Send an e-mail to: Amanda TaylorSend an e-mail to: Amanda TaylorThe following article was written and researched by Grace Douglass & Laurel Legge and published in their book 'Along the Windsor Richmond Road' 1985 (ISBN 0 9589831 0 0 and ISBN 0 9589831 3 5) and is subject to copyright. Written permission is held from the late author Grace Douglass for the writer to publish contents via the Internet. However, although this book is in the public domain, it still remains copyrighted material and may not be copied for any reason without permission. I do not have the right to give permission to others to reprint the book. I was only given permission to put it on line. All copyrights stay with Grace Douglass & Laurel Legge and whoever they appointed, for control of the book. Under no circumstances may it be reprinted for profit.
Extractions of parts of the information for personal use with references to the book as the source is encouraged.
The first reference I found to this Southern Queensland River, was in a Parish Register, which had it recorded as 'Baloon' River, and I spent many fruitless hours, searching maps of N.S.W. and Queensland looking for it's source. The Balonne flows through an area of Queensland, West of the Darling Downs, the main town through which it passes being St. George, and it was here that the members of the Ezzy Family first set foot in Queensland, whilst it was all part of the Colony of New South Wales.
We know for sure that five of the seven sons of John Ezzey spent part of their lives there -- William James, John jnr. Charles, Benjamin and Joseph. Henry, Richard and even John Senior, himself, may have spent some time there, possibly did, but there is no remaining evidence to confirm this.
Although there remains no documented evidence that the two brothers, John Ezzey and Charles Ezzy were ever partners in their pastoral ventures, it has been suggested that they possibly were, and that whilst John maintained the homestead base at Kurrajong in his name, Charles had been granted the Namoi Run, 'Molly', in is name, and that leases John had over the years on the Bulga Road, were used as stepping-stones to spell the stock when it was brought South for sale. In later years the cattle were disposed of in Maitland and Newcastle, but when Charles first ventured North, the Settlement of Sydney was the only saleyard, many hundreds of miles away. Many of the early graziers made a minimum of profit on their stock because of these lengthy journeys and it would have cut costs considerably if they could have been rested at privately owned holdings along the way. If this, then, was the way the brothers conducted their early interests, then it is also likely that the sons of John Ezzey, along with their cousins, acted as drovers for the stock.
Late in 1848 the Crown Lands District of Maranoa was gazetted, and it was then part of the Liverpool Plains District of New South Wales. Early settlement of the area was full of hazards. It was a land of long distances and isolation, but the pioneers were attracted by girst-class grazing country at low prices, naturally well watered, and within comparitvely short travel time of those already settled districts of the Liverpool Plains, namely the Gwydir, Barwon and Namoi. Apart from the bridle pathways through the brush, or tracks made by the early pioneer's carts and wagons, there were no crossings over creeks or rivers, beyond those made by travellers themselves. In the early days of the settlements there were apparently only two defined routes leading in from the Gwydir and Namoi Rivers for pioneers wishing to settle in the Maranoa District. Stores came from Maitland via Moree after months en route and the isolation especially for the women, who of necessity, spent many hours at the homestead alone, made it indeed a hard life. Three Ezzy wives at least lived in this isolation, and two of them gave birth to children there.When the land was first gazetted for release it was said to be acceptable to run twenty-five head of sheep, or five head of cattle or horses to every square mile. The size of the runs was restricted to between 25 and 100 sq. miles, but there was no restriction placed on how many runs a person could lease. A licence fee of 10 shillings per sq. mile was charged. The issuing of leases in the Balonne River District was under the jurisdiction of the Moree Land Office and the Gwydir District Run Book for 1848-1855 shows Charles EZZY 'Keeret' (St.George) 32,000 acres and John EZZY 'Guy Guy', the same acreage. The names of the two Ezzy brothers headed the list, but this may have been for alphabetical reasons, and not necessarily mean they were first to settle there. The name 'Keeret' was later changed to 'Eugun' and the two properties were near each other on the Western bank of the Balonne River downstream from the St.George crossing in the general district known as Wyenbah. The property of Charles Ezzy later became known as 'Wyenbah Homestead'.
The spelling of the name 'Wyenbah' has varied greatly over the years -- somewhat similar to the spelling of the name 'Ezzy' and I have no wish to embroil myself in an argument on the subject. The present-day members of the Family of Charles Ezzy have spelt it in varying ways when writing to me. the present-day map of the area shows it as 'Whyenbah', the majority now seem to say it should be 'Wyenbah', although the Bank Signature book, from the Bank of New South Wales, Richmond, shows them giving their address as 'Wyenbar'. Finally we have another variation -- 'Wyanbah'.
The Balonne section of the Division of Maranoa Electoral Roll for 1862-63 showed twenty-five names including William (William James) and Charles Ezzy at 'Eugun' Station Wyenbah. John Ezzy jnr's. name was not included on the Roll, however I am of the opinion he never actually 'lived' at Wyenbah, and possibly employed a manager for his property as many of the early leaseholders did. Even though the name of William Ezzy appears on the 1862-63 Roll, he was not living there at that time either. His second son Alfred Ezzy was born at Balonne in 1853, but all his subsequent children were born at Kurrajong (except for Eliza), and as there are only one or two years spacing in their births, William James, himself, was not making too many journeys, if any at all, into the Territory of Queensland. A journey from Kurrajong to Balonne took many, many months, and was not to be undertaken lightly. Late in 1863 the name of Joseph Ezzy joins Charles on the Electoral Roll, and from 1866 until 1870 Benjamin is listed also. The Electoral Roll of 1871 shows no Ezzys listed at all. Only Charles remained in Queensland at that time and he had moved closer to the East.
