Alice Whiteman

  General Notes:

Amellia Thompson- Ship September 1839
Ths Cruttenden, 21, Shoemaker from Sussex, Protestant, reads and writes. Sponsored by Mr John Masshall. Paid 18 pounds bounty.
Alice Cruttenden, 22, House servant, Sussex, Protestant, reads only, paid 18 pounds, total 36 pounds.
State Records Authority of New South Wales; Kingswood New South Wales, Australia; Persons on bounty ships (Agent's Immigrant Lists); Series: 5316; Reel: 2134; Item: [4/4784]

Name of Nominee- Whiteman, James Age 55 Name of Depositor Thomas Balcomb Amount paid in the colony for Passenger 12 pounds.
12 pounds returned to depositor.
Whiteman- Anne 54, depositor- Thomas Balcomb paid 12 pounds.
Anne Whiteman having had an attack of paralysis and then *par???* declined to emigrate.
12 Pounds returned to depositor.
Whitemen, James (jnr) 28 Depositor- Thomas Balcomb, paid 4 pounds.
Married and declines to emigrate- four pounds returned to the depositor.
Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Immigration Deposit Journals, 1853-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

Whiteman, Alfred 28, depositor- Thomas Balcomb, paid 4 pounds, declined to emigrate
Whiteman, Sarah 26, depositor- Thoms Balcomb, 4 pounds paid- declined to emigrate
Whiteman, Thomas, 10, depositor- Thomas Balcomb, 2 pounds paid- declined to emigrate

Died from either a lightning strike or from drowning.

From the transcript of BDM No. 923V110:
Was buried by Rev Samuel Wilkinson of the Weslyan Church. Bathurst Parish,

Extract from a letter written to Miss West by Hannah Starr on August 2 1945 (she was 96 years and seven months at the time):

My father lived in the house near the Macquarie Plains church but the Halls lived over the river and it was the Halls that my mother and father were for tea. I remember it well. We were staying at Hall's at that time. My younger sister was only two year old and father and mother started for home with her and on the way a storm rose and father left mother to take Sarah on home and come back to help mother and she had moved away and he could not find her and it was believed that she was struck with lightning and she was found dead the next morning. It was in the summer time that it happened.

Extract from "The Bathurst Free Press" Saturday, May 6 1854:

A melancholoy event occurred on Saturday night last which threw gloom over residents of Macquarie Plains. An unfortunate married woman named Balcombe whose intellect has been deranged for many years, accompanied her husband to the Weslyan Chapel in the afternoon and afterwards to Mr Hall's across the Fish River, where they took tea, and remained until after nightfall. They recrossed the river and walked together towards home for some distance, when Mr Balcombe who was carrying two little children drew gradually ahead, imagining his wife to be close to his heels, and not aware of her absence until he reached home. Giving the alarm immediately, a number of neighbours assembled and commenced a vigorous search which was much impeded by the darkness of the night, when after roaming about the plains in every conceivable direction for about six hours, a Mr Carvesier, proceeding towards his horse which was hung up to a fence found her lying close by quite dead. An inquest was held over her remains by the district coroner, when a verdict was returned of - "death from exposure".
1854 'LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.', Bathurst Free Press and Mining Journal (NSW : 1851 - 1904), 6 May, p. 2. , viewed 23 Jan 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article62050501

My thoughts: perhaps Alice was suffering from postnatal depression?

A story within the family has it that Thomas actually pushed her into the flooded river.

Alice Whiteman- Coroner's Inquest
Macquarie Plains 2 May. Alice Balcomb. Bushby. Received 5th May. Died from Exposure, wet and cold.
Photo on Ancestry submitted by eve1396. 31/03/2013

Name:Alice Balcomb
Death Year:Abt 1854
Inquest Date:2 May 1854
Inquest Place:Macquarie Plains
Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Coroners' Inquests, 1821-1937 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.

Alice married Thomas Balcomb (Crittenden), son of Thomas Balcomb and Hannah Crittenden, on 13 Apr 1839 in Parish Church, Peasmarsh, Sussex, England.¹⁵⁹ (Thomas Balcomb (Crittenden) was born on 24 May 1818 in Brede, Sussex, England ¹⁵⁵, christened on 14 Jun 1818 in St George, Brede, Sussex, England,¹⁶² died on 6 Feb 1906 in Cranbury, New South Wales Australia ¹⁶³ and was buried about 18 Feb B.C. in Togoong Cemetery, New South Wales, Australia ¹⁶³.)

  Marriage Notes:

From transcription of death certificate - states that Thomas married Alice Whiteman in England at the age of 19. They must have migrated soon after their wedding as his death certificate stated that he had spent 69 years in the colony/state.

Vol 7 P 387

Marriage cert. shows Thomas Crittendon (Bachelor)- fathers name Thomas Balcomb occupation Shoemaker residence Peasmarsh. (Signed)

Alice Whiteman (spinster) occupation servant, residence Peasmarsh, father James Whitemen, Labourer. (Her mark)

Witnesses- Alfred Whitemen (signed) and Sarah Taunton (her mark)
Registration District Rye, April 13th 1839.