real story.

For those interested in learning more about Reuben Wheeler & Selina Wheeler see his profile on WikiTree.

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[i] Index entry for George WHEELER(29), Year: 1865, Victoria Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages Death Index Reg. Number: 8445 / 1865 [Parents: Reuben and Elizabeth THOMAS; Spouse; Death Place: ; Birth Place: GLOU]

[ii] Reuben Wheeler’s Will, 27 Jan 1870, Public Record Office Victoria(Australia) citing VPRS 7591/P0002, 12/805. Retrieved April 18, 2026, from https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/86930C6D-F530-11E9-AE98-73E78F3F3E0D?image=4

[iii] Death Certificate Elizabeth Wheeler(69), 9 July 1871, Victoria Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages, Reg. Number: 5889 / 1871

[iv] Death Certificate Rueben Wheeler(72), 19 July 1873, Victoria Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages, Reg. Number: 6484 /1873

[v] Death Certificate Thomas Crump(59), 13 Apr 1874, Victoria Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages Reg. Number: 4922 / 1874

[vi] Advertising (1874, December 2). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 7. Retrieved April 18, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11508425

[vii] Advertising (1875, February 11). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 7. Retrieved April 18, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11511974

[viii] Reuben Wheeler’s Probate, date of Grant of Administration, 6 March 1875, Public Record Office Victoria(Australia) citing VPRS 28/P0000, 12/805 & Reuben Wheeler’s Probate, date of Grant of Will, 6 March 1875, Public Record Office Victoria(Australia) citing VPRS 28/P0000, 12/805

[ix] SITTINGS IN EQUITY. (1875, March 12). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 7. Retrieved April 18, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11513597

D is for Departure & Disembarking

Today, we focus on the letter D, which stands for Disembarking. This post focuses again on my 4th great-grandparents, Reuben Wheeler and his wife Elizabeth (née Thomas), and their two young children Selina (my 3rd great-grandmother) and George, who arrived on the Himalaya.  We have already explored the Bounty Scheme that brought the Wheeler family to Australia, but what happened immediately before and after they arrived?

For 118 days, nearly four months, the Himalaya had been the Wheelers' entire world.ⁱ Even before their voyage began, there had been challenges. The ship had originally been scheduled to depart on 27 September 1841, according to an Australian newspaper.ⁱⁱ However, rough weather and contrary winds in October (notably around the 11th and 23rd) forced the Himalaya to turn back to Deal and later to the Downs.^iiiivv These delays meant the ship reached Plymouth later than expected, leaving the Wheelers to adjust their plans multiple times before finally boarding.

For many immigrants of the time, their transfer to and from shore was a jarring experience. Typically, passengers would carefully descend or ascend rope ladders or transfer platforms, clutching whatever personal belongings they could manage.

In 1841, passengers would typically not board large oceangoing vessels directly from a pier, even in London. They would have been transported to the ship via smaller boats (lighters or tenders) while the main vessel was anchored in deeper water, such as Plymouth Sound or the Cattewater estuary. The Himalaya would likely have been anchored in Plymouth Sound, a deep-water bay that served as a key departure point for ocean-going vessels.

After their long voyage, the Wheelers finally arrived in Australia on February 26, 1842. But their challenges were far from over. Before 1851, immigrant ships arriving in Victoria, Australia, anchored in Hobson’s Bay, as they were too large to cross the mud bar at the mouth of the Yarra River. Passengers were then transferred to shore using smaller, shallow-bottomed boats called lighters. Families with young children or elderly members faced particular challenges, navigating the precarious move from the towering immigrant ship to the small, rocking lighter. The wind might have whipped across Hobson's Bay, adding to the already tense atmosphere of arrival. Boatmen would call out, competing for passengers, while immigrants like the Wheelers would have been acutely aware that this moment marked their definitive departure from their old life and the beginning of their uncertain new adventure in Australia.

Cox, H. L. (Henry L., Bourchier, T., McHugh, P. H., & Great Britain. Hydrographic Department. (1866). Victoria-Australia, Port Phillip. Hobson Bay and River Yarra leading to Melbourne [cartographic material] / surveyed by H.L. Cox ; assisted by Thos. Bourchier & P.H. McHugh, 1864 ; engraved by J. & C. Walker. London: Published by the Admiralty. Admiralty Map of Published 1865 -State Library of Victoria https://find.slv.vic.gov.au/permalink/61SLV_INST/1sev8ar/alma9913647073607636

The above map is a British Admiralty nautical chart depicting the configuration of Port Phillip, including Hobson’s Bay and the Yarra River leading to Melbourne. It details the coastline's slopes, water depths, and built soundings on shore.

