Thomas Hudson (1877-1956)
Biographical Information
Thomas Hudson left his home at "Sunny Brow" for Western Australia in 1899. He left with his mother's blessing, and with references from both C.M. Lowe, the Vicar of Clunes, and Mr J.W Preston, a Clunes business man.
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Mother's Blessing (Photograph Hud-fam-229) Reference - Vicar of Clunes (Photograph Hud-fam-230) Reference - J.W. Preston (Photograph Hud-fam-231) |
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His move to Western Australia was motivated by the job opportunities created by the discovery of gold in the Eastern Goldfields region in the early 1890s. Thomas and his brothers James, George and William all took the decision to try their luck in the west.
Studio Portrait of Thomas Hudson
This photograph is believed to have been taken on one of the times that he had returned to the Clunes district after leaving for Western Australia in 1899. Thomas returned in 1908 (at the time of his father's death, and his own marriage in Ballarat) and again prior to his mother's death in 1934.
(Photograph Hud-fam-221; Photographer S. Fisher Johnson Ballarat, possibly about 1908)
Prior to his mother's death in 1934, he visited her at the Ballarat home of Doris and George Smyth and their family. He also visited his home at "Sunny Brow", Lord Clyde.
William Hudson visited his mother in Ballarat, prior to her death in 1934. This photograph is believed to have been taken at "Sunny Brow" at about that time. Thomas is on the left of the photograph. The two other men have not been identified.
(Photograph Hud-fam-233; Thomas Hudson photo album)
Three generations of Thomas Hudson's Line
Thomas Hudson (1877-1956) was the first surviving son of William Hudson (1827-1908). Thomas' first son was William Russell Hudson (1909-1973), and his first son was Douglas Russell Hudson (1939-). The photograph was taken in Boulder about Christmas 1939, prior to William Russell Hudson's departure from the goldfields to take up a position as Senior Science Master at Bunbury High School.
(Photograph Hud-fam-236)
The children of Thomas Hudson and Laura Dunstan
The following photograph of the Hudson siblings and their spouses were taken on 9 January 1968, following the wedding of John Hudson (b1941) and Maxine Turton (b1945). John is the second son of William Hudson and Joyce Elizabeth Clarke.
Children: From the oldest child, on the right, are: William Russell (Bill) Hudson (1909-1973), Margaret Roma Jeanette (Roma) Hudson/Chick (1910-1871), Laurel Dorothy (Dorothy) Hudson/Toy (1914-1976), Robert Raymond (Bob) Hudson (1917-1983), and Thomas Stanley Hudson (Tom) (1919-1989). The sixth child, Thomas Raymond Hudson (1912-1914), is included as an insert. He was born between Roma (b1910) and Dorothy (b 1914).
(Photograph Hud-fam-550; inset Hud-fam-651)
Children and spouses: From the right are Bill Hudson, Joyce Clarke/Hudson, Roma Hudson/Chick, Alf Chick, Jean (Dorothy) Hepburn/Hudson, Bob Hudson, Dorothy Hudson/Toy, Hal Toy, Gwen Nettle/Hudson and Tom Hudson. Further details of their families are given in the list of descendants of Thomas Hudson (below).
(Photograph Hud-fam-551)
Thomas Hudson and Bertha Grose at their home in Boulder
After the death of Thomas' wife Laura Dunstan in 1947, Thomas renewed his childhood friendship with Bertha Grose, and the couple were married and lived in The Hudson family home at 19 Millen Street, Boulder until Thomas died in 1956. Bertha remained in the house until her death in about 1965.
(Photograph Hud-fam-227; Thomas Hudson photo album)
Descendants of Thomas Hudson (1877-1956)
For the latest list of descendants of Thomas Hudson click the link: Table of the Descendants