2. Ellen Annette Mary Corvan

Ellen Annette Mary Corvan was the second child and daughter born to Anthony Edward Corvan and Mary Torsa Healy. She was born on April 19th, 1846, at 16 Adam's Row, just under four months after the death of her elder sister Catherine Mary.
Ellen was eight years old when with her mother and two younger sisters she boarded the ship 'Mooresfort' and set sail for the Colony of Victoria. Her father had left before them, and the family was reunited on the Victorian goldfields where Anthony was working as a storekeeper and miner.
Ellen's life from 1856 until 1867 is a mystery. Her father joined the 1st Waikato Volunteers in 1863 and went to New Zealand, never to return. The fate of her mother Mary is unknown, but I believe that Ellen and her two sisters may have spent time in one of Victoria's orphanages somewhere in the period between 1856 and 1863.
The next record of Ellen Corvan is her marriage in 1867.She had been living at Bridgewater, a settlement on the Lodden River 35 km northwest of Bendigo.
On Wednesday, September 4, 1867, 21 year old Ellen Corvan married 33 year old Thomas John Mathewson,son of mariner James Mathewson and his wife Emma Beal Hare(1811-1873). Thomas was born in Sheerness, Kent,on October 18, 1833, and was baptised at The White Chapel, Wesleyan, at Sheerness on March 9, 1834.He was from a large family- siblings included Emma Catherine, Steven William, Elizabeth Frances, Henry William, Lavinia, George Charles (1852-1853) and William George.
When Thomas married Ellen in 1867, he gave his occupation as "Cordial Manufacturer", and Ellen's was 'Merchant's daughter". Her parents were stated as being "Anthony Edward Corvan, merchant, and Mary Torsa Corvan maiden name Healy".I don't know where the 'merchant' came from...as far as I know, in 1867 Anthony was fresh out of serving three years with the NZ Volunteers and starting his descent into vagrancy and alcoholism in Auckland.

Ellen and Thomas were married at the house of a "Mr. Jenkins" of Inglewood, a town near Bridgewater, by Wesleyan Minister John Gardiner of Inglewood.The witnesses to the marriage were Henry Lawrence Jenkins and Susan Jenkins.
Investigation into this couple reveals that they had been married themselves in Inglewood in 1863: Henry Lawrence Jenkins, miner,30, of Monmonthshire, Wales, bachelor,son of Joseph Jenkins, storekeeper, and Mary Charles, MARRIED Susan Oatway Jenn, 19, of Devon, England,domestic servant, daughter of William Jenn, rope maker, and Caroline Oatway.Susan was given written consent to marry by her Uncle and Guardian James Oatway, and the marriage was carried out in Henry Jenkin's house in Inglewood.
Henry Jenkins ended up farming in the Bridgewater/Inglewood district, as did Thomas Mathewson, so the families may have remained friendly for years.Henry Jenkins died in 1907, and at the time he named in his will as his wife Charlotte Elizabeth Jenkins,his wife Susan predeceasing him in 1888.He also named three children, son Edward William and daughters Louisa Amelia and Hester Annie.

It is thought that after her marriage, Ellen's youngest sister Rosa came to live with the Mathewsons. Aged 16 years when Ellen married, Rosa must have settled in the district as she too married in Bridgewater two years later in 1869. Her marriage certificate stated that she was residing in Bridgewater, but that her usual residence was Huntly, a town just north of Bendigo, where her husband also was living. To marry she had to obtain the permission of her guardian, brother-in-law Thomas John Mathewson.

It would be several years before Ellen produced any children. Her first child was a daughter:
EMMA ESTHER MAY MATHEWSON: born in 1873.Married Hedley Tresawna Nicholls (1875-1950).A marriage notice appeared in the Advertiser, an Adelaide newspaper, on April 21, 1906:
"NICHOLLS-MATHEWSON.
On the 4th of April, at Draper memorial Church, by the Rev. Kendrew, Hedley, 4th son of A.R Nicholls, medindie, to May (Sister Kathleen), eldest daughter of T.J Mathewson, Victoria.At home, 26th April, "Mont Vie", Dover Street, Maylands."
From browsing the National Newspapers site, Hedley seems like quite a character.He was born on September 13, 1875, at North Adelaide, to Cornishman Alfred Richard Nicholls (1842-1920).He joined the 3rd W.A Bushmen and served in the Boer war in 1901, and prior to that had been in the Civil Service followed by being admitted into a business partnership in 1898 dealing with insurance, financial, estate and general commissions. He was a Freemason in Adelaide, and a popular performer at various local concerts, entertaining people with his tenor singing voice.In Perth in 1898 he was involved in a boating fatality in which his cousin Edith Billing was drowned.He was a member of the Western Australian Christian Endeavour Union in 1897.Headley Tresawna Nicholls died on August 31, 1956. I have not located the death of his wife Emma Esther may Corvan, nor any children that may have been born to the couple.

