Sarah's husband Jacob Henry Burn was an essayist and book publisher. It has been said that his expertise was in deciphering ancient manuscripts. He is described as the largest contributor to Hone's Everyday Book in Charles Roach Smith's ''Retrospections, Social and Archaeological". Letters between him and English Botanist Dawson Turner, are held by the American Philosophical Society.
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| Jacob Henry Burn's book on Tokens/Coins |
Sarah and Jacob separated when the boys were very young and I am not aware if they reconciled. Jacob died in Kensington, London in 1869. His Will names Sarah as his sole benefactor. After his death, more than 20,000 books and other literary items were sold as part of his estate. The sale raised 1,000 pounds, the equivalent of over 400,000 pounds in today's money.
Sarah and Jacob had three sons - Robert, Henry and Allan. Their sons Robert and Allan emigrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1851. Originally I thought Sarah moved with her boys but further research shows evidence of her in Melbourne only from 1869 onward. This makes sense as her husband Jacob died in February 1869. We know that her son Robert went back to London in April 1869 most likely to help her finalise Jacob's estate. We do know she applied for a 20 acre allotment on the Mitchell River, Bairnsdale in May 1869. It had previously been applied for by her son Allan and he may have applied for it on her behalf.
Initially Sarah's boys lived in Melbourne, before moving to the Victorian countryside. At first they resided in the gold mining town of Tarraville near Port Albert. Uncle Joseph Hone owned property in the town, so this would be one of the key reasons they set up shop there.
Sarah's eldest son Robert married Janet (aka Jessie) Neilson in 1851. They had six children, but it seems only Emma and Robert lived into adulthood. Robert Senior at one stage ran the Tarraville hotel, which his father in law James had built in the 1840s. In 1856 Allan married Joise/Joyce Morgan (often recorded as Lois). They originally lived over 100 kilometers north in the Omeo area, where their sons Robert Henry and George Preece were born. Later they moved east towards Bairnsdale and Orbost. Here they grew their family substantially to seven more children.
At this stage, information on Sarah and Jacob's son Henry is sketchy. What we do know is that he is mentioned in a letter Sarah wrote regarding those who had attended William's funeral. He would have been a teenager at that stage. Further research suggests Henry stayed in London and owned his own Green grocery.
Not one to be idle and as she was good with the pen, after her arrival Sarah worked in the countryside as a journalist and school teacher. Sarah was an intelligent woman, which is clearly articulated in her letters to the Editors of various Australian newspapers. The November 1872 letter is particularly telling of the respect and love she has for her father. She mentions the trial of Eliza Fenning in a December 1872 letter.
It is unknown when Robert and Henry died. Unfortunately Allan died in May of 1883, a few months before his mother. Sarah Burn lived for some of her later years at the Benevolent Society in the inner Melbourne suburb of Richmond. A news article said she had been living in a house in the same suburb since 1875 and that her friends had been contributing a shilling a week to her sustenance.
Sarah's death notice notes that she was living in Hoddle Street with her grand daughter Emma Grimes (daughter of son Robert) at the time of her death (from chronic bronchitis) on August 2, 1883. Sarah was buried at the "New Cemetery" Melbourne the next day.
Marcus Clarke, author of the great Australian novel, ''For the Term of His Natural Life'', wrote a long, touching article about William Hone and Sarah Burn in the Melbourne Age newspaper in 1880. In other newspaper articles Sarah was described as intelligent and vivacious in her old age. As her descendants we have been touched to see her personality come through in so many articles and letters and we will be forever grateful that she chose to come to Australia.
Children of Sarah Hone and Jacob Burn
1. Robert Burn (March 14, 1825 - 18??) married Janet Neilson in 1851.
2. Henry Burn (January 10, 1827 - 18??)
3. Allan Burn (October 27, 1828 - May 31, 1883) married Joyce Morgan (1833 - 1887) in 1856.
Initially Sarah's boys lived in Melbourne, before moving to the Victorian countryside. At first they resided in the gold mining town of Tarraville near Port Albert. Uncle Joseph Hone owned property in the town, so this would be one of the key reasons they set up shop there.
Sarah's eldest son Robert married Janet (aka Jessie) Neilson in 1851. They had six children, but it seems only Emma and Robert lived into adulthood. Robert Senior at one stage ran the Tarraville hotel, which his father in law James had built in the 1840s. In 1856 Allan married Joise/Joyce Morgan (often recorded as Lois). They originally lived over 100 kilometers north in the Omeo area, where their sons Robert Henry and George Preece were born. Later they moved east towards Bairnsdale and Orbost. Here they grew their family substantially to seven more children.
At this stage, information on Sarah and Jacob's son Henry is sketchy. What we do know is that he is mentioned in a letter Sarah wrote regarding those who had attended William's funeral. He would have been a teenager at that stage. Further research suggests Henry stayed in London and owned his own Green grocery.
Not one to be idle and as she was good with the pen, after her arrival Sarah worked in the countryside as a journalist and school teacher. Sarah was an intelligent woman, which is clearly articulated in her letters to the Editors of various Australian newspapers. The November 1872 letter is particularly telling of the respect and love she has for her father. She mentions the trial of Eliza Fenning in a December 1872 letter.
It is unknown when Robert and Henry died. Unfortunately Allan died in May of 1883, a few months before his mother. Sarah Burn lived for some of her later years at the Benevolent Society in the inner Melbourne suburb of Richmond. A news article said she had been living in a house in the same suburb since 1875 and that her friends had been contributing a shilling a week to her sustenance.
Sarah's death notice notes that she was living in Hoddle Street with her grand daughter Emma Grimes (daughter of son Robert) at the time of her death (from chronic bronchitis) on August 2, 1883. Sarah was buried at the "New Cemetery" Melbourne the next day.
Marcus Clarke, author of the great Australian novel, ''For the Term of His Natural Life'', wrote a long, touching article about William Hone and Sarah Burn in the Melbourne Age newspaper in 1880. In other newspaper articles Sarah was described as intelligent and vivacious in her old age. As her descendants we have been touched to see her personality come through in so many articles and letters and we will be forever grateful that she chose to come to Australia.
Children of Sarah Hone and Jacob Burn
1. Robert Burn (March 14, 1825 - 18??) married Janet Neilson in 1851.
2. Henry Burn (January 10, 1827 - 18??)
3. Allan Burn (October 27, 1828 - May 31, 1883) married Joyce Morgan (1833 - 1887) in 1856.
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| Letter from Sarah Burn to her Mother 1828, pg 1. Note she had just given birth to Allan Burn |
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Pg 2 letter from Sarah Burn to her mother. |
