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Daykin Family

Two Cherry's look for a better life

By Gary Buck November 2016

My intention in this section was to trace the arrival in Melbourne, Australia in 1857 of John and Ann Daykin, my Great Great Grandparents.  


Some facts were easy to find, he was born in Skyreholme, Yorkshire, England in 1830, the first son of William and Sarah. They were in a region that had lead mining and a fairly solid base in textile weaving.


In 1851, the population of Cononley was 1272.  

This web site has some more great information about Cononley at that time.


I try to understand 'why' people would move to the other side of the world. In this case John Daykin married Ann Cherry in 1853 in Skipton, Yorkshire. Ann was the seventh child of Thomas and Alice Cherry. Two years after she was born, her younger sister, Hannah, was born. Hannah married James Mackwell in 1856. 


John was a Lead Miner and the other 3 were all weavers or associated with the local weaving mills. The four of them, together with John and Ann's two children boarded the Royal Charter in Liverpool in 1857 to head to Australia. 


The ship carrying 539 adults on this journey was steam clipper and only 2 years old. It did suffer a tragic end in 1859 with the loss of many lives. The wikipedia article is here.


So I don't know 'why' but it seems more understandable, the two young Cherry sisters heading off together to start a new life in the gold rush town of Melbourne.


Melbourne was a destaintion town of the time - population was 400 000 in 1857 and 500 000 just three years later.  Remember they came from a town of just 1272 people!!


Shortly after arriving in Melbourne, John and Ann's second child (Anna) died. In what seems to have been commonplace in that era, they 're-used' the name and Anna Maria Daykin was born in 1859 in Brunswick, Melbourne.


The other daughter who migrated was Sarah Alice (b 1853), she married William Grimster in 1881. After having a son in 1872 and 1874, her husband died in 1875 at the age of 22. Sarah re-married in 1880 to Paul Muller (a German migrant) and had a further six children. They moved to Brisbane in 1884.






Meanwhile back in Melbourne John and Ann had another five daughters born in Australia.  

• Anna Maria (1859 - 1947)

• Jane Ellen (1861 - 1937)

• Mary (1863 - 1863)

• Mary Ada (1864 - 1959)

• Anne (1869 - 1932)


Anna Maria was my Great Grandmother and known to my Dad as Grandma Howard and Mary Ada was known as Auntie Ada.


John Daykin lived until 1884 and from his funeral notice we know that he was a member of the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows (MUIOOF) and that he lived in Weston St, Brunswick.


His wife Ann lived until 1900. By the time of her death she was survived by five daughters and 14 grandchildren. Her sister Hannah died in 1890 and was survived by six sons.


More details are contained on the Buck Family pages.