James Richard WALKEDEN and Mary Ann Francis HACKETT

James was born in London around 1827 to William WALKEDEN and his wife Mary Ann BUTLER. There is record of his baptism on 7 October 1827 at St Luke Old Street, Finsbury in London.

I cannot locate any record of his arrival into Australia, other than his death certifcate in 1902 that states he was "in Victoria for 48 years". There is a J.WALKDEN that arrived on the GREAT BRITAIN in 1852, and this will need to be verified.

Mary Ann Francis HACKETT was born at Gosport in England in 1837, her parents being Henry HACKETT and Harriet KEARSHALL. Mary Ann arrived on board the PARSEE on 14 May 1858 and was assigned to J.WALKEDEN. According to the birth certifcates of their six children, James and Mary Ann were married in London on 25 May 1858 - 10 days after her arrival here in Melbourne! I have also searched for a marriage in Victoria and in NSW for the year of 1858, but this has not been located.

James and Mary Ann had the following children:

Harriet Isabella - born 1859 at Stanley in NW Victoria - she was 14 years old when she married 38 year old Henry Machel BARWISE at Great Western in 1873. 7 weeks later their first child was born! They eventually had 8 children!

In 1861, William Morris was born at Beaufort and in 1889 married Harriet APSEY.

James Richard Henry WALKEDEN - the third child - was born at Beaufort in 1863 and married Harriet Melinda FOGWILL in Launceston, Tasmania in 1895.

On 1st July 1867, Mary Ann Francis was born at Sulky Gully and in 1896 married Moses WILLIAMS at Stawell and had 3 children.

Charlotte Elizabeth WALKEDEN was born on 31 July 1872 at Great Western, she had one son, Edward WALKEDEN in 1896 before she married William George ROBERTS on 12 June 1900.

The last child of James and Mary Ann was Ada Eliza WALKEDEN who was born in 1875 at Great Western, there has been no further record found of this child, could assume she died as a young infant.

James Richard WALKEDEN died on 2 March 1902 at Stawell and Mary Ann died on 27 February 1924, both are buried at the Stawell Cemetery.