LIST 62 - BURIALS - ST JAMES SYDNEY

 
 
The first burial was performed at St James on the 29th February 1824. During 
the remainder of the decade there were 792 burials performed.
 
The information recorded for each burial is as follows:
 burial date
 death date
 Christian name
 family name
 age
 abode
 civil status at time of death
 year and ship of arrival
 comments
  reference number
 
Various miscellaneous remarks in the register have been recorded as 'end-notes' 
at the bottom of the list. Happily for the historian these notes are 
quite extensive in many cases. The various grisly ways people met their doom 
makes for fascinating reading.
 
The burials are listed in chronological order.
 
The entry for the Rev Richard Hill in the Australian Dictionary of Biography 
states he was "given charge" of the parish in 1821 and became its "regular 
minister" in 1824. The first existing recorded burial was performed on the 
29th February 1824. Whether the records for the years 1821,1822,1823 have 
been lost or no burials were actually performed at St James for those years 
is unclear at this time. It should be noted that Rev Hill was still assisting 
Rev Cowper at St Phillips until 1824.
 
The Rev Hill served as chaplain until his death in 1836 but he was obviously 
assisted over the years by many others. The Rev John Keane performed two 
burials in 1826. Rev Samuel Marsden performed burials in 1826, 1827, 1828 
and 1829, usually of the more prominent people in the colony, and he shared 
the burial of Surveyor General John Oxley in 1828 with Rev Hill. Rev John 
Norman performed thirteen burials in 1827, Rev Elijah Smith six in 1828 & 
two in 1829, Rev Alfred Brown thirteen in 1829, Rev William Yates seven in 
1830 and Rev John Vincent 17 in 1830. Archdeacon William Broughton performed 
the burial of Capt. Logan of the 57th Regiment in 1830.
 
For the years 1824 and 1825 the officiating minister is not recorded although 
most if not all would have been performed by Rev Hill. However for these 
two years the date of death is recorded as well.
 
For the colonial born their year of birth and parents names are recorded in 
the ship of arrival column.
 
Elizabeth Morris is recorded as dying in 1829 aged 26 years, married to 
a publican and colonial born. Yet no corresponding birth nor marriage records 
have been found. Ann Murphy is recorded as dying in 1830 aged 21 years and 
colonial born, yet no corresponding birth record has been found. Elizabeth 
Robinson is recorded as dying in 1827 aged 38 years, a widow and colonial 
born. Yet no corresponding birth nor marriage records have been found. Mary 
Scott is recorded as dying in 1826 aged 25 years and colonial born. Yet no 
corresponding birth record has been found. John Silk who died in 1827 aged 
23 years was in fact the illegitimate son of Joseph Nobbs and Margaret 
Keefe whose previous married name was Silk! Jane Smith is recorded as dying 
in 1829 aged 22 years, married to a carpenter and colonial born. Yet no 
corresponding birth nor marriage records have been found. Mary Wilson is 
recorded as dying in 1827 aged 21 years and colonial born. Yet no corresponding 
birth nor marriage records have been found.
 
The reference number would direct the reader to the relevant entry in the 
original source document. The numbering system was re-initialized in 1826 with 
the introduction of the new printed registers. 
 
The reference numbers for St James run sequentially from 0001 to 0193, then 
re-initialized in 1826 B001 to B600 at the end of the decade. The entry at 
number 0162 is crossed out and number B045 is used twice.
 
To locate an entry on this list; firstly an alphabetical search on the name 
would be made on List 52 using code "SJS" from which the date of burial would 
be retrieved, secondly using the appropriate date, the burial would then 
be located on this list.

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