The St Vincent 1844

Rosewood History Qld.
Rosewood Pioneers

Michael O’BRIEN and Margaret Jane LYNCH

© Jane Schy 2024

Name: Michael O’BRIEN
Occupation: Squatter at Rosewood Scrub; Licensee of 1st Rising Sun Hotel; Grazier at Tinowon Station on the Surat-Yuelba Road.
Birth: about 1821, Cappoquin, Co. Waterford, Ireland.
Immigration: 5th January 1837, St Vincent anchored at Port Jackson, New South Wales
Land: 15th October 1851, Portions 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, Parish of Walloon, Bremer River
Death: 6th June 1899, Tinowon Station, Near-Yuleba, Queensland aged 78 years
Cause: Senile Decay
Burial: On the family property, Tinowon Station Cemetery
Religion: Roman Catholic
Father: Michael O’BRIEN
Mother: Johanna HANNIGAN

Spouses Margaret Jane LYNCH
Birth: 9th June 1828, Wollombi, New South Wales, Australia
Baptism: 29th April 1830, Windsor, Hawkesbury, New South Wales
Death: 18th July 1888, Tinowon Station, Yuleba, Surat, Queensland aged 60 years
Cause: Epilepsy
Religion: Roman Catholic
Father: John LYNCH
Mother: Sarah Jane PENDERGAST
Marriage: 7th September 1842, St Michael’s Roman Catholic Church, Wollombi, New South Wales

Children: 12
Mary Anne O’BRIEN (1844-1888) = 1. William SCANLAN 2. Patrick SWEENEY
John Francis O’BRIEN (1846-1890)
Sarah Jane O’BRIEN (1848-1902) = 1. John BECKETT 2. John Roland BYRNE
Margaret Elizabeth O’BRIEN (1852-1915) = John Shannon MCGOVERN
Michael Leonard O’BRIEN (1854-1922) = Elizabeth SHINNERS
Thomas Smith O’BRIEN (1857-1888)
Hannah “Annie” O’BRIEN (1859-1941) = Murty KENDRICK
William Forester O’BRIEN (1861-1916)
Patrick James O’BRIEN (1866-1927)
Catherine O’BRIEN (1869-1937) = William MCMULLEN

Michael immigrated to Australia by himself aboard a convict ship aged 16. He was one of ten free settlers, all sons of convicts who were already here. The St.Vincent departed Cork on 13th September 1836. After a voyage of 115 days, the ship anchored at Port Jackson on 5th January 1837, having made no stops on the voyage. Three prisoners died on the passage out. 

His father, also named Michael O’Brien, had been convicted for sheep stealing and transported to Australia for 7 years in 1823 on the Medina. He received his Certificate of Freedom in 1830 and stayed in Australia. Six years later Michael’s mother Johanna ,and seventeen year old sister Mary, arrived at Sydney. They travelled as cabin passengers on another convict ship Roslin Castel. 

Michael’s parents were living in the Hunter Valley at Patrick Plains. His future wife Margaret’s family were not that far away at Wollombi. He must have been successful in his endeavours, because after he came to Queensland he acquired 129 acres 4 roods 30 perches at the Seven Mile and another 730 acres of land on the old Toowoomba Road (now Ipswich-Rosewood Road) near Rosewood Gate in 1851.     See the land record here.

On page 2 of the Northern Australian dated 21st July 1857, Michael O’Brien advertised to sell 98 acres 2 roods 26 perches and a four- roomed cottage at Seven Mile Creek. The cottage was described as well shingled with a good kitchen, large back yard, a shed, milking yard and a good fenced garden, with a pig-proof fence of 270 rods.

He moved to one of his blocks (Lot 11) on the old Toowoomba Road and built the two storey wooden hotel  called “The Rising Sun”.

On the maps above and below the red borders indicate the land Michael owned and the blue shapes represent the general location of his residences. His home at the Seven Mile was situated somewhere on his land. His home/hotel at Rosewood fronted the Old Toowoomba Road and was adjacent to Jane McGeary’s land.

On 1st December 1857, Michael O’Brien was granted a license for the Rising Sun, Rosewood. In September 1858 he was charged with illegally refusing to accommodate a traveller. He didn’t appear at the court but was fined. In April 1860 Phoebe Cook took on the license. Once again in August Michael was summoned, this time for keeping his name on the sign without having a license. His name was written under the sign “Rising Sun”, but his name had been painted over and the name of Phoebe Cook was painted over the door instead. The charges were dismissed.

In May 1859 at the Ipswich Police Office, before the Police Magistrate and Mr. Leithbridge,  Margaret O’Brien vs William Darker. The Defendant was charged with using insulting and obscene language to Mrs. O’Brien in the public road, near her house, at the Rosewood Scrub. William pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment in Brisbane gaol.

In April 1861 Frederick Lloyd was the publican until Michael took it back in April 1864.

He signed a promissory note for £1,643.19s on the 8 June 1867, in favour of Cribb & Foote, major retailers in Ipswich. It was to be paid in nine months with additional interest of 12%, but it was not honoured by Michael. Michael’s land, including the hotel, became the property of Cribb & Foote. 

