Description
This beautiful hardcover book of 646 pages in a coffee table book format tells the story of George Jones and his wife Margaret (nee Hardie). The book contains over 400 photographs, maps and illustrations, including an 8 page colour map section, endnotes, bibliography, a name index and a general index.
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WINNER of the ALEXANDER HENDERSON AWARD 2014 for BEST AUSTRALIAN FAMILY HISTORY awarded by the Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies.
This is a most impressive book, lavishly and beautifully produced and illustrated, thoroughly researched, with detailed references and sources given. It tells the story of the Jones family and their migration from Cockenzie in Scotland to Harrietville in northeast Victoria in the 19th century, and the legacy they left to descendants. It contains a comprehensive index and bibliography and extensive genealogical charts. The judges felt it was a very worthy winner of the Alexander Henderson Award 
AIGS Judging Panel
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Click here to see the Table of Contents.
George Jones was a native of Cockenzie, a small fishing village situated on the Firth of Forth, just to the east of Edinburgh in Scotland. He was a grandson of John Jones and Agnes Young who first started raising their family there in 1774. Margaret Hardie was born in 1826 in Newarthill, a small mining village in Lanarkshire to the south of Glasgow, where her father, Peter, worked as a mine manager. Peter, and his wife Elizabeth Cowan had their origins in Airth in Stirlingshire.
George and Margaret married in Newarthill in 1847 and had five children in the ensuing years. In late 1857 George made the long journey to Australia to seek his fortune during the gold rush which was then transforming Australian society. He arrived in Victoria in February 1858. It would be almost six years before Margaret and the children came out to join him. After an epic journey taking five months across the sea, by dray, and on foot, Margaret and the children were finally reunited with George in 1863 on a dirt track near Harrietville, a small gold mining settlement not far from Mt. Feathertop in Victoria. They would spend the rest of their lives living at Harrietville – in the shadow of Feathertop – bearing another four Australian-born children.
Who were these people? What motivated them to uproot their families and leave Scotland, the land where their forebears had lived since time immemorial? What was their new life like in Australia, and how did they fare?
In the Shadow of Feathertop answers these questions. It is in five parts:
Part One traces the origins of this Jones family in Scotland. It examines George and Margaret’s genealogical heritage, which can be traced back to the early 1700s. It also tells the story of George’s birthplace, Cockenzie, and what his upbringing and early life might have been like there. This section covers the period up until the time George married Margaret Hardie in 1847.
Part Two tells the story of George and Margaret Jones from the time of their marriage in Newarthill, Scotland, their early married lives, their separate journeys to Australia, and what became of them in their new homeland. Their story is inextricably interwoven with the story of the founding and development of the township of Harrietville in Victoria. They lived in Harrietville from its very earliest days, and spent their entire lives there after arriving in Australia. They were true pioneers.
Part Three deals with each of George and Margaret’s nine children. Five of them were born in Scotland, and four in Australia. What became of them? Who did they marry, and how did their spouses’ families come to be in Australia? The stories of these families that married into the Jones family are also told. Their origins, and their respective journeys to the Ovens Valley, present some fascinating stories that illustrate how the fabric of Victoria’s working-class society was formed in the earliest years of the colony’s existence. Many came to Australia in search of gold like the Jones family. One family came from generations of Cornish copper miners to work in the Monster Mine in South Australia; another adventurer was a Palatine descendant who came from Canada where his family had settled after fighting for the British in the American War of Independence; and others had no choice in the matter having been sent to Australia as a convicts from England. Major family names include: Cadzow, Tobias, Croucher, Beasley, Hynd, Crossley, Cartledge, Hocking, Lawrence, Buckley, Wall and Scott.
Click here to see the complete Names Index.
Part Four details all of the known descendants of George and Margaret Jones. It contains over 2,300 names. This part of the book is presented in a format that will be familiar to genealogists, but easy to follow for those who are not. It attempts to list all known descendants with key information such as birth, death and marriage places and dates. For many people beyond George and Margaret and their own children, there is a story to be told and it can be found in this section. Many of them served their new country in WW1 and WW2 and their stories are told. Some of them never made it home and their stories make for harrowing reading.
The Appendices provide additional information and some wonderful side-stories which would have been a distraction in the main sections of the book:
- One branch of the Cockenzie Jones family (John Jones, the son of George’s cousin) settled in Goolwa and Murray Bridge on the Murray River in South Australia along with many other Cockenzie expatriates. One of these expatriates – Francis Cadell – is credited with opening up the mighty Murray to trade with his pioneering steamboats.
- Another Cockenzie Jones man was whaler and old salt, Captain Robert Jones (George’s cousin), who was a part of the famed US Navy Greely Relief Expedition sent to rescue Arctic explorer Lt. Adolphus Greely and his party who were stranded in the icy wilderness for months with inadequate supplies…
- A wonderful first-hand account of the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge written by one of George and Margaret’s granddaughters is also transcribed in the Appendices.
- Finally, this section contains reproductions and transcriptions of a wonderful series of letters sent by William and Euphemia Cadzow to Euphemia’s family in Whitburn, Scotland, and many sent by her family back to them from Whitburn. The first of these letters was written when William and Euphemia were on board their ship waiting to depart England. Others were written from Melbourne soon after their arrival there, and then from the Forest Creek goldfields where they went in search of riches. These letters provide a first-hand account of life on the Victorian goldfields, and the ones from Scotland recount the daily lives of her family in and around Whitburn, West Lothian. They provide a fascinating glimpse into the daily lives of people in these times. William and Euphemia’s daughter, Elizabeth Forsyth Cadzow, was born on the Forest Creek goldfields and married George and Margaret’s son, William Jones.
