Before I head over to England to continue the story of my Great-great-great grandmother, Jane Sanders, I will quickly give a few details of her brother, Thomas Sanders, who emigrated with Jane and his wife Sarah Emma Coles in 1849.
Thomas was the eldest child of shoemaker, Edward Sanders, and his wife Jane Draper. He was baptised in April 1828, at Enfield, just over a year after his parent's marriage.
On October 17, 1848, Thomas married Sarah Emma Coles at St. Andrews,Enfield.Soon after, on November 24,1848, Tom and Sarah boarded the ship 'Osprey', with 18 year old Jane Sanders in tow, and set sail for Victoria.
After their arrival in Port Phillip on March 22, 1849, Thomas and his sister went their own separate ways. Jane remained in the Melbourne district, where she met Irishman John Everard and started a family, and Thomas and Sarah headed north to the Benalla district.
Their first child, a daughter named Alice Emma Sanders, was born in Benalla on March 21, 1850.
An article which was published in The Argus newspaper on Friday 10 October 1851 mentions Thomas Sanders in relation to the discovery of gold in the district of Benalla:
" Benalla: This township has been excited for some time past owing to the many recent discoveries of gold in this Colony, but never has it risen to so great a pitch as at the present moment. This was occasioned by the return, a few days ago, of the party of gold seekers mentioned in a previous letter, successful in their search. The names of the parties to whom the credit of the discovery is due are Henry Wilkinson, an old Californian; Jabez Hindes, the village blacksmith; Richard Evans; Patrick Cain and Thomas Sanders.
It appears the former individual was much struck, on his arrival in this district, with the features of many parts of the country and its similarity to those of California; he determined on prospecting, and formed the party for that purpose. Their statement is that they found gold four days after leaving this place, in the Broken River, but it was of too minute a quantity to pay for working. They then penetrated many miles to the eastward of Mount Buller, until they reached the snowy region, where they were camped four days.
They retraced their steps to the Devils River, and renewed their search, and were fortunate enough to find it in the 'Glen ___' about a mile and a half from the station, formerly Lockhart and Mackenzie's. The metal is of a very bright and pure description; it was found on the surface of a bed of slate, which crops out of the ground in this locality, extending for some miles in a southerly direction. Wilkinson, evidently an experienced digger, states his impression that it will turn out as rich a goldfield as any in California. He has started, accompanied by the others, with four gullies in the spot, to commence operation. Numbers follow in a few days, and I may safely say that in a fortnight this township will be deserted.
As you pass through the place your eye encounters symptoms of the prevailing spirit, in cradles, picks and spades, with here and there a motley group of persons of all ages and sizes, from infancy to manhood,discussing the wonderful luck of the fortunate ones at Ballarat, their attitudes and sundry convulsive twitching of their hands and arms, leading you to conceive they were in imagination clutching each a monster nugget of the precious metal. Seven large grains, the produce of the first tin dish washed, have been forwarded to the Colonial Secretary by the Crown Commissioner, and that gentleman proceeds to the spot on the 15th inst.for the purpose of issuing licenses.
On Saturday the gold hunters were regaled with a capital dinner provided by Mr Brown, to which 40 persons did ample justice. The evening passed off harmoniously, and at its conclusion the goldfield was named Wilkinson's Diggings. The distance from here to the spot is 35 miles. 8 September, 1851."
A year later, in September of 1852, Thomas Sanders ran a series of advertisements in the Argus newspaper looking for his sister:
" If JANE SANDERS, late of Enfield, will write to Mr. William Ellingnorth, butcher, Collingwood, Melbourne, she will see or hear of her brother THOMAS SANDERS."
By 1852 Jane and her partner John Everard were living as husband and wife in Warrnambool. Thomas also eventually moved to Warrnambool with his family, but was still living in Melbourne when his second daughter Emily Sanders was born in 1853.
On November 1855 their second daughter, Angelina Sanders, was born in Warrnambool.The baby's mother Sarah Emma Sanders, registered her birth, and stated that Thomas Sanders was a 27 year old Sawyer from Enfield, England, and that she was 29 years old and had been born in Marylebone, London. Angelina Sanders had two sisters at the time of her birth- 5 year old Alice Emma and 2 year old Emily.
In 1858 at Framlingham, a town about 30 km from Warrnambool, Sarah Emma Sanders delivered her fourth child, a son named Thomas after his father. Three further children were born to Thomas and Sarah:
Sarah Jane Sanders born 1861
Elizabeth Sanders born c. 1862. Died 1863.
Edward Coles Sanders
Thomas and Sarah bought the "Brefney" Hotel in Framlingham, near Warrnambool, in 1872. Thomas died on September 17, 1878,age 49. His cause of death was "congestion of lungs and Rheumatic Fever" which he had suffered for three months duration. His elder son, Thomas Sanders, registered his father's death, and stated that he had been a hotel-keeper, the son of Edward Sanders, bootmaker, and Jane Draper.He had married in "Henfield"(sic. Enfield), England, at the age of 21 years to Sarah Emma Coles, and had been in Victoria for 28 years. Thomas Senior's children were listed as being:
Alice Emma 28 years; Emily 25; Angelina 22; Thomas 20; Elizabeth deceased; Edward 14. For some unknown reason, daughter Sarah Jane, who would have been 23 years old, was left out.
Thomas Sanders was buried in the Warrnambool Cemetery on September 20, 1878.
Thomas Sanders's wife Sarah Emma continued as hotel keeper until 1891,and she died in 1905. Thomas Sanders junior then took over licence of the Brefney Hotel in 1895 till 1904.
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