The Barker Family of Moolap
The Barker family of Moolap, near Geelong, played a critical role in two of the largest lines of Brinsmeads in Australia. Henry Barker and his wife Margaret (nee Lynch) were early settlers in the area, Henry at least apparently having arrived in the early 1830's. They were close neighbours to William and Ann Brinsmead as they settled in 1851 and were fellow Methodists . Most significantly Henry and Margaret had daughters, two of whom married the Brinsmead's twins, Henry and Reuben.
Henry's Early Life
Greg Brinsmead has researched the early life of Henry Brinsmead and provided the following details. Henry Baker was born in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent, England on 26 April 1812 to William and Sarah Baker. He was baptized at The Wesleyan White Chapel on 7 June 1812. We know from an account in the Geelong Historical Society records that Henry was one of several (perhaps four) children, and that his father was a ship carpenter. In 1829, at the age of 17, he was tried for housebreaking and stealing goods to the value of £2 9/9 at Maidstone and sentenced, on 8 August 1829, to death. Following a plea by his father, his sentenced was reduced to Transportation for Life.
The record
of Henry Brinsmead's Transportation from 1829
The record of Henry
Barker's delivery to the hulk Retribution to await transportation to AustraliaOn September 16th, 1829 he he was taken from Maidstone to be held on one of the notorious prison hulks, the Retribution, floating on the Thames at Woolwich to await transportation. Conjure up your memory of the opening scenes in Great Expectations and you will be at the same time and place. Dickens regularly travelled that area. He was transported to Tasmania aboard the Bussarch Merchant and arrived on 18 January 1830.
Prison in Australia
Henry remained in prison in Australia until he was finally released in 1845 at age 33. Greg Brinsmead has researched the prison records and reports that Henry had a difficult time during that period. We hope to add more on this period later.
Arrival in Geelong
The first entry in the Geelong newspaper (below) is rather ambiguous. The Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer of August 4th, 1852 is less so; it reported that Henry Barker, along with John Broadribb and Michael Gallerly were fined 5/- each in Police Court, for drunkenness.
Geelong Advertiser - January 27, 1851.Henry Barker farmed on Melaluka Lane which ran south from the East of Leopold down towards Lake Connewarre on one side and Reedy Lake on the other. The farm was in easy walking distance of the Brinsmead farm, which was located right on Lake Connewarre. A grandson, Jack Dowsett, reported that when Henry first settled the land the indigenous people were still in the paddocks. Henry Barker was a Primitive Methodist while the Brinsmeads were Wesleyans, but it did not prevent collaboration between them. There is some doubt as to whether the first Methodist service was held on the Baker or the Brismead property, but it was one or the other.
Marriage to Margaret Lynch
Mrs Margaret Barker Henry Barker married Margaret Lynch in Leopold (then known as Kensington) in 1853. Margaret was from England, the daughter of a John Lynch and Margaret McCarthy. John Lynch was described as a dealer, in London. Margaret was 22 at the time of their marriage.
Midwife Margaret Barker in her later yearsShe was well know around the Leopold region as she was the local midwife responsible for the delivery of many local babies.
The early farm would have involved fruit trees as well as crops such as potatoes. Later it changed to small scale dairying, perhaps supplemented by fishing and duck hunting on the nearby lakes.
Believed to be the Barkers standing outside their Homestead
Top: The four Barker Girls
- left to right - Jemima, Harriet, Emily and Louisa. Bottom: The second generation Barkers; Louise, Jemima, Emily, Bill, Jim and Charlie, circa 1885-1890.
Children
Henry and Margaret had seven children; four girls, Harriette, Jermiah, Louise, and Emily, followed by three boys, James, Charles and William, all between 1854 and 1869. Jemima, born in 1856 and Louisa, born in 1863 each married Brinsmead boys - the twins Henry and Reuben. The story of Henry and Jemima, who stayed in the area, and Reuben and Louisa, who moved to Morwell, are told on other pages.
The Geelong Historical Society has a brief record of Henry Barker purchasing the land of a neighbour, Alex Russell,from his widow Agnes in 1877.
Believed to be Henry Barker, although a note on the photograph questions whether it is not, instead, Henry Brinsmead
Death
Henry and Margaret Barker's gravestone from the Leopold Cemetery Henry Barker died at age 84 on March 7th, 1895. His funeral was held on March 30th, 1895 and he is buried in the Leopold Cemetery At the time of his death, he was living with his daughter and son-in-law Henry Brinsmead at Allens Week Farm. There is no record of a will. He was noted to be a colonist of 67 years, which would mean he arrived in Australia in 1828, which would be very early. Margaret Baker was significantly younger than Henry and she survived him by 17 years. She passed away on April 10th, 1912 and was buried in the Leopold Cemetery on April 12th, 1912 beside Henry, their grand-daughter Mary Mona Brinsmead who died at 11 months old in June 1893, and a still born child who died in 1892. Margaret was living in Leopold at the time of her death.
A gathering of the Barker Family in Geelong to celebrate a 50th Wedding Anniversary of William and Tottie (Alberta) Barker