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| Joshua Middleton Moxon 1840-1894 |
Joshua, Louisa and baby George arrived in Moreton Bay - near Brisbane - in August 1867 on the Samarang. Family stories suggest that he was advised to leave England after he knocked off Prince Albert's nose whilst working on the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens, and tried to cover it up. However, there is no documentary proof - as yet - that he even worked on the Albert memorial. The dates are right. Who knows?
They settled initially at Balmain, but by 1871-2, Joshua had purchased and named Hailey Farm at Bankstown, on the site of present day Bankstown Station and Bankstown Mall. The farm was named after Hailey Hall farm where Louisa grew up with her uncle. (See 1861 census)
The family imploded in 1883, with Louisa having left the marriage (whilst pregnant), second son Henry running away from home and his apprenticeship, and Joshua having been imprisoned for three months for cruelly beating his six year old son. A toddler, Alfred (born 1880) was kidnapped by a nanny and taken to New Zealand for many years before being identified as a Moxon by his older brother Henry (Harry) Percy.
During the time he was farming at Bankstown and for the following decade, Joshua was contracting for large stone masonry works including the Pitt Street facade of the General Post Office, the Darlinghurst Court and other well known buildings. He was also purchasing properties. He was not much of a father, with three of his sons - Herbert, William and Arthur being put into the care of the Randwick Institute for Destitute Children for 2-3 years.
Despite his entrepreneurial streak - he held mining leases as well as property - he was active in labour politics. He died intestate in 1894 at the age of 54 of pneumonia, resulting in much anxiety for his estranged wife, his son George Joshua who became the estate's administrator, and his only daughter Edith, who appeared to be in dire straits, according to the probate papers. The estate took at least 12 years to wind up, and like Dicken's Bleak House, most of the money went in legal fees.
His surviving children were:
- George Joshua (1866-1940) - died Liverpool, NSW
- Henry (Harry) Percy (1869-1950) - died Haberfield, NSW
- Herbert Middleton (1872-1934) - died Merrylands, NSW - no living descendants
- Edith Emma Chiffens (1874-1958) - married Charles A. Langford, died Balmain NSW
- William Thorpe (1876-1952) - died Auburn, NSW - no living descendants
- Arthur Frederick (1878-1959) - died Ryde, NSW
- Alfred John (1880-1966) - died Stuart Town, NSW
- Mary Susan (1887-1969) - died Little Bay, NSW - not the daughter of Joshua, although she took his name.
Six other children died either at birth or in childhood - mostly before they were 12 months old, but one died after falling into a quarry, aged eight in 1892.
Middleton was Joshua's mothers maiden name; Thorpe and Cheffins are surnames of Louisa Wilkinson's mother and grandmother.
There are a great many descendants of Joshua Middleton Moxon living throughout NSW.
Margaret and John Moxon have found descendants of four of the sons - two lines have died out - as well as of Mary Susan, and are yet to contact descendants of Edith Emma Cheffins Langford.
A group for descendants of Joshua Middleton Moxon has been set up on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/JoshuaMiddletonMoxon/ and a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joshua-Middleton-Moxon-Family-History/179837275465183
Just search on Facebook for Joshua Middleton Moxon and you will find both.
John Bruce Moxon has written a story about Joshua's life, based on research undertaken through Australian newspapers and other source material. If you are interested, contact John on (02) 9636 7752 or johnmoxon1@gmail.com. The story is never finished of course, as more information comes to light.
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