Rob (verified owner) –
I just received my copy of your book – wow ! It is massive and looks awesome . I am looking forward to some quiet time to sit down with it and have a good read.
Beryl (verified owner) –
The books arrived this morning and what a wonderful surprise. You are to be congratulated on a fantastic job. The book is much bigger than expected with so much information. I will certainly enjoy reading it.
Sue (verified owner) –
Received my book today – what a tome! Have been having a lovely time reading the early history & then dipping in & out of the various sections. We all owe you a great debt for the amount of research & the HOURS you have put in. It really is a good read. The quality of the photos etc is quite impressive especially the front cover.
Gavan (verified owner) –
I have received my copy of ‘the book’ today and it looks absolutely magnificent. Having just celebrated Mum’s 90’th birthday over the weekend, I have already taken her on a cursory journey through many of the photos – she too is impressed.
I look forward to the history, the story and the read. Thank you for such a concerted effort over many years.
Pat (verified owner) –
Craig…… absolutely impressive presentation……can understand the delays now. Spent an hour or so going thru yesterday afternoon & looking forward to an interesting read. Can only say….well done!!!
Merran (verified owner) –
Craig, the book looks beautiful!! Congratulations, now…just to get through it!!
Ken (verified owner) –
Our magnificent copy arrived yesterday thanks Craig. I hope I live long enough to read it all! Just reading about my dad yesterday brought a tear to my eye, it was a nice piece. Well done mate.
Graeme (verified owner) –
Thanks for the book it arrived Friday, I was very happy with the quick delivery and can’t believe how beautiful it is.
Sue (verified owner) –
Oh boy Craig – this book has got me in – TV and library books put aside ‘cos I’m enjoying it so much. Learning heaps and also being reminded of stories I had heard over the years & forgotten about…
Eral (verified owner) –
When I received the box it was like a child receiving a Christmas present with great excitement. I am most appreciative and on opening the box seeing a most beautiful book…. I really acknowledge your dedication and tenacity…all the many years of the delving research, travels far and wide, of interesting facts, all the cross referencing, the book is a wonderful achievement. You are to be congratulated.
Nanette (verified owner) –
Love it. Saw pictures of my grandmother that I have never seen before. Beautifully presented and amazed I belong to such a huge family. Am working my way through it, page by page, so I don’t miss anything.
Rex (verified owner) –
What a terrific effort, we are so proud to have it in our possession and will treasure it forever.
Bob (verified owner) –
I am impressed by the format that makes dipping-in easy. Your book is a genuine academic-level work that will bring credit to our Joneses and your Fullertons everywhere.
Leona & Graham (verified owner) –
This book is a stroke of mastery, we have spent many years researching data for this Jones family, to see it all beautifully illustrated and with personal histories, maps and photographs is truly amazing, we can’t begin to understand the effort it has taken. Not much else is done or talked about in our home, we can’t put the book down and brag about it to all who enter.
Trish (verified owner) –
I received the two books my son ordered from you in good condition.
Wow, what an achievement for you, so much work. It will be a special “hand-me-down” in my family.
You are to be congratulated and thank you for giving us the opportunity to discover parts of our heritage we otherwise would never have found out or known about.
Valree –
Thank you Craig for such a beautiful book of our family. Having travelled to Cockenzie and Prestonpans and seeing where they lived and where they are buried was such a wonderful experience. So it is amazing having this book that tells the story of my ancestors. A book that will be passed down through future generations for them to read and treasure.
Greg (verified owner) –
The two books arrived yesterday afternoon. I had a chance to have a quick browse – Wow! what a great publication, full of information and will be a great read. Congratulations.
Donna (Senior Librarian, Scotland) (verified owner) –
Just wanted to let you know we received the copies last week and I have to say they are wonderful.
I have no connection with either George Jones or Margaret Hardie but speaking as someone who has researched her own family tree and has 738 families within it I have been trying to find a way of collating the information I hold on them into a book format.
Your book has given me loads of ideas of how to layout my Colliar tree and possibly have a lasting legacy for anyone connected to the tree.
Jen & David (verified owner) –
I thought it was about time I contacted to let you know how much I am enjoying reading ‘In the Shadow of Feathertop’, it’s an amazing piece of work, so readable but so comprehensive. Loving all the different stories & amazed that you included so much of my own family stories in it. I am really chuffed about that. It is just so absorbing to read all that Jones family history so realistically told. Thank you so much, you must be so proud to have completed it.
Glenda (verified owner) –
I have received your book. What a fantastic publication. It must have taken you years. My family tree does have a connection to your Hocking family. It is a very distant one. Now I will have to go to Harrietville to see where they lived….Thanks again for the great read.
Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies (verified owner) –
WINNER – ALEXANDER HENDERSON AWARD 2014 – BEST AUSTRALIAN FAMILY HISTORY
This is a most impressive book, lavishly and beautifully produced and illustrated, thoroughly researched, with detailed references and sources given. It tells the story of the Jones family and their migration from Cockenzie in Scotland to Harrietville in northeast Victoria in the 19th century, and the legacy they left to descendants. It contains a comprehensive index and bibliography and extensive genealogical charts. The judges felt it was a very worthy winner of the Alexander Henderson Award. AIGS Judging Panel
Maree Callaghan –
I am reading your wonderful book as I write this… your book is excellent as expected. Thank you for writing it.
Travis (verified owner) –
A great read, very well researched and full of detail. Beautifully presented with interesting drawings, pictures and maps. The book paints a vivid story of the Australian pioneer experience. I particularly enjoyed reading the little anecdotal and entertaining stories scattered throughout. I’d certainly recommend to anybody who has an interest in Australian pioneer history, whether your ancestors appear or don’t appear within the book. Well done Craig on creating such a fantastic read.