Sydney Methodist weekly, 1892–1954, digitised on Trove.
For “Religion” FROM 1838 TO 1887 of John Field
Her father, the late John Field, was a iocai preacner, ana aiterwaras re moved to Bolwarra, on the Hunter River.
Quoted as the Trove OCR stands: 'a local preacher, and afterwards removed to Bolwarra, on the Hunter River'. A local preacher is a lay Methodist preacher, so this is a church office rather than a trade, which is why it sits on a religion event and not on his occupation.
For “Residence” FROM 1840 TO 1842 of John Field
The late Mrs. W. Chapman Mary Elizabeth Field was born at the Cowpastures, Camden district, on 3rd September, 1840.
Quoted as the Trove OCR stands. The Cowpastures is the old name for the country around Camden and Narellan. Corroborated by the NSW church-register birth row FIELD MARY E | 258/1840 V1840258 54 | JOHN | SARAH | IB and by Sarah's burial in Narellan parish in September 1842.
For “Residence” 1856 of John Field
After some happy years on the Hunter she removed with her parents to the Manning River, settl ing at Oxley Island, which was then all wild bush.
Quoted as the Trove OCR stands (the break inside 'settling' is the newspaper's). With the preceding sentence, 'the late John Field ... removed to Bolwarra, on the Hunter River', this gives the middle leg of the family's route: Camden district in the 1840s, Bolwarra on the Hunter in the early 1850s, Oxley Island on the Manning from 1857. The only fixed dates on the Hunter are the 1856 marriage at Bolwarra (NSW 61/1856 V185661 86) and the birth of Richard William John Crossingham there the same year, which is why this event is dated 1856 alone.
For “Born” 3 SEP 1840 of Mary Elizabeth Field
The late Mrs. W. Chapman Mary Elizabeth Field was born at the Cowpastures, Camden district, on 3rd September, 1840.
Quoted as the Trove OCR stands; the page image is media 412, read this session, where the line is clear. The Cowpastures is the historical name for the country around Camden and Narellan. This is the only source that gives a day and month.
For “Died” 1923 of Mary Elizabeth Field
and now she rests from her labours, and her works do follow her.
Quoted as the Trove OCR stands - the closing line of the obituary, published 5 January 1924, which is the only bound on her death that this document gives. The NSW death index (deaths are published to 1996) should carry a CHAPMAN Mary Elizabeth row about 1923-24 with parents JOHN and SARAH, which would fix the date and confirm the identification a third time.
For “Residence” of Mary Elizabeth Field
After some happy years on the Hunter she removed with her parents to the Manning River, settl ing at Oxley Island, which was then all wild bush.
Quoted as the Trove OCR stands (the break inside 'settling' is the newspaper's). The obituary elsewhere says 'she told her class leader on Jones' Island that she would have to leave off attending his class' - Jones Island adjoins Oxley Island in the Manning delta and is not a place row in this tree, so it is named here in the summary only. No dates: her father bought the Oxley Island farm in 1857 and she was still on the Manning as a married woman.
For “Religion” of Mary Elizabeth Field
At the age of twelve she was converted in a camp meeting held _~on the Hunter River, and this spiritual erisis was to her a season of refresh ing from the presence of the Lord;
Quoted as the Trove OCR stands; it reads 'At the age of twelve she was converted in a camp meeting held on the Hunter River, and this spiritual crisis was to her a season of refreshing from the presence of the Lord'. Twelve puts the camp meeting about 1852, which independently dates the family's Hunter River years. The obituary later calls her 'A staunch member of the Methodist Church'. Her father was a Methodist local preacher and the whole family came out as Methodists on the James Pattison in 1838.
For William Chapman & Mary Elizabeth Field
Later she married William Chapman, and reared a family of six sons and three daughters, and by example and pre cept trained them up in the way of godliness.
Quoted as the Trove OCR stands. The obituary is headed 'MRS. W. CHAPMAN.' and this is the only statement of the marriage; no date and no place, so the family carries neither, and no marriage event is created. THE NINE CHILDREN ARE NOT CREATED: the obituary counts them and names none. The NSW birth index for CHAPMAN with father WILLIAM and mother MARY E, Manning River district, roughly 1860-1890, would name them. William Chapman is a bare person here - nothing but his name is known.
The late Mrs. W. Chapman Mary Elizabeth Field was born at the Cowpastures, Camden district, on 3rd September, 1840. Her mother died while she was young, and she lived with her grandmother for some time. Her father, the late John Field, was
Quoted as the Trove OCR stands; the sentence runs on across the column break into 'a iocai preacner, ana aiterwaras re moved to Bolwarra, on the Hunter River' - reading 'a local preacher, and afterwards removed to Bolwarra, on the Hunter River'. The obituary of MARY ELIZABETH FIELD, a fourth child of John Field and Sarah Jane Watson and not yet in this tree: she matches the NSW church-register birth row FIELD MARY E | 258/1840 V1840258 54 | JOHN | SARAH | IB, and 'her mother died while she was young' matches Sarah's death in September 1842, when Mary Elizabeth was two. It is the best account of this family that exists: born in the Camden district, moved to Bolwarra on the Hunter, then to Oxley Island on the Manning. ONE PUZZLE: 'she lived with her grandmother for some time' implies a grandmother in New South Wales in the 1840s, though the 1838 bounty list has John's parents in Udimore and Sarah's in Brede.
For Mary Elizabeth Field (1840–1923)
Her mother died while she was young, and she lived with her grandmother for some time. Her father, the late John Field, was
Quoted as the Trove OCR stands; the sentence runs on across the column break into 'a iocai preacner, ana aiterwaras re moved to Bolwarra, on the Hunter River' - reading 'a local preacher, and afterwards removed to Bolwarra, on the Hunter River'. THE EVIDENCE FOR THE PARENT LINK, alongside the birth registration's JOHN and SARAH: her father is named as the late John Field, and her mother 'died while she was young' - Sarah Jane Watson died at Narellan on 9 September 1842, when Mary Elizabeth was two. ONE UNRESOLVED LINE: 'she lived with her grandmother for some time'. Both sets of grandparents are supposed to have stayed in Sussex - the 1838 bounty list puts John's parents at Udimore and Sarah's at Brede, and William and Jane Watson were still baptising children at Brede in 1824 - so either a grandmother did emigrate, or the word is loose.