WILLIAM HERRING
1852-1936
Picton and Gundagai NSW

My great grandfather William Herring was born at Picton, NSW on 8.8.1852.

His parents were James Herring and Mary Gilmore. James Herring was born in England in 1817 and he arrived in Sydney, Australia, on the convict ship Mangles (7) at the age of 20. Mary Gilmore was born in 1818 in Bawnboy, Co. Cavan, Ireland. James and Mary were married at the Roman Catholic Church, Campbelltown, NSW on 6.4.1842.

They had a family of 8 children from 1842-1855 – Margaret, Charles James, Thomas, Mary Ann, Elizabeth Bridget, William, Rose Ann and John.

My great grandmother Jane Isabella Jenkins was born at Camden, NSW on 13.8.1852.

Her parents were William and Eliza Jenkins. William and Eliza were married at St. James Church, Sydney, NSW in the county of Cumberland on 2.10.1838.

They had a family of 14 children from 1839 to 1862 – William, Thomas, Sarah Jane, John, Eliza, Lavinia, Martha, Ann Maria, Jane Isabella, Eleanor Catherine, Robert Augustus, Jacob George and Mary Elizabeth.

William Herring married Jane Isabella Jenkins on 5th January 1876 at St. Matthew’s Church, The Oaks, NSW (in the Wollondilly Shire near Picton, NSW).

A short time after their marriage at The Oaks, in 1876 William and Jane travelled to Bongongolong, Gundagai, on horse-back with a bullock wagon carrying their possessions. They settled on a property, naming it “Mt. Pleasant”. It was a good acreage with expansive views and undulating hills.

They built a house with thatched branches and a dirt floor. Later, timber was used to build a bedroom, lounge/dining room and kitchen. Many years later a lovely sunroom was built with louvre windows. The “out house” was erected not far from the homestead and was well-known throughout the district for the commanding view it had!

William and Jane produced a family of 11 children from 1877 to 1896 – Mabel Eliza, Beatrice Mary, William, Madeline Isabella, James, John, Levina Jane, Reginald Montague, Thomas Frederick, Elizabeth Elsie Margaret and Sarah Edwina Gilmore.

Three of the children were married at the property, as was the custom of the day. Mabel in 1895, Madeline in 1900 and James in 1907.

William was a very hard working man, and highly skilled at whatever task he undertook. He was a great bushman, rough-rider, and a fine judge of stock. At the time of the gold mining boom at Reno (not far from his homestead) his services were secured to move a mammoth boiler from the local railway to Johnston’s Hill, through rough and hilly country. After nearly six weeks the boiler arrived at his destination after being hauled by William’s bullock teams, blocks and tackle. William’s careful skill, good management and determination got the job done and local history was made!

William was a gold miner and had his own team of men.

William and Jane grazed sheep on their property, and they had horses and a sulky. William regularly drove into town on his sulky on Saturday’s to see his many friends and buy produce.

From the front gate at Bongongolong up to the homestead there was a row of Kurrajong trees. These trees were a great fodder plant and were drought tolerant which was very important in the Gundagai district where the rainfall was always low. They grew from 5-15 metres high with a dense crown of glossy green foliage. They were a very striking landmark in the district.

Jane Herring was a midwife to many people in the local area, and in 1883 her sister-in-law Elizabeth Chislett travelled from Sydney to “Mt. Pleasant” to get assistance for the birth of her second child - James Henry Chislett born on 8th December.

Both William and Jane were very hospitable people. They both had a kindly nature and were well respected by all who knew them.

William passed away on 6th December, 1936 at “Mt. Pleasant”. His cause of death being congestion of the lungs and chronic myocarditis. He was 84 years old. Jane Isabella passed away on 30th August, 1939 at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Mabel Brown. Her cause of death being myocarditis. She was 86 years old. They were buried together in the Anglican Section of Gundagai North Cemetery. They have a lovely double grave and the name of their infant son, John, who passed away on 4th October, 1887 from asthma and chronic pneumonia aged 19 months has his name on their headstone.

The residents of Gundagai and districts were saddened to learn of the deaths of William and Jane Herring. They were true pioneers of the area and made a substantial contribution to the town of Gundagai.

Catherine (Herring) Williams
21st November, 2020
Cairns, Qld.