As one contemporary observer described the experience:

“We have to pass through the purgatory of Hobson's Bay, through boatmen, lightermen, wharfingers — all clutching at our very life with their unheard-of demands ; and escaping them, we fell into the hands of the Melbourne tradesmen.”^vi

The Wheelers would have climbed down into a lighter, which then ferried them to the beach. From there, they likely had to walk, as hiring a boat to travel further up the Yarra was costly. Fares were regulated by a Waterman's Licence and enforced by the Water Police Office.

According to the Port Phillip Gazette (March 26, 1842), fares for such services ranged from 1 shilling 6 pence per person for groups of two to six passengers.^vii It is unclear whether the immigration scheme covered this cost, or if passengers had to pay themselves.

Many passengers alighted at Sandridge, and assisted immigrants like the Wheelers may have been more likely to come ashore here than on the Yarra, possibly due to lower costs.^viii This practice would have been common in the 1840s when the Wheelers arrived, as the Railway Pier (later known as Station Pier) wasn't constructed until 1854. The Wheelers' experience of stepping onto Australian soil for the first time at Sandridge would have been shared by countless other immigrants, marking the beginning of their new lives in the colony.

Useful Links for Background

This April, as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (#AtoZChallenge), where I’m sharing my ancestor's travel stories—one letter at a time. From long voyages by sea to overland treks, each post will focus on the journeys themselves—the routes they took, the challenges they faced, and the experiences along the way.

WikiTree Links:

• WikiTree profile for Reuben Wheeler

• WikiTree profile for Elizabeth (Thomas) Wheeler

• WikiTree profile for Selina (Wheeler) Jones aka Crump

• WikiTree profile for George Wheeler

Related Posts

To see information concerning the Himalaya see my previous post in this series B is for Bounty Scheme. 

Blog Post Meta Data

The URL for this post is https://ancestralresearchjournal.blogspot.com/2025/04/d-is-for-departure-disembarking.html originally published 4 April 2025.

Author 2025, Sandra Williamson

Sources:

i   From 31 October 1841 to 26 February 1842, there are 118 days.

ii   1841 'Commercial and Marine.', Port Phillip Gazette (Vic. : 1838 - 1845), 27 October, p. 3. , viewed 17 Mar 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article225011626

iii "SHIP NEWS." Standard, 12 Oct. 1841. British Library Newspapers, link-gale-com.ezproxy.slv.vic.gov.au/apps/doc/R3212169883/BNCN?u=slv&sid=bookmark-BNCN&xid=6a2f6bc7. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

“...DEAL, Oct. 11.- It blew very hard last night from SSW, during the which a Swedish brig was totally wrecked on the Goodwin Sand-seven of the crew reported to be save. The York Packet, for New Zealand lost an anchor and cable during the night, and has been supplied. The vessel on the Goodwin Sand is reported to be Carl Robert, from Hull-three of the crew drowned … Put back, Himalya, for Port Phillip ….”

iv  "SHIP NEWS." Standard, 12 Oct. 1841. British Library Newspapers, link-gale-com.ezproxy.slv.vic.gov.au/apps/doc/R3212169883/BNCN?u=slv&sid=bookmark-BNCN&xid=6a2f6bc7. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

“...DEAL, Oct. 11.- It blew very hard last night from SSW, during the which a Swedish brig was totally wrecked on the Goodwin Sand-seven of the crew reported to be save. The York Packet, for New Zealand lost an anchor and cable during the night, and has been supplied. The vessel on the Goodwin Sand is reported to be Carl Robert, from Hull-three of the crew drowned … Put back, Himalya, for Port Phillip ….”

v  "Marine Intelligence." Newcastle Journal, 23 Oct. 1841, p. 3. British Library Newspapers, link-gale-com.ezproxy.slv.vic.gov.au/apps/doc/GR3216159473/BNCN?u=slv&sid=bookmark-BNCN&xid=c5952447. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

