James Pascoe (28 Mar 1824 - 31 Jul 1881)

James is my great, great, great grandfather.

James Pascoe was christened on 28 March 1824 at the Church of England, Parish Church of Morwenstow, Cornwall, England to parents James Pascoe and Elizabeth Pascoe (nee Johns).

No evidence of James Pascoe the son in 1841 English Census although his parents are living in Woodford, Cornwall, England with some of his younger brothers and sister.  His future wife, Elizabeth Gilbert is living with her grandfather Richard at Holsworthy, Devon, England as acting as his housekeeper.  This isn't far from Morwenstow.

At some point James Pascoe meets Elizabeth Gilbert.  Elizabeth becomes pregnant.  When she is 3 month's pregnant they marry.

James (aged 24) marries Elizabeth Gilbert (aged 16) on 9 April 1847 at the Church of England, Parish Church of Morwenstow, Cornwall, England.  Elizabeth was from the village Kilkhampton not far from Morwenstow.

Their first born Richard Pascoe is born on 17 October 1847 at Morwenstow, Cornwall, England.  He died in 1851.

Their second born is Jane Pascoe.  She is born on 6 September 1849 at a little village called Woodford near Morwenstow, Cornwall, England.  This baby dies.

Their third born is Jane Pascoe and my great, great, grandmother.  She is born in the month of February 1851 at Morwenstow, Cornwall, England.

In the English Census of 1851 James (aged 27) is living with his wife Elizabeth (aged 24) and daughter Jane Pascoe who is one month at the little village called Woodford, in the Parish of Morwenstow, Cornwall, England.  He is listed as being an Agricultural Labourer.

James and Elizabeth decided to head to Australia on 7th June 1853 aboard the ship "Neptune". Why they left England we are not sure but we do know that between 1845 and 1851 there were poor harvests and food shortages in the UK. 12 million people left the UK between 1820-1910 so we suspect they were part of this movement. We know that their first two children had already died. We also know there was a small pox epidemic in Cornwall between 1849 and 1850. In 1851, gold was also discovered in Australia and many Cornish left to see their fortunes.

By the time they reached Plymouth to travel to Australia, James and Elizabeth had another daughter Mary born 1852. The four travelled on the ship. James (29), Elizabeth (27), Jane Pascoe (2) and Mary (1).

The South Australian Government Gazette 1866 pg 83-84 described the voyage as follows:

"The Neptune arrived the 25th October, having been 143 days at sea ; she brought to the colony 309 souls. The births were six in number ; the deaths at all ages eighteen, but only two were those of adults. Sickness prevailed to a considerable extent in this ship during the greater part of the voyage. The cases of diarrhoea were very numerous and difficult of cure. The opinion of the surgeon-Superintendent Dr. Popham, was that the illness was produced and kept up, by the water put on board in England ; he strengthens his opinion by the statement that the ship being in want of medicines, put into the Cape of Good Hope, where a supply of water was procured and from the time this water began to be used, the diarrhoea ceased ; but during the subsequent part of the voyage, a cask of the English water having been broached, the diarrhoea recommenced. The provisions according to the charter party, were in some cases deficient in quantity. The ship arrived on on the 25th October. By the evidence taken before the Immigration Board, and by the surgeons journal, it appears that the butter was all consumed on the 23rd of September, the raisins on the 4th October, the treacle on the 10th of October, preserved soup on the same day, suet on the 15th October and flour on the 20th October. The complaints of the people on this head were almost universal. The ship itself was well adapted for the conveyance of emigrants, but the fittings were put up in the most slovenly manner. The surgeon superintendent complains of his having been kept without proper food during the voyage. That although according to the terms of the charter party, he and Mrs. Popham ought to have got provisions in quantity and quality suited to cabin passengers, yet, that in fact they actually suffered hunger for want of food, and that Mrs. Popham’s health was so affected by it, that Dr. Popham was forced to leave his lady in Cape Town. I have for these reasons, thought it my duty to refuse to sign the papers of the ship certifying that the requirements of the charter party have been complied with. As only an uncertified copy of the charter party is sent to this colony, it is impossible to proceed, legally, further than to prosecute for the short issue of such provisions as are made necessary by the Passengers Act, 1852” and accordingly, acting under the advice of the law advisers of the Crown, I have laid information for the short issue of flour. This case stands as yet for trial. It is not possible to account for this deficiency of provisions, and the careless manner in which the ship was fitted up, by the low price at which the contract was taken by the Commissioners. The contract price by this ship was £19 9s. ; that by the Standard which preceded it was £18 14s. 9d. and that by the Olivia which arrived after the Neptune was £17 7s. I am at a loss to account for the inferior quality of the water. I know not whether there are different places in the Channel or the Thames where outward-bound ships take in water, but if so, it may be a matter of importance for the Commissioners to make enquiry where the water of this ship was taken on board, as it may be the means of preventing sickness in future, if it can be discovered from what cause the impurity of the water had proceeded.

