John Becher Hungerford — The First Child of Emanuel and Catherine
John Becher Hungerford was born 1814 and baptised 27 November 1814, Co Cork, Ireland. He arrived in Australia with his parents Emanual Hungerford and his wife Catherine.
In 1837 several convicts were assigned to him at Merton, suggesting he may have been running a property there. He married Anne Winder [W.3], 7 June 1839, West Maitland, NSW. They were married by the Reverend GK Rusden, and the wedding was witnessed by Tom Winder, Emanuel Hungerford, Agnes Winder and Annette (sic) Hungerford. Anne’s father Tom gave the couple land as a wedding present. They lived at Font Hill, a portion of the original Hungerford property, and had five children. John was a prominent Maitland man being President of the Maitland races in 1842, and a member of the local Masonic Lodge.
About 1849, John took up residence in Newcastle, and in February 1850 John was declared bankrupt, along with his brother Robert. He attempted to leave the colony under the name John Becher and was subsequently arrested. After getting his affairs in some sort of order, he left with Robert for California aboard the John Munn, on 14 May 1850. They prospected there for some time, and it is possible that John was still overseas when his wife Anne died. She died on 22 February 1853, at Font Hill, Maitland, NSW, aged 31, leaving five young children. John continued farming at Font Hill until 1876.
He died on 25 June 1877 from carcinoma of the tongue, in Maitland Hospital, Maitland, NSW. He was buried the following day in Campbells Hill Cemetery, Telarah, NSW, by his brother-in-law, Robert Chapman [E.8=]. John’s and Anne’s graves are unmarked and are on either side of Tom Winder’s grave at Campbells Hill Cemetery, Telarah, NSW. After his death ‘Font Hill’ was sold to Peter Green.
The Children of John and Anne
[E.1.1a] Emanuel Becher Hungerford (1840—1917) married (1) 1862 Frances Elizabeth Blick (1839—1871) married (2) 1872 Ellen Henrietta Blick (1851—1922)
[E.1.2a] Fanny Hungerford (1842—1923) married 1861 James Joseph Fitzgerald (c1835—1867)
[E.1.3a] John Moore Hungerford (1844—1924) married 1877 Mary Ann Apthorpe (1856—1927)
[E.1.4a] Arthur Henry Hungerford (l 846—1925) married 1878 Elizabeth Goridge Chick (c1859—193l)
[E.1.5a] Percy Hungerford (1849—1915) married 1880 Catherine Lucy Blick (c1855—1922)