Summary

Francis and Catherine Wallen and their eight children migrated to Melbourne from County Derry Ireland in 1852 and found both success and bitter grief.

Arrival:

Francis Robertson Wallen, his wife Catherine (formerly Hobson), and eight of their children, migrated from County Derry, Ireland to Melbourne in November 1852 on the maiden voyage of the SS Great Britain to Australia. Their eldest son, Robert Elias, preceded them and arrived on the SS Rip Van Winkle, with a cargo consigned to him. He was 21 years old. Robert and Catherine went on to have another five children. The family were widely travelled and lived in the West Indies, USA and Ireland before arriving in Melbourne.

Early Success:

Francis established the firm F.R. WALLEN & SONS merchants in Queen Street with his two eldest sons Robert Elias and Alexander George. The family lived in various parts of Collingwood, Richmond and Hawthorn. Robert Elias would become a prominent Melbourne business man and philanthropist. He was the first chairman of the Melbourne Stock Exchange.

Tragedy Strikes:

A little more than a year after their arrival, Alexander George, aged 21, died of colonial (typhoid) fever. A copy of his obituary was pasted into the family Bible (HT 59764), which also records his last words. The family were living at 200 Victoria Parade East Melbourne (corner Lansdowne Street) at this time.

Within a few weeks of Alexander's death, the Wallen's eldest daughter Eliza Bushe also died of typhoid fever in March 1854. She was just 17, and her last words 'My feet are upon the rock and the rock is Christ' are recorded in the Bible, as are the passages read to her 'when very ill'. A watercolour and gouache portrait of Eliza Wallen (HT 54014), and a mourning box containing a lock of Eliza's hair (HT 52124) are also held in the Museum's collection, along with the family Bible.

Only five of Francis and Catherine's fourteen children survived to adulthood. The Wallen family grave is located in the Melbourne General Cemetery near the main gate (C of E Grave No 404). The grave is marked with an obelisk to signify a broken quill, which refers to the early deaths of Alexander and Eliza and their unfulfilled potential.

A Family Legacy:

Five generations of descendants have been custodians of the Bible, mourning box and painting over the last one hundred and forty years. They were donated to Museums Victoria in 2017, 2018 and 2023.

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