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Pierpoints in St Johns

Re: Pierpoints in St Johns

Posted: 13 Mar 2013 10:41PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: pierpoints
Dear Marlene
how exciting to hear from you regarding my GGGrandfather David Pierpoint , I have very little info on him,but jennie has heaps, I knew that he had gone to St Johns ( I am assuming thats were u are ) so anything you can send about him would be fantastic. I live in Sydney Aus .His daughter Mercy was my GGrandmother.
regards
kaye.

Re: Pierpoints in St Johns

Posted: 16 Mar 2013 8:19AM GMT
Classification: Query
Hi Kaye,
thankyou for your reply.It would be wonderful if I could have contact with you or Jennie. Does any one in your family have a photo of David? Does any of David's Stonemason tools or gear remain. Do you have any plans for the buildings he worked on.
You may be pleased to know that I live in Greendale Vic. Greendale is about 9ks from Ballan. Your GGG Grandfahter was a briliant stone mason and there are still fine examples of his work around this area. Have you been to Ballan and seen of his work?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Marlene

Re: Pierpoints in St Johns

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 7:21AM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: David Pierpoint
Dear Marlene,
David Pierpoint was also my 3G grandfather, via his daughter Elizabeth Pierpoint who married Joseph Briggs, an engine driver.
I have previously posted basic biographical details on the message board (see the early history of this thread).
I was very interested to learn that some of David's buildings are still standing in and around Ballan. Is it possible for you to provide more details, such as addresses etc? I live in the western suburbs of Melbourne and often travel to Greendale etc. As a matter of fact, I drove past Ballan just yesterday on the way to Leigh Creek and Ballarat.
On the issue of photographs, to the best of my knowledge, there are no known surviving photos of David or his wife.
If you wish to contact me directly, my personal email is CoolJazz@y7mail.com.
Kind Regards
Bronwyn Higgs

Re: Pierpoints in St Johns

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 8:52AM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 20 Mar 2013 9:07AM GMT
Dear Marlene,

I can provide you with the following basic biographical information about David Pierpoint.

David Pierpoint was born abt 1817 in Sussex and baptised in 1820 in Lewes, East Sussex. He travelled to Newfoundland at around 18-20 years of age, possibly as a qualified stonemason and settled in St Johns where he married Elizabeth Richardson Pitt. During his time in Newfoundland, he was the witness for at least two marriage ceremonies in St Johns, presumably friends (one in 1847 and again in 1851). David & Elizabeth Pierpoint had five known children in Newfoundland: Caroline b. 1841; Elizabeth b. 1845; William b. 1845 (probably twins as this runs in our family); David b. 1848; Mary Ann b. 1852 d.1852 and Mercy b. 1853 in London. He and his family must have returned to England in around 1852 because Mercy, their youngest was born there and they emigrated from Southampton to Port Phillip in 1855 on the vessel, Sea King.

After emigrating, they settled in Geelong where David worked on the roads and was initially paid 15 shillings per week plus rations. Three more children were born in and around Geelong David b. 1857; Joseph b. 1860 d. 1860 and Louisa Ann b. 1861.

David worked as a stonemason or a mason, according to various local directories. In around 1871, David by then aged in his 50s, appears to have changed his occupation and became a publican or hotelkeeper in Ballan operating an as yet unknown hotel in Inglis Street, Ballan and remained in the hotel trade until at least 1876.

David's son, William, also a stonemason, followed him into the hotel trade in 1873 by obtaining a license to operate a hotel at North Ballan and appears to have had a chequered career.

In 1875 and again in 1876 David was declared insolvent- the cause of which appears to be debts run up by one of his sons (probably William).

The family moved to Shepparton, in central Victoria sometime in the 1880s which is where David died. His recorded occupation at the time of death was bricklayer. His wife died in 1892 in Ballan which is where one of her sons was residing.

His probate papers show that David Pierpoint was a man of very small means. The family certainly did not strike it rich in the colonies, but they seem to have enjoyed a comfortable living standard - and have many descendants here in Australia - mostly still in Victoria.

Family legend has it that Elizabeth Richardson Pitt (b. 1820 Dorset, England) went to the Americas as a nanny for a wealthy family. She would have been barely 18 years of age at the time. The story goes that she knew David Pierpoint before this trip and he followed her there with a view to renewing the acquaintance. This story has been difficult to validate as I have never found any records of their voyage to Newfoundland. There are also some tantalising hints that this story may not be based in fact. For instance, Elizabeth Pitt's father and brother were also resident in Newfoundland, which tends to undermine the notion that she travelled there as a nanny.

