SCOWN - Cornwall to South Australia

The Register of Applications for Free Passage from England to South Australia 1836-41
Application dated 17 May 1837, John Thomas SCOWN, Stonemason and Builder of Launceston, Cornwall, age 36, Wife age 28, three male children aged 9 yrs, 6 yrs, and 17 mos, also three females aged 14 yrs, 12 yrs and 3 yrs, ship Katherine Stewart Forbes [Application number 1058, Embarkation number 4947]
John Thomas SCOWN (c1798-1860) m1. 11 Dec 1820 at North Hill, Cornwall, England, Jane HICKS [R/N 59] Children of this marriage in the above application are Elizabeth 14, Mary Hicks 12, Charles Thomas 9 and Stephen Thomas 6.
John Thomas SCOWN m2. 26 Dec 1832 St Mary Magdalene, Launceston, Cornwall, Susan YEO [R/N 310] Children of this marriage in the above application are Jane Yeo 3 and Richard 17 mos.
About a month after the initial application for this family a separate application was made for the eldest daughter who at age 14 had to be listed with the single female passengers. Application number 1164 dated 21 June 1837, Miss Elizabeth SCOWN, Sempstress of Launceston, Cornwall, ship Katherine Stewart Forbes, no age given, embarkation number 582. One month after departure another baby was born at sea on 27 Aug 1837 and was named after the ship, Matilda Catherine Stewart Forbes SCOWN.
The Katherine Stewart Forbes of 457 tons and 117 feet was built in Northfleet Docks in Kent in 1818 for the Chapman company. Variously described as a barque/ship she sailed from Portsmouth on 3 Jul 1837 under Captain A Fell with 222 passengers. After a voyage of 108 days she arrived at Holdfast Bay, South Australia on 17 Oct 1837, bringing news of the death of King William IV on 20 Jun 1837 and the accession to the throne of Princess Victoria on the same day. [Diane Cummings - Bound for South Australia]

There was a letter written by (John) Thomas Scown, Builder, to his brother at Launceston, Cornwall, from Government Square, Adelaide, which was published in two issues of the London newspaper, The South Australian Record, the first part on 12 Sep 1838 on page 95 and the second part on 10 October 1838 on page 98.

Dear Brother, - I am happy to inform you of the safe arrival of the Katherine Stewart Forbes, having completed the most comfortable voyage that has been recorded.
We left Portsmouth on the 3rd of July, passed the Lizard the 6th, passed the Island of Madeira the 11th, crossed the line the 8th of August, passed the Cape of Good Hope the 8th of September, and anchored in Nepean Bay, Kangaroo Island, October the 15th.
This vessel is a most noble ship for strength, accommodation, and fast sailing.
The Hartley, which left England seven days and four weeks before we did, we passed on the 3rd of October, and anchored in Nepean Bay sixteen hours before the Solway and Hartley arrived. They came in both together, and the Solway left Portsmouth sixteen days before us; and as to comforts and accommodations on board, no ship hath ever brought to South Australia equal reports; for instead of complaints against the captain, as other emigrants have made, we gave our captain, doctor, and mates, and ship's crew, three cheers each when we were asked by the Emigration Agent what causes of complaint we had during our voyage.
To you this must be cheering, and more so when I tell you that instead of being deficient of any comforts on board, we (my own family) brought on shore, and have now in our possession, not less than £10 worth of provisions which my family and John Williams (misreading of John Hillman) received was quite enough for three such families, so the Captain allowed us to save all that we did not want, and supplied us with casks, bags, &c. to save it in. On the 27th of August, one o'clock in the morning, Susan made me a present of a fine little daughter. The doctor is a very attentive good-hearted man, and provided every comfort. She was baptized Matilda, by the Rev. J. B. Barclay, Missionary of the Independent Society; she is a striking likeness to Jane.
All our family are in good health and spirits. Mary was hired as a servant to one of the passengers during the voyage,for which she received £1.6s., and the same person wishes to engage her now, but Susan will not part with her at present.
There is a great want of labourers in South Australia of every description. The wages is much higher than I ever expected. The wages of a mason's labourer and other, of low order, is 6s. per day; ordinary masons and carpenters, 9s. I heard a man offer J. Willman (misreading of J Hillman) 10s per day; and the same day I was offered three guineas per week, to work from six in the morning till six at night, stop an jour for breakfast and dinner, and half an hour at four o'clock, but we refused all these offers as being too low. J Willman (J Hillman) and I thought ourselves as competent to contract for work and receive the profits of our labour, as those were who offered this to us.

Unfortunately we can only speculate about which brother was to receive the letter. These newspaper articles were provided by Stuart Sayers who says that John Hillman was a Launceston carpenter and joiner who applied for a free passage to South Australia on the 17 May 1837, same day as John Thomas Scown. His application number 1059 is listed in the Emigrants' Register immediately after John Thomas Scown whose application number was 1058. The embarkation number for John Hillman was 535, immediately after John Thomas Scown at number 534. John Hillman gave his age as 34 years and his wife's as 29. They had three sons aged 8, 6 and 1 year.
John Thomas SCOWN and two others Henry SPARKS and Benjamin FULLER submitted a successful tender dated 9 Nov 1838 for £406.19.11 for works to be done on the Police Barracks and Stables. This was one of many government building contracts which came the way of John Thomas SCOWN.

