Colin Mitchell (1869-1922)
and Agnes Emily Lane (1874-1958)

(last updated 11 November 2022)

Life and times

Born at Newcastle, Colin married Agnes Emily Lane (1874-1958) there on 23 March 1892. Born at Windellah outside Maitland, Agnes' parents were James Lane (1824-82) and Caroline Cook (1836-1921) who were married at Morpeth in the County of Cumberland in NSW on 17 June 1853. Their marriage certificate, a copy of which is contained on Eunice Muller's 'Luckel-Kaiser-Muller Family Tree' on Ancestry, shows they were both then living at Morpeth and the wedding was witnessed by a Thomas Hall and Eliza Cook. According to the 'Fagan Family Tree' on Ancestry, James and Caroline had eleven children in addition to Agnes Emily: Caroline Eliza Spain (1855-1949), James jnr (1857-1914), Maryann Elizabeth Smith (1859-1922), Adelaide Ann (1860-79), Eveline Mitchell (1862-1948), Alfred Samuel (1864-1953), Joshua James (1866-97), Arthur George (1868-1939), Sophia Alice Riley (1870-1961), Frederick J. (1872-1936) and Emily May Ah Kin (1880-1966). It adds that Agnes' maternal grandparents were two convicts, William Thomas Cook (1795-1881) and Mary McWilson (1814-86), who were married at Morpeth on 6 April 1835. Information provided by Rex Webb and Kathrine Harper and contained in the 'Maitland Family History Circle's Pre-1900 Pioneer Register' (pp. 56-7), tells us that William was born at Bristol in England on 7 December 1794. 'At the age of eight', it continues, 'he ran away and joined the British Navy as a cabin or powder boy. On 30 April 1819 . . . William was charged . . . with having feloniously stolen and carried away from the big house and stable of Mr Henry Browne of the Parish of St James, a quantity of lead of the value of twenty shillings . . . William was convicted at Gloucester Quarter Sessions on 13 July 1819 and sentenced to seven years transportation'. Transported from England on the sailing ship MANGLES, William arrived at Port Jackson in New South Wales on 7 August 1820. Webb and Harper's account also informs us that Agnes' grandmother, Mary McWilson -pictured on the right - was born at Reading in Berkshire in around 1814. On 13 June 1833, she was 'indicted for stealing one handkerchief, value one shilling, the goods of Jonathon Clark from his person'. Mary appeared at the Old Bailey Court on 4 July 1833, [where she] was convicted for man robbery and sentenced to seven years transportation'. She arrived at Port Jackson on the NUMA on 13 June 1834. The ship's indent stated Mary was 20 years old, could read but not write. It added she was single, 4' 11" tall, and had a 'fair, ruddy and freckled complexion, sandy brown hair and grey eyes'. It further states that, on 15 January 1835, 'William Cooke made an application to the Governor of NSW to marry Mary McWilson. The application showed him to be 37 years of age, had arrived on the 'Mangles' in 1820, and was now 'free of servitude'. He had applied through the reverend G. K. Rusden of Maitland. Mary was said to be 21, still bonded and single. The application was subsequently 'allowed' by the Governor.

Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser over this period suggest their time there was not always trouble free. In 1858 William, who was said to be living at Vauxall near Morpeth, took a Thomas Weaver to court for allegedly stealing some of his and Mary's ducks. The case was dismissed as William was unable to prove the ducks were in Weaver's possession (28 January 1858). Three years later, William appeared before the bench charged with allowing one of his horses to stray from his property and wander the streets of Morpeth. This time the magistrate found in William's favour as 'there was a possibility the horse might have got out by accident' (5 December 1861). In April 1870, William successfully prosecuted 'Catherine McGinn and Matilda Reid (two little girls) . . . for stealing eight lemons, valued at 4d, from his garden’. Although the offence was proved, William 'expressed his wish not to press charges, but only to have the defendants, and similar depredators, warned against a repetition of the offence. He complained of a series of thefts in his garden by a number of children. The bench admonished the defendants and discharged them' (7 April 1870). The 22 September 1881 edition of the Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser informs us that William Thomas Cook, aged 86, died at his residence on Swan street in Morpeth on the 11th of September. Mary died at Morpeth five years later. The Find a Grave website shows she and William are buried in the Morpeth General Cemetery (Anglican Section plot N) along with their eldest daughter, and Agnes Emily's mother, Caroline Lane. The inscription on the gravestone reads: 'Sacred to the memory of William T Cook who departed this life September 11th 1881. Aged 86 years. And his beloved wife Mary who departed this life March 16th 1886, Aged 72 Years. Also their beloved Daughter Caroline Lane who departed this life 13th September 1921. Aged 86 years'. The 'Fagan Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us William and Mary had nine children in addition to Caroline all born at Morpeth: Eliza Fairhill (1838-1911), Absolom Thomas (1841-93), Alfred William (1843-1902), Alice Charlton (1847-1905), Valentine (1850-55), Emma (1852-3), Agnes Noble (1853-1901), Anne Pearson (1860-1926) and Emily Sheaves (1860-1951).