OSCAR JAMES MATHEWSON: born c. 1876, Inglewood district. Married Shirley Maria Martin in 1915. Died in 1960, aged 84 years. No issue.

ELLEN JANE MATHEWSON: born 1878, Inglewood district.Did not marry. Died 1946, Melbourne, aged 68 years.

ELIZABETH LAVINIA MATHEWSON: born 1880, Inglewood.Married in 1911 to Thomas Leonard Beckwith ( 1882-1963).No issue.For some unknown reason, Elizabeth Mathewson preferred to use the name 'Lillian'.She and her husband lived for many years in Barrow Street, Coburg.Thomas Beckwith was a bicycle fitter by trade.

GRACE SARAH MATHEWSON: born 1884, Inglewood district(Powlett Plains). Married in 1913 to William John Isaac.Lived for many years in Coburg- Barrow Street and Wellington Street- then moved to Malvern East.. William worked as a clerk, then in 1931 and 1936 was listed in Electoral Rolls for Malvern East as being a 'traveller'.
I can only find one living child born to Grace Sarah Mathewson and William Isaac- the only grandchild of Ellen Annette Mary Corvan from all of her six children. He was named Muir Mathewson Isaac, and he married Elizabeth Annie Petts in 1940.

THOMASINE FRANCES MATHEWSON: born April 4, 1889, at Powlett Plains, near Inglewood.Her parents were noted as being Thomas John Mathewson, farmer, aged 55, from Kent, England, and Ellen Annette Mary Corvan, aged 43, born London. Thomasine's siblings were Emma Esther 15; Oscar James 13; Ellen Jane 11; Elizabeth 8; and Grace Sarah 5. Ellen Mathewson registered her daughter's birth on May 3, 1889, strangely more than a week after her husband Thomas had registered the baby's death.
Thomasine died on April 21, 1889, aged only 2 weeks, of "Inanition" (Definition: Exhaustion, as from lack of nourishment or vitality).Her father registered her name as "Unnamed female" when he gave information for her death certificate on April 22, 1889. This was changed, however, when Ellen went in to Inglewood on May 3 to register the baby's birth...there is a note on the death certificate that reads:"In 3rd column for 'Unnamed' read 'Thomasine Frances'. 3/5/89).)

Ellen Corvan Mathewson lived for many years on the family farm at Powlett Plains, and raised her five surviving children there.Electoral rolls help track their movements:
1914: Inglewood-Powlett Plains
Matthewson- Ellen Annette Mary; Powlett, Home duties.
Thomas John, Powlett, farmer.
Oscar James, Powlett, farmer.
Ellen Jane, Powlett, home duties.

1919: 172 Barrow Street, Coburg.
Mathewson: Ellen Annette Mary: home duties
Thomas John: farmer
Ellen Jane: nil

1924: Inglewood.
Mathewson: Ellen Jane, Belmont Street, home duties.
Thomas John, " " , retired farmer.
Oscar James, Powlett Plains, farmer
Shirley Maria, Powlett Plains, home duties.

1931: Ellen Jane Mathewson, 272 Faraday Street, Carlton South, Home duties

Oscar James Mathewson, Powlett, farmer
Shirley Maria Mathewson, " , home duties.

1936: Oscar James Mathewson, Powlett Plains, farmer
Shirley Maria Mathewson, " " , home duties.


Ellen Annette Mary Corvan died on June 29, 1922, at Belmont Street, Inglewood, aged 76.Her husband Thomas died two years later, on July 6, 1924. His death notice in the Argus newspaper read:

"MATHEWSON: On the 6th July, at his residence, Belmont Street, Inglewood, Thomas John, beloved husband of the late Ellen and loved father of MAY (Mrs H.T Nicholls);OSCAR; LILLIAN (Mrs T.L Beckwith) and GRACE( Mrs W.J Isaac) aged 90 years, late of Powlett Plains. A colonist of 70 years. At rest.-Argus, 19 July, 1924.

On July 10, 1924, a brief notice was also published in the Inglewood news section of the Argus:
" The death has occurred of Mr. Thomas Mathewson at the age of 90 years. Mr. Mathewson was born in Kent, England, and travelled to Victoria when aged 20(or it could be 30!)years.He bought land in the Powlett district, where he has resided until recently."