Ellen Eliza Petlugah

Ellen Eliza Durien/ Du Rieu

Ellen Eliza was only 2 years, 3½ months old, when her Mother died, while sailing to South Australia on the “Planter”. The ship was forced into Port Elizabeth, South Africa for repairs, and her Father, worried about the difficulty of establishing a new life with a large motherless family in a raw frontier town, was persuaded to allow the adoption of Ellen Eliza. It is family tradition (Aunt Lucy Whitford's reminiscences c.1950, told to her by her grandmother Emma Mary in 1880), that Ellen Eliza was adopted by a wealthy couple.

This fact has later been borne out by various pieces of information handed down through several branches of the family. Ellen Eliza’s adoptive parents were extremely kind and even allowed Ellen Eliza to retain the Du Rieu surname. She returned to England with her adopted parents at a time unknown but there are several photographs of her as a well-dressed young woman, taken by a studio situated in Regent Street, London. Copies were sent to Lucy Morphett and are in her albums, already mentioned.

Ellen Eliza married twice. One husband was named, according to reports ‘Petlugah’, by others ‘Pitlugah’. The name of the other gentleman remains unknown. Following the death of her first husband, Ellen Eliza planned to visit Australia in the late 1880’s, but on the way from England, stopped in South Africa. A letter from M.B.S. (Bertie) Smith, granddaughter of Louis Adolphus (the elder), to Mr Desmond Du Rieu of Renmark, dated 13 November 1949, recalls the visit of Ellen Eliza to her first cousins. These cousins being 'Bertie' Smith's parents – Louisa (Du Rieu) and Henry Feltham. They lived at 'Stellenberg', Wynborg, (Wynberg), just outside Cape Town in a beautiful old Dutch home.

While upon this visit to South Africa, she met and married her second husband, and the planned trip to Australia was postponed, never to be made.

Although she could have had no personal memories of her brothers and sisters, she kept in touch with them. There is a story of a gift she made to her Father and other members of the family in Australia. The story says that Ellen Eliza, being financially secure, at one time sent six broad gold rings, marked with the appropriate signs of the zodiac, for their birthdays, to her Australian relatives. Emma Mary (Crosby) handed the ring she received to her son Benjamin, who in turned handed it to his son Benjamin. Young Benjamin was wearing it while ploughing at Black Oak Farm when it fell off and was lost. Frantic endeavours were made to find this family heirloom but without success. About a year later, while Ben and his Father were working in the same area the son said: 'It was just about here that I lost the ring, Dad'. Great was their surprise and joy when, without any search, they suddenly saw the ring on the ground. If any member of the family has a broad gold ring of old fashioned make, marked with the sign of the Zodiac, that has been handed down, it is most likely one of those sent to Australia by Ellen Eliza.

Ellen Eliza did not have any children and at this stage we do not know the date or place of her death. One of the men Ellen Eliza married, is said to have been a captain, but whether this refers to a sailor or a soldier is also unknown. From miniatures and photographs, Ellen Eliza shows a remarkable resemblance to her Mother and sister Lucy.

Ref: Morgan, Dalma & Parsons, Ronald, 1923- & Poole, Harry & Harvey, Pat 1978, “Voyage of a lifetime”, this book is an account, of the ancestry and descendants of Crosbys and Du Rieus backwards and forwards in time from Daniel Crosby and Emma Mary Du Rieu [pg. 97] D. Morgan, Brighton, S.A http://nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an1663772

• Immigration: Aboard the "Planter" with father and siblings - May 16 1839 - Port Adelaide, South Australia

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GEDCOM Note

Ellen Eliza was only 2 years 3 1/2 months old when her Mother died while travelling to South Australia in the Planter. When the ship was forced into Port Elizabeth, South Africa for repairs, her Father, worried about the difficulty of establishing a new life with a large motherless family in a raw frontier town, was persuaded to allow the adoption of Ellen Eliza. It is family tradition (Aunt Lucy Whitford's reminiscences - 1950, told to her by her Grandmother Emma Mary in 1880) that she was adopted by a wealthy couple. This fact has later been borne out by various pieces of information handed down through several branches of the family. Her adoptive parents were extremely kind and even allowed Ellen Eliza to retain the Du Rieu surname. She returned to England with her adopted parents at a time unknown but there are several photographs of her as a well dressed young woman, taken by a studio situated in Regent Street, London. Copies were sent to Lucy Morphett. Ellen Eliza married twice. Following the death of her first husband, Ellen Eliza planned to visit Australia but on the way from England in the late 1880's stopped off in South Africa. While upon this visit to South Africa, whe met and married her second husband and the planned trip to Australia was postponed, never to be made.

SHIP: Planter DEPARTURE: London EMBARKATION NO.: 1846 ADDRESS: 21 Fuller Street, Bethnal Green AGE: 3 years DATE OF APPLICATION: 10th October 1838 TRAVELLING WITH: Henry Joseph, 39, Lucy, 36, Emma, 18, Catherine15 , Lucy, 13, Henry 11, William 7, Charles, inf.

GEDCOM Note

GEDCOM Source

1871 Census 1871 Census Y

GEDCOM Source