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John Connor worked in Sydney first, then joined in exploring the area
inland from Port Macquarie until he was employed by Captain Rapsey on
the old storeship, the St. Michael. Moored at Morpeth, the end of
the navigable reach of the Hunter River, the
St. Michael was the supply depot for the convicts cutting cedar, the
soldiers guarding them, the bush constables and others in the district.
As the settlement developed the quantity of stores passing through the
St. Michael increased. In 1832 the two steam packets, Sophia Jane and
William the Fourth commenced a regular passenger and mail service,
plying twice weekly between Sydney and the Green Hills (Morpeth).
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Front
of the old Bond Stores at Morpeth(click to enlarge)
It is worthwhile to quote a description of the
site of Maitland as the future Archbishop Ullathorne saw it in those
early days:
"Riding at Maitland along the fertile banks of the River Hunter, it was
impossible not to admire the beauty of those primitive forests and the
fertile abundance produced by the deep and rich alluvial soil. Then
there were the varied notes of the birds. I was riding through the woods
with Mr. Walker, the chief supporter of our religion in that locality,
when I heard at some distance first a whistle, then the crack of a whip,
then the reverberation of the lash. I asked: `What road is that over
there?' `There is no road,' he replied. `But I heard a man driving, and
there again'. `Oh, that's the coachman.' `But a coachman must have a
road'. `The coachman's a bird,' he said, and bird it was, exactly
imitating the whistle of a coachman and the crack and lashing of his
whip. Then the bellbird rang its silver bell, and another species cried
like a child in trouble, whilst a flock of parrots made a croaking din,
and flights of black cockatoos spread over the fields of maize with a
noise like the rusty hinges of an old castle all flapping together in
the wind."
It is well known that the first church built north of Sydney was St.
Joseph's Church, East Maitland and the first resident priest, Father
Watkins, arrived in 1835. The church had a roof of sorts and an earthen
floor, except in the sanctuary, where it was of wood. Often the Mass
centre was at one of the larger farm houses, mostly those of friendly
non-catholics, for the simple reason that the catholics had for the most
part, only small holdings or none at all. The larger properties were
worked by assigned convicts, and these were the people to whom the
priest went to minister. If the master was in any way friendly he was
glad to have the priest offer the Mass at his homestead for it saved the
necessity of, his assigned servants going out to Mass.
By 1840, Father Mahony was the resident priest and had set
about erecting chapels at three of his centres, namely Hexham,
Raymond Terrace and Dungog, as well as organising other centres. When
Bishop Polding visited the district in 1840 he was well pleased with
what he found. The convicts were clean, groomed and mannerly and their
lives had improved greatly in the five years that a priest had been
living in the district.
This visit of Bishop Polding seems to have been the first real episcopal
visitation of the Hunter Valley and the Bishop's report shows that of a
population of 1,160 there were 365 catholics. On 4th October, Sunday,
the Bishop celebrated Mass in the church at East Maitland, with a
crowded congregation including some protestants. On Monday he celebrated
Mass at Raymond Terrace, having travelled there the evening before,
about ten miles distant. It rained all the time and Mass was celebrated
in a tent, the chapel being not yet completed. The Bishop wa s well
pleased with the exemplary piety and general good conduct of these
people. He then went on to Hinton, a further seven miles, where again a
large group of catholics eagerly listened to his sermon. He continued on
to Cooly Camp and then to Glenham where he arrived at ten o'clock in the night. On
Tuesday morning he celebrated Mass for the catholics, about 60 of them in
this area, then looked at the site for the chapel. The land for this
chapel was given by Mrs. Chambers. The Bishop then went on 25 miles to
Dungog where he was given hospitality at the home of W.F. Mackay and
next morning celebrated Mass in this mansion with seventy catholics and
some protestants, being present. The same day the Bishop and party
returned to Maitland arriving there at
10 p.m. These were the people and
this the area of which
Moses and John Connor were a part.
Alcorn's Inn stood on rising ground
where the old and the new tracks met on the Singleton (southern) side of
Fal Brook crossing at Dulwich Farm. This was becoming a favourite place
for camping and resting the working bullocks. James Glennie's house was
on elevated ground upwards of a mile nearer Singleton. The present
bridge at Camberwell is 3 miles in a downstream direction from the site
of Alcorn's Inn. On lst January 1832 a Post Office was established at
Alcorn's Inn, to be the most northerly inland Post Office in the
Australian Colonies. Mail was carried up there once a week by the
Mounted Police. James Glennie was the contractor in 1832 for the supply
of rations and forage to Mounted Police operating in the upper
districts, and rations for the lock-ups at Darlington, Merton and
Invermein. At Glennie's store travellers could purchase flour, beef and
some other necessities.
Catholic
Church at Glennie's Creek (Click to enlarge)
Moses Connor married Anne Farrell at Glennie's Creek in 1840 and their
daughter Mary Anne was born there 21 March, 1841. Then came John in
April 1843 and Michael 22 June 1845. Three more babies were born to them
but when John returned from the whaling trip to the Southern Ocean with
a group of men from some of the ships that had been trading
between Sydney and Morpeth he found Moses and Anne in
a
sad state. Two of their babies had died and they believed this was due
to the bad climate.
They wanted to
move further north. John and Moses together procured a horse and dray
and began preparations for the journey.
Even then
another little boy died and Anne was very distressed. The departure was
delayed but Moses felt they must move away from that area. Finally the
two men with Anne and the three remaining children Mary, John and
Michael set off on the long trek that took them to Ipswich.
Ipswich was the
free settlement fifteen miles up-river from Moreton Bay, the former
Penal Colony, now becoming a busy port. Ipswich had a newly developed
coal mine and was growing as the centre for the large land holdings
being taken up in the Brisbane River valley, over the mountains and
across the Darling Downs.
It was in
Ipswich that John met Mary Murphy, the Irish governess to one of the
families he was welcoming to Australia. They were immediately attracted
to each other, John felt this was the woman who could, and would as he
soon learned, help him to settle down and build a truly Christian home.
They were married by Rev. William McGinty who with Father Hanly were the
only two priests working in this vast northern section of the Colony.
Their marriage was celebrated on 15 August 1854, in Ipswich.
The Connor men
were not happy with the work and conditions that they found in Ipswich
and did not settle comfortably, so that when they heard of the
successful gold findings at Rocky River (Uralla), they once again packed
their families and belongings into the dray and traveled south. John
having his new bride with him, Mary a little sad at leaving behind her
sister, but Ellen was employed in a good family and was content that
Mary must go.
The journey would have taken some
months for it covers a distance of three hundred and fifty miles or
nearly five hundred kilometers. For most of the way the track, now the
New England Highway, follows the top of the Great Dividing Range. As
soon as they reached Rocky River the men lost no time in staking their
claims and then set up their homes.
Chapter 3
Chapter 11 & O'Connor Genealogy
Contact Peter O'Connor mailto:oconnorpr@optusnet.com.au
for more O'Connor family details
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