Family/Spouse: THOMPSON, ???. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Robert married WOOD, Phoebe Martina Letitia in 1913 in St.Peters, New South Wales, Australia. Phoebe (daughter of WOOD, Joseph and ???, Margaret) died in 1972 in Victoria, Australia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

On his marriage certificate he was Grocer and on the Birth Certificate for Margaret Melinda he was a Labourer. After his wife's death it is believed that Charles remarried.

Charles married STALEY, Margaret Jane on 27 Jul 1887 in Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia. Margaret (daughter of STALEY, Robert and GILLIES, Jane) was born in 1862 in Chewton, Victoria, Australia; died in Apr 1894 in Inglewood, Victoria, Australia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Margaret died at 32 years of age shortly after the birth of her 4th. child George.

Notes:

Married:
Presbyterian Church

Joseph married ???, Margaret. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Joseph married BURRELL, Jessie. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Robert and Jane arrived with their daughter Elizabeth, aged 1 and infant son Jonathon as assisted immigrants from the UK aboard the vessel 'Bourneuf' of 1495 tons. They sailed from Liverpool on 26 May 1852 and arrived in Geelong on 3 Septembeer 1852 after a voyage of just over 3 months. The assisted passage was £12/19/6, a fortune in those days. An extract from a book titled "The Roaring Days" by Michael Cannon gives a vivid picture of what the voyage must have been like..... "....In September 1852 Captain Robert Biddy sailed the Bourneuf into Geelong to report a total of eighty-eight deaths on the voyage - more than ten per cent of his passengers . Five women had died of consumption, puerperal fever, or been lost overboard. Of the 180 children under seven years of age who embarked, nearly half died of diarrhoea, measles, and other complaints. When the vessel docked, a further twenty adults and children were still suffering from disease . Arrangements for hygiene were primitive or non-existent . The main deck leaked, so that the two emigrant decks were usually damp. The water closets were of 'inferior construction and leaky.' The chutes for carrying off dirty water had been removed. The upper emigranant deck had 'a disagreeable smell' while the lower deck was dark and 'difficult to ventilate'. There was insufficient hospital accomodation or spare bedding, so that infected mattresses had to be used again. The matron was almost useless 'owing to physical want of activity or energy' while Surgeon McKevit was accused by the passengers of being 'so grossly intoxicated that he could not attend to his duty.' Many Scotch and Irish parents, through 'insurmountable prejudice' against medical treatment, refused to allow him to treat their sick children even when he was sober. The school-master, William Creeny, made an 'inflammatory' speech to the parents in which he said, 'We see around us preparations made for taking life with deadly instruments, instead of advising people, like rational beings, to do their duty.' The captain and surgeon locked up Creeny for the remainder of the voyage, but the complaints continued. One passenger, George Kidd, said that after his wife died it had been necessary to throw their infected bed overboard, but he had not been given another bed for himself and his child and had to sleep on the damp deck. And despite all the scandals of past years, no attempt was made to keep the seamen away from the female emigrants. The passengers' galley entered directly into the crew's galley: some of the women 'persisted in holding intercourse with the sailors.' When the ship arrived at Geelong the seamen rioted and police had to bbe called to control them...." It must have been horrific. Robert and Jane had a further eight children in the goldfields area of Victoria. On Robert's death an article in the Inglewood Advertiser on Wednseday Evening, July 19, 1882 reads "Once again we have to record a visit from the grim King of Terrors, who has been frequent in his visitations among us of late. The last one to depart from amongst is Mr. Robert Staley, who has been a resident fully 20 years, and who departed this life early this morning at the age of 56 years, after a long asthmatic affection. The deceased who leaves a wife and family of several children, all however of good age, followed the avocation of a miner. The Funeral procession will leave his late residence on the Maxwell's Reef at 2 p.m. on Friday.

Robert married GILLIES, Jane on 7 Feb 1851 in Whitburn, Linlithgowshire, Scotland. Jane (daughter of GILLIES, Alexander and BAILLIE, Elizabeth) was born on 3 Jul 1828 in Rumford, Stirlingshire, Scotland; died on 25 Feb 1912 in Inglewood, Victoria, Australia; was buried on 26 Feb 1912 in Inglewood Cemetery, Victoria, Australia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

From The Inglewood Advertiser of Tuesday morning, Feb. 27, 1912.
The death took place on Sunday, at the Inglewood Hospital, of Mrs. Jane Staley, a very old and much respected resident of the borough. The deceased lady was advanced in age, being 83 years old. She had been in failing health for a considerble time, and had been an inmate of the institution since the 27th. October last year.