Re: James Rixon/Amelia Goodwin
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In reply to:
Re: James Rixon/Amelia Goodwin
12/05/00
Hello Helen,
I saw Joye Walsh yesterday and we discovered that we had been neighbours when we lived in Lismore and had lost track of each other!Small world indeed.I have arranged with Joye to update the information on Matilda, especially regarding her life, about which I know quite a lot.There were quite a few inaccuracies regarding her and her husband, James Richard Edwards who was a lawyer, NOT a Journalist. I believe he may have met Matilda when he stayed in Eden when he was working as an itinerant Magistrate. James Richard was the first Clerk of Petty Sessions on the Laming Flat Goldfields near Young, N.S.W.and at least their first child, Florence Elizabeth Mary Edwards was born in a tent, the birth being assisted by one of the miners whose wife had had children!!! Quite a shock for a well brought up lady as Matilda was reported to be.My Grandmother, Louisa Emily Edwards (later married Cheeseman) lived with us and she herself told me this story when I was quite small and my mother later confirmed this to be a reliable family story.Louisa was also born on the Laming Flat goldfields but I think perhaps there may have been a house of sorts for the family by then.The family later moved to Albury where James and Matilda were quite important in town life and I was told that James was a Magistrate there.Later the family moved to Forbes where James became Chairman of the Lands Board.I have the original clipping from the newspaper with a discription of my grandmother Louisa Emily's wedding and her original wedding photo which I shall copy for Joye.There is much more and I have promised Joye that I shall document it (I also use Family Tree Maker) and pass it on to her for those interested and perhaps for inclusion in the Next Book??My Mother, Dorothy Iris had clear and wonderful memories of Matilda or "Gran Edwards" as she called her and told me of meeting Gran in Sydney and having meals at Quan Tart's tea rooms which were famous at the timeShe also told me of visiting an "Aunty Page" in Macquarie Street with Gran when she was quite small and I know now from Family Forest Book that this was Matilda"s sister Martha Page.I would be interested in finding out more from Martha's descendents about her some time because it may be that Martha and Matilda were quite close as sisters.
As you can tell, I am really pleased to make contact with other Rixons and hope the information above will be interesting.There is much more but I will let Joye Walsh have it eventually.
Thank you again for replying to my messages.I look forward to a Gathering of the Rixons and would like to attend.I am impressed by the amount of work Joye has put into the Rixon Family Tree book.I am only sorry that I was not able to contribute, but I was unaware that it was being compiled, even though I have been told by Joye that close relatives of mine provided much of the information regarding Matilda and her descendents and have copies of the book for quite a while.
Best wishes, Elsa.