Hannah Henderson nee Wallbridge

Sydney Morning Herald, 14 October, 1859

Hannah Wallbridge was born in Turners Puddle, Dorset in 1829, the eldest child of Luke and Sarah Wallbridge. Hannah emigrated to Australian when she was about 20, arriving just as the Australian Gold Rush was starting. Hanna's sister Mary Ann joined her in Sydney in 1853 and in 1856 her parents and remaining siblings also emigrated, settling in the Gosford district.

Hannah was working and living in Sydney when she met Robert Geary Henderson and they married in November 1852. Hannah was 23 and Robert 20.

In 1853 Robert took over the license for the Clarence Hotel which was owned by his father. Their first child, Catherine Hargraves Henderson, was born in August 1853, followed by Madeline Mary Geary Henderson in 1855 and Robert Francis Geary Henderson in 1856. 

The Henderson family take name confusion to dizzying heights! First a mixup in the baptism entry saw Madeline's name being incorrectly recorded as 'Adelaide' (this permeates later records because the baptism record was considered legal). Then they set off a tradition of naming sons Robert Henderson! That probably continues to the current generation. I have tried very hard to make it clear in the draft chapters, but with four-barrelled names it can become hard to follow!

In March 1858 Hannah Hannah applied for an order under the Deserted Wives and Children's Act on the basis that Robert had ‘gone away with another woman’. He was living with Elizabeth Delaney at Woy Woy. Hannah was granted the order, which meant she was able to run the hotel business and maintain her own finances completely independent of her estranged husband. The licence for the Clarence Hotel is in Hannah's name when it was renewed in 1959.

Unfortunately for Hannah, the debts for the hotel exceed her assets and within 18 months she is facing bankruptcy. I wonder if she had started behind the 8-ball with debts accumulated by her husband. As shown in the advertisement above, Hannah's belongings were sold at auction in an effort to cover the debts. It is hard to follow from the newspapers, but it seems that she was eventually able to get a certificate of discharge and resumed the license at the hotel.

There are hints that, after this initial setback, she ran the hotel at a profit, to the extent that she is able to make a substantial loan to her father-in-law in 1865. But Hannah was not well. Both she and her eldest daughter contracted tuberculosis. Catherine died in 1866 and Hannah in 1868. Hannah did not leave a will and all her property was liquidated to satisfy her creditors. The administrator appointed by the Court was Frederick Tooth a partner in the Tooth brewery.

Care of Madeline and Robert Francis fell to Hannah's in-laws, Robert and Catherine Henderson. The children were both sent to exclusive boarding schools and Robert snr made generous provision for their future in his will.

In 1870, after Robert snr's death Robert Geary Henderson made a claim on his father's estate for the money he alleged that Hannah had loaned to Robert snr in 1865. The court ruled that while the loan may have been made, he had no right to claim repayment as it had been loaned after he had deserted his wife (take that you cad).

In researching this story I thought it surprising that Hannah's parents seem to have had little role in her later life. Hannah died at the Henderson property at Veteran Hall and was buried there, and the Henderson grandparents took charge of the children. 

There is also an interesting account of a paternity claim made by Hannah's sister, Eliza Wallbridge, against Thomas Henderson, Hannah's brother-in-law. From the newspaper reports, I formed the view of the Wallbridge women to be forthright and strong women, who stood up for themselves and supported each other. I also formed the view that Robert Henderson snr did not have any sympathy for Eliza Wallbridge. (Eliza named he child Mary Eliza Henderson Wallbridge in acknowledgement of the child's father.) It you want to read up on this juicy story I have loaded a transcript under the resources for Robert Geary Henderson - see 1858-henderson-thomas-paternity.pdf or see the original on the National Library of Australia website.