Person:John Gibbons (20)

These two links go to the site maintained by Denise Perentin's site in Australia. All the information on John Gibbons has been provided by that here http://perentin.com/Gibbons.html Much of the information on the shipping interests especially that of Robert George was obtained from [1].

John Gibbons was born on 25 September 1828, and baptised on 24 October 1828 in the Parish of St Mary's, Rotherhithe, Surrey, England. He married Lilly Lancaster Clark on 7 April 1850, in Shadwell, London, England. They were living at 58 Wapping Wall and John was a noted as being a shipwright at the time of their marriage. Lilly was born on 21 October 1831 and was the daughter of John Clark and Louisa Lancaster Stroud.

John Clark and Lousia Lancaster Stroud had at least 5 children, Jeannette 1825, Louisa Astanby 1828, Lilly 1831, Margaret Ann 1833 and John Stroud 1835, all baptised at St Mary's Rotherhithe. John Clark was noted as being a Master Mariner living in Trinity Street on his daughter's baptism record.

John Stroud Clark married Annie Daley in Sydney, NSW, Australia in 1860, they had 9 children. I have not been able to trace the other sisters, of John and Lily, some of them may also have come to Australia. Shortly after their marriage, John and Lilly left England on the ' Thomas and Joseph Crisp'. They arrived in Launceston, Tasmania on 8 October 1850, and supposedly proceeded to Melbourne in the same year. I feel that Lilly's brother John Stroud Clark may have also been on the same ship with them. 'The Thomas and Joseph Crisp' was a London built barque and was carrying general cargo and five passengers including the captain's wife. On the journey the ship lost her rudder off the Cape of Good Hope and made the rest of the passage under a jury rudder made from spare spars, old bulwarks and deals. Also went ashore at Whirlpool Rock while inward bound but managed to get off ten minutes later undamaged. The jury rudder was to be auctioned at Underwood and Eddie at noon on 26.11.1850.

I believe the family may have stayed in Launceston until at least 1855, when Ada was born in Collingwood, Victoria., even though John's death notice stated that he came to Tasmania in 1850 and proceeded to Melbourne in the same year. The family had returned to Launceston by January 1857. John and Lily relocated to Rockhampton, Queensland around 1878, Lily died there on 7 March 1883 and is buried in Rockhampton Cemetery. Lily's father John Clark was a Master Mariner as was his son John Stroud Clark. Lily's brother John also came to Australia, marrying Annie Daley in Sydney in 1860. John Gibbons returned to Melbourne where he died on 29 December 1907. He was buried on 30 December 1907 in Melbourne Cemetery. His obituary stated he was a leading Melbourne Shipwright and at one time he owned the block of land where the Federal Palace now stands. I would presume he went back to Melbourne to be with his children after the death of Lilly as he was living with his son Claude at the time of his death.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Personal Data - Garry. (Initial contact made through Genesreunited 25-12-2006).