The birth places of their 12 children show James and Caroline Lane nee Cook - pictured on the left before her marriage - lived at Morpeth from the time of their marriage in 1853 until around 1870 when they moved to Windella outside Maitland. In around 1875 they and their eleven surviving children - their one year-old son, Joshua James Lane, had died at Morpeth in 1867 - left the Newcastle area to farm land at Quirindi south of Gunnedah. Their last child, Emily May (1877-1960), was born at Quirindi. Another daughter, 19 year-old Adelaide Annie, died there from Typhoid fever in 1879. Two further daughters, Maryann Elizabeth (1858-1922) and Caroline Eliza (1885-1949) were married, in 1879 and 1880 respectively, to Frederick Charles Smith (1850-1919) at Quirindi and John Spain (1839-1924) at nearby Tamworth. In 1882 'after a long and painful illness', James Lane, aged 59, died at Gunnedah 'leaving a wife, 10 children, and large circle of friends to mourn their loss' (Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, 11 March 1882). We think James was buried in the Quirindi cemetery although that has still to be confirmed. After her husband's death, Caroline moved back to the Newcastle area where she spent the remainder of her life. A report in the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate in September 1898, tells us she was called before the local magistrate to speak about a George Cook, aged 8 years and 7 months, who had been arrested for 'sleeping in the open air at Smedmore'. Caroline stated 'the accused was her nephew and in her charge but [added] she had no control of him. He would not attend school, and was in the habit of sleeping out at night. His father was dead and his mother had not been heard of for six years' (14 September 1898).

Between 1882 and her death at Newcastle in 1921, Caroline witnessed the marriages of her and James' remaining children and was able to visit and fuss over a growing number of grandchildren. The weddings included James jnr to Annie Rowlands at Lambton in Newcastle in 1883, Eveline to James Jonas Mitchell at Narrabri in 1883, Frederick to Eliza Atkins in 1889, Arthur George to Catherine Brown at Moree in 1890, Alfred Samuel to Mary Ann Acres at Singleton in 1891, Agnes Emily to Colin Mitchell at Islington in Newcastle in 1892, Sophia Alice to William Richard Riley at Wickham in Newcastle in 1910 and Emily May to Walter Henry Ah Kin (King) at Sydney in 1911. On 14 September 1921, readers of the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate were informed that the 'remains of CAROLINE, wife of the late JAMES LANE, will move from the residence of her son, Mr Alfred S. Lane, 18 Fleming Street Wickham, THIS MORNING, at 11 o'clock, for interment in Church of England Cemetery, Morpeth'. The newspaper also included invitations for the 'Relatives and Friends of Mr and Mrs J. SPAIN, Mrs E. SMITH, Mrs E. MITCHELL, Mr and Mrs A. S. LANE, Mr and Mrs A. G. LANE, Mr and Mrs W. R. RILEY, Mr and Mrs C. MITCHELL . . . to attend the Funeral of their beloved mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother'. As noted earlier, Caroline was buried with her parents in the Anglican section of the Morpeth General Cemetery (Plot N).

