Rice Family History,Genealogy.

4. Edwin, Mark, Ezra, Abel, Obadiah, and Levi.

Edwin

Edwin was born on 11 June 1830 in Waddesdon Buckinghamshire England and baptised on 11 July 1830 in the Church of St Michael and All Angles. Edwin and Sarah WHAIT were married on 24 April 1855 and had 9 children. He was the oldest son of Thomas and Jane. Edwin was used to hard work and within a few years had saved enough money to use his business ability in the buying and selling of farm implements and stock. This included the sale of bullocks, hay (to his brother Mark), wheat and quantities of beef meat.

Mark

Mark was born at Waddesdon Buckinghamshire England and baptised there on 25 December 1833 in the Church of St Michael and All Angles. He was brought up in and around the village of Waddesdon. The men of the family began work at an early age as agricultural labourers. They had access to common land near the village and could keep a few sheep and perhaps a cow or two to supplement their food which was mainly corn and vegetables also grown on common land. Mark and the others were required by the shipping agent (Greenwell & Co. London) to bring certain personal items with them when they migrated. these were: 5 shirts, 5 hankerchiefs, 5 prs. stockings, 1 pr sheets. 1 pr blankets, 3 prs. trousers, 1 waistcoat and 2 jackets. Mark arrived at Port Adelaide with his parents and five brothers on 14 August 1850 aged seventeen. The family moved almost immediately to Lyndoch and became involved in farming. First on leased land and then on property they purchased. He appears to have owned some farm equipment and horses or bullocks. Mark died of typhus fever in Rose Cottage Lyndoch on 29 December 1855.

Ezra

Ezra was baptised on 30 July 1837 in the Church of St Michaels and All Angles. He arrived at Port Adelaide SA on 14 August 1850 with his parents and five brothers in the British Empire. Ezra worked for various farmers in the district and then with his father and brothers on leasehold land. Emily WILKINS was born in 1839 in England and she arrived in the Steadfast during November 1852 with her family. They also settled in the Lyndoch district. Ezra and Emily were married on 12 August 1857 at St Georges Anglican Church Gawler. They first settled at Pewsey Vale where they worked for Joseph Gilbert. Later they moved and purchased land and a house at Jollytown near Lyndoch. They had eight children Walter, Arthur, Melvina (Jane), Charles, Edwin, Edith, Charles and Florence (Rose). Ezra bought nearly 14 acres at Jollytown in 1862. When Ezra died he still owned land with cottages in Jollytown where Emily lived for sixty-five yeas until she died on 14 November 1929. At the time she was one of Lyndoch's oldest residents.

Abel

Abel was born on 7 October 1839 at Waddesdon and was baptised on 19 January 1840. He arrived at Port Adelaide on board British Empire on 14 August 1850. Abel and Rebecca WARD were married on 22 April 1873 in the Stonehill Wesleyan Chapel Gawler River. They had seven children, Henry, Albert (Jabez), Charles, Ethel, Elsie, Ernest and Fred. Rebecca came to Australia on board Mariner in 1848. Abel and his family lived and worked in the districts of Lyndoch Truro Napperby and Crystal Brook.

Obadiah

Obadiah was born in Waddesdon and baptised on 11 April1842. After the family settled in Lyndoch it is likely he attended school for a year or so. He then helped his father and brother who were farming in the district. Later he went to Dutton to work with his brothers on the land they were developing. On 4 February 1868 Obadiah and Elizabeth CROUCH were married in Christ Church Kapunda. They had nine children, Mark, Joshua, Abel (Fred), Sarah Jane, Susan, Elizabeth, Edith Ellen, William and Charlotte. On 18 April Obadiah signed a crown lease over sixty-four acres at Neales Flat for twenty-one years at 2 pounds per annum, where he and his three older sons built a pug and stone house for the family and the ruins can still be seen today. The three younger children attended Frankton School, where they boarded with an aunt to avoid the wild cattle they might have encountered had they walked each day through the scrub. The aunt was thought to be Bessie Brook (Crouch).

Levi

Levi was born at Waddesdon and baptised on 20 July 1845. He was the youngest child of Thomas and Jane. Levi and Jemima FARR were married on 11 November 1878 and had one child, Albert Henry. Jemima was a widow of John H Bray, with no children from the previous marriage. By 1882 they were living in Maxwell Street Kapunda. Levi was a butcher in the main street of the town. In 1888 school records state that Albert was going to Broken Hill. Broken Hill was becoming an industrial

town of wage earners and boys were employed on a casual basis sorting good ore from bad at about two shillings a shift. Eighteen year olds and over could earn more under-ground but accidents were common, and they worked by candlelight.

Later the family made their way to the West Australian goldfields. The family legend is that Jemima was one of the first white women to arrive at the Eastern Goldfields. She and her family reached Southern Cross by train and then went by horse to Coolgardie. The remaining twenty-seven miles was on foot sleeping along the way on the roadside. The gold rush began in 1892 with strikes around Coolgardie. The town sprang up from nowhere as enthusiastic diggers flocked to the area. By 1900 there were 15 000 people, but it was short lived as the gold petered out by 1905. By 1902 Kalgoorlie and its twin town Boulder boasted a population of 30 000. Levi and Albert were miners and Jemima ran a boarding house which was a pair of tents largley made of hessian. One of the greatest difficulties faced by miners was lack of water. In 1903 a pipeline was opened between Perth and Coolgardie, and was the first major supply line in Australia.

