Richard Allen (1800-1882)

Photo published with the permission of
Amanda Vallance & Darryl Massie

Julia Antoni (1818-1866)

Photo published with the permission of
Amanda Vallance & Darryl Massie

Richard Allen was born on July 19, 1800, in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. His early life was marked by hardship; in 1821, he was convicted at the Court of Assizes in Warwick for pocket-picking and sentenced to 14 years transportation. Despite prior convictions, including thefts of oranges and shoplifting, reports described him as orderly on the journey. On July 1, 1821, Richard departed England aboard the Lord Hungerford, arriving in Hobart, Tasmania, on December 26, 1821. By the late 1820s, Richard was living in Bothwell, where he served as a Field Police Constable, though he was fined in 1828 for neglect of duty related to purchasing liquor for a servant. He received a conditional pardon in 1831. On May 8, 1832, he married Julia Antoni at Green Ponds with the consent of her guardian; Richard was 31, Julia only 13, according to her baptism record. Their family grew in Bothwell, with children Mary (born 1833), Julia (1835), Sarah (1837), Richard Jr. (1842), Matilda (1844), Elizabeth (1846), Amelia (1848), William John (1849), Cecilia Jane (1852), Annie Marie (1858), and Zillah Sophia (1860). In 1834, Richard faced charges for cattle stealing alongside accomplices but was found not guilty by the Supreme Court in Hobart. Despite this, he continued to establish himself in the Bothwell community. He held property in Alexander, Adelaide, Glebe, and High Streets, purchasing land and receiving deeds throughout the 1840s to 1860s. Richard worked as a carrier and farmer and participated actively in civic duties, including serving as a juror and contributing to local relief funds. The family endured personal tragedies, notably the deaths of his daughters Cecilia Jane and Matilda from scarlet fever in the early 1850s. Richard’s wife, Julia, died of cancer in 1866. Richard lived until October 21, 1882, passing away at the age of 82 from stomach cancer. His funeral at Bothwell’s General Cemetery was attended by many, reflecting his status as a respected pioneer settler. At his death, eight of his fourteen children survived and were well-established.

Richard Allen.

b: 19 Jul 1800, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England; d: 21 Oct 1882, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 24 Oct 1882, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Spouse - Julia Antoni, daughter of Charles Antoni and Mary Doolan.

b: 1 Nov 1818, Hobart, Tasmania; bap: 29 Nov 1818, Hobart, Tasmania; m: 8 May 1832, Green Ponds, Tasmania; d: 29 Jan 1866, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 29 Jan 1866, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Children of Richard Allen and Julia Antoni:

1. Mary Allen - b: 29 Oct 1833, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 15 Dec 1833, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 26 Nov 1896, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 29 Nov 1896, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse - John White, b: abt 1809, Somerset, England; m: 1 Oct 1863, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 18 Oct 1904, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 20 Oct 1904, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

2. Julia Allen - b: 19 Jul 1835, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 16 Aug 1835, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 11 Jan 1909, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 13 Jan 1909, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

3. Sarah Allen - b: 6 Jun 1837, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 25 Jul 1871, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 29 Jul 1871, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse - Edward Bowden, b: 6 Mar 1825, Mileham, Norfolk, England; bap: 10 Apr 1825, Mileham, Norfolk, England; m: 11 Jan 1854, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 25 Mar 1908, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 28 Mar 1908, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

4. Catherine Allen - b: 3 Oct 1840, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 19 Jul 1916, Sale, Victoria. Spouse (1) - Henry Hurley, b: abt 1839, Hobart, Tasmania; m: 13 Jul 1867, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 1 Jun 1888, Hobart, Tasmania; bur: aft 1 Jun 1888, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse (2) - Charles Napper, b: 15 Mar 1837, East Lambrook, Somerset, England; m: 4 May 1895, Melbourne, Victoria; d: 6 Aug 1932, Sale, Victoria.

5. Richard Allen - b: 1 Jul 1842, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 10 Aug 1842, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 14 May 1915, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 16 May 1915, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse - Zillah Sophia Gaby, daughter of Thomas Gaby and Harriet Bowden, b: 9 Feb 1846, Oatlands, Tasmania; m: 4 Apr 1872, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 18 Aug 1875, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 20 Aug 1875, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

6. Matilda Allen - b: 30 Jun 1844, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 7 Jul 1844, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 11 Oct 1853, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 11 Oct 1853, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

7. Elizabeth Allen - b: 31 Mar 1846, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 10 May 1846, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 19 Sep 1891, Walhalla, Victoria. Spouse - William Swanson Thomson, son of Arthur John Thomson and Jane Swanson, b: 31 Oct 1851, place unknown; m: 1878, Victoria; d: 30 May 1908, Walhalla, Victoria.

8. Amelia Allen - b: 2 Jan 1848, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 11 Jun 1848, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 17 Dec 1930, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 19 Dec 1930, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

9. William John Allen - b: 11 Dec 1849, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 10 Apr 1850, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 19 Oct 1931, Malvern East, Victoria. Spouse - Hannah Maria Campbell, daughter of John Campbell and Alice Beanland, b: 25 Feb 1851, Brighton, Tasmania; m: 24 Mar 1873, Kempton, Tasmania; d: 2 Sep 1928, Malvern East, Victoria.

10. Cecilia Jane Allen - b: 5 May 1852, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 27 Sep 1853, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 27 Sep 1853, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 27 Sep 1853, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

11. Charles Arthur Edward Allen - b: 31 Jul 1854, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 30 Jan 1855, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 12 Apr 1874, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 15 Apr 1874, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

12. Arthur Augustus Allen - b: 28 Jun 1856, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 2 Apr 1939, Bothwell, Tasmania.

13. Annie Marie Allen - b: 29 Jul 1858, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 10 Oct 1858, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 19 Feb 1911, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 21 Feb 1911, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse (1) - George Broughton Sealy, son of James Broughton Sealy and Frances Elizabeth Jeffries, b: 15 Nov 1853, Hockerill, Hertfordshire, England; m: 6 Apr 1885, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 24 Aug 1891, Petersham, New South Wales; bur: 5 Sep 1891, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse (2) - William Henry Sealy, son of James Broughton Sealy and Frances Elizabeth Jeffries, b: 8 Sep 1861, Hobart, Tasmania; m: 11 Dec 1894, Hobart, Tasmania; d: 23 Sep 1938, Hobart, Tasmania; bur: 26 Sep 1938, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

14. Zillah Sophia Allen - b: 24 Sep 1860, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 13 Oct 1860, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 8 Sep 1882, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 8 Sep 1882, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.