The old hotel was thereafter used for other purposes. In 1874 another hotel by that same name began operating in a location closer to the Railway Station.

Michael moved his family to Surat and lived on a property which he owned and named Tinowon (“one-a-year”). He had to return to Ipswich in 1873 to face an action against him taken by Cribb & Foote. He was ordered to pay the sum of £1643, less £600 received, plus 12% interest. 

The Queenslander reported the following on Saturday 2nd August 1884, page 174
SURAT, July 27 – Mr. Weber has kindly furnished me with the following particulars of the Yeulbah mail robbery. The coach started from Yeulbah on the night of the 19th July at 10 p.m.. Mrs Cole, of St George, and two children being inside passengers, and Mr. Walker, of Dalby, and Mr. T. O’Brien, of Tinowan, being on the box with the driver. On arriving at Appletree, the first stage, twenty miles from Yeulbah, at 1.30 a.m., Mr. Weber went to the back of the coach to see if the rack was secure. The rack appeared to be lower than it should be, and he then discovered that two straps were cut and two unbuckled, and that the St. George mail bag, a very large one, which had been fastened on the rack at Yeulbah had vanished. Mr. Weber at once got two horses, and he and Mr. O’Brien started back to Yeulbah, noticing on the road a fire in a scrub, about a mile from Yeulbah on the side of a hill, not used for camping, thus drawing their attention to it. On arriving at Yeulbah, just before daylight, they went instantly and reported the loss to the police. The police sent for their horses, and Senior-constable Burke, Constable Quilter, and two black trackers went back with Messrs. Weber and O’Brien, who also got fresh mounts. On arriving at the fire they found pieces of torn-up letters strewn about, and the remains of the mail-bag smouldering in the fire. The trackers then picked up the tracks to where the robbers (two in number) had cut the bag from the coach, about 600 yards distant. They then returned to the fire, and tracked the footprints of two men in the direction of Yeulbah, and then to the cattle yard on the line about a quarter of a mile from Yeulbah, and then lost all traces on the rails. The case, of course, is in the hands of the police, but as this is the third robbery of the mail at Yeulbah and the thieves have hitherto escaped, it is thought that the same result will follow this. Amongst the plunder were two watches and a large amount of postage stamps and notes. The general impression appears to be that as robbing the mail appears to be a vested interest at Yeulbah the mail should travel by day instead of by night. On Friday night Mr. Florence Sullivan, carrier, who was loaded for St George at Yeulbah, left his dray for a time at night, and on return found that some miscreant had ripped the tarpaulin covering from clue to earring. I forgot to state in connection with the robbery, that Mrs. Cole heard a noise as of someone pulling at the rack, and heard a box which had been placed on the mail-bag striking on the rack, but did not give an alarm to the driver. The travelling public will regret that Mr. Manning, who has driven for Cobb and Co. for the last two years, has resigned his situation. A more courteous and able coachman never handled the ribbons, and the St George people are getting up a testimonial to be presented to him. 

It appears Michael made a success of his venture in Surat. An entry in the Freeman’s Journal dated 21st June 1890 includes the name M. O’Brien, Tinowon. At the end of the article it states “Agents at Branxton, South Grafton, Adelong, Singleton and Inverell”.

Michael left his property and possessions to his sons Michael Leonard and William Forrester. The Homestead was owned and operated by the O’Brien family for over 40 years.

A LETTER FROM YEULBA.
Tinowon stn., Yeulba. 27 October 1902.
Dear Durro Mut,—This is my first letter to the Queenslander & I hope it will be printed. I always read the Children’s letters & like them very much. We have a nice school & I go every day. I was seven years old last Saturday. Dear Durro Mut we are still suffering with this drought. If some of the little town children could see all the sheep cattle & horses that are dead about the country they would never forget it. There are some lovely lagoons with plenty of water about two or three miles from the house. But the pretty one that was close to the house is quite dry. There is no fun now in the bush no driving or riding as nearly all the horses are dead. We get terrible dust storms here but no rain. We always watch for Cobb & Co’s Coach for the mails. It passes twice a week. Last Saturday I walked about three miles with our teacher and spent a pleasant day with little Kirry Loder & she showed me such a pretty doll she has for her sister. Her sister is dear little Marjorie that was burnt so badly & was in the Childrens Hospital but is now at Sandgate. She must have suffered great pain. You don’t know how pleased we are all to know she is walking about. There is now a great meat famine & I think vegetable & fruit also. In the West we seldom see any people passing now except some poor old traveller with his swag walking from place to place looking for work. It has been very hot lately and the flies are getting very troublesome. They worry the poor animals eyes. Dear Durro Mut, I think I have told you all the news so I will conclude with best wishes & I hope I will be able to write a longer one next time.—l remain, your little friend, IRENE MAY O’BRIEN. (Daughter of Michael & Elizabeth O’Brien)

References:
Queensland Registry (Births, Deaths, Marriages)
Immigration Indexes – State Library of Queensland
New South Wales Registry (Births, Deaths, Marriages)
New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896
Trove – National Library of Australia