Bridget Holmes

#916, (1826-7 May 1862)
Adoptive fatherWilliam Hyde Holmes1 (1794-1 Jul 1864)
Adoptive motherEllen O'Donnell2 (c 1799-11 Jan 1865)
ChartsHill family - descendents
Descendents of Henry H. Hill
Descendents of Robert Holmes
Last Edited21 Sep 2022
Biographical Database of Australia ID:U#30381138102, T#30311269403.
WikiTree ID:https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Holmes-19500.
     NOTE: The information on this page is my research to date and is subject to change as I become better informed. I very much welcome any corrections or additional info you might have - my email address is at the bottom of this page. Whilst historical facts are not copyright, my writing about these facts are. If you wish to use any text from this site on Ancestry or on any other website, please ask me first - Tim Hill.
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(For a brief history and context on the Hill family see this page)

(For a brief history and context on the Holmes family see this page)

Bridget Holmes may have been born circa 1823 at Ireland.3 She may have been born in 1826 at Limerick.4,5 She was the daughter of William Hyde Holmes and Ellen O'Donnell.1,2

Bridget emigrated from Liverpool on 27 October 1841 on the 'Champion' with her adoptive parents and siblings (both biological and adopted.)2,6,7,8 Bridget came out with the expectation of becoming a house servant. It was noted that she was an Episcopalian who could read and write, and that she was to work for 3 months at a wage of £12 for a Mr. Henry of Princes Street.9 After a voyage of 108 days Bridget arrived at Sydney on 12 February 1842. During the voyage 5 sailors committed mutiny but were eventually released by the Attorney General.2,6,7,8
She presumably lived with her parents at Princes Street in The Rocks, in Sydney, in 1843. It is not clear that the entry refers to this family, but is a reasonable speculation given that Bridget and her husband claimed to live in this same street ten years later.10
Killmallock c.1821 attributed to John George Muvany


The family soon became parishioners at St. James' Church of England, thought of as the principal church in the city and one which "the congregation usually includes the family of the Governor, and a large proportion of the leading members of society. It is also decidedly the favourite resort for the more aristocratical among the votaries of Hymen". How this sat with the Holmes family isn't known, but perhaps it sat well with William and Ellen as they contemplated the future for the eight young women under their charge. With space to seat a congegation of 1500, it would have made for a bustling centre of the community.11

Bridget attended the wedding of William Henry Bardwell and Elizabeth Conway at St. James' Church of England on Monday, 19 August 1844 at Sydney. They also signed the marriage certificate as witnesses.12 She presumably lived with her parents at Sydney in January 1851. in Macquarie street.13

She married Henry Hugh Hill, a worker in an ironmonger's shop, at St. James' Church of England on Monday, 20 January 1851 at Sydney. The wedding certificate was also signed by Maria Holmes. Others who attended include William Hyde Holmes as father of the bride; it's likely that Ellen O'Donnell attended as mother of the bride. Brothers and sisters who may have attended include Ellen Holmes, Margaret Holmes, Charlotte Holmes, Frances Hyde Holmes, Albina Hyde Holmes and Jane Holmes. Bridget and Henry went on to have four children together.13,14 St. James was the second Anglican church in Sydney, constructed between 1819 and 1824, and in constant use between then and the present. It was completely designed and built by convict labour. Henry and his family continued to use this church even when they had moved out of the Parish.15

It isn't known how Henry and Bridget met, but they were both members of the congregation at St. James' Church of England, Sydney.

