S is for Septimus Moxon

Victorian gold rush 1860s

 Much is known about Benjamin Moxon originally of Pontefract, Yorkshire who established a pharmaceutical company in Hull in the early 19th century.  He had a large family of 12, including his ninth child - and seventh son - Septimus, born in Hull in 1824.  Unlike the rest of the family, not much was known about Septimus according to member Judith Moxon Ayres who wrote about this successful family in the Moxon Magazine No 31 in 2003.

All they knew was that Septimus had moved to London and was an insurance agent.

More recent research by myself reveals that he married an Emma Goulden, a spinster and then sailed to Victoria in the middle of the goldrushes, moved to the goldfields, and then to Geelong and Melbourne before dying in Sydney where he had business interests.

Could Septimus have been the black sheep of the family?  In the 1851 census, Emma Goulden is shown living with her parents, siblings, and baby son John Alfred Goulden in Sculcoates but on 28th July the same year, she married Septimus Moxon in a civil registration in The Strand, London. I wonder if Septimus was John Alfred's father? It is likely that Septimus' parents, Benjamin and Hannah Moxon would not have approved of a liaison with the unmarried daughter of a mariner, otherwise, they surely would have married in Hull?

The couple quickly produced two daughters, Emma (1852) and Kate (1853), probably in London although there is no record of their births.

Or was he simply adventurous or a restless soul.  We will show later that he wasn't adverse to a public lark, and may have harboured an ambition to be a professional singer. 

In the same year as Kate's birth, the family set sail for Melbourne on the Sea Nymph as unassisted passengers, most likely to make their fortune in gold.

This was a big undertaking for a family with three children under the age of four.  However, the streets of Melbourne were not paved with gold.  In fact, there was a shortage of housing and not many workers to improve the city.  Most able men had rushed off to the diggings.

Both infant girls died the same year in Collingwood, a common occurrence for babies during gold rush Melbourne.  The following year, Septimus was offering firewood for sale at his premises in Flinders Street West, so the family of three was obviously struggling.

Sadly, wife and mother Emma, daughter of Thomas Goulden, a mariner of Sculcoates died on 15th December 1857 at Cox Town, Bet Bet in the Victorian goldfields.  She was only 29.  Now known as the district of Timor near Maryborough, Cox Town had a population of 30,000 in 1857.  Imagine the primitive living conditions for a woman on the goldfields.

Whilst it is possible that Septimus was digging for gold, it is more likely he worked as an accountant or agent of some kind, given his experience.

In 1862 Septimus was advertising his services as an accountant and collector at 70 Queen Street, Melbourne.  However, in 1863 he was working as the Geelong agent for Adelaide Wines and was declared insolvent the following year.

In 1865 he was a director of the Lucky Gold Mining Company (Happy Valley near Ballarat), the fortunes of which were much improved.  In 1866 he was discharged from insolvency and had re-established his business interests in Melbourne.

In 1869, he married Mary Teresa Cremen, a nurse from Adelaide, by special license at St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral. A daughter Mary was born in Richmond, Melbourne in 1880 but she died the same year.

(John Alfred, using his mother's maiden name of Goulden, grew up and married, having two children.  This information is from a descendant of a child taken in and raised by Septimus' second wife Mary Teresa Moxon (nee Cremen).  Mary lived until 1936.)

Septimus had now lost three daughters.  Maybe his work and after-hours time spent with the Melbourne Philharmonic Society sustained him.

During the 1860s and 70s, Septimus was very active as the Melbourne Philharmonic Society's collector (treasurer?) and secretary.  According to an article in the Argus in 1868, Septimus was an accomplished performer as a bass soloist, mostly of sacred music.  He was very active singing at benefit concerts during the 1860s and 70s.

He apparently kept in touch with his family in Hull, placing a notice in the Melbourne Argus about his mother Mrs. Benjamin Moxon of Hull passing away aged 80.

By 1870, Septimus was the Manager of the Australian Ale & Bottling Company of Collins Street, Melbourne, and in 1885 he transferred the license of the Shearer's /family Hotel at Steven and Judge Streets in Sydney to a new licensee, so it is likely he worked in the hotel and brewery industry for some time.

No doubt he kept some very convivial company during business hours because an advertisement appearing in the Williamstown Chronicle, 8 December 1883 headed "Prospectus of the Ancient Goose and Gander Company" suggests that he and his friends had wicked senses of humour.

Septimus' death certificate (NSW 1887/004152) states that he died of typhoid fever on 8th March 1887 and had been ill for ten days.  He had been living in the colony of NSW for about 18 months, residing at Woodstock Terrace, 146 Underwood Rd, Paddington.

The death notice records the date of his marriage to Mary Teresa Cremen (1868) and his deceased child Mary but makes no mention of his earlier marriage or family.

His funeral notice makes no mention of his wife Mary, and he was buried at Waverley Cemetery on 10th March 1887.  It would appear that the couple was separated.  She continued to live at Richmond in Melbourne for many years, working as a nurse, taking in a small child to care for, and dying in 1936 at the age of 91.

Could it be that Septimus, the scion of a very large family in Hull, died a lonely man in the colony of New South Wales after leading a lively and sociable life in Victoria for over 30 years?  A life not without grief, losing his beloved first wife and all his children.