"On Saturday last, the 6th instant, by special licence, by the Rev. R. Hill, at St James's Church, Marian, second eldest daughter of Mr. Reuben Uther, Surrey Hills, to Captain Thomas Swindells, of the ship Australia."
Reuben Uther was an early Australian entrepreneur who died in 1880 leaving an estate valued at £250, 000- possibly equivalent to £25 million in 2015.
Thomas Swindells was an early whaling and sealing captain in the Australian and New Zealand seas. By 1836, income from whale oil in the new colony was equal to that from wool. Thirty-nine local whaling ships were registered in Sydney, and they employed 835 men.
I do not know where Thomas Swindells was born but one reference suggests he was born around 1799. In so he did well to become the captain of the 'Nereus' in 1824 for a sealing voyage to Kangaroo Island. In the course of this voyage he recovered the crew of the wrecked brig Belinda at Middle Island:
" I beg leave to acquaint you that on the 8th of December last at Middle Island on the South West Coast of New Holland I took off Twenty Six British Subjects being the late Crew of the Brig Belinda, Thos. Coverdale Master – which Brig was totally wrecked on the said Island – and I enclose you a Certificate of having Victualled and brought the said Crew to Sydney – and request that you will be pleased to direct the usual remuneration to be paid for such Service."
In 1826 he was in command of the 'Glory', which itself was wrecked that year. Thomas was described as "an upstart puppy of a skipper".
As stated above in 1834 he was master of the Australia.
The next I know of him he was commanding the barque Terror on a whaling voyage departing in on the 14th of January 1845 for 'the whaling grounds' on behalf of B. Boyd and company. Passengers were Mrs Swindells and two children. They returned to Boyd town in New South Wales on the 4th of November 1845 with 230 barrels of sperm oil, Mrs Swindell and three children - Thomas Sanders Swindells having been born during the voyage.
Thomas Swindells invested his whaling profits in property on the Surry hills where both he and his wife died in 1851. Thomas died intestate and probate was not granted until 1943!
His orphaned children were probably looked after by their mother's family, the Uthers. The children were
Elizabeth Marian, born 1838
Agnes Uther, born 1842
Thomas Sanders, born at sea 1845.
(A son Horace had been born in 1839 but died in 1843)
This male Swindells line in Australia died out with the death of Thomas's grandson Thomas Manchester 'Chester'' Swindells in 1978. However Chester's brother Horace moved on to New Zealand though I have not tracked any descendants there.
More about the Swindell Surname
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