It is easy to forget the pioneering women because it is often more difficult to uncover their stories ... But it is so important to try to try to find them and write about them. Early settler women were often remarkably strong and resilient women - They had to be. They travelled a long way in less than pleasant conditions and often on treacherous seas, on the promise of a better life. They arrived in places that seemed strange to them and raised a family in harsh conditions, often losing children to disease or accident along the way ...
Thank you, Jane. You make an important point. The lives of early settler women are too often overlooked, partly because the records are sparse. Yet their endurance and determination shaped many communities. I appreciate your thoughtful comment.
What a coincidence, Peter, I’m working on a presentation on researching female ancestors. They require a totally different skill set than we use in researching males. Records weren’t kept in many cases or name changes make them more difficult to find.
Our pioneer ancestors had it tough, but our female ancestors needed to be extra tough and resilient to survive. Life was tough for my 2x grandparents when they first arrived. He was struggling to make enough money to support the family and his wife took in washing. They lived in a tent and the washing for other people was done in the river. Then there were the large number of children they had and cared for and often lost, in harsh conditions. Great post.
Thank you, Jennifer, for your lovely comment. Your great-great-grandparents certainly had it tough—it is hard to imagine living in a tent and washing in the river, especially while raising a large family. There is such a gulf between our lives today and theirs. We can only admire their determination and endurance. I agree wholeheartedly that our pioneer ancestors faced enormous challenges, and that the women, in particular, had to be especially strong to survive and support their families through such harsh conditions.
I enjoyed reading this post very much! I became enthralled with pioneer stories ever since I read 'A Bride Goes West'. Thank you for bringing light to pioneer women.
I often wonder how I would fare in the past without modern medicine or menstrual products.
I read somewhere that a man would be unable to work his own land without a woman or a person taking on her role. After a long day planting or cutting trees, what would he eat? What would he sleep on? What would he wear? What would he do when he got sick or injured?
I think a lot of women had to work the land on top of the cooking, sewing, childrearing and nursing, often while pregnant. And give birth to all the children!
Thank you, Anne, that’s such a thoughtful comment, and I’m so glad the post connected with you. I often think the same: how different life would have been without the basics we take for granted today. And you are absolutely right, so much of what held early settler life together depended on the often-unseen labour of women. Without someone to cook, care, sew, tend the sick, and simply keep a household functioning, the whole system would have come undone. Your reflection captures that perfectly.
My pioneering woman went to Australia from England alone. She had woven baskets with her very poor family, which her mother then hawked around the local area. When she arrived she went to work for a family with a large landholding in the area now occupied by Tullamarine Airport. After a short time she moved on the the goldfields in the Bendigo area and married an english man, who had left a wife and children in the UK. He seems to have done reasonably well and they had three daughters together. When she was pregnant with their fourth child he left her and the children to look for gold on the west coast of NZ. Realising he wasn't coming back Eliza and the girls took a ship back to England where the baby was born. She lived with various relatives before embarking for NZ with her four daughters. There she made a new life, her daughters grew up and married, believing their father had drowned on his voyage to NZ. Years later the truth was revealed and a daughter tried to reconnect with her father, who by this time was in Sydney. He asked her not to come and visit, and I have been unable to ascertain exactly when he died, although I think I have narrowed it down to perhaps a pauper's grave at Rookwood. I have visited the area of bush where he had one of his claims - Flora Reef, and tried to put myself in her position with 3 little ones, miles from any reasonable size town. In another twist his son from his legal marriage also emigrated to Victoria, taking with him his wife and having a family in Melbourne. I have not managed to find out what happened to his first abandoned wife. Claudia Page, Auckland.
Thank you, Claudia, for sharing the extraordinary story of your pioneering ancestor. Eliza’s journey really brings home just how much strength women needed to survive and protect their families in those times. I was especially struck by the image of her alone on the goldfields with three small children, forced to build a life in such an isolated and unforgiving place. The twists in her story, such as her husband’s abandonment, the secrecy around his fate, and the eventual discovery of his other family, reveal just how complex and hidden these histories can be. Your research not only honours Eliza’s determination but also highlights the vital role women played in shaping colonial communities, often under the most difficult of circumstances. Thank you again for adding such a powerful example to the conversation.
It is easy to forget the pioneering women because it is often more difficult to uncover their stories ... But it is so important to try to try to find them and write about them. Early settler women were often remarkably strong and resilient women - They had to be. They travelled a long way in less than pleasant conditions and often on treacherous seas, on the promise of a better life. They arrived in places that seemed strange to them and raised a family in harsh conditions, often losing children to disease or accident along the way ...
