When the ship the “Marion” arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia, in 1857 on board was a young lad of 15 years old named Abel Fruhollas James. Born September 1842 at Abergavenny, Wales. Abel's parents were John (labourer) and Eliza James. (This was verified on his wedding certificate where his father was named as John James). The family settled firstly at Jamestown then eventually moved to Balaklava.
The following appeared in the “Register” on 2 March 1867:
Under Personal Notices - Marriages.
On the 29th February at St. John's Auburn, by licence by the Rev. J. B.
Titherington Abel James to Mary Mills both of Lower Wakefield.
The marriage certifiate gives details as follows:
No. 4 of 1867, District Gilbert. Date 28 February 1867.
Abel James aged 25, labourer, residence Lower Wakefield, father John
James, Church St. John's Auburn.
Mary Mills aged 23, residence Lower Wakefield, father John Mills.
Abel left his mark "X" whilst Mary signed her name.
Witnesses were: Catherine Mills and Samuel Mills both signing there
mark "X" and both living at Lower Wakefïeld.
Marriage performed by J. B. Thitherington.
Mary Mills was born in Redruth, Comwalli in 1844 and travelled with her parents on the ship “Chatham” in 1846 when she was only two years old. Her father John Mills, his occupation listed as a miner, born c1815 died in January 1879 and is buried in the
Balaklava cemetery. Her mother Eliza (Vere) was born c1819 and died in November
1892. Buried in the Balaklava cemetery.
Mary and Abel James had the following children:
Eliza Jane born 12 June, 1867 died 23/6/1955 aged 88 years
married Arthur Harold Jarvis
Catherine born 27 August, 1869
Mary Ann born 24 November, 1871 died 16/3/1918 aged 47 years
Spinster - had 1 child Dora and they lived in Balaklava.
Alice Edith born 18 February, 1874 died 15/1/1960 aged 88 years
Spinster - lived with her brother Jack several miles out of
the town of Balaklava.
Matilda Maria born 16 September, 1875. Married Frank Ayliffe 2 children
Melville and Stella (lived in Freemantle W.A.)
John Abel (Jack) born 3 May, 1876 died 12 September, 1957 aged 81 years
Bachelor lived with his sister Alice (as above)
Michael Samuel (Mick) born 1 May, 1882 died 1960 aged 78 years
married Elsie Gates and they had one child Jessie.
In the S. A Register 1893 - 1900 Abel was stated to be a builder at Balaklava born c1842.
Alice and Jack who never married lived together near the town of Balaklava - These
details were found in Kath Jarvis’s hand writing and verified by Births, Deaths and
Marriage records of S.A. The B.D.& M. records, Adelaide could not find a registration
for the birth of Eliza Jane. She was raised as the sister of the other children so one
assumes that the family did not register her birth at the time and just forgot about it as happened in those days. I have in my possession Eliza’s - or Gran Jarvis as we all knew her - Bible in which she has recorded her birth date and those of her children.
I obtained a copy of the birth certificate for Alice James, sister of Eliza, (and have included a copy ) to prove that Able and Mary Ann were the correct parents.
The two James boys’ - Jack and Micks’ main claim to fame was that they walked four
miles into Balaklava each week to slate their considerable thirsts. They were farm labourers by occupation. I do not think that Alice did anything but work at home.
I remember calling at their home just outside Balaklava once or twice, for afternoon tea, with Les and Kath Jarvis. It was a small low house and did not seem to have any
“modcons”. The food was home made and delicious. Alice was a member of the
Balaklava CWA and on her 80th birthday they held a special afternoon in her honour.. She was nearly doubled over with arthritis and no doubt suffered a great deal.
Abel James died at Parkside Asylum on the 4th February 1906 aged 63 years. Registration District Norwood. His profession was stated as “mason” and the cause of death was recorded as “senile decay and diarrhea for 4 months”. He is buried at West Terrace cemetery. Date of registration of death was 6 February 1906.
In Book 2 - Coroners reports S.A. - Abel James 5/2/1906 age 63.
Page 61. source GR G 1/44 Coroners reports from the Police.
Abel James aged 63 years. Date of death 4/2/1906. Male. Ref 119 Admission 119/05.
Mary James, wife of Abel, died on 12 October 1922 at age 78. At that time she had been a widow for 16 years. The following appeared on her death certificate:
Widow of the late Abel Fruhollas James, labourer, Balaklava. Residence
Balaklava. Born in Cornwall, U.K. and had lived in S.A. for 76 years.
It was recorded that she had been 19 years old when married and bore 2 male children and 5 females, one of whom had predeceased her. Cause of death was “senile decay”. She died at Balaklava and is buried . in the cemetery there.
Whether Eliza James met Arthur Jarvis when the family were in the Jamestown/Clare area around 1876/77 I do not know. Maybe Mary Ann stayed on for a time after her husband Joshua’s accident and death in 1877. Or maybe Eliza and her parents were living in Adelaide prior to the time of Abel’s death in 1906. Maybe Eliza had moved to Adelaide to gain employment. No matter what, one can only speculate as to how Eliza and Arthur met. They married in Adelaide in January 1891. On the marriage certificate it stated that Eliza’s place of residence was Adelaide. Arthur’s occupation was stated as ‘police constable” and residence as Adelaide.
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ABERGAVENNY — GWENT — WALES. (18 miles north of Newport) Beyond this busy market town on the River Usk stretches the splendour of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
The ruins of the castle (AM) built by the Norman, Harnrnelin de Baladon soon after the Conquest, are thought to cover the foundations of the Roman Fort Gobannium which produced coins, bricks and various other Roman relics. Today a Museum in the grounds attracts many visitors. St. Mary’s in Monk Street is the original church of the 11th century Benedictine priory and has interesting altar tombs.
An old stone bridge of seven arches takes the public road across the Usk. The buildings on Main Street represent many periods. Old Court — a house built into the town wall — dates from 1500. The Town Hall is a fine Gothic building in grey stone erected in 1873. Attached to it are the spacious market house and coin exchange. The lunatic asylum for the nearby counties of Monmouth, Brecan and Radnor, is a handsome grey stone building in the early English style. Situated on a hill overlooking the town, it was erected in 1851 with considerable extensions since then and I believe today it is used as a hospital.
The town was formerly famous for Welsh flannel and for fashionable Welsh wigs made from goat’s hair. It is now notable, chiefly, for the traffic of neighbouring coal and iron works and especially for crowded markets. These are held on a Tuesday with a fruit and vegetable market on a Friday. It has an excellent water supply and an ancient drainage system
The town gives a title of Marquis to the family of Neville. The Marquis of Abergavenny is Lord of the Manor and the chief land owner. The parish includes the town and a large proportion of the land is “hill-sheepwalk”. (Pasture is not fenced and sheep have right away on public roads)
REDRUTH — Here you can see a winding engine of 1887 and a pumping engine built in 1892, which have been preserved by the National Trust. As this may suggest Redruth was at the centre of Comwall’s tin and copper industries in the 1850’s. The country’s output of copper ore amounted to 209,000 tons or two million pounds of revenue. Nowadays such employment as there is comes from light industries that have sprouted in the vicinity. It was the birth place of the inventor Richard Trevithick in 1771 who in 1801 built the first passenger steam vehicle.
On their wedding certificate Mary’s age is stated as 23 years. On her death certificate it states she was 19 years old at the time of her marriage.
This only goes to show how mistakes occur especially when information relies on the informant at that time.