Bridget and Henry Hugh Hill became the parents of their daughter Ellen Mary Hill on Thursday, 11 December 1851 at Sydney. It is possible that her christian names came from the names of her grandmothers, Ellen O'Donnell and Mary Hill.16 She presumably lived with her spouse Henry at Woolloomooloo street, in Sydney, in December 1851. This was a stone house with a shingle roof, valued at £26 owned by John Meredith. Also living in the house was their daughter Ellen.17,18

She may have attended the wedding of her sister in the marriage of William Patrick McMunn and Albina Hyde Holmes at St. James' Church of England on Monday, 17 January 1853 at Sydney. William and Albina went on to have some 10 children together.19,20

Henry (represented by a Mr. Roberts), a tenant of Joseph Meredith, was brought to Police Court concerning unpaid rent in Sydney. The case was heard by Mr. J.S. Dowling and Dr. Huntley at the Police Office. It was alleged that the Hill family occupied it under a weekly tenancy. In turn, Henry said that he had taken residence for six months with a monthly tenancy. The rent had been raised but the family had agreed to the increased rent as the place suited them.21

Bridget and Henry Hugh Hill became the parents of their first son Henry Hugh Hill on Wednesday, 22 June 1853 at Sydney.22,23 She presumably lived with her spouse Henry at 123 Princes Street, in Sydney, in 1855. This house was an eight room, two storey stone house with a shingle roof with a gross annual value £150.24,25 Bridget Holmes and Henry Hugh Hill were found on a passenger list on the the Wonga Wonga on 29 December 1855 from Sydney to Melbourne. Also on board were their two children, and a Miss Holmes, most likely one of Bridget's sisters travelling to help establish the family in a new city.26,27 She presumably lived with her spouse Henry at Great Bourke Street, in Melbourne, in 1856.28 31 January 1856 Henry and Bridget expressed an interest in purchasing, for cash "a Five or Six Roomed House, with small piece of land for garden." the Melbourne suburb of St. Kilda However a year later the family were still living in Melbourne proper, this time in Latrobe Street.29,30



Bridget and Henry Hugh Hill became the parents of their second daughter Eliza Holmes Hill on Monday, 5 January 1857 at Melbourne. Her middle name was her mother's maiden name..30 She presumably lived with her spouse Henry at Latrobe Street, in Melbourne, in 1858.31

For a short while they lived in St. Kilda before trying to sell the house with the following advertisement: on 12 October 1858:

"ST. KILDA -For SALE, a neat COTTAGE, with garden in front, five rooms, storeroom, kitchen, washhouse, and servants'-room, and good-sized yard, now occupied by the owner, and situated In Princes Street, corner of Burnett-street. Apply on the premises, or to Mr. Henry Hill, 113 Flinders-lane west."32

A 'Miss M. Holmes' travelled to Melbourne from Sydney on the City of Sydney - perhaps this was Maria visiting her sister Bridget for the birth of her son Joseph.33

Bridget and Henry Hugh Hill became the parents of son Joseph Hill in March 1859 at St. Kilda. However, Joseph only lived a year.34,35,36
Bridget Holmes - obituary


For reasons that are unclear (but may be related to Bridget's declining health), Henry announced: "H. HILL and CO. beg to inform Carpenters, Builders, Contractors, and others, that they are now selling off their entire stock at cost price, as they are leaving the colony in as short a time as possible". The advertisment, written on the 21st of April, then went on to list an extensive range of ironmongery.37

Bridget died on 7 May 1862 at Ballarat East, Victoria, of gangrene of the lung (which was however reported by her Sydney family as peurisy)..5,38,3 Her body was interred at The Old Cemetery Ballarat on 9 May 1862 at Ballarat, Victoria. She was buried at 3:30 with the procession moving from Henry's residence at Seymour St., Soldiers' Hill. She is buried in area AN, Section 2 Row - Grave 4.5,39

A Sydney obituary honoured her memory:
May 7th, at Ballaarat, from an attack of pleurisy, Bridget, the beloved wife of Mr. Henry Hill, for many years a resident of this city, in the fortieth year of her age, leaving a husband, three children, and a large circle of friends and relatives to lament their loss.

