The
Wiltshire Family Tree
1715 - 2003
Info on The County of Wiltshire, England.
Map of Wootton Bassett
(section of Alan
Godfrey Old Ordnance Map)
The name Wiltshire is a very old Anglo Saxon one. According to the book "Anglo Norman Families", William of Aldrie (Normandy) transacted land with an under tenant William Thomas Wiltshire. According to Directory of British Peerages, there was a castle at Malmesbury, Wiltshire in 700 AD. There were Earls of Wiltshire from 1397 to 1550. A William Wiltshire was a marine private on The Endeavour, sailing with James Cook in 1770 at the age of 20 but there is no confirmed link with my line.
The first Wiltshire (confirmed) known to have emigrated from England to Australia was John born , the oldest son of John and Jane (nee Phillips).
With his first wife Harriet (nee Bowen), and three children (Frances Orleana was born at sea en voyage) he embarked at London in the sailing vessel "Orleana" in the year 1840. The voyage took many months, and the family finally disembarked at Port Adelaide on June 10 1840. They settled at Green Hills, South Australia where John earned a living plying his trade of saddler and harness maker.
Harriet Wiltshire (nee Bowen) died in 1849 from tuberculosis, as did the last four of the nine children of the marriage.
In 1850 John remarried; this time to a widow named Harriet Chaeter (nee Wheeler), who at the time of her marriage to John Wiltshire had a son from her first marriage. She and John produced a further six children. The family moved from South Australia to Victoria in the 1850's, and settled in the Avoca district. John Wiltshire became the first -and only- Mayor of Avoca. John died at Prahran, Victoria in 1897 and was buried in the St. Kilda cemetery.
William Wiltshire - Johns' brother - married Hesther Burrowes. In 1848 the family decided to make a new life in Australia. They left England with their five children the same year. The vessel was the sailing ship "Minerva", and the voyage took more than a year, arriving at Port Adelaide on November 20th 1849. During the journey the two youngest children, two girls named Mary Anne and Martha died at sea.
As a minister of Religion, William who had joined the Primative Methodists, conducted church services in Adelaide and BurraBurra. He later re-joined the orthodox Methodists, and from then until his death at Moonta in South Australia made a living for his family as a school teacher. He died in 1878.
The following records are certainly not complete; nor are they claimed to be 100% accurate. Years of research has been required to trace just some of the Wiltshires. There is still much to be done.
In recognition of dedicated efforts of the researchers, special mention must be made of the following persons -- Jess Wiltshire 13 Nilmar Av Wodonga Vic; MarjorieRoper 3 O'Mara Place Higgins A.C.T. 2615; Lorna Lewis 55 Smedley Rd Nth Ringwood Vic 3134; Jack Wiltshire 16 Nth Esplanade Glenelg North South Australia 5045; Robert Wiltshire 9 Shepherd St Glenforrest Western Australia 6071; David Wiltshire 23 Balloch St Wishart 4122 Queensland; George Wiltshire PO Box 737 Taree New South Wales; Nola Edwards PO Box 664 Irymple Victoria 3498; Dorothy Wiltshire Prairie Victoria 3572; Joyce Kissick 25 Hillcrest Rd Glen Iris Victoria 3146; Robert Wiltshire 178 Esplanade South Brighton South Australia 5048;
Note: When John Wiltshire travelled from South Australia to Victoria, he and his family made the trip in the ship "Fanny". It is believed that the vessel berthed at Geelong; from there the family moved to the Ballarat district.
John Wiltshire and his wife Harriett (nee Bowen). With their children they migrated from England to Australia, making the voyage in the sailing ship "Orleana", arriving at Port Adelaide S.A. on June 10th 1840.
As far as can be ascertained they were the first Wiltshire's to settle in Australia and in 1849 were joined be John's younger brother William and his wife Esther (nee Burrows) and their children.
The family came from the Parish of Wootton Bassett, County of Wiltshire, England. The name 'Wootton Bassett' indicates "A farmstead by a wood of the Basset family". (OE "wudu" {wood} + "tun" {farmstead} + family name. The village was Wdetun in 680, Wodetone in 1086 and Wotton Basset in 1272, indicating the ownership of the manor by the Basset family from Normandy.
John and his family later moved to Victoria, travelling from Adelaide in the sailing ship "Fanny". Both John and his second wife Harriett (nee Chaetor) are buried in the St Kilda Victoria cemetry. His first wife Harriett, pictured above, died of consumption in 1849 and is buried in Adelaide.
This photo of John is taken off an original, taken by Bardwell Studios, Ballaarat, Victoria.