I have now great pleasure in giving two extracts from the journal of the surgeon superintendent— “Latitude 24º 37’ South, longitude 25º 44’ Sunday, August 7, 1853. At three o’clock this afternoon we heard a cry of “a woman overboard,” ran on the poop directly and saw Emma Edwards in the water, about 200 yards from the ship and Mr. Simkins, the third mate, swimming towards her ; she had been an inmate of the hospital since she was attacked with measles, and had been in a very desponding state since the time of leaving Plymouth ; she frequently said to myself, as well as to the captain and others, that she should not live to see Adelaide, and on the previous Friday she told my servant she did not think she should live a week. Yesterday, she gave away several articles of clothing to some of the young girls, saying she would never wear them again. The ship was going at a rate of eight knots an hour, with a stiff breeze and before she could be brought-to and the boat lowered, they were nearly a mile astern, and quite lost sight of, as the sea was running very high. The life boat was pulled in the direction in which they were last seen, and after some time the third mate was seen on the top of a wave ; with as little delay as possible he and the body of Emma Edwards (whom he had supported for some time, though she pulled him under twice) were brought back to the ship, Mr. Simkins in the most exhausted state and Emma Edwards quite dead.”“Sunday, August 21st, Latitude 35º 38’ south, longitude 2º 5’ west. Strong gale with a very heavy sea. About 2 am, the mainsail was carried away with a fearful noise, causing much consternation among the emigrants. This afternoon, as several of the females were sitting on the poop, a heavy sea was shipped, which washed Rebecca Lane partly down the rudder trunk, carried away the bulwarks of the poop and would have carried overboard Louisa Bedford, but for the promptitude of Mr. Simkins, the third mate, who sprang to her assistance, laid hold of her and saved her from a watery grave.” On this being communicated to His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor, His Excellency appreciated so highly this noble, though unsuccessful attempt to save human life, that he ordered the sum of £50 (fifty pounds) to be presented to Mr. Simkins and informed that gentleman that an account of his gallant conduct should be transmitted to the Royal Humane Society of London. "

They arrived in Port Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia on 25th October 1853. It had obviously been a hard trip.

James and Elizabeth had the following children:

• Richard Pascoe (17 October 1847-9 March 1851) at Morwenstow
• Jane Pascoe (6 September 1849- ) at at Woodford
• Jane BAIN (nee Pascoe) (February 1851-1930) at Morwenstow
• Mary Pascoe (1852 - ) in England
• William Pascoe (8 February 1855 - ) at Black Forest
• Eliza Ann Pascoe (23 October 1859 - ) at Plympton
• Elizabeth Pascoe (20 February 1862 - ) at Cockatoo Flat
• John Henry Pascoe (16 July 1864 - ) at Aldinga
• Caroline Pascoe (25 October 1867 - 23 September 1870) drowning at Aldinga
• Johnny

The story of Caroline Pascoe's drowning is as follows:

SA Chronicle and Weekly Mail - Sat 1 October 1870

ALDINGA, 24 September, 1870

"An inquest was held by Dr Jay, on Friday the 23rd instant, on the body of a child, three years old, the youngest daughter of James Pascoe.  It appeared from the evidence that the mother of the child went to a neighbour, Mr Thomas Pengilly, to get two buckets of water, taking the child with her.  On arriving at the house she left the child outside whilst she obtained permission to take the water.  She did not remain longer than a minute, then returned to where she had left the buckets, proceeded to the tank, filled them, and returned home, thinking the child had gone before her.  Not finding her, she at once instituted a search, but in vain, she then returned to Mrs Pengilly's, who at once thought of the tank, and began searching with an iron crook which was kept to recover the bucket when it got loose from the rope.  Not succeeding, she obtained the assistance of her son, Thomas Pengilly, junior, who, after some time, succeeded in recovering the body, but, unfortunately, not until life was quite extinct.  Remedies were used to restore circulation, but they failed.  The following verdict was returned.  "Found drowned in a tank, but no direct evidence to sow how she got there"".  They also wished the following rider appended - "That although they did not blame anyone in the case, they would point out the necessity of having tanks and wells more carefully covered".  Great sympathy is felt for the bereaved parents, who, by this calamity, lost the youngest of seven children."
James Pascoe died on the 31st July 1881 when the population of Aldinga was around 665.

The newspaper dated Wednesday 17 August 1881 states:

"PASCOE - On the 31st July, at Aldinga, James Pascoe, of pneumonia, formerly of Morwenstow, Cornwall, aged 63 years, also on the 6th August, at Aldinga, Elizabeth Pascoe, relief of above, of hepatitis.  Cornish papers please copy."