“We have had but trifling arrivals today; and no sailings The Himalaya, Burns, of this port, has put back to the Downs. Several vessels have been dtained, outward bound in the Channel for the last few days by contrary winds.”

vi  Howitt, William, 1858, ”Land, labour, and gold; or, Two years in Victoria. With visits to Sydney and Van Diemen's Land p.169 (accessed https://archive.org/embed/landlabourgoldor00howirich : 27 March 2025)

vii  1842 'Advertising', Port Phillip Gazette (Vic. : 1838 - 1845), 26 March, p. 1. , viewed 27 Mar 2025, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article225008716

viii  Barnard, Jill. Jetties and Piers – A Background History of Maritime Infrastructure in Victoria. Vol. Part Two Thematic history of maritime infrastructure. The Heritage Council of Victoria, 2008. (accessed https://livinghistories.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Jetties-ONL-Part-2-Chp-1_3.pdf : 27 March 2025)

B is for Bounty Scheme

As part of my Blogging from A to Z Challenge this April, I'm exploring stories of migration that shaped my family's history—one letter at a time. Today's focus is on 'B,' for the Bounty Scheme that brought my ancestors from England to Australia.

Gloucestershire, England

In 1841, Bisley, Gloucestershire, was a village in crisis.ⁱ The collapse of its once-thriving wool and cloth industry had plunged countless families into poverty, leaving nearly 200 houses abandoned.ⁱⁱ

Among those struggling to survive were my 4th great-grandparents, Reuben Wheeler and his wife Elizabeth (née Thomas), their two young children Selina (my 3rd great-grandmother) and George, and a 14-year-old lodger named Peter Aldridge.ⁱⁱⁱ Remarkably, young Peter was the sole breadwinner in their household, as no occupation was listed for Reuben in the Census. For families like the Wheelers, this harsh reality was all too common across rural England.

Faced with economic despair, families like the Wheelers turned to emigration as their only hope for survival. The Bounty Scheme, an assisted immigration program to New South Wales, offered them a chance at a new beginning.

Assisted immigration programs were created to help people migrate to Australian colonies by subsidising or fully covering their passage costs.^iv v These schemes addressed labour shortages in the colonies while giving families who couldn’t afford migration a chance at a new life. One such program was the Bounty System.^vi Under this scheme, private sponsors, like employers or shipping agents, paid for immigrants’ passages upfront.^vii 

Upon arrival in New South Wales, these sponsors were reimbursed by the colonial government with a 'bounty' payment if the immigrants met specific criteria like age, health, and skills.

But what drove so many families like the Wheelers to seize this opportunity in 1841? To understand their decision, we must look at what became known as 'The Great Emigration of 1841”.

The Great Emigration of 1841

For families like the Wheelers, 1841 offered an unprecedented opportunity for escape from poverty. That year saw a surge in emigration from Britain to New South Wales under the Bounty System.^viii Thousands sought new beginnings in the colonies, driven by economic despair at home and the promise of opportunity abroad. For parishes like Bisley, emigration wasn’t just an option, it was a solution to mounting poverty.^ix Parish officials actively helped residents qualify for assisted immigration schemes as a way to ease local financial burdens while giving emigrants hope for a brighter future.

When Reuben and Elizabeth Wheeler married in 1833, they signed their certificate with an 'X,' indicating they were illiterate.^x Yet by 1841, their shipping manifest recorded them as being able to read and write, a puzzling discrepancy. 

Did they learn literacy skills within eight years? Or were their records 'enhanced' to meet eligibility requirements for assisted immigration? It’s possible that emigration agents exaggerated qualifications or that parish officials supported such embellishments to ensure families qualified for passage. Alternatively, it may simply have been an error in record-keeping, a common occurrence at the time.

While we may never know the true story behind these records, it reflects a broader reality of assisted immigration during this period: a system shaped by economic desperation, bureaucratic pressures, and sometimes creative interpretations of eligibility requirements.

A Life-Altering Decision

For Bisley’s poor, emigration wasn’t just an opportunity, it was often their only path forward. The Wheeler family’s decision to leave England behind was part of a larger wave of migration that reshaped both colonial Australia and rural Britain forever. Their story reminds us that migration is rarely an easy choice; it is often born out of necessity, a leap into uncertainty fueled by hope for something better.

After their life-altering journey, Reuben and Elizabeth Wheeler, along with young Selina and George, arrived at Port Philip in the Colony of New South Wales in 1841.