Thank you, Jane. You make an important point. The lives of early settler women are too often overlooked, partly because the records are sparse. Yet their endurance and determination shaped many communities. I appreciate your thoughtful comment.
What a coincidence, Peter, I’m working on a presentation on researching female ancestors. They require a totally different skill set than we use in researching males. Records weren’t kept in many cases or name changes make them more difficult to find.
Yes I have found the same. It can be quite a tangle and the lack of records can be frustrating.
Land and legal records bear more fruit. And once in awhile you get lucky in a county history.
Love to see that!
I can't wait to see it!
I will be presenting at the September Speakers Corner on ProjectKin. The exact date will be announced soon.
Our pioneer ancestors had it tough, but our female ancestors needed to be extra tough and resilient to survive. Life was tough for my 2x grandparents when they first arrived. He was struggling to make enough money to support the family and his wife took in washing. They lived in a tent and the washing for other people was done in the river. Then there were the large number of children they had and cared for and often lost, in harsh conditions. Great post.
Thank you, Jennifer, for your lovely comment. Your great-great-grandparents certainly had it tough—it is hard to imagine living in a tent and washing in the river, especially while raising a large family. There is such a gulf between our lives today and theirs. We can only admire their determination and endurance. I agree wholeheartedly that our pioneer ancestors faced enormous challenges, and that the women, in particular, had to be especially strong to survive and support their families through such harsh conditions.
I enjoyed reading this post very much! I became enthralled with pioneer stories ever since I read 'A Bride Goes West'. Thank you for bringing light to pioneer women.
Thanks, Rose, glad you enjoyed hearing about my forebears.
I absolutely love this!
I often wonder how I would fare in the past without modern medicine or menstrual products.
I read somewhere that a man would be unable to work his own land without a woman or a person taking on her role. After a long day planting or cutting trees, what would he eat? What would he sleep on? What would he wear? What would he do when he got sick or injured?
I think a lot of women had to work the land on top of the cooking, sewing, childrearing and nursing, often while pregnant. And give birth to all the children!
Thank you, Anne, that’s such a thoughtful comment, and I’m so glad the post connected with you. I often think the same: how different life would have been without the basics we take for granted today. And you are absolutely right, so much of what held early settler life together depended on the often-unseen labour of women. Without someone to cook, care, sew, tend the sick, and simply keep a household functioning, the whole system would have come undone. Your reflection captures that perfectly.
My pioneering woman went to Australia from England alone. She had woven baskets with her very poor family, which her mother then hawked around the local area. When she arrived she went to work for a family with a large landholding in the area now occupied by Tullamarine Airport. After a short time she moved on the the goldfields in the Bendigo area and married an english man, who had left a wife and children in the UK. He seems to have done reasonably well and they had three daughters together. When she was pregnant with their fourth child he left her and the children to look for gold on the west coast of NZ. Realising he wasn't coming back Eliza and the girls took a ship back to England where the baby was born. She lived with various relatives before embarking for NZ with her four daughters. There she made a new life, her daughters grew up and married, believing their father had drowned on his voyage to NZ. Years later the truth was revealed and a daughter tried to reconnect with her father, who by this time was in Sydney. He asked her not to come and visit, and I have been unable to ascertain exactly when he died, although I think I have narrowed it down to perhaps a pauper's grave at Rookwood. I have visited the area of bush where he had one of his claims - Flora Reef, and tried to put myself in her position with 3 little ones, miles from any reasonable size town. In another twist his son from his legal marriage also emigrated to Victoria, taking with him his wife and having a family in Melbourne. I have not managed to find out what happened to his first abandoned wife. Claudia Page, Auckland.
Thank you, Claudia, for sharing the extraordinary story of your pioneering ancestor. Eliza’s journey really brings home just how much strength women needed to survive and protect their families in those times. I was especially struck by the image of her alone on the goldfields with three small children, forced to build a life in such an isolated and unforgiving place. The twists in her story, such as her husband’s abandonment, the secrecy around his fate, and the eventual discovery of his other family, reveal just how complex and hidden these histories can be. Your research not only honours Eliza’s determination but also highlights the vital role women played in shaping colonial communities, often under the most difficult of circumstances. Thank you again for adding such a powerful example to the conversation.
There are twelve identical 10 foot monuments dedicated to the pioneer woman in the U.S. https://weelunk.com/madonnas-trail/
Very interesting!