Dadswell Family History

Generation 7
Thomas William Dadswell (1828-1908)

On this page:
Ancestors of Thomas William Dadswell
Thomas' story
Key family dates
Photographs
Further information

Ancestors of Thomas William Dadswell

Robert Doudeswell 1560 > Robert Doudeswell 1606 > Edward Dodswell 1659 > Alexander Dodswell 1686 > Thomas Dadswell 1732 > James Dadswell 1786 > Thomas William Dadswell 1828

Thomas William's story

Thomas William Dadswell, the ninth child of James and Charlotte (Ovenden) Dadswell, was born at Mayfield on 25 November 1828.

Thomas is believed to have worked as an engineer with Thomas Brassey, (1805-1870) who had railway construction and other engineering projects in England, Europe, the USA and Australia.

While in Berlin, Thomas is believed to have married Helena Mariane Aurora Scheer, born in 1831, the daughter of architect Carl Friedrich Christoph and Anna Elizabeth (Tietz) Scheer.

Thomas and Helena sailed from Liverpool on 26 June 1857 aboard the sailing ship John Linn, and arrived in Melbourne on October 3.

Their first child, Charlotte Martha, was born in Melbourne in 1858, followed by Alfred Otto at Geelong in 1860, with the rest of their seven children being born at Pleasant Creek (Stawell).

They were living at Pleasant Creek by 1861, and Thomas was involved in a number of ventures, including timber milling, road making, bridge building and the hotel at Ledcourt, which later became known as Dadswells Bridge.

As well as being the family home and providing accommodation for travellers, the Dadswells Bridge Hotel became a centre for community activity.

Thomas was postmaster (1869-1880), a school was located within the hotel building, community functions were held there, and it provided accommodation for travellers using horse-drawn coaches.

In the space of four years, the family was shattered by four tragedies - Thomas' wife Helena died aged 42 in 1873, the eldest son Otto was nearly killed in a horse racing accident one year later, Martha died from measles in 1867, and Henry William, aged 12, died in 1877 from tonsillitis.

Thomas lived to the age of 80, and died while living with his daughter Helena Matilda Norwood at Tarnagulla in 1908. He was buried at Tarnagulla Cemetery.

See also:
   Sailing the John Linn to Australia – the Hazardous Trip
   Helena Mariane Aurora Scheer - A German Ancestor

Key family dates

Abbreviations: b = born; d = died.

Children -

1. Charlotte Martha Dadswell b 12 July 1858 - d 21 May 1875

2. Alfred Otto Dadswell b 28 Feb 1860 - d 16 June 1946

3. Emma Elizabeth Dadswell b 28 Sept 1861 - d 26 July 1955

4. Charles Thomas Dadswell b 24 May 1863 - d 17 July 1940

5. Henry William Dadswell b 19 Feb 1865 - d 12 July 1877

6. Helena Matilda Dadswell b 12 May 1867 - d 8 March 1945

7. Ulrica Mary Ann Dadswell b 11 Dec 1868 - d 7 June 1955

Photographs

Click on any picture to see a larger size photograph.

Further information

Information on Thomas & Helena's children (generation 8)
Information on James Dadswell (generation 6, father of Thomas William Dadswell)