Elizabeth Fitzpatrick

Last Name

Fitzpatrick

Given Name:

Elizabeth

Alternative Name:

Crabb, Crabbe

Arrival in Queensland

ca. 1844

Date of Birth

ca. 1813

Place of Birth

Glentworth, County Cork, Ireland

Date of Death

10 April 1879

Burial

Toowong Cemetery, Qld

Place of residence in Queensland

Kangaroo Point, Brisbane

Spouse

Samuel Crabb

Place Married

Brisbane, Qld

Occupation
Housemaid
Cook

Elizabeth Fitzpatrick was born in Glentworth, County Cork, Ireland. She emigrated to New South Wales in 1840 when she was 27 years old. By 1844 she made her way to Brisbane where she petitioned for permission to marry ticket-of-leave convict Samuel Crabb. The couple finally married in early 1846 and spent the rest of their lives living at Kangaroo Point. Elizabeth died on 10 April 1879, nearly 16 years after her husband Samuel Crabb, who died in May 1863.

In a petition dated 1 March 1844, Elizabeth Fitspatrick [sic] per Isabella (1840) sought the permission of the Governor of New South Wales, Sir George Gipps, to marry Samwell [sic] Crabb per Portsea (1838), who was employed in the service of Mr Warner, Assistant Surveyor of Brisbane Town. The Register of Convicts’ Applications to Marry reveals that Elizabeth arrived free on the Isabella, while Samuel was a ticket-of-leave convict transported for life on the Portsea. After an application to marry was refused on 26 April 1844, Reverend Hanley of the Brisbane Roman Catholic Church finally granted the couple permission to marry on 30 December 1845. Samuel Crabb and Elizabeth Fitzpatrick were married in ‘Brisbane, New South Wales’ on 17 January 1846.

Immigration records reveal that 27-year-old Elizabeth Fitzpatrick from Glentworth, County Cork arrived in Sydney on 18 October 1840 as an ‘unmarried female immigrant’ on board the Isabella. She was the daughter of Patrick Fitzpatrick, a quarryman in Glentworth, and Anne, his wife, who was deceased. Elizabeth was Roman Catholic, a housemaid and cook, and could read. Her ‘State of bodily health, strength, and probable usefulness’ were described as ‘Very Good’.

In April 1848, Elizabeth Crabb of Kangaroo Point accused her neighbour, Mrs Honoria Stewart, of 'using violent and unbecoming language towards her'. Constable Murphy, who was called to scene, stated that ‘the violence and abuse were so nearly of a par on both sides, that it was nearly impossible for him to state on which side the balance of vituperation lay’. Evidence was given that there was a feud between the two households over the Samuel Crabb's pigs, which Honoria Stewart’s husband had previously ‘denounced to the police as a nuisance’. As the magistrates could not determine who started the most recent argument, the case was dismissed.

Samuel Crabb, who worked in R. J. Smith’s boiling down works, initially at Kangaroo Point and later at Town Marie (Ipswich), died in May 1863. Samuel’s death notice stated that he was 46 years old and had been an overseer in Smith’s service for 16 years. ‘He was a good and faithful servant, and much respected by all who knew him,’ concluded the notice.

Born circa 1813, Elizabeth Crabb was aged about 65 when she was described as ‘an elderly woman residing at Kangaroo Point’ in an 1878 news article regarding a man, James Berry, who was charged with bigamy. Elizabeth was called as a witness to Berry’s first marriage to Isabella Gayran, which took place at Elizabeth’s house at Kangaroo Point. Some time after the marriage, Berry disappeared and, unbeknownst to Isabelle Gayran, posed as a widower and married another woman in Maryborough.

Elizabeth Crabb (nee Fitzpatrick) died on 10 April 1879, nearly 16 years after her husband Samuel Crabb. She is buried at the Toowong Cemetery.

Researcher and author: Jan Richardson, Harry Gentle Resource Centre.
Date of publication: 9 June 2022.

Image (above): Eastern side of Kangaroo Point from Bowen Terrace, Brisbane, ca. 1868 (State Library of Queensland, Image No. APE-072-0001-0011).

Archival Resources

State Library of Queensland, Colonial Secretarys letters relating to Moreton Bay and Queensland, A2 Series [microfilm], Reel A2.14, p. 358.

State Library of Queensland, 'Petition of Elizabeth Fitspatrick per “Isabella” 1840 requesting permission to marry Samwell Crabb / “Portsea” 1838 [sic]', dated 1 March 1844, CS Ref No 44/02311, Colonial Secretary's letters relating to Moreton Bay and Queensland, A2 Series [microfilm], Reel A2.14, p. 358.

Online Resources

Brisbane City Council Cemeteries Search, entry for Elizabeth Crabb, buried 11 Apr 1879, Toowong Cemetery, Grave location 7-35-7.
Richard Joseph Smith and Town Marie, article by Ken Grubb, Feb 2018.