Elizabeth Eliza Parker Paul

1881-1923

Father

Henry ‘Harry’ Parker

Mother

Margaret Maria Bright

Siblings

Mary Ann, Margaret Maria, Christopher John, Henry, William David, Louisa Augusta, Charles, Emma, Alice Caroline

Married

Henry Charles Paul

Children

Clarence Charles, Charles, Thelma Hannah Maria, Nancy Evelyn Ruby Ellen, Clarice Floretta, Lancelot John Dudley (Jack), Zena, Alvin Christopher, Ellwyn Maria Mary, Ross Joseph

Elizabeth’s Life

Elizabeth was born in Carcoar in 1881, she was the second child and second daughter of Henry ‘Harry’ Parker and Margaret Bright.

Henry was the son of John Parker (1819-1889) born in Wilby, Norfolk and arrived in Sydney in December 1834 on the ‘George Hibbert’ with his mother and two brothers as assisted passengers to join their father, John, a convict. His mother, Elizabeth Lewis (1821-1862), was born in the Penrith area in 1821, the daughter of two convicts.

Margaret Maria, born Tuena 1858 was the daughter of James Ware Bright, born in Bath (UK), a convict and Mary Ann Deveney who arrived as an assisted passenger with her brother, William in 1841 on the ‘Earl Grey’.  They were both sponsored – she as a nursery maid and Billy (as she called him) as a farm hand/labourer.

James Bright owned an Inn and General Store at Tuena. Gold was discovered on his property leading to a minor goldrush in 1856 with James finding a 2lb 11oz nugget.

Elizabeth grew up in and around the Canowindra/Molong districts.

Henry met Elizabeth Eliza Parker from the Canowindra area in the early 1900s, it is not known where they met but they both had family in the Penrith district, or, alternatively, a more romantic notion is they may have meet as Henry plied his photography trade around bush schools. He would ride with his camera and trip lashed to the back of his horse to various bush schools to photograph the students and their teachers. Many of us such photographs of our ancestors as such.

Their first son, Clarence, was born in Cargo in 1902, only Elizabeth was noted on the registration of birth. It appears that Henry’s family was not happy with him marrying a person who was not catholic. Family lore indicates that Henry became estranged from his family.

Elizabeth and Henry married at St Peters in Sydney in November 1902. Their second son, Charles was born in 1904. Both children died in infancy. Their residence was cited as 130 Regent Street, Camperdown, a street that still exists but is now called Robert Street on the border of Newtown. Their subsequent children were born in Camperdown, Newtown and Canowindra.

The Paul family moved to Canowindra permanently around 1909 where they resided in the Mogong, Burdett areas.

Elizabeth died in November 1923. She is buried with her husband and family in the Canowindra Cemetery.

Elizabeth left a very young family who were in turmoil. She was loved and remembered by her family.

Authored by Leah Burnheim in collaboration with William Paul