Some three years after their marriage at Islington in Newcastle in 1892, Colin and Agnes Emily Mitchell nee Lane and their two eldest children - William James and Ilma Gervaise Mitchell - sailed from Australia to New Zealand. Accompanying them on their journey were three of Colin's younger brothers - Roderick, Samuel Alfred and John Mitchell - all of whom would remain in New Zealand for the rest of their lives (click here for details). The New Zealand electoral rolls show Colin and Agnes were farming land at Dargaville in the Kiapara region of the North Island at the time of the 1899 and 1911 elections. During this time, they had eight more children all born at Dargaville: Elsie Vera (born in 1896), Samuel Alfred (1898), John (1901-02), Nellie (1901), Colin (1804), Nelson (1906), Alfred John (1910) and Victor James Mitchell (1912). Shortly after Victor's birth, Colin and Agnes and their seven youngest children returned to Australia (as detailed below, their first two children remained in New Zealand). Advertisements published in the Raymond Terrace Examiner and Lower Hunter and Port Stephens Advertiser in 1914 and 1915 show a Colin Mitchell of Anna Bay near Port Stephens was raising and selling horses. The 1 September 1922 issue of the same newspaper informed its readers that 'On Monday afternoon, Mr C. Mitchell a resident of Anna Bay, but who was at the time, boat building at Nelson's Bay, expired suddenly at work. The doctor from Tea Gardens attributed the cause of the death to heart rupture, and a coronial enquiry was dispensed with. Deceased had resided for several years at Anna Bay'. A report in the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miner's Advocate provided a few more details of the events surrounding Colin's death: 'Mr Callow, of Stroud, held a magisterial inquiry at Tea Gardens on Wednesday into the death of the late Mr Colin Mitchell, of Anna Bay, whose sudden death occurred on Monday last. The evidence showed the deceased was on his way to Nelson's Bay wharf with a dray load of timber, when, owing to the bad state of the road, his dray over-turned. In endeavouring to right it without assistance he ruptured a blood vessel in his neck. Deceased was also suffering from fatty heart. The verdict was accidental death, hastened by the accident' (1 September 1922).

Colin was buried in the Nelson Bay Cemetery (Anglican Row 2 Plot 8). On 6 September 1923, the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miner's Advocate informed its readers that: 'The remains of the late Mr Samuel Mltchell, son of Mrs Mitchell of Anna Bay, was interred in the Church of England Cemetery, Nelson's Bay, on Sunday last. The deceased, who was 26 years of age, succumbed to an attack of pneumonia. Twelve months ago his father, the late Mr Colin Mitchell, collapsed in Nelson's Bay, and a brother, Colin, was buried three weeks ago. A third brother is lying seriously ill with pneumonia at present'. The report added that 'the whole population of Nelson's Bay sympathise with the widowed mother in her many bereavements and a large number followed the remains to their last resting place'. Twelve days later, the same newspaper reported on a 'benefit sports meeting' that was held to raise funds to support Agnes and her remaining children and to which 'the residents of Nelson's Bay, Anna Bay, and Tea Gardens turned out in force and made the event a great success . . . At the conclusion of the day's sports', the report concluded, 'a dance was held in the Arcadia Hall, the accommodation of which was taxed to its utmost. Much sympathy is felt for Mrs Mitchell in her bereavement, and the people of the district, through the agency of Saturday's events, showed their practical sympathy to the extent of about £150' (18 September 1923).

The sympathy and support from the local community notwithstanding, Agnes decided to return to Newcastle where a number of her and Colin's family were living. On 30 November 1923 she held a clearing-out sale where the items on offer included: '12 COWS, 10 HEIFERS, 5 YOUNG CATTLE, 6 HORSES . . . . 8 Sets Harness, 2 Sets Dray Harness, 7 Sets of Trace Chains, 2 Sets Block and Tackle . . . Stump Jack, Disc Harrows' and other sundry items (The Maitland Weekly Mercury, 24 November 1923). Agnes' initial destination was Mitchell Street in Stockton where she ran a smallgoods and grocery store. On 21 January 1926 Agnes was fined £5, with 8s costs, by Mr Shropshire, S.M., at Newcastle Police Court for having kept her business open after hours (Newcastle Sun, 1 March 1926). The Australian election rolls show Agnes still registered at Stockton in 1934 (along with her youngest son, Victor James Mitchell, who was working as a seaman). The 1943 and 1949 rolls have her back at Anna Bay (along with another son, Alfred John, and his wife Eileen Sarah Mitchell in 1949). After that she moved to the inner Newcastle suburb of Adamstown. A report in the Newcastle Sun on 22 July 1947 tells us that Agnes and her sister, Sophia Alice Riley, were knocked down by a car on Railway Street while crossing the road to board an Adamstown-bound tram. Luckily neither were badly hurt although Sophia was taken by ambulance to the Newcastle hospital for a check-up. The investigating police officer, Sergeant Handcock, informed the court 'the driver of the car . . . smelled strongly of liquor'. Although living at Adamstown at the time, Agnes Emily Mitchell nee Lane died at Nelson Bay on 7 May 1958. Her death certificate, informed by her son Alfred John Mitchell of Tomeree Street Nelson Bay, tells us the cause of death was coronary thrombosis and atheroma. A storekeeper and widow, Agnes was said to have had nine children, five of whom - William, Ilma, Samuel, Jack and Colin - had predeceased her. She was buried on 8 May 1958 at the Church of England Cemetery at Nelson Bay.