Bothwell Families

These pages offer a glimpse into the lives of the Bothwell families. You’ll find family trees and historical events specific to the area. While not exhaustive, the information will continue to be updated as research progresses. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the material presented.

Nathaniel Paul Allison (1822-1884)
Caroline Augusta Turnley (1832-1889)

Nathaniel Paul Allison was born at sea on 3 November 1822 during his parents’ voyage to Tasmania. On 8 October 1853, at St David’s Cathedral in Hobart, he married Caroline Augusta Turnley, born in Tasmania around 1831. Nathaniel and Caroline began their married life at Campbell Town, where their first eight children were born between 1855 and 1865. By the mid-1860s, the family had moved to Bothwell, where Nathaniel developed significant pastoral holdings. From 1867, he is recorded as the owner and occupier of Hunterston, a substantial 5,600-acre sheep run with an impressive annual rateable value. His involvement in local affairs was steady and visible: he served as Warden, contributed to civic matters such as school affairs and road trust meetings, and appeared regularly in newspaper reports concerning community events, district floods, and municipal elections. His public life included signing electoral addresses, supporting local teachers, and contributing livestock to regional sales. Nathaniel’s life ended tragically on 12 April 1884 at Bothwell, where he died at age 61. The inquest determined that he had taken his own life while of unsound mind. He was buried in the Bothwell Cemetery. Caroline survived her husband by five years. Active in the local community, she appears in 1880 newspaper reports assisting with fundraising efforts for the church. She later moved to Hobart, where she died on 25 December 1889 at her Macquarie Street residence, aged 58. Nathaniel and Caroline raised eleven children - Annie, Lucy Isabel, Florence Emily, Edwin John, Nathaniel Race, Francis George Turnley, Mary Ellen, Susan Frances Ethel, Arthur Alfred Charles, Louisa Caroline Howells, and Ada Beatrice - many of whom married into other established families of Tasmania and Victoria. Several remained closely connected to Bothwell and the Midlands region.

Nathaniel Paul Allison, son of Francis Allison and Susannah Race.

b: 3 Nov 1822, at sea; bap: 28 Nov 1822, Hobart, Tasmania; d: 12 Apr 1884, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 12 Apr 1884, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Spouse - Caroline Augusta Turnley.

b: abt 1832, Tasmania; m: 8 Oct 1853, Hobart, Tasmania; d: 25 Dec 1889, Hobart, Tasmania.

Children of Nathaniel Paul Allison and Caroline Augusta Turnley:

  1. Annie Allison - b: 15 Jan 1855, Campbell Town, Tasmania; d: 2 Jul 1933, Moonah, Tasmania; bur: 5 Jul 1933, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse - John Blakemore Roe, son of John Rowland Roe and Sophia Doughty, b: 1 Aug 1853, Oatlands, Tasmania; m: 28 Apr 1881, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 10 Aug 1940, Toorak, Victoria.

  2. Lucy Isabel Allison - b: 7 Sep 1856, Campbell Town, Tasmania; d: 27 Aug 1929, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 28 Aug 1929, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse - Frederick McDowall, son of Archibald McDowall and Charlotte Gill, b: 22 Jun 1851, Tasmania; bap: 6 Aug 1851, Bothwell, Tasmania; m: 11 Sep 1895, Bellerive, Tasmania; d: 18 Sep 1933, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 19 Sep 1933, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

  3. Florence Emily Allison - b: 6 Apr 1858, Campbell Town, Tasmania; d: 8 Jun 1889, Melbourne, Victoria. Spouse - John Dutton, b: date and place unknown, m: 15 Feb 1888, Hobart, Tasmania.

  4. Edwin John Allison - b: 14 Aug 1859, Campbell Town, Tasmania; d: 15 Jan 1943, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 17 Jan 1943, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse - Alice Maud Mary Blake, daughter of Joseph Blake and Emily Jane Savage, b: 11 Dec 1879, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 18 Jan 1880, Bothwell, Tasmania; m: 1 Apr 1898, Hobart, Tasmania; d: 6 Dec 1954, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 8 Dec 1954, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

  5. Nathaniel Race Allison - b: 2 Apr 1861, Campbell Town, Tasmania; d: 2 Dec 1942, Ballarat, Victoria.

  6. Francis George Turnley Allison - b: 18 Sep 1862, Campbell Town, Tasmania; d: 25 Nov 1933, Ballarat, Victoria.

  7. Mary Ellen Allison - b: 31 Dec 1863, Campbell Town, Tasmania; d: 1 Jan 1932, Ross, Tasmania.

  8. Susan Frances Ethel Allison - b: 17 Jul 1865, Campbell Town, Tasmania; d: 16 Sep 1923, Campbell Town, Tasmania.

  9. Arthur Alfred Charles Allison - b: 26 Jul 1867, Hobart, Tasmania; bap: 14 Mar 1868, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 11 Nov 1915, Melbourne, Victoria.

  10. Louisa Caroline Howells Allison - b: 9 May 1869, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 2 Aug 1869, Bothwell, Tasmania.

  11. Ada Beatrice Allison - b: 30 May 1871, Hobart, Tasmania. Spouse - George Alfred Brown, son of William Thomas Brown and Julia Ann Page, b: 2 May 1869, Oatlands, Tasmania; m: 24 Mar 1897, Bellerive, Tasmania.