Puzzingly, another obituary in the Melbourne Argus stated her name as Margaret and claimed she was 36.3,40

Timeline

DateEventPlace
Family
Family
Family
1823Birth-CandidateIreland3
1826Birth-CandidateLimerick4,5
1,2
1842Note memo only9
1851MarriageSt. James' Church of England, in Sydney13,14
Note memo only15
Note memo only CR CRSydney
1853Note memo only CR CRWoolloomooloo street, in Sydney21
1853Residence-hide at Princes Street in the Sydney area of The Rocks23
1855Passngr listMelbourne26,27
1856Note memo onlythe Melbourne suburb of St. Kilda29,30
1857Residence-hideLatrobe Street, in Melbourne30
1858Quotation type 2 at corner Princes and Burnett Street in the Melbourne suburb of St. Kilda32
1860Residence-hide at Princes Road in the Melbourne suburb of St. Kilda35,41
Residence-hideLydiard Street, in Ballarat, Victoria42
1862Note memo only CR CR37
1862DeathBallarat East, Victoria5,38,3
1862BurialThe Old Cemetery Ballarat, in Ballarat, Victoria5,39
Quotation type 33,40

Family

Henry Hugh Hill (c 1827-27 Jul 1878)
Children

Citations

  1. [S268] The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Married - 25 Jan 1851, p.5.
  2. [S272] Assisted Immigrants to NSW, Archives Office of NSW "Champion", arr. 12th Feb. 1842.
  3. [S1153] The Sydney Mail, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1862 'Family Notices', Sydney Mail (NSW : 1860 - 1871), 17 May, p. 1. , viewed 10 May 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article166690349
  4. [S272] Assisted Immigrants to NSW, Archives Office of NSW.
  5. [S265] Victoria, Death Certificate, Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages 1862 No.3526.
  6. [S327] My Early Pioneers and Their Lives (http://www.frankmurray.com.au) http://www.frankmurray.com.au/?page_id=787
  7. [S344] The Australasian Chronicle, 1842 'Shipping Intelligence.', Australasian Chronicle (Sydney, NSW : 1839-1843), 15 February, p. 3, viewed 20 February, 2011, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article31735058
  8. [S344] The Australasian Chronicle, 1842 'News and Rumors of the Day', Australasian Chronicle (Sydney, NSW : 1839-1843), 3 March p. 3, viewed 20 February, 2011, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page4232218
  9. [S272] Assisted Immigrants to NSW, Archives Office of NSW "Champion" arr. 12 Feb. 1842.
  10. [S640] New South Wales, Australia Historical Electoral Rolls, 1842-1843, Civilian Roll for Gipps Ward, in the City of Sydney, for the year 1842-43.
  11. [S1335] Joseph Fowles Sydney In 1848 Chapter VII.
  12. [S1295] Sydney Parish Registers for St. James, 1832-1856 William Henry Bardwell, Marriage Status: Bachelor; Gender: Male; Residence: St James Parish [NSW AUS]; Bride: Elizabeth Conway, Marriage Status: Single; Residence: Parish of St James [NSW AUS]; Gender: Female; Married by Licence or Banns: Banns; Married: 19 Aug 1844 By Rev Charles C Kemp; Husband signed or X mark: signed name; Wife signed or X mark: signed X mark; Witness: Joseph Coglan, Residence: Pitt Street, Sydney [NSW AUS]; Signed or X mark: signed name; Witness: Bridget Holmes, Residence: Church Hill [NSW AUS]; Signed or X mark: signed name; Registered at church: St James, Religion of church: Church of England; Volume entry number: 215, Event Registered at Sydney [NSW AUS]; NSW Registry number: V184432,29.
  13. [S271] Parish Registers for St. James, Vol.37A No.51.
  14. [S268] The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1851 'Family Notices', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 25 January, p. 5. , viewed 19 Jan 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12924347 (Interestingly, the newspaper stated that Bridget was the second daughter of William and Ellen).
  15. [S1294] St. James' Church, Sydney (https://www.sjks.org.au/) St James’ Church History - https://www.sjks.org.au/church/history-and-architecture/…
  16. [S271] Parish Registers for St. James, Vol.37A No.479.
  17. [S271] Parish Registers for St. James, Vol 37A No.479.
  18. [S1272] City of Sydney - Archives and History Resources City of Sydney Archives and History Resources, (https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/) Assessment Books, Record: 17/3/5 Control: CSA027203_076 Ward: Cook Year: 1851 p.76.
  19. [S271] Parish Registers for St. James, Vol.39C No.913.
