Chapter 7: Life as a free man

I liked the Williams River area and the work I had been doing.  I decided to make my home there, working on the different properties in and around that area.

I started saving every penny I earned, so I could one day. buy a nice piece of land that I could call my own.

While working at a property owned by Thomas & Mary Trotter at Allyn River, I spied their lovely daughter Ann.

She was only young at the time but I knew she was the one I wanted to marry.

I started to make myself more presentable in her Parents eyes by working hard, and going to church regularly. I also realised that I had never been baptised so I thought I should also attend to that.

On the 14^th January 1844 I was baptised into the Church Of England Parrish in Seaham in the Hunter River region.

With that done with her parent’s approval I started courting Ann, who at the time was only sixteen, but we were both deeply in love.

Ann was the fifth child of the eleven children, born in Wrexham Wales and arrived in Australia with her Family in 1836 when she was ten years old.

She knew the old country so we had a lot in common to talk about.

Ann and I were married on the 29^th of June 1845 in a little Church of England church at Gresford on the Allyn River. Ann had only just turned Seventeen, so she had to get her parents consent, which they gave freely.

It was a lovely big happy wedding for all of her brothers & sisters were in attendance. The reception was held back on the Trotter’s property with all the food loving prepared by the ladies of the family and what a do it was. The only sad thought I had was for my family wishing they could share this wonderful occasion.