ELIJAH (or ELIAS  
ELIJAH
This is Marion's adopted family. She grew up with stories of how they came to Australia, told by 'Grandpa' Will Elijah; stories he had been told by his parents.

Richard Elijah was a seaman on the "Bride of the Sea" which docked at Geelong in August 1855.  Richard and a friend deserted ship to go to the goldfields. It was understood that he changed his name to 'Elijah', but never told his children his former name.

Ann Ahern embarked at the age of 15 for the colony in the company of her cousin, who was 16.  The two girls booked as sisters and stated their ages as 19 and 21. Their ship sailed into a storm in the Bay of Biscay, was damaged and limped back to England, where some of the passengers decided not to continue their voyage. Ann and her cousin decided to continue and arived on the "Agincourt" on February 10, 1854. Ann entered ito domestic service with Mrs. Wallace of McKillop St. Geelong for a period of 3 months.  Her wages were 20 pounds with rations.

In January 1859 Richard and Ann were married and moved to Ballarat.  Richard worked as a coach driver and in 1878 moved his family to Hamilton, where he set up a livery stables.

On his marriage certificate, Richard stated his parents' names as Maurice Elijah and Ellen Jones.

Some of the stories he told his son, Will, were of the family as farmers back in Wales. He mentioned a 'romeo and juliet-type' story of a local family fued between 'Lloyds' and 'Georges' which ended with the marriage of Miss Lloyd to Mr. George and the birth of David Lloyd-George, later Prime Minister of England.

In trying to discover Richard Elijah's origins, Marion investigated this story. While the story as recounted by Will Elijah proved to have a fair amount of fiction, it did assist in placing Richard's origins in the Lleyn Peninsula of Wales. A search of records uncovered a Morris Elias whose wife was Eleanor or Ellen Jones and who had a son called Richard who was born around 1832. Further investigation resulted in the information that 'Elijah' is one anglicized form of 'Elias'!

In the Merchant Seamen's records, Richard Elias is listed, b Pistill, Caernarvon, August 30, 1831.  He was employed as a ship's cook, and first went to sea in 1846.  This ties in with Will Elijah's story that his father found work on the farm too hard, so he ran away to sea as a young lad.  Will said that his father told him he had been on voyages to 'the Americas'.  Records show he was on voyages in 1846, 1848 and 1851, but no ships' names are given for these voyages.

The 1855 crew lists for 'Bride of the Sea', registered at Liverpool, mention Richard Elias, aged 23, b. Caernarvon, who deserted ship at Geelong in 1855.

So, we can confidently say that Richard Elias, having derserted his ship, changed his name to Richard Elijah and began a new life and a new family in Australia.

(Research into the Merchant Seamen's  records and Crew lists was done for me by Bob O'Hara.  Without his help I would not have been able to prove this connection) 
 


 
 ELIAS, Morris
Born: c 1778
Marr.: Feb. 8, 1822, Llanaelhaearn, Caernarvonshire, Wales.
Died: Dec. 3, 1855, Tanbwlch, Pistyll, Caernarvonshire, Wales.
ELIJAH ( ELIAS), Richard
Born: Aug 30, 1831, Llithfaencha, Pistyll Caernarvonshire, Wales.
Marr.:Jan 18, 1859, Geelong, (Vic.) Aus.
Died: Dec.2, 1920, Hamilton, Vic. Aus.
JONES, Ellen (Eleanor)
Born: Llanaelhaearn, Caernarvonshire, Wales
Died:  Feb. 12, 1879, Penlon, Pistyll, Wales.
ELIJAH, William
Born: Feb.5, 1876, Ballarat, Vic. Aus.
Marr.: Jan 21, 1904, Hamilton, Vic. Aus.
Died: Oct. 16, 1970, Casterton, Vic. Aus.
AHERN, James
Born: ? <date>, Ennis Co Clare, Ire.
Marr.:

Died:
 

AHERN, Ann
Born: 1837, Ennis, Co Clare, Irl.
Died: Dec. 14, 1924, Hamilton, Vic. Aus.
O'HALLORAN or HALLIORAN, Nancy or Ann
Born:

Died:

ELIJAH, Norman
Born: July 14, 1905, Hamilton, Vic. Aus.
Marr.:Nov. 2, 1935, Coleraine, Vic. Aus. (Jean McCracken)
Died: Oct. 17, 1974, Melbourne, Vic. Aus.
BRUCE, Henry
Born: ? <date>
Scotland.
Marr.: ? Scotland

Died: ? Scotland

BRUCE, Archibald Herd
Born: 1838, Dunfermline, Sct.
Marr.: April 9, 1870, Clunes, Vic. Aus.
Died: May 11, 1928, Hamilton, Vic. Aus.
HERD, Catherine

Born: ? Scotland

Died: ? Scotland

BRUCE, Agnes Jane
Born: c1876, Clunes, Vic. Aus.
Died: June 15, 1953, Hamilton, Vic. Aus.
PARKS, William
Born:

Marr.:

Died: 

PARKS, Mary Wilson
Born: June 15, 1848, Poolton cum Seacombe, Chester Eng.

Died:

STOUT, Jane
Born:

Died:
 

An Elijah photo album

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