As one of my earliest ancestral families to settle in Australia, preceded only by a single convict forebear, the Wheelers represent just one branch of my rich Australian heritage, which would eventually include 22 other direct ancestors who made similar journeys to these shores.

Tomorrow we will look at the journey of my Convict ancestor, William Carbis.

About the Ship: Himalaya

• Built: 1840 by Peter & Sampson Mills in Deptford, Durham

• Owner: Edward Robson Arthur of North Shields

• Dimensions: 111.0 ft (length), 24.7 ft (breadth), 19.0 ft (depth); 477 tons

• Type: Barque (featured square sails on the foremast and mainmast, and fore-and-aft sails on the mizzenmast)

• Captain: Hew Burn (since 1840)

The Himalaya was on its third journey between England and Australia when the Wheeler family travelled aboard in 1841/42, already establishing itself as a reliable vessel on this route.

Useful Links for Background

This April, as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (#AtoZChallenge), where I’m sharing my ancestor's travel stories—one letter at a time. From long voyages by sea to overland treks, each post will focus on the journeys themselves—the routes they took, the challenges they faced, and the experiences along the way.

WikiTree Links:

• WikiTree profile for Reuben Wheeler
• WikiTree profile for Elizabeth (Thomas) Wheeler
• WikiTree profile for Selina (Wheeler) Jones aka Crump
• WikiTree profile for George Wheeler

Blog Post Meta Data

The URL for this post is https://ancestralresearchjournal.blogspot.com/2025/04/b-is-for-bounty-scheme.html originally published 2 April 2025

Author 2025, Sandra Williamson

Sources:

i   Gloucestershire Genealogy Website (https://www.glosgen.co.uk/),Gloucestershire Genealogy, Bisley Notes, (2018). [online] Available at: http://www.glosgen.co.uk/records/bisley.htm [Accessed 22 Jan. 2018]

ii  A People’s History Chapter 5 http://radicalstroud.co.uk/a-peoples-history-chapter-5/ accessed 18 March 2025

iii 1841 England Census" The household of Reuben & Elizabeth Wheeler in in Besbury, Burley, Gloucestershire, England; Class: HO107; Piece: 362; Book: 7; Civil Parish: Minchinhampton; County: Gloucestershire; Enumeration District: 8; Folio: 23; Page: 10; Line: 23; GSU roll: 288774

iv Joyce, Jenny. ‘Notes on Assisted and Bounty Migration to Australia’. (accessed https://jennyjresearch.com/index : 25 March 2025)

v  MHNSW, Assisted Immigrants Index, 1839-1896, "Learn more about Assisted Immigrants Index 1839-1896," (accessed https://mhnsw.au/indexes/immigration-and-shipping/assisted-immigrants-index/ : 25 March 2025)

vi  Jetties and Piers – A Background History of Maritime Infrastructure in Victoria. Vol. Part Two Thematic history of maritime infrastructure, n.d. (https://livinghistories.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Jetties-ONL-Part-2-Chp-1_3.pdf : 25 March 2025)

vii  Jetties and Piers – A Background History of Maritime Infrastructure in Victoria. Vol. Part Two Thematic history of maritime infrastructure, n.d. (https://livinghistories.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Jetties-ONL-Part-2-Chp-1_3.pdf : 25 March 2025)

viii  McDonald, John & Richards, Eric, The Great Emigration of 1841: Recruitment for New South Wales in British emigration fields, Population Studies, 51 (1997), 337-355 p.341

ix  (https://www.glosgen.co.uk/records/bisley.htm : accessed 16 March 2025)

x  Marriage of Ruben Wheeler to Elizabeth Thomas on 27 Jan 1833 in Pitchcombe, Gloucestershire, England, England Marriages, 1538–1973, citing Digital film/folder number: 007906609; FHL microfilm: 855626 (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NL9R-6XZ?lang=en : accessed 16 March 2025)

Reuben Wheeler

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 5 (January 29-February 4): In the Census

Reuben was born around 1801/2 in Gloucestershire, England, and christened on 14 November 1802 in All Saints church, Bisley, Gloucestershire, England.[i] 

Photographer Philip Halling, Bisley Church, 3 May 2008. Gloucestershire, England  [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABisley_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_786952.jpg 

