Rosewood History

William Mathew and Ann Wishart

Name: William MATHEW (Born MATHIE)
Occupation: Hand Loom Weaver, Linen (1851); Railway Labourer (1861); Ganger (1866); Market Gardener
Birth: 13th December 1834, Colessie, Fifeshire, Scotland
Baptised: 21st December 1834, Kings Kettle, Fifeshire, Scotland
Residence: 1851, Pilmuir, Markinch, Fife, Scotland
With his widowed mother and siblings George, Helen, Robert, Ann, Christian,  all Hand Loom Weavers, and David.
Residence: 1861, Kirkforthar Feus, Markinch, Fife, Scotland
With his mother, sister Christian (Linen Weaver) and brother David (Coal Miner.)
Immigration: 27 January 1864, the Light of the Age arrived Brisbane, Queensland
Land Purchase: 3rd July 1868, – 80 acres agricultural, Rosewood
(Accepted subject to amended boundaries, it being probable that a road would be required) – £7 12s (Portion 283)
Death: 8th March1890, at his residence, Rosewood, Queensland aged 55 years
Burial: 9th March 1890, Tallegalla Pioneer Cemetery
Cause of Death: Dysentry
Father: John MATHIE (Ploughman)
Mother: Mary WILSON

Spouse: Ann WISHART
Occupation: Spinner In The Mill Flax (1851); Flax Spinner (1861); Factory Worker (1863)
Birth: about 1841, Wemyss, Fife, Scotland
Residence: 185,1 Haugmill Spinning Mill & Bleachfield, Markinch, Fife, Scotland
(With her widowed mother, sisters Elizabeth and Catherine and brother James. Her mother was a House Keeper but the others all worked in the flax mill.)
Residence: 1861, Balcurvie House , Markinch, Fife, Scotland
(Boarder with James Greive, a Miller and his wife Catherine)
Immigration: 27th January 1864, the Light of the Age arrived Brisbane, Queensland
Residence: 1915, Bangor, Prince Street, Oxley
Death: 17th December 1921, at the residence of her son-in-law,  Mr. A. Miller, Prince Street, Thompson Estate, Brisbane, aged 80 years
Burial: 19th December 1921, South Brisbane Cemetery
Father: James WISHART (Sailor)
Mother: Margaret LAING
Marriage: 5th January 1863, St Drostan’s Church, Markinch, Fife, Scotland

Children: 11
Margaret MATHEW (1863-1936) = Peter Roberts GRIFFITHS
Mary Wilson MATHEW (1865-1921) = Archibald MILLER
John MATHEW (1867-1885)
James MATHEW (1869-1953) = Agnes Kilgour RAMSAY
Anna MATHEW (1870-1946) = Robert William MARTIN
Isabella MATHEW (1872-1947) = Charles Joseph MCGRATH
William MATHEW (1874-1960) = Rosina WEBBER
Olivia MATHEW (1875-1885)
Christina MATHEW (1877-1889)
Eliza MATHEW (1879-1942) = Joseph Sutherland ENEVER
Helen Emma MATHEW (1881-1964) = William Henry Christopher LAIR

William and Ann immigrated on the same ship as Anna Rapson née Hucker, who married another pioneer of Rosewood, Samuel Waight. The ship arrived at the anchorage in Brisbane Roads on the afternoon of the 27th January 1864. At about 7 o’clock on the same evening, the steamship Settler transferred them and their luggage to the South Brisbane depot. Within minutes of landing, a young married woman laid down on the grass and died. She had been in good health up until then and the cause of her death was attributed to the bustle, excitement and novelty of stepping onto the wharf after a long and tedious 120 days at sea.

William and Ann were both in their teens when they went to work as weavers in the linen and flax mills in their towns. Coming from the oceanic climate of Scotland to the tropical and sub tropical humidity of the Queensland climate would have been challenging for William and Ann Mathew. Even though William laboured for the railway before immigrating, it would have been a very different experience out here working out on the railway lines and clearing his land in our hot summer sun.

Their surname was recorded in different ways: Mathie, Mathew/s, Matthew/s.

In 1868, William Mathew selected 80 acres agricultural land at Rosewood and settled on what is now the eastern side of John Street. Matthew Street was named in his honour. See Land Purchase

James Foote M. L. A. from Ipswich, had acquired almost the same acreage on the western side in 1867. Around 1873 they each gave half a chain of land along the boundary of their properties for the formation of a road for public use. This was to become the main street, John Street.

He was one of the members of the founding committee for establishing a primary school at Rosewood Gate.

That year (1870) on the 30th December, at the Police Court at Toowoomba, William Mathew summoned Daniel Grigg, the licensee of the Crown Hotel, to answer a charge of assault.

William Matthews summoned Daniel Grigg to answer to a charge of assault. Complainant deposed : On the 14th instant, at 10 o’clock at night. I was in defendant’s house; I went there to have a settlement with Mr. Grigg, and he told ma to have a sleep-that he had not time to settle with me that night: I said it would be more credit to him to take a few minutes to settle with me than to to be playing cards; he then rushed at me, knocked me down, beat me with his hands, kicked me with his feet, and nearly strangled me; I managed to get away and left the house; I have been under medical treatment for eight days; I could not turn myself in bed. 

Dr. Roberts deposed: I saw the plaintiff on the 16th instant; he was much bruised about the head and face; on the right side of the forehead there was a large bruise, and the cartilage of one of the lower ribs was displaced; he was in a very nervous state from the effects of the beating; I have been attending him since; he is still suffering from injuries to his side; the bruises about the head could not have been received more than two or three days when I first saw him, the injuries to the side might have been received earlier than that; the injuries to the head must have been caused by blows; the other injuries might have been caused by falling over anything, or from kicks.