  20. [S268] The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1853 'Family Notices.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 21 January, p. 2, viewed 17 October, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12943044
  21. [S616] The Empire, Sydney, NSW, 1853 'ELECTION FOR THE CITY OF SYDNEY.', Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1875), 3 March, p. 2. , viewed 11 Jul 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article61322223
  22. [S260] Queensland, Marriage Certificate, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages 1882 No.1271.
  23. [S271] Parish Registers for St. James, Vol.39A No.248.
  24. [S1271] Waugh and Cox's Sydney Commercial Directory,Sydney, NSW, Australia (1855), p.64.
  25. [S1272] City of Sydney - Archives and History Resources City of Sydney Archives and History Resources, (https://archives.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/) Assessment Books, Gipps Ward, 1856, p.33 (Princes Street).
  26. [S268] The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1855 'CLEARANCES.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 31 December, p. 4. , viewed 11 Jul 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28638359
  27. [S1266] The Shipping Gazette and Sydney General Trade List, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 1855 'DEPARTURES.', The Shipping Gazette and Sydney General Trade List (NSW : 1844 - 1860), 31 December, p. 282. , viewed 11 Jul 2021, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161105016
  28. [S353] Victoria - Electoral Rolls - St. Patrick's, Division of St. Patrick's, 1856 card index.
  29. [S336] The Argus, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1856 'Advertising.', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848-1954), 31 January, p. 8, viewed 4 March, 2011, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4829567
  30. [S348] Parish Registers - Parish of St. James, 1857, No. 8377.
  31. [S349] Sands and Kenny Directories,Victoria, Australia (various dates), 1858 p.42-43.
  32. [S336] The Argus, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1858 'Advertising.', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848-1954), 12 October, p. 8, viewed 21 January, 2011, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article7302626
  33. [S268] The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1859 'CLEARANCES.—FEBRUARY 8.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 9 February, p. 4. , viewed 09 Feb 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13013697
  34. [S265] Victoria, Death Certificate, Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages 1860 No.1010 (index only).
  35. [S336] The Argus, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1860 'Family Notices.', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848-1954), 11 February, p. 4, viewed 22 January, 2011, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5676970
  36. [S947] Australia, Birth and Baptisms, 1792-1981, Births, Deaths & Marriages Name: Joseph Hill; Gender: Male; Birth Date: Mar 1859; Birth Place: St Kilda, Victoria, Australia; Father: Henry Hill; Mother: Bridget Hill; FHL Film Number: 993000.
  37. [S346] The Ballarat Star, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, 1862 'Advertising', The Star (Ballarat, Vic. : 1855 - 1864), 1 May, p. 4. , viewed 10 May 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66323686
  38. [S346] The Ballarat Star, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, 8th May 1862 p.2.
  39. [S466] Find a Grave (http://www.findagrave.com) Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/227866265/bridget-hill : accessed 02 April 2022), memorial page for Bridget Hill (1826–9 May 1862), Find a Grave Memorial ID 227866265, citing Ballarat Old Cemetery, Ballarat, Ballarat City, Victoria, Australia ; Maintained by woowoo (contributor 49949980) .
  40. [S336] The Argus, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1862 'Family Notices', The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), 8 May, p. 4. , viewed 10 May 2020, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5714487
  41. [S355] Sands and McDougall Directories,Victoria, Australia (various dates), 1860, p.150.
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  43. [S271] Parish Registers for St. James, 1851 Vol. 37A No.479.
  44. [S271] Parish Registers for St. James, 1853 Vol. 39A 248.