Person:Susannah Johnstone (1)

Mark Howard writes that Susannah was the daughter of an Edinburgh merchant. On one occasion she was shipwrecked from one of her father's ships off the coast of India and whilst waiting for a passage back to England on a returning ship she was chosen belle of the ball in Delhi.

Susannah arrived in Australia 1843 when she was a passenger on the barque "Rebecca" which was shipwrecked on King Island during a storm. The survivors were marooned on the island for three weeks before they were able to repair the ship's long boat and reach Melbourne.

Marion Taylor writes: "After the Rebecca was wrecked off King Island most people including Susannah got to shore in the long boat where they stayed for 3 weeks in the sealers hut with his family Maria, Mary, Tom, Maryanne and Kitty. (John Scott and his infant daughter had been drowned returning from the Rebecca.) After 3 weeks, the Captain took the long boat and Susannah, Tom Scott and Bill and sailed for Port Phillip where they landed at the Heads. They met with a Mr Fenwick who was the police magistrate at Geelong and he hired Susan for his sister- Susan is described as a "respectable looking woman from Galloway". There is also mention of Susan being married for some years to a sober and respectable man so this postscript to the journal has been added on quite a few years later.

"Susannah's father James Johnstone died at 69yo in 1855, Oct 23rd at Hallbank? Cottage, Tundergarth. His father was William (farmer) and mother Susannah(Richardson). He had only two children: 1. Edward 36 and 2. Susannah 34. His wife is not listed at all.... I couldn't read his occupation but it was definitely not a merchant. He is buried in Tundergarth church cemetery.

"My questions about Susannah are: 1. She left Scotland in July 1841 when she was 25yo, she didnt get to Australia until Oct 1843, what happened in between? 2. Was there any truth in the story about the Belle of the Delhi Ball or is this another fancy like her father being a merchant from Edinburgh or that the aboriginal kids were the daughters of the chief of the tribe? 3. Why is her 1st reference dated 1834 and states she is free from public scandal etc then her 2nd ref 1841 from a merchant in Glasgow states she is destitute of friends?

"She was meant to have been in Singapore in June 1843 and Batavia in Aug 1843, I have a very old Dutch East Indies coin which I believe she carried from there, then she was shipwrecked off King Island in Sept 1843. I have looked at Anne Drysdale's diaries a long time ago and noted that in Dec 1843 she wrote "Mr Tuckfield went early I took Susan who is hired for Mrs T."

"Susannah lived at Coryule with the Misses Drysdale and Newcomb who I believe were female squatters. I used to think that Susan worked for Ms Drysdale and Newcomb but maybe they just took her in when they accepted the two little aboriginal girls Maryann and Kitty who were the daughters of John Scott the sealer on King Island who was drowned when the Rebecca was wrecked.

"If my recent info is correct re Susan being hired by Mr Fenwick for his sister then we might presume that Mrs Tuckfield would be his sister."