Shadrach Pearce

The information presented here has been supplemented with data obtained from Don Pearce of Perth West Australia, for which I am very grateful. Don has been researching the exact same ancestors as myself because he is descended from Shadrach through Randolph Hobson. Don's information is far greater than mine with about 8000 people in his database. Don may be emailed by clicking here Don Pearce

We don't have any photographs of Shadrach, but I have included a photograph of a steamer trunk (shown below) which legend has it was part of Shadrach's luggage used on the trip to Australia. There are absolutely no identifying labels or marks that would confirm this however.

Included in our records is a good copy of Shadrach's marriage certificate to Emily Berne at St Mary's of Birkenhead on August the 25th 1847. He is described as of full age and having an occupation as a shoemaker. His father Aaron's occupation is also a shoemaker.
Emily Berne is 18 years of age and her father John Berne is described as a Mariner.
Shadrach and Emily's marriage certificate is Entry # 417 of St Mary's of the parish of Birkenhead, County of Chester. Marriage witnesses are John Berne and Mary Ann Pearce. Both signed by their marks. Recently we have confirmed that Mary Ann was Shadrach's sister.

Don has visited England and states "No further records of any Pearce family was found in the records of St Mary's covering the period 1815-1835, or of christenings in the period of 1848-51. Same for Be/urne."

However Don did find that Shadrach (born in Oxford on the 12th of December 1828) was probably the forth child of Aaron Pearce and Damaris King. We now have records extending back to about 1690 for this family line which have come mainly from the Thame church records. (the IGI has references to the christenings of seven Pearce Children including Shadrach) For further information on Shadrach's parents and siblings refer to Aaron Pearce of 1801 and the line of descent summary data either by clicking on these two links or in the drop down menus at the top of the home page.

The other data for Shadrach and Emily after arrival in Australia includes

• 1856/7 Electoral roll Shadrach PEARCE, shoemaker Heidelberg, Heidelberg Division
• Shadrach's death cert # 8059 died at Melbourne hospital. Shadrach's cause of death is given as Asthma, Moebus cordis and emphysema, occupation still shoemaker. He is buried in the New Cemetery Melbourne.
• Emily's death cert # 13928 Emily died of Senile decay.

I have always wondered if Shadrach decided to emigrate in order to join the gold rush, or was the gold rush just coincidental? Shadrach had made use of the assisted passages available at that time for his family. He was not "assigned" to any sponsor on arrival, but would probably have made a good living by himself as a shoemaker catering for the miners and farmers of that time. He appears to have been content to remain a shoemaker on the outskirts of Melbourne and later in Seymour without the uncertainty of rushing off to look for gold as he didn't seem to go near any of the goldfields; although there was one false rush to the Seymour area about that time.

As a footnote, it should be noted that Heidelberg was way out in the bush in those days. The Heidelberg school of painters were featuring the bush scenes of the area some 30 to 40 years after the above electoral roll entry.