His parents are thought to be Thomas WHEELER and Hannah EAGELS who married on 11 Nov 1800 in the same Parish the previous year.[ii]

Photographer Jongleur100 The village of Bisley, Gloucestershire, England with the church spire in the background, 2018 [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABisley%2C_Gloucestershire%2C_a_village_in_the_Cotswolds.jpg] 

Reuben married Elizabeth THOMAS on 27 Jan 1833 in Pitchcombe, Gloucestershire, England.[iii]  Pitchcombe is the parish were Elizabeth was baptised on 28 July 1804.[iv] Where she and her two sisters grew up.^[v] It appears that the newly married couple moved to Rueben’s home town of Bisley to live. It is difficult to know what it must have been like for the Wheelers living in Gloucestershire. Although it does appear that time were difficult economically: 

“Bisley is situated in the County of Gloucestershire, England, on the Cotswolds plateau, approximately four miles east of Stroud. The decline of the wool industry in the nineteenth century caused great hardship throughout the Cotswolds.”[vi]

Census details for 1831 for the Stroud area according to the [Census] returns

Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (Great Britain), ‘Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge’. C. Knight, 1842 p.127 [online] Available at: Google Books https://books.google.com.au/books?id=Ad9PAAAAMAAJ&vq=bisley&dq=how+far+is+pitchcombe+from+bisley+in+gloucestershire&source=gbs_navlinks_s [Accessed 23 Jan. 2018].

The 1831 in Gloucester helps to give a sense of place for our ancestors from the size of the place, to the number houses and the number of people.  Reuben Wheeler came from a much larger town than his wife whose town had only 224 people compared to Bisley which was much larger in area and had 5859 people in 1264 houses. Rueben must have seemed very worldly to his intended wife Elizabeth Thomas whose small country town of Pitchcomb only had 43 houses.

Census Entry in 1841 for Reuben Wheeler's family

Ten years later in 1841 Reuben & Elizabeth appear in the census with two children in Gloucestershire, living in Bisley with a notation of Burley underneath which could possibly be referring to the name of house that they lived in.)[vii] They are listed as shown below including Peter Aldridge who appears to be living with them

1.  Reuben Wheeler, aged 35 no profession listed
2. Elizabeth Wheeler, aged 35
3. Selina Wheeler, aged 7
4. George Wheeler, aged 5
5. Peter Aldridge, aged 14 also born in Gloucestershire, England [how or if he is related to the family is unknown, however he is the only breadwinner in the household]

At the end of 1841 the family migrated as assisted passengers to Australia. They left at Plymouth on the 30 Oct 1841 aboard the Himalaya and arrived on the 26 Feb 1842 in Port Philip, Victoria, Australia.[viii]

The Ship records show that

1. Reuben was aged 38 and a labourer and the government paid a bounty of 19 pounds.
2. Elizabeth was aged 37, a housekeeper and the government paid a bounty of 19 pounds.
3. George was 5 and the government paid a bounty of 5 pounds.
4. Selina was 7.5 and the government paid a bounty of 10 pounds

Rueben died when he was living Napoleon St, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1873.[ix]

Photographer Sandra Williamson,  Gravestone Reuben & Elizabeth Wheeler in Boroondara Cemetery, Kew, Victoria, Australia, circa 2003 [B024]

He died on 19 Jul 1873 in Victoria, Australia

Research notes:-

[On his son Reuben's death certificate his father was given as William. However although WHEELER is a common enough Gloucestershire, the name Reuben is unusual, therefore when I found a Reuben Wheeler baptized in Bisley, Gloucestershire on the 12 Nov 1802 whose father was Thomas. I came to the belief that this is my Reuben and he is the son of Thomas rather than William, it is unlikely that any of Reuben's children met their grandfather as adults and may have given the wrong name on the death certificate by accident.]
In 1834 Stroud was "a parliamentary borough in Gloucestershire. It includes an extensive district, comprehending the parishes of Stroud, Bisley, Painswick, Pitchcombe...”[x]

WikiTree Link for Rueben Wheeler's Family Tree on WikiTree on WikiTree (@WikiTreeOfficial)

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[i] Baptism of Reuben Wheeler Baptised 14 November 1802, Bisley Gloucestershire England Ancestry.com. Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1813 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Original data: Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers. Gloucestershire Archives, Gloucestershire, England. Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire, England; Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Number: P47 IN 1/3

