George Boniface’s Family ‘Tree’ document, summarised.

Below is a more detailed yet still condensed summary of the Boniface Family history, highlighting key dates, relationships, and events from the 16th century through to the late 20th century.

Boniface Family History – Expanded Summary

1. Early English Roots (16th – 18th Centuries)

• Earliest Known Ancestor:

• John Boniface, baptized in 1579 in Sussex, England.

• Location & Occupation:

• Several generations lived in southwest Sussex (notably Aldingbourne, Eastergate, Walberton), working primarily as yeoman farmers (landowning, middle-class agriculturists).

• Historical documents (e.g., wills) reveal that some ancestors, such as George Boniface (b. 1715), owned sizable acreage (over 300 acres) and left considerable personal wealth for that era.

• Notable Move to Surrey:

• By the late 1700s, George Boniface (b. 1745) and his wife Rebecca Chapman moved from Sussex to Surrey.

• Their seventh child, Benjamin Burrough Boniface, was born on 15 February 1786, either in Dorking or Addington (records vary).

2. Benjamin Burrough Boniface in England

• First Recorded Marriage (Kent):

• Benjamin (then ~35) married Elizabeth Rudkin at Gillingham, Kent, on 15 June 1821. Little is known about any children from that union.

• Later censuses (1841, 1851) place him in Horsmonden, Kent, as a farmer of 100+ acres employing multiple laborers.

• Second Marriage & Departure for Australia:

• In March 1853, now a widower in his late 60s, Benjamin married Elizabeth Field (a widow in her late 30s) at St. Pancras Church in London.

• Within days of the ceremony, they boarded the Swedish ship Oscar 1st on 23 March 1853 with Elizabeth’s son William Field, arriving in Melbourne, Australia, in July 1853.

3. Arrival in Australia (1853) & Early Challenges

• Initial Settlement:

• Briefly in Melbourne, possibly trading in land or brickmaking, then moved to Erina (near Gosford, NSW) by mid-1854.

• Children in NSW:

• Benjamin Henry Burrough (“Ben”) Boniface, born 1 June 1854, Erina (Brisbane Water).

• Elizabeth Augusta Boniface, born 13 March 1856, Erina.

• Financial and Marital Breakdown:

• Benjamin’s reported gambling/alcohol debts gradually depleted Elizabeth’s funds and jewelry (allegedly retrieved from a Melbourne bank in small portions).

• Sometime between 1857 and 1861, Benjamin left, effectively abandoning Elizabeth and their two young children.

• Benjamin Sr. died on 11 February 1869 at Liverpool Asylum, a home for destitute men.

4. Elizabeth Field Boniface’s Resilience

• After Benjamin Sr. deserted the family, Elizabeth supported herself as a dressmaker in Sydney (Newtown area).

• Her eldest son, William Field, traveled to England for ministry training but returned in poor health and died in Brisbane in 1866 at around 23 years old.

• By 1866, Elizabeth and her younger children (Ben Jr. and Elizabeth Augusta) relocated to Kiama, NSW, where she continued dressmaking and ensured the children went to school. She passed away in 1890 at her daughter’s home in North Sydney.

5. Life and Descendants of Benjamin Henry Burrough (“Ben”) Boniface (1854–1943)

• Childhood in Kiama:

• Arrived at Kiama as a 12-year-old (c. 1866).

• Apprenticed at age 14 to a local boot/ shoemaker.

• Marriage and Children:

• Married Mary Holden (daughter of Richard and Susannah Holden) on 24 July 1878 at her father’s home in Kiama.

• Their known children (in order of birth) included:

1. Mary Elizabeth (b. 1879; d. 1890),

2. Mabel Susannah (b. 1881; “May”),

3. Herbert Fortune (b. 1883; died in infancy, 1883),

4. Benjamin Richard (b. 1884; died 1885),

5. Louise Augusta (b. 1885; died 1887),

6. Lilian Florence (b. 1887; “Lil”),

7. Margaret Myrtle (b. 1888; “Myrt”),

8. Evelyn Irene (b. 1889; died 1889),

9. Henry Vivian (b. 1891; “Harry”),

10. George Lawrence (b. 1892).

• Several of these children sadly died in infancy or early childhood from illnesses such as diphtheria or whooping cough.

• Community Involvement:

• Active in Kiama’s Methodist Church (choir member, tenor soloist).

• Member of the Sons of Temperance Lodge and the Volunteer Rifle Corps, earning a long-service medal.

• Farming Ventures:

• Moved to “Happy Villa” on Saddleback Mountain Road (around 1908) to start a milk vending business and small-scale dairying.

• Later settled at a property called “Belmont,” continuing dairy farming for many years.

• Later Years:

• Mary Holden Boniface died in 1936; Benjamin Jr. passed away in 1943 at age 89 and was buried in Kiama Cemetery alongside his wife.

6. Elizabeth Augusta Boniface (1856–1936)

• Grew up initially around Gosford, then Kiama, with her mother and brother Ben.

• Married William George Parsley; they lived in North Sydney for a time before she died in 1936.

7. Subsequent Generations (20th Century)

• Many of Ben and Mary’s descendants remained in Kiama, while others moved elsewhere.

• Children who survived to adulthood:

• Mabel Susannah (“May”) married Algernon Richard Roger (1902).

• Lilian Florence (“Lil”) married Edward Robert Kimber (1908).

• Margaret Myrtle (“Myrt”) married Nesbitt Wilson Carson (1912).

• Henry Vivian (“Harry”) married Ruby May Prior; moved to Wollongong around 1920.

• George Lawrence served in the Australian Imperial Force during WWI (3rd Battalion), returned to Kiama to farm “Belmont.”

• Through the 20th century, “Belmont” was expanded and remained in Boniface hands, passed down from father to son, ultimately transitioning from dairying to beef cattle in modern times.

8. Legacy & Historical Significance

• Generational Resilience:

• Despite financial losses and a marriage breakdown (Benjamin Sr. & Elizabeth Field), the Boniface line established lasting roots in NSW.

• Community Impact:

• Active in local church life, volunteer military service, farming, and temperance movements.

• Properties & Land:

• Family homes such as “Spring Cottage,” “Happy Villa,” and “Belmont” featured prominently in Kiama’s local history, though most have since changed ownership or been redeveloped.

• Extensive Records:

• The original family historian compiled birth, death, and marriage certificates; English parish registers; newspaper clippings; and genealogical documents tracing ancestors back to 1579.

• Wills dating from 1638, 1670, 1741, and 1795 show the family’s economic status in England.

9. Conclusion

• The Boniface Family’s Australian journey began in 1853 and spans multiple generations, primarily centered in Kiama, NSW.

• Their lineage tells a story of hardship, adaptation, and perseverance, with Elizabeth Field Boniface emerging as a pivotal figure in securing her children’s future.

• Descendants continue to spread widely across Australia, reflecting both the historical roots in Sussex and Surrey (England) and the evolving story of colonial New South Wales.

Prepared by ChatGPT on behalf of Todd Boniface

This expanded account provides additional detail on births, marriages, locations, and the broader socio-historical context surrounding the Boniface family in both England and Australia.

This document is a simplified historical summary based on the uploaded Boniface Family Tree and supporting genealogical records