Sarah Jane Wagg (1856 to 1919) - The second child of William (Bill) and Sarah Wagg
Sarah Jane Wagg was second child of William and Sarah Wagg - named after her mother (Sarah) and her maternal aunt (Jane). A transcript of Sarah's birth registration shows she was born on 11 July 1856 at Botany Road, Redfern - just over 6 months after the death of her brother, William George. Her father, William Wagg, a drayman, aged 28 from the West of England is the informant. Sarah Turner, aged 23 and born in Sydney is shown as Sarah Jane's mother. The date and place of William and Sarah's marriage is recorded as 18 April 1853 at St James Church, Sydney. The transcript also show the previous issue as "1 boy deceased".
By the mid 1860s, the Wagg family has moved to the Blues Point area on the North Shore of Sydney Harbour.
In 1883, Sarah Jane, aged 27, married James Judkins Gillett, aged 35. The marriage is registered at St Leonards. James Judkins was born in about January 1848 in Islington, England. He was the second child and older son of the six children of James Elvin Gillett and Frances Jane Judkins.
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| Sarah Jane Gillett (nee Webb) Original held by Jill, Sarah's great-granddaughter. |
James Judkins and his brother, Charles Elvin Gillett (abt 1857 to 11 June 1937), came to NSW in the early 1880s. It probable that Charles Elvin arrived in early 1883 as an assisted immigrant but it's not clear if James Judkins travelled with him. It seems that the rest of the family remained in England. In 1886, Charles Elvin married Alice Louisa Bowling (1859 to 1929) in Glebe and settled in Auburn.
James Judkins and Sarah Jane Gillett had four children and all their births were registered in Armidale-
- Elvin William - 1885 to 26 November 1947,
- Pearle Beatrice - 1887 to 15 May 1970,
- Leslie Hayden (Les) - 1889 to 28 January 1943 and
- Claude C - 1891 to 1891.
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| Family of Sarah Jane (nee Webb) and James Judkins Gillett |
The family were living in the Nyngan and Warren areas in the late 1890s and early 1900s - about 75 kilometres apart. The 1903-1904 Australian Electoral Roll shows James Judkins' occupation as an engine driver.
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| NSW Government Gazette - 3 July 1897 |
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| NSW Government Gazette - 25 September 1898 |
The 1911 Electoral Roll shows that James Judkins has returned to Sydney and is living at 87 Miller Street, North Sydney. In 1913, James Judkins, a lift attendant, Sarah Jane and Leslie Hayden, a foreman, are living at 13 West Crescent, Blues Point.
We have a letter, dated 19 July 1918, from Sarah Jane enquiring about her nephew, William John Neely, who was in the AIF at the time. Her address is shown as 31 Cooke Street, Tempe.
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| 1918 letter written by Sarah Jane Gillett (nee Wagg) |
When Sarah Jane died, on 28 September 1919, she and James Judkins were living at 91 Telopea Street Redfern. Sarah Jane was 63 years of age and the cause of her death is recorded as encephalitis which was diagnosed 6 days earlier. She is buried at the Field of Mars Cemetery, East Ryde.
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| Family Notices (1919, September 30). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 8. Retrieved July 2, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15857607 |
On 23 October 1925, James Judkins died at the family home in Redfern, aged 77 years. He is buried with Sarah Jane at the Field of Mars Cemetery, East Ryde.
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| Family Notices (1925, October 26). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 10. Retrieved July 2, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16250621 |
Sarah Jane and James Judkins were survived by three children and their families-
- Elvin William and Alice Vivian (nee Mills) and their two daughters, Zena Myrtle (Tina) and Winifred Isobel,
- Pearle Beatrice Wendes (nee Gillettt) and her daughter, Thelma Muriel and
- Leslie Hayden (Les) and his two daughters, Zoe Jean and Enid Ada (Kay).
If you have any additional information or corrections, please contact me at chrisw9953@gmail.com.