Mr Grigg having made his statement, during which he said that Mr. Matthews complained of a pain in his side (the result of a fall at Rosewood,) when he came to his house a fortnight before, which Mr. Matthews denied. 

Mr Thackeray was called & deposed: On the 14th instant., some time after 10 o’clock., I was with Mr. Grigg in his small sitting-room. when Mr. Matthews came in in a very excited state, and asked Mr Grigg for a settlement of some accounts, and began abusing him in very strong language  Mr. Grigg asked Mr. Matthews to be quiet several times and told him if he didn’t he’d have to put him out: Mr. Matthews refused to be quiet, and Mr Grigg cot up to put him out; Matthews then struck Grigg on the head or face, and seized him by the beard: then Grigg struck Matthews on the head or face. Grigg also took Matthews by the throat-collar and attempted to put him out, and they both tumbled down: ultimately Mr. Grigg put Mr. Matthews outside tho door: I nm quite certain Mr. Matthews struck the first blow. 

The Police Magistrate remarked that there was no doubt Mr. Matthews had suffered severely, but it was not proved whether all the injuries were then received. Had Mr. Matthews evidence been corroborated he should have felt inclined to have punished Mr. Grigg severely— a fine would not have met the case. Mr. Matthews’ evidence however was contradicted, and it appeared to him that Mr. Grigg was justified in putting Mr. Matthews out of his house, and the only question that remained was, Did he use more violence than was necessary? He considered more violence was used than was necessary, and should order defendant to pay a fine of 20s. and 4s. 6d. costs. [1]

Samuel Waight, another pioneer settler, selected land in 1869. However he didn’t came to town until 1874. At the Jubilee Show in 1927, he recalled that when he arrived William Mathew kept the gatehouse which, he said, stood where the court house now stands. 

William donated the land for the Congregational Church which opened in John Street on 24th May 1875.

In March 1878, he was appointed to the committee of the Rosewood Gate Mixed Primary school along with Mark Bensley, John Farrell, Henry McGeary and James Moran. The committee was responsible for organising sports days and other activities for the school. He was still on the committee in 1887.

William was on hand to help when some railway wagons derailed.
The goods train that left Ipswich about 2 p.m. on Monday met with an accident that will prove (says the Queensland Times) a heavy loss to the Railway Department. The train stopped at the Ten-mile Siding, between Rosewood and Walloon, in order to shunt two empty waggons into the siding. The method employed at this place is to detach the waggons while the train is in motion, but by some error the points closed and the waggons could not enter the siding. Those waggons then went back, and, striking the portion of the train that was standing on the line, the whole started down the incline towards Doyle’s, apparently without injury; but the train had not gone above a mile on its journey to Toowoomba when two waggons came off the line, doing considerable damage to the permanent way—the waggons themselves suffering severely. One of them had to be tumbled off the line down the embankment, and the other was with difficulty shunted into Moore’s siding, near Rosewood Gate. Mr. Mathew and his men were promptly on the spot to render whatever assistance might be required, and by 7 p.m. the line was cleared and traffic resumed; and to the credit of the Acting Traffic Manager (now, alas ! no more), the down express was very little behind time on arriving at Ipswich. [2]

By 1878 some of William’s land had been cut up into small allotments and sold. In 1886 he decided to sell the reminder, 78 building and business blocks.  See the Ad

Besides working for the railway, William grew several acres of corn but his real interest was in his market garden and experimenting with growing fruit trees. His market garden was sitauted on his land on the northern side of William Street. 

He was a successful exhibitor at the local annual shows with produce from his garden. He won prizes for his lettuce, pumpkins, carrots, turnips, peas, beans, potatoes, cabbages, lemons, sweet tubers etc. In 1883 he was on the committee of the Rosewood Farmers’ Club and won 1st prize in dairy section for his lard. He also donated prizes for the shows e.g. 5s for best specimen of Calligraphy and 5s for best Sample Needlework.

On a few occasions he had a booth at the Rosewood Races where he sold fruit, pastry, tea and other light refreshments.

The years from 1885 to 1889 were filled with great sadness for William and Ann’s family. They lost three of their children to colonial fever (typhoid), their eldest son John and two daughters Olivia and Christina. William must have found it hard to reconcile the loss of his children and watch the effect it must have had on Ann. A prohibition order was issued against him in February 1890.

In March 1889 William was a witness in an inquiry into the death of a woman named Johannah Ryan who fell out of a dray. William and Ann took her to the hospital in their cart.     Read about that here.

Williams death was not unexpected as he’d been unwell for a long time. As one of the first pioneer residents of Rosewood, he took an active part in local affairs and assisted in any way he could for the progress and general welfare of the township.

William left Ann an estate of £247.10s. In November 1891, Ann sold their home and went to live with her daughter Mary Miller in Brisbane.   See the Ad for the sale.

IN MEMORIAM. Sacred to the memory of our dear father, William Matthew, Rosewood, who departed this life on March 8, 1890, and our dear brother, John, who departed this life on March 10, 1885.
They are gone, but not forgotten;
Never shall their memory fade;
Sweetest thoughts shall ever linger
Round the place where they are laid.

© Jane Schy, 2024

Sources:
1. Toowoomba Chronicle and Queensland Advertiser – Saturday 31 December 1870 page 3
2. Queenslander – Saturday, 1 November 1879, page 2
3. Queensland Times – 10 March 1891, page 2
1851 & 1861 Census of Scotland
Queensland Registry (Births, Deaths, Marriages)
City of Ipswich Cemetery Records
Immigration Indexes – State Library of Queensland
Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950