An Australian Cadzow family

---

Contributed by Maxine Cadzow, Melbourne, Australia

---

William Cadzow married Elizabeth Fraser in Glasgow on 5 December 1851. William's family were from Lanark and it is not known where Elizabeth's family lived. It is believed that William and Elizabeth had a son James born 30 August 1852 in Scotland, and who died 25 August the next year. There is no record of this found in the Old Parish Records for Lanark or Glasgow, but this birth may have occurred elsewhere. Also, the surprising number of variations in the spelling of the Cadzow name requires a careful review of the OPRs.

William and Elizabeth took the momentus decision to emigrate to Australia, and receiving government assisted passages, sailed from Liverpool on 17 March 1854 per "Admiral Boxer". The ship arrived Melbourne 13 June 1854, and William and Elizabeth spent their first days in the new country, in Collingwood, a suburb of Melbourne. In searching the shipping records, it was noted that a number of emigrants went from the ship to Collingwood; perhaps there was a reception centre there. William was recorded as age 26 when he arrived in Melbourne, and was stated to be a stonemason, Presbyterian, and could read and write. Elizabeth was recorded as 29, Presbyterian and could read and write. Ages should not be taken too seriously, as many couples altered ö ages to suit circumstances; eg maximum age for emigrants under specific schemes.

Elizabeth had lost her first child James, and would have been in the very early days of her second pregnancy as they left Liverpool. She may have found the first weeks in particular, a trying time, with morning sickness and sea sickness.

Very soon, the young couple left for Geelong, ( a provincial city west of Melbourne), where it is believed William worked as a stonemason. On 22 November 1854, five months after their arrival, Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter, Mary, in Geelong. A second daughter, Elizabeth was to follow in 1857. A son, William was the third child, born in 1859. As in many families of the time, sadness surrounded the birth of the next child who died shortly after birth in 1863, and was un-named. Two further children were born: James in 1864, and the baby, Anne Margaret in 1867. by this time, Mary, the eldest, was 14.

A major family tragedy came in the form of the death of Elizabeth's husband, William on 8 May 1872, when the children were Mary 18, Elizabeth 15, William 13, James 8 and Anne 5. William is recorded as dying of TB which was diagnosed 5 months before he died. He was buried in the Eastern Cemetery in Geelong, and at that time it was noted that his family lived in Little Ryrie Street, Geelong. William was 45 when he died. William's death record cites him as the son of James Cadzow, stonemason, and Margaret (nee Cadzow) of Lanarkshire.

It was not long before a second tragedy befell the family. In January 1875, three years after William's death, Mary, the eldest child, died of TB , age 26. She was buried with her Father in the Eastern Cemetery at Geelong.

What of the other children?

James became a blacksmith in Geelong, and he too died of TB in July 1889 when he was `25. He was at the time living at home with the family in Little Ryrie Street. He, like his father and sister, was buried in the Eastern Cemetery, Geelong. What a lot of sorrow for Elizabeth. A lost first infant, two children cut off in their youth, a baby dying at birth and her husband dead.

Elizabeth, the daughter of Elizabeth and William, married Thomas Jones in Geelong in 1875.

William, their only remaining son, married Elizabeth Bedwell at St. Phillips Church of England, Collingwood on 2 April 1885. William was 25 and his bride 20 when they married. On the marriage certificate, it is stated that Elizabeth Bedwell lived in Collingwood, and that her father, a slater, gave consent to the marriage, as she was under 21. William was stated to be a coach painter, resident in West Melbourne. There is no St. Phillips Church in Collingwood today ^. Elizabeth and William had three children: Allan, who died in infancy at an unknown date, William James, born in 1895, after 10 years of marriage, and Doris born in 1902. This was an unusual family pattern for the times.

To return to Scotland: What of James and Margaret Cadzow, the parents of our brave emigrant, William Cadzow?

No marriage is noted between a James Cadzow and a Margaret Cadzow in the Old Parish Records for Lanark or Glasgow. All is not lost. They may have married and lived/worked outside their parish. Also, the maiden name of Margaret Cadzow will need to be verified from other sources. William's death certificate, like many death certificates, has some obvious errors. Another error may be the maiden name of his Mother, Margaret. A James Cadzow married a Margaret Gilchrist in Lesmahagow, near Larnark in 1817. Some children Ö, including a William, are recorded in the Old Parish Records for the area, however, there is a gap of several years in the middle of their family, with no births recorded for the couple. This family will be worth following through. James and Margaret may have left the area to follow work for James.

The first look at the 1851 Scottish census for Lemahagow, does not reveal our Cadzow family. Did they move to Glasgow? For that is where James Cadzow and Elizabeth Fraser were married. There are many Gilchrist families, and a number of Fraz/sers in the Lesmahgow area. This census search is in progress currently.

The spelling variations for CADZOW found to date are: Cadzor, Cagie, Cadgow, Cadzou, Cadziou, Cadyow, Cadzen, Cagiou, Cago, Caidzow, Caigie, Caigow!!

This is just the beginning. This story will be added to and corrected as facts come to light.

Maxine Cadzow
Feb. 1998