[ii] Ancestry, Marriage of Thomas Wheeler & Hannah Eagles married 11 November 1800 after Banns, Bisley Church Parish Register 1800-1812,  Gloucestershire England. 'Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938'. Citing: Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Numbers: P47 IN 1/9  [page 6/image 8 of 64] Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucester, England.  Accessed 22 January 2018 [Transcript of Register entry - “28th and Oct 5^th Thomas Wheeler of this Parifh Batchelor and Hannah Eagels of this Parifh spinster were married in this church by Banns with confent of [blank] this 11th Day of Novb in the Year One Thoufand Eight Hundred by me John Green Curate.

This Marriage was foleminized between Us The mark of Thos Wheeler  The Mark of Hannah Eagels,

IN the Prefence of The X Mark of Wm Eagels  [&] Thomas Barradoll[?]”

[iii] Marriage of Rueben Wheeler & Elizabeth Thomas on 27/01/1833 Pitchcombe, Gloucestershire England Parish Church Register, page 16 entry #47. Ancestry.com. Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers. Gloucestershire Archives, Gloucestershire, England. [Transcript of Register entry - “Banns of Marriage between Thomas Wheeler and Hannah Eagels were published Sep 21st Marriages solemnized inthe Parish of Pitchcombe in the County of Gloucester in the Year 1833. Reuben Wheeler of this Parish and Elizabeth Thomas of this Parish were married in this Church by Banns this 27th Day of January in the Year One thousand eight hundred and thirty three By me George Grimstead Curate. This Marriage was solemnized between us Reuben Wheeler X [signed using his mark] [&] Elizabeth Thomas X [signed using her mark] In the Presence of Danl Estcourt [&] Ann Mills [signed using her mark]”

[iv] Ancestry, Baptism of Elizabeth Thomas baptized 28 July 1804 Pitchcombe Church Register #3 'Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1813' Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire, England; Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Number: P250 IN 1/3 Year Range: 1778-1808 unpagination [image 17 of 33]

[v] Ancestry, Baptism of  Ann Thomas baptized 14 December 1806 Pitchcombe Church Register 'Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1813' Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire, England; Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Number: GDR/V1/183 Year Range: 1639-1813 unpagination [image 260 of 276]; Ancestry, Baptism of Hannah Thomas baptzied 3 February 1812 Pitchcombe Church Register #3 'Gloucestershire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1813' Gloucestershire Archives; Gloucestershire, England; Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers; Reference Number: P250 IN 1/4 Year Range: 1778-1808 unpagination [image 3 of 9]

[vi] Glosgen.co.uk. (2018). GlosGen - Bisley Genealogy. [online] Available at: http://www.glosgen.co.uk/records/bisley.htm [Accessed 22 Jan. 2018].

[vii] Ancestry, 1841 Census entry for Rueben Wheeler & family. 841 England Census. Original data: Census Returns of England and Wales, 1841. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO). Class: HO107; Piece: 362; Book: 7; Civil Parish: Minchinhampton; County: Gloucestershire; Enumeration District: 8; Folio: 24; Page: 9

[viii] Ancestry, Shipping record for the Wheeler Family #35 on the Himalaya, February 1842 ‘Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896’. State Records Authority of New South Wales; Kingswood New South Wales, Australia; Persons on bounty ships arriving at Port Phillip (Agent's Immigrant Lists);Series: 5318; Reel: 2144; Item: [4/4814] Vessel Himalaya, p.236  [image 4 of 7] Accessed 25 January 2018. Accessed 25 January 2018.; Ancestry, Alphabetical entries #101-104 for Bounty Immigrants of the Wheeler family from the United Kingdom on the Himalaya 1842. ‘Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923’ Register of Assisted Immigrants from the United Kingdom. Microfiche VPRS 14. Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria. p213 [image 420 of 753].

[ix] Death Certificate Rueben Wheeler died 19 July 1873, Registrar of Birth, Death and Marriages, Victoria, Australia. 6484/1873

[x] Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (Great Britain), ‘Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge’. C. Knight, 1842 p.127 [online] Available at: Google Books https://books.google.com.au/books?id=Ad9PAAAAMAAJ&vq=bisley&dq=how+far+is+pitchcombe+from+bisley+in+gloucestershire&source=gbs_navlinks_s [Accessed 23 Jan. 2018].