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[1. Introduction.] [2. Early Rice Pedigree.] [3. Thomas and Jane.] [4. Edwin, Mark, Ezra, Abel, Obadiah, and Levi.] [5. John Whait - Edwin's stepson.] [6.Nephews of Thomas Rice. Joseph, John and James.] [7. 'Never Despise the Agricultural Labourer.'] [8. Order form for book.] Site Designed and Maintained by MUNSIE at bigpond.com Home

	Edwin Edwin was born on 11 June 1830 in Waddesdon Buckinghamshire England and baptised on 11 July 1830 in the Church of St Michael and All Angles. Edwin and Sarah WHAIT were married on 24 April 1855 and had 9 children. He was the oldest son of Thomas and Jane. Edwin was used to hard work and within a few years had saved enough money to use his business ability in the buying and selling of farm implements and stock. This included the sale of bullocks, hay (to his brother Mark), wheat and quantities of beef meat.

Mark Mark was born at Waddesdon Buckinghamshire England and baptised there on 25 December 1833 in the Church of St Michael and All Angles. He was brought up in and around the village of Waddesdon. The men of the family began work at an early age as agricultural labourers. They had access to common land near the village and could keep a few sheep and perhaps a cow or two to supplement their food which was mainly corn and vegetables also grown on common land. Mark and the others were required by the shipping agent (Greenwell & Co. London) to bring certain personal items with them when they migrated. these were: 5 shirts, 5 hankerchiefs, 5 prs. stockings, 1 pr sheets. 1 pr blankets, 3 prs. trousers, 1 waistcoat and 2 jackets. Mark arrived at Port Adelaide with his parents and five brothers on 14 August 1850 aged seventeen. The family moved almost immediately to Lyndoch and became involved in farming. First on leased land and then on property they purchased. He appears to have owned some farm equipment and horses or bullocks. Mark died of typhus fever in Rose Cottage Lyndoch on 29 December 1855.
	Ezra Ezra was baptised on 30 July 1837 in the Church of St Michaels and All Angles. He arrived at Port Adelaide SA on 14 August 1850 with his parents and five brothers in the British Empire. Ezra worked for various farmers in the district and then with his father and brothers on leasehold land. Emily WILKINS was born in 1839 in England and she arrived in the Steadfast during November 1852 with her family. They also settled in the Lyndoch district. Ezra and Emily were married on 12 August 1857 at St Georges Anglican Church Gawler. They first settled at Pewsey Vale where they worked for Joseph Gilbert. Later they moved and purchased land and a house at Jollytown near Lyndoch. They had eight children Walter, Arthur, Melvina (Jane), Charles, Edwin, Edith, Charles and Florence (Rose). Ezra bought nearly 14 acres at Jollytown in 1862. When Ezra died he still owned land with cottages in Jollytown where Emily lived for sixty-five yeas until she died on 14 November 1929. At the time she was one of Lyndoch's oldest residents.

Abel Abel was born on 7 October 1839 at Waddesdon and was baptised on 19 January 1840. He arrived at Port Adelaide on board British Empire on 14 August 1850. Abel and Rebecca WARD were married on 22 April 1873 in the Stonehill Wesleyan Chapel Gawler River. They had seven children, Henry, Albert (Jabez), Charles, Ethel, Elsie, Ernest and Fred. Rebecca came to Australia on board Mariner in 1848. Abel and his family lived and worked in the districts of Lyndoch Truro Napperby and Crystal Brook.

	Obadiah Obadiah was born in Waddesdon and baptised on 11 April1842. After the family settled in Lyndoch it is likely he attended school for a year or so. He then helped his father and brother who were farming in the district. Later he went to Dutton to work with his brothers on the land they were developing. On 4 February 1868 Obadiah and Elizabeth CROUCH were married in Christ Church Kapunda. They had nine children, Mark, Joshua, Abel (Fred), Sarah Jane, Susan, Elizabeth, Edith Ellen, William and Charlotte. On 18 April Obadiah signed a crown lease over sixty-four acres at Neales Flat for twenty-one years at 2 pounds per annum, where he and his three older sons built a pug and stone house for the family and the ruins can still be seen today. The three younger children attended Frankton School, where they boarded with an aunt to avoid the wild cattle they might have encountered had they walked each day through the scrub. The aunt was thought to be Bessie Brook (Crouch).

Levi Levi was born at Waddesdon and baptised on 20 July 1845. He was the youngest child of Thomas and Jane. Levi and Jemima FARR were married on 11 November 1878 and had one child, Albert Henry. Jemima was a widow of John H Bray, with no children from the previous marriage. By 1882 they were living in Maxwell Street Kapunda. Levi was a butcher in the main street of the town. In 1888 school records state that Albert was going to Broken Hill. Broken Hill was becoming an industrial
town of wage earners and boys were employed on a casual basis sorting good ore from bad at about two shillings a shift. Eighteen year olds and over could earn more under-ground but accidents were common, and they worked by candlelight. Later the family made their way to the West Australian goldfields. The family legend is that Jemima was one of the first white women to arrive at the Eastern Goldfields. She and her family reached Southern Cross by train and then went by horse to Coolgardie. The remaining twenty-seven miles was on foot sleeping along the way on the roadside. The gold rush began in 1892 with strikes around Coolgardie. The town sprang up from nowhere as enthusiastic diggers flocked to the area. By 1900 there were 15 000 people, but it was short lived as the gold petered out by 1905. By 1902 Kalgoorlie and its twin town Boulder boasted a population of 30 000. Levi and Albert were miners and Jemima ran a boarding house which was a pair of tents largley made of hessian. One of the greatest difficulties faced by miners was lack of water. In 1903 a pipeline was opened between Perth and Coolgardie, and was the first major supply line in Australia.