Gunning & District Historical Society

Hannah Luxon: Colonial Servant by Garry Norman Smith Hannah Barnes was born in Northumberland, England in 1830, the daughter of William and Margaret Barnes. She was baptised at Earsdon, Northumberland on 16 April 1831. Hannah Barnes married William Luxon (1819-1884) in 1850. The England census of 1851 records that Hannah and William and their 10-month-old son, Edward, were living at North Shields, Northumberland. William was a joiner and cabinet maker. On 29 January 1853, the Luxon family arrived in the colony of New South Wales aboard the Tamar . The voyage had taken 100 days without any stopovers. The Luxor Family listed on the 'Tamar', 1853 Hannah and William were to have at least six children, including Edward. Not long after their arrival, Hannah and William left Sydney for the Yass district. Five of their children were born in the colony and their births were registered at Yass. In 1855 the Luxons were among the subscribers to the...

Murray Hazell presenting Peta Luck with copies of his Father's book. Photo courtesy of Gunning Library Just before Christmas Bob Spiller from GDHS put out the word that the copy of 'Some Came Free' by E.G. Hazell that we had donated to the Gunning Library quite a few years before had 'disappeared'. Whether someone had inadvertently picked it up or permanently borrowed the book, it had seemingly 'sunk without trace'. We put the call out on our Facebook page and also on the Bush Family Society - Jerrawa page to try and replace the 'lost' copy. Following up on replies and comments we were fortunate enough to have Murray Hazell kindly donate two copies of his father's book to Peta Luck from the Gunning Library on the 20th January. He also kindly donated a copy to us in Memory of his Father, which will be available to researchers at the Gunning District Research Centre. The Book is the story of mid-nineteenth century Australia t...

Gunning Courthouse 8th September 1885. Photo NSW State Archives via Flickr . The Gunning & District Historical Society (GDHS) is a small group of volunteers, covering a large area, including Dalton. We have members in Breadalbane who may be able to assist. The other local societies are in Goulburn (which also has a Family History Research Centre ) and Crookwell . Taralga 's society has an extensive family database. The Yass & District Historical Society and well-staffed archive, open one day a week. Check the websites for contact details. GDHS has members with extensive local knowledge (and others who like a challenge). To get a feel for the village, you could book a tour of the village, the general cemetery, the Pye Cottage Museum.  Members have escorted researchers to local churches and cemeteries, including outside Gunning.  Give us plenty of notice as we have occasional bus tour bookings and a program of meetings/events.  Contact us via email gun...