Edward and Juliana Routledge departed from Plymouth, together with 190 other emigrants, on the Lady Clarke on 4 September 1841. By the time they arrived in Sydney on 26 December 1841, Juliana was pregnant with their first child, Mary Ann Sophia. Edward worked as a blacksmith in Sydney, however when Henry Nicholas was born in 1854 he gave his profession as ‘mathematical instrument maker’ or watchmaker.

Shortly after the birth of their seventh child Edward, in 1857, the family moved to Brisbane where they settled at Kangaroo Point. Here their last son, George William, was born in 1859. Juliana died from phthisis in 1862, leaving Edward with several young children to care for. He survived Juliana by 30 years but never remarried. In 1878, a Brisbane Courier article referred to Routledge as ‘a painter, living at Kangaroo Point’.

Edward continued to reside at Kangaroo Point where many family members were involved in the fishing and oyster industry. He died on 19 November 1892 and is buried in the South Brisbane Cemetery with his daughter Emma, his son-in-law Pablo Ignatius, and his grandchildren.

The Routledge children were: Mary Anne Sophia (3 Apr 1842-9 Dec 1844), Edwin Christopher (7 Feb 1844-12 July 1864), Margaret Bridget (7 July 1846-16 Nov 1929), Emma Ann Isabell (4 Oct 1848-7 May 1930), Sarah Ann (17 Nov 1850-16 May 1926), Henry Nicholas (18 Mar 1854-1 Nov 1922), Edward (1857), and George William (18 Jun 1859-5 Jun 1941).

Note: This biography is based on information provided by great-great-great granddaughter, Kay O’Brien.

Citation

Kay O’Brien and Lee Butterworth, ‘Edward Routledge (1820-1892)’, Harry Gentle Resource Centre, Griffith University, 2017 (updated 2023), https://harrygentle.griffith.edu.au/life-stories/edward-routledge/.