Elizabeth Vincent was the daughter of Demas Vincent (1773-1852), who went to Jersey as soldier and married Sarah Shortis (1777-1863).
Her father had come to Jersey from Dewlish and Elizabeth returned there in 1828 at the age of 20 to marry Isaac, whose family had been established in Dewlish for many generations and was probably a cousin of Elizabeth.
They lived in Dewlish for ten years after their marriage, and had four children, Sarah Ann, Emma Jane, Damas and Isaac, before emigrating with them to Australia on the Bardaster, which sailed on 6 October 1838. Two years earlier the ship had carried 240 convicts to Van Diemen's Land, but that was its only voyage as a convict ship.
The Vincents' voyage had probably been sponsored by Henry Michel, from a wealthy landowning family near Dewlish and son of the General. Henry Michel also emigrated on the Bardaster.
Isaac and Elizabeth had four more children in Australia: Amelia, Jonathan, James and William.
Public house
Isaac was named as Superintendant on a licence for lands at Mundarlo granted to Henry Michel. Isaac and Elizabeth, who was an astute businesswoman, established a public house at Mundarlo, called the Travellers Rest, for which he held a licence from 1 July 1840 to 30 June 1846.
They then gave up the hotel and took up the 100 sq mile station, Mittagong, west and south of The Rock. Isaac died in 1847, possibly in a fall from his horse, although there may be confusion with the death of his son Isaac, who died that way.
Elizabeth, with a new baby, took over and ran the property until her son Isaac was old enough to take over, although she always maintained control. No doubt her son-in-law, John Breed, an agricultural labourer, would have been a great help at that time.
Elizabeth built the original Mittagong Homestead and is listed as the occupier of Mittagong in F F Balliere's NSW Gazetteer of 1866. The Official Post Office Directory of 1867 listed James and Jonathon Vincent of Mittagong as squatters.
Elizabeth's holdings
By now Elizabeth had acquired considerable holdings in and around Wagga. In 1864 she donated the land for the Methodist Church. She developed a vineyard east of the town and produced wine labelled E Vincent, Rock Cottage Vineyard. She held land in a number of parcels from where the Farmers Home Hotel now stands, out towards Lake Albert and east to Gumley, as well as maintaining an interest in Mittagong Station.
She was one of the shareholders in the Wagga Wagga Bridge Company which built a toll bridge across the river between North Wagga and Wagga, as well as holdings in other companies. When she died of old age she left an estate of over 11,000 pounds, a large fortune in those days when the average yearly wage was 40 pounds. Her Death Duty File lists : wine in cellar, worth 525 pounds; owned Farmers Home Hotel and 75 acres - 1550 pounds; land and shops in Baylis Street - 2420 pounds - grocer's shop, watchmakers, bakers shop, barbers shop and blacksmiths shop; Chinamans Garden containing 65 acres - 732 pounds; 5 allotments of land in Newtown, Wagga - 200 pounds; Northumberland Cottage, Tarcutta Street, 475 pounds; Rock Cottage and 548 acres - 3787 pounds; Hill Paddock, 102 acres - 510 pounds; Livestock - 67 pounds; Furniture - 271 pounds; 550 pounds on loan to Wesleyan Church. Total - 11,117 pounds.
Family tree
