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Isabella Marie Coulson 1786-1874
Isabella Marie Coulson was born on the 26th of December 1786 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England. She grew up during the Industrial Revolution, a time overwhelmed by poverty and excess crime rates in society. She married ex soldier William Tyson at 18, on the 27th of November 1805. They had 2 children in England; Margret in 1806 and William in 1808. Sadly they endured poor living conditions in the overcrowded city where they relied on petty theft to survive. On the 25th of April 1808 Isabella was convicted of theft at York, West Riding Quarter Session. According to the court transcript, she was found guilty of stealing “ 23 yards of gingham fabric valued at 10 shillings, and a leather wallet belonging to Joseph Heafield containing 2 pence and 3 pieces of silver”. She was convicted with transportation and sent to Australia over a 7 year sentence.

Journey to Australia

In February 1809 Isabella embarked from England to Australia on the ship ‘The Indispensable’. Isabella’s husband purchased a ticket to accompany her on this forced immigration. Birth giving rights allowed them to take their son William with them for free, but unfortunately they couldn't afford the transportation cost to bring their 3 year old daughter Margret with them. Sadly she was left in England to live with her grandparents and was never seen again.

The 8 month journey to Australia was horrible and monotonous. The ordeal was made up of all 63 passengers being crumpled into small unhygienic living conditions whilst being given stale food and a variety of punishments. These poor conditions lead to a small outbreak of scurvy on board killing two passengers and creating fear particularly for their vulnerable newborn son. After a stopover in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil to replenish supplies, they arrived in Port Jackson, NSW Australia in September 1809.

Life in Australia

When they arrived, William Tyson was a free settler and was given a large land grant of 40 acres and his wife to work for him. Isabella was given a ticket of leave to be eligible to spend her sentence living and working in Airds NSW at their allocated land. They were under the rule of Governor Lachlan Macquarie who arrived to “encourage the colony to become self-sufficient”. This caused them to be expected to pay an annual rent of 1 shilling, cultivate their land, and become self-reliant by producing produce. Growing the first harvest was one of the many challenges they faced. Their lack of farming experience as well as the floods/droughts caused food scarcity in-between harvests. They relied on their land for a source of food and income through their harvests. As well as managing the crops they were also forced to build their own shelter out of the raw materials on their land, whilst taking care of their young son. They went on to have 11 children, one of them being James Tyson, a pastoralist and Australia's first self-made millionaire. James Tyson was so noteworthy that even famous poet Banjo Patterson wrote a poem about him titled “T.Y.S.O.N.”.

In 1817 conditions peaked at the farm; William was appointed the first constable in Appin and was given a respectable title earning him a greater income. This pay increase led them to purchasing a house, a barn, a steel mill, 9 pigs and an additional 14 arches of cultivated land.

Sadly in 1827 William Tyson passed away suddenly from unknown medical causes. At this time Isabella was given an absolute pardon and continued life as a free settler. According to the 1828 census she identified a 41 year old widow who continued to live on the 110 acres with 21 acres cleared, 21 acres cultivated and 4 acres containing horned cattle. Being a widow in the 1820s was particularly difficult due to the lack of women's rights, and women’s pay gap making it difficult for Isabella to support her dependent children. She was lucky to be able to rely on the farm and the labor of her sons to support her family.

Isabella remarried at age 42 in 1829. She married Thomas Clemens, a former convict worker who had been assigned to the farm 15 years earlier in 1814. It had been rumored in the town, as revealed by “scandalous letters”, that Isabella had an affair with her first husband William with Thomas, years earlier. They went on to have 3 children, having her last child Frances Clemens at age 46.

Legacy

Isabella lived a full and prosperous life before passing away in Campbelltown Australia on the 2nd of October 1874 from natural causes. She lived up to 88 years of age which was amazing compared to the median female lifespan of the time of 55 years. Her famous son James Tyson left a fortune of 2 million pounds, after his death, known as the “Tyson fortune” which has supported Isabella's ancestors for many generations. Her legacy of not doing what is expected and helping others will always be treasured.