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Alexander Poynton was the founder of the Poynton family in Australia, arriving in Melbourne as a sailor in 1851. As happened with many ship's crew at the time, he jumped ship and headed to the newly-discovered goldfields in Ballarat. (The authenticity of this account is questionable.) Alexander was 19 years old, having been born in Liverpool, England on January 29, 1832. On his death certificate, his father is recorded as James Poynton, cooper, and his mother as Mary Wilson. No further details of James Poynton or Mary Wilson are known. Alexander Poynton apparently had very little to say about his family in the UK, and may have been born out of wedlock. He said that he was the youngest of seven children and had worked for his elder sister's husband, who had a ship's chandlery in Liverpool. He was not happy there and ran away to sea. A James Poynton (Engineer) does appear in documents from the Cheshire Public Records Office. Whether this is Alexander Poynton's father is open to debate: it is open to someone to follow this up and perhaps tell me what the story is... The 1881 UK census records over 200 individuals with the Poynton surname. Only a few of these are recorded as being born in Liverpool, and in all likelihood may be related. Many more were born in Lancashire or Cheshire. You can look at the 1881 Census list. In Melbourne, Alexander met an Irish girl, Rosanna McFadden, who was a year younger than him, and whom he married on 27 August, 1852. She was a refugee from the Irish Potato Famine, and had arrived in Australia some years previously. Rosanna was desperate to married, resolving to marry the first man who asked. She felt it was safer to be married to anyone than to be a single woman in Melbourne at the time. Alexander's proposal was conditional: he would marry her provided the first twelve children were raised as Protestants. Their first child, Alexander, was born on August 8, 1853, and destined to be a member of both the South Australian then the Commonwealth Parliaments during 1893 - 1922. Between 1853 and 1876 Alexander and Rosanna were parents to 14 children, 10 sons and four daughters. One of the sons was stillborn, two others died as infants. The last child, David, was the thirteenth living child, and he was raised a Catholic, as agreed by the parents at their betrothal.
Alexander born Castlemaine 8 August, 1853 According to the "Australian History of Biography," volume 11, in the notes on the eldest son, Alexander sen. was a participant in the Eureka Stockade. This seems possible, as he was a miner in the area at the time (Alexander was born at Castlemaine). This claim may, however, be ficticious. Alexander moved about the Victorian Goldfields during the 1850s and early 1860s, then selected a property at Illabarook prior to 1863. This property was called "The Wattles", of about 240 acres, and remains in the family to this day. Alexander Poynton died of a lung infection (related to his career as a miner?) on November 14, 1896 at the age of 64, while Rosanna lived to the age of 87, dying on March 9th, 1920. A Christmas photograph taken in 1918 of Rosanna and the Poynton family, is available. This is best viewed on a large monitor. It has been computer enhanced to show everyone's faces as clearly as possible from an old, blurry print.
This page is maintained by Charles Poynton of 78 Blencowe St,
West Leederville, WA 6007, Australia. ph +618 9381 7651 emailcharlesp@odyssey.apana.org.au Return to Irwin Poynton. Exit from the homepage altogether.
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