I am a descendant of David Pierpoint via their second daughter, Elizabeth Pierpoint who married Joseph Briggs, an engine driver, at Creswick in 1864 and they had 12 children, all born in Creswick in central Victoria, including two sets of twins. I have a photograph of one set of twins (Henrietta and Mary Ann Briggs) taken in the 1880s with their sister, Ada Briggs who was my GG grandmother. Please email me at CoolJazz@y7mail.com if you would like a copy of this portrait. Apologies if you already have this information.

This is about all that I know of David Pierpoint. I do not believe that there are any surviving photographs of him or his wife. However, I do have a small photo of his son, William. And, as mentioned I have a photo of three of his grand-daughters.

Kind Regards
Bronwyn Higgs

Re: Pierpoints in St Johns

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 6:13PM GMT
Classification: Query
Surnames: PIERPOINT
Hi Marlene
I have contacted you via my email regarding my 3GG. David
Look forward to your reply.
Regards
Jenni

Re: Pierpoints in St Johns

Posted: 28 Mar 2013 5:13AM GMT
Classification: Query
Dear Marlene
are you the same lady (marlene orange) that has purchased the Greendale Holy Trinity Church ? I am wondering if the church would have been built by my GGGrandfather David, he seens to have been involved in quite alot of building in St Johns Newfoundland. I have a photo of his daughter Mercy, who was my GGrandmother. I also have some information on the Richardson Pitt Family, regards
kaye

Re: Pierpoints in St Johns

Posted: 28 Mar 2013 5:14AM GMT
Classification: Query
Dear Marlene
are you the same lady (marlene orange) that has purchased the Greendale Holy Trinity Church ? I am wondering if the church would have been built by my GGGrandfather David, he seens to have been involved in quite alot of building in St Johns Newfoundland. I have a photo of his daughter Mercy, who was my GGrandmother. I also have some information on the Richardson Pitt Family, regards
kaye

Re: Pierpoints in St Johns

Posted: 28 Mar 2013 5:14AM GMT
Classification: Query
Dear Marlene
are you the same lady (marlene orange) that has purchased the Greendale Holy Trinity Church ? I am wondering if the church would have been built by my GGGrandfather David, he seens to have been involved in quite alot of building in St Johns Newfoundland. I have a photo of his daughter Mercy, who was my GGrandmother. I also have some information on the Richardson Pitt Family, regards
kaye

Re: Pierpoints in St Johns

Posted: 28 Mar 2013 5:14AM GMT
Classification: Query
Dear Marlene
are you the same lady (marlene orange) that has purchased the Greendale Holy Trinity Church ? I am wondering if the church would have been built by my GGGrandfather David, he seens to have been involved in quite alot of building in St Johns Newfoundland. I have a photo of his daughter Mercy, who was my GGrandmother. I also have some information on the Richardson Pitt Family, regards
kaye

Re: David Pierpoint of Sussex, Newfoundlandm Geelong and Ballan (Vic)

Posted: 30 Mar 2015 10:43PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 30 Mar 2015 10:52PM GMT
Surnames: Pierpoint, Macpherson
To all those who are interested in David Pierpoint, here's an update.

After arriving in the colonies, David Pierpoint earned a reputation as a very fine stone-mason.
According to a series of historical articles published in the Ballan Times. a squatter by the name of Dugald Macpherson of Ballan contracted David Pierpoint to carry out extensive renovations on his property Bungeeltap house (now a national trust property) in around 1863. Afterwards, the same employer encouraged Pierpoint to stay on and build another house "Westcott" for Macpherson's daughter who was about to be married. I have not been able to locate any details of Westacott and suspect that it may no longer exist.

Pierpoint and his family thereafter settled in the Ballan region. Pierpoint won a contract to build a church which was never completed and is now known as the "Half-finished church." This property is currently privately owned, but the owners wish to restore it, and have a view to establishing a museum there. Pierpoint also won other important contracts such as work on the shire hall (abt 1870). His son, William, followed him into the trade as a mason and there are newspaper accounts of both father and son working together with interesting descriptions of the arduous nature of the work performed.

In his later life, Pierpoint gave up work as a mason and turned towards hotel-keeping, He may have been inspired by his son, William who also entered the hotel trade, but failed to make a go of it and ran up heavy debts forcing his father to bail him out and ultimately bankrupting David. It is possible that David Pierpoint inherited a hotel license in return for the financial assistance provided to his son,

The local paper, the Ballan Times, records a number of licence applications for David Pierpoint and his wife between the years of 1871 and 1876. He operated at least two different hotels - one of the hotels was in Inglis Street, Ballan. This period coincided with the years just prior to Pierpoint's retirement.

In 1878 David Pierpoint advertised his house and land for sale. After that he appears to have moved to Shepparton where he died in 1887.
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