In the second part of Thomas Scown's letter he wrote to his brother:

We contracted with the architect for the government work, and we are engaged in building a square, comprising seventy-two houses; our contract is unlimited. We are to build as many of these houses as we like, at such prices, that we get £1. each per day by our own hands; this we have earned and received every day that we have worked in this colony.
We have not only given general satisfaction, but other mechanics are surprosed at these Cornish operatives. Londoners, in South Australia, are already put by by the Cornish men. Although we get much higher wages, the same work as we do now for £6.6s., did cost £10., and not great wages was received out of that sum; men work about two or three days of the week and drink the remainder. It is nothing for a poor labourer, like myself, to spend a pound of a Saturday night in grog, whereas Willman (Hillman) and myself have taken plenty of cocoa and coffee &c. for our grog.
On Saturday night J Willman (Hillman) and myself were offered the building of the Church of Adelaide - both mason's and carpenter's work. On Monday we were offered the building of the Sheriff's house, but we cannot engage either of these jobs for want of labourers. This is the only thing that I can see that will be a barrier to each of us; if five humdred mechanics and labourers were to arrive in Adelaide to-day, every one of them might set at work to-morrow. One tailor came in the ship with us.
I can only say, in a word, there is a need of everybody, except drunkards. There is in Adelaide about 3000 souls in want of almost everthing, except meat, drink, and money - this is very plenty. Every labourer is paid every Saturday; they leave off work at four o'clock, Saturday evenings.
As to the description of this country, climate, and produce, &c. you must excuse at present, as the mail is about to leave. When I write again, I will give you the most copious information I am capable of. I can only say now that I never saw nor thought that there was such a place in the world. No reports that I have ever seen or heard hath half described the beauties and advantages of South Australia,
Elizth is in service. I shall take Charles to work myself, and make a man of him. I should be glad if you would immediately tell mother we have the pot of butter she gave to us, and about 8 or 10lb. of ship butter, and that all the provisions of the ship was of superior quality.

*   *   *   *   *

You must know by the price of labour that things are very dear here, but it is not equal to wages. Fresh beef 1s., mutton 1s., fresh pork 1s. 6d., superior flour 4d., raisins, sugar 4d., salt bacon 9d., fresh butter 3s., brandy 2s. 6d., rum 2s., wine 1s. 9d., and porter 3s. per bottle, ale 1s. 8d., beer 10d., middling small beer, sober liquor.
Six working oxen tackle, and cart, cost about £300, and they earn £4 per day. Men nor cattle do not half work here as they do in England. Mr Wise paid 9s. for making a pair of fustian trousers without lining. The fustian he brought from England.
I hope you will write immediately.

Register of Emigrant Labourers applying for a Free Passage to South Australia
Application number 2739, date of entry 6 July 1838, SCOWN John, Mason, Launceston, Married, Age 26, Woman's Age 29, Children: 1 boy age 9 mos, 1 girl age 1 3/4 yrs. Without an agent's name or embarkation number there was no voyage.
This does not fit with the age of the boy above, but a son William Braginton SCOWN was born Jun Qtr 1838 Launceston [Free BMD Vol 9 Pg 156] and died aged 2 yrs Mar Qtr 1840 Launceston [FreeBMD Vol 9 Pg 95] He was buried on 13 Jan 1840 in Mary Magdalene churchyard, Launceston.
Six months later a second application, number 9060, dated 6 July 1840 to Agent J. Geake, for John SCOWN, Stone Mason of Launceston, 28 yrs, Wife 32 yrs, 1 girl 4 years, and 1 girl 18 months, embarkation number 4947. The 18-month-old was Mary Ann SCOWN b 3 Jun 1839 at Launceston
John SCOWN, wife Susanna Dinnis BRAGINTON and their two children (Elizabeth Jane and Mary Ann), arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia on 13 Dec 1840 aboard the Royal Admiral which sailed from London on 7 Aug 1840 under Captain David Martin with 142 emigrants [Diane Cummings - Bound for South Australia, who says that this John SCOWN was the brother of William b 1810]

SCOWN brothers who emigrated to South Australia:
Thomas SCOWN b 1817 St MM Launceston, Cornwall, and wife Keziah MURCH made application number 2684, embarkation number 1836 and arrived SA on 21 Mar 1839 on the D'auvergne.
William SCOWN b 1810 Stratton, Cornwall, wife Elizabeth HAWK, three children made application number 3588, embarkation number 2680 and arrived SA on 19 Sep 1839 on the Recovery.
James SCOWN b 1828 St Mary Magdalene Wesleyan Circuit Launceston, wife Mary JAMES, one child, arrived SA on 10 Nov 1860 on the Ramillies.

James SCOWN m 1853 Mary JAMES

Fellow SCOWN researchers, some from the early 1980s: the late Bev Dungey, Joan Comber, Ina Groome, Rene Langdon, Lyell Mitchell, Grace Roberts, Stuart Sayers, Ruth Scown, plus others who have contributed information about their families.