Dadswell Family History

Generation 9
Thomas David Dadswell (1845-1918) and Emma Dyer

On this page:
Ancestors of Thomas David Dadswell
Thomas David Dadswell's story
Key family dates
Further information

Ancestors of Thomas David Dadswell

Robert Doudeswell 1560 > Robert Doudeswell 1606 > Edward Dodswell 1659 > Edward Dodswell 1679 > Thomas Dadswell 1719 > Edward Dadswell 1754 > Robert Dadswell 1784 > Thomas Dadswell 1810 > Thomas David Dadswell 1845

Thomas David Dadswell's story

Thomas David Dadswell, the fourth child and second son of Thomas and Eliza (Bishop) Dadswell, was born at Uckfield, Sussex, in 1845. In the 1851 census, Thomas is shown as a six-year-old scholar living with his parents in Church Street. In 1861, Thomas, 16, was living with his parents at the Confectioner's Shop in Uckfield and was shown as working as a bricklayer.

At the age of 23, Thomas married Emma Dyer at St Nicholas Church in Brighton, on 30 August 1868. They had one child, Charles Edward Dadswell, born in 1870. Emma died that same year, aged 27.

The following year, the April 1871 census showed Thomas living as a widower at Church Street with his sister Eliza. Thomas was by then a master baker and the household included a 14-year-old baker's boy, William Thomas. But his six-month-old son is not listed as living in the household. Later that year, on 6 June 1871 at Uckfield, Thomas married Emily Ann Derrick, daughter of rope maker John Derrick.

That same year, Thomas inherited property from his father's estate, including freehold property and a garden at Uckfield.

In 1873, Thomas, Emily and the two-year-old Charles sailed from England to Australia aboard the sailing ship Earl Dalhousie. The South Australian Register of 16 December 1873 reported their names among the passengers arriving at Adelaide, and added:

"A more roomy, comfortable, and in every respect suitable ship for emigrants than the Earl Dalhousie could not have been selected by Mr. Dutton. She is 1,200 tons burden, has lofty, well-ventilated 'tween decks, with plenty of beam, and that the emigrants are well satisfied with their accommodation is proved by the pleasing address they all signed just before leaving Plymouth. About 120 of the emigrants embarked in the South-West India Docks, the remainder at Plymouth. Mr. T. F. Smith, the South Australian dispatching officer, was indefatigable in superintending the filling up of the ship in London and seeing to all arrangements for the comfort of the emigrants, both in London and Plymouth.

"Mr. Dutton made time to visit the ship in dock, on the survey day, again on the day of embarkation, and a third time on the final muster and departure from Gravesend. On the embarkation day in London the rain poured down dismally all day long, making it anything but pleasant for the women and children before they got safely housed under cover. Through the considerate foresight of the Agent-General, an ample supply of steaming hot potatoes and excellent beef was ready for them on board, which soon put them in good humour, and made them forget the discomforts of the weather.

"The emigrants are under the care of Dr. Clutterbuck, an experienced practitioner, well known in Melbourne, who has frequently had charge of large emigrant ships. How well those of the emigrants who had to join the ship at Plymouth were cared for at the depot there by Mr. and Mrs. Watson is shown by the cordial terms they use in the address in thanking them for their care."

Thomas, Emily and Charles lived in South Australia where Thomas was in a partnership of plasterers known as Dadswell, Winzer and Pearce. However this early partnership became insolvent in 1879 and was dissolved. Thomas' wife, Emily Ann Dadswell, died in Adelaide in 1897, aged about 41. It is unclear if she and Thomas Dadswell were still together at this time.

Certainly Charles had already moved to Victoria and his father Thomas appears to have followed him, again working as a plasterer in Melbourne. On 11 July 1900 at Box Hill, Victoria, Thomas married a third time, to Mary Ann Thompson, daughter of fisherman Thomas and Elizabeth (Harris) Brant of Lincolnshire. Elizabeth died in February 1918, Thomas died the same year, on 2 November 1918.

This 11-generation Family Chart shows the development of this Dadswell family (PDF file).

Picture: Sailing Ship Earl Dalhousie. Picture from the State Library of Queensland collection.

Key family dates

Child -
Charles Edward Dadswell born 23 Sep 1870 - [married Florence Amelia Hayes] - died 30 Sep 1951

Further information

Information on Thomas and Eliza Dadswell (generation 8, parents of Thomas David Dadswell)