Details of the Runs of 'Keeret' and 'Guy Guy' are set out in the Government Gazette printed
in 1851, Volume 2 :
It can be seen from these three entries that the three runs adjoined each other and had common boundaries. It is also interesting to learn from the reference in entry number 21, tha the explorer, Sir Thomas Mitchell, had camped on the land later owned and used by the Ezzy brothers.
The small homested built at 'Wyenbah' by the Ezzy brothers, sill stands and is now part of a much larger and more elaborate one on the holding. The first Hotel Licences were issued for the St.George District in 1864 and a licence was granted to Charles Ezzy for the 'Commercial Hotel', Wyenbah, and you can read more about this in the section devoted to Charles Ezzy son of John.
Richard Skuthorp may never have 'lived' in Queensland permanently for any length of time, and the pattern of the birth and baptism of his children at Richmond, suggests that he did not; however he did own land there as reference is made to him selling 50 sq. miles to a Mr. G. Kirk in 1874. His brother-in-law, William Lamrock, who had married Richard's youngest sister, Elizabeth Skuthorp, may have been managing his interests for him, as Charles Ezzy sold 60 sq. miles to a 'Mr. Lamrock' in 1874 also.
The three Ezzy wives that we do know lived at Balonne for varying periods, Mary Ann, Harriette and Mary Sarah, must have been indeed, courageous women. They would have had to take with them all their personal belongings and at least twelve months household supplies and stores of every kind. The journeys in from Maitland would take many weeks by bullock-drawn cart. In later years, Joseph Ezzy related to one of the grandsons of Charles Ezzy, howe he used to take in waggon loads of supplies to Charles and Hariette during the early years of their marriage. He told the story of how when he was a young man he had travelled from Kurrajong to the Balonne River in Queensland with a bullock team loaded with supplies for Charles and his wife, and that he was at that time a single fellow. He remembered when Ernest, son of Charles was born the nearest white woman was 75 miles away. He told of many journeys made with big bullocks, and of the great days they had until the big drought came, and they loaded up the bullocks again andd moved when the bank foreclosed on them. After that he had returned to Sydney, but his brother, Charles, remained. According to Rowland, son of Charles, the drought was in 1877, and as there is a gap in the spacing of Joseph's children at this period of time 1871-1879, it is possible he was travelling to and fro from Kurrajong to Balonne with supplies. Certainly it is on record that Joseph Ezzy was the first resident of Queensland to pay duty on station supplies after Queensland became a separate State. This, however, would have taken place many years previous to the drought, as Queensland, the youngest of the Australian Colonies was declared a separate State in 1859.
Harriette's second child Albert, always claimed he was born 'on the Balonne' rather than 'at Balonne'. He was born in a rowing-boat whilst his Mother was being taken across to the mid-wife. Hariette's first child, Emelie, had been born at Muscle Creek (Muswellbrook) at her parent's home, but the next nine were born at "Wyenbah" and "Bodumba" stations before the drought drove them out and they moved further to the east.
Mary Ann, was there for a much shorter period of time. The first born to William James and Mary Ann Ezzy was born and baptised at Kurrajong, however she must have left soon after the birth to journey northward, possibly in Joseph's bullock waggon. Alfred was born at Balonne, a little over two years later. Alfred's baptism at St. Peter's Church, Richmond, at the age of eleven months, is also helpful in guaging the length of their stay in the north.
The third wife, Mary Sarah, belonged to Benjamin Ezzy, the one that Mr. Boughton claimed never married. Mary, was actually married at "Wyenbah" Homestead, and Benjamin's brother, Charles was a witness at the wedding.
There is no evidence to suggest that either John or Joseph Ezzy had their wives with them at any time, if indeed, John himself was ever there at all. However, John's wife, Charlotte, was to follow her husband north to the newly emerging mining settlements, a few years later, with a Family of ten children, some barely passed the stage of infancy, there to be left widowed when the youngest was only 5 years old. These early Ezzy wives were indeed 'Pioneers in Petticoats'!
So well your names we know, as admirable women,
Who, over a hundred years ago, married our Ezzy Men.
We have your names there on our long Family Tree:
Have seen them carved in stone, in many a Cemetery.
Without you, our men would not have won through.
Life, up in those hills was so different from the City,
We extend our admiration, You woould not want our pity.
There, supporting, encouraging, calming, accepting privation,
You made it all worth while, and built up a Nation.
A slab house could ingeniously be made a home to remember
Simply adding as the family continued to grow in number.
"Jane", "Rebecca", "Anne", "Elizabeth" and "Mary-Anne",
We honour you equally along with your man,
Women we are proud to acknowledge and acclaim,
Mothers of so many who bore the "Ezzy" name.
M.B.Ezzy.
My complete Rootsweb database can be seen at Amanda Taylor's Genealogy
Surname List of my Direct Ancestors Individual Name Index
Prepared by:
Amanda Taylor
P.O. Box 5042
Wheeler Heights NSW 2097 Australia
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