The surname of Sivyer or Sivier has been used for the same spelling on a variety of register lists across time. Newspaper references have even used Sivier for my great grandfather Spencer Sivyer when he was referred to in a house fire at Mount Perry in Queensland. Shipping lists frequently used both versions of the surname which does cause confusion. The village of Dallington in England has many Sivyer and Sivier gravestones.
Thomas Ingles Sivier was for a time in the mid to late 19th century a very well known ships's captain and owner plying his trade on the Australian coastline. Born in 1817 in New Romney, Kent he perished with his daughter while in command of the "Essie Black" in the Bass Strait, November 29, 1875. The newspaper reports state that she was lost in the Kent's Group which has some form of irony to the end of Thomas Ingles Sivier's life.
Thomas Ingles Sivier purchased his first ship in the United States and sailed the brig "John Ormerod" to Sydney. The John Omerod was built in Liverpool in 1826 and was of 187 tons and carried freight and passengers. The first advertisements for the ship and Captain Sivier appeared in the Adelaide Times in February of 1854. The ship ran between Port Adelide and Sydney from 1854 to 1861. There was one trip to Singapore between Janary and March 1857. She would sail from Circular Quay under the mangament of Ebsworth and Company. The John Omerod appears to have travelled to Australia in April of 1853 where his fourth child John Robert Sivier is recorded as being born at sea onboard the John Omerod.
Thomas Sivier appears to have had a liking for South Australia as he purchased land there but appears to have never lived there. The following is extracted or transcribed from the South Australian Registry Office.
Thomas Ingles Master mariner Sydney NSW, in Pt Adelaide in command of the brig John Omerod, when he purchased land in Pt Adelaide on 20/11/1857. He kept the deeds with him wherever he took his ship, in case he had a chance to sell the land again. The John Omerod was wrecked off the coast of Cape Northumberland on 21/10/1861, when all property was lost at sea, including the land deeds Application 9419
Thomas obviously favoured the sailing route between Adelaide and Sydney as he sailed the route for 17 years until the John Omerod came to an end in October of 1871 carrying 270 tons of flour. Built in 1826 at Liverpool the wooden brig finished her life beached at Cape Northumberland.
The Victorian Heritage Register has the folloing reference.
Vessel left Port Adelaide for Sydney in October 1861. On the evening 21st October ship encountered a heavy gale off Cape Northumberland. Vessel heeled over onto beams end and began to take in water. Main mast was cut down and the vessel began to take in water. main mast was cut down and the vessel brought back onto and even keel but with the tremendous loss of life. Vessel was sighted by Captain Germein at the Cape Northumberland Lighthouse a boat was dispatched to the wreck and the 3 survivors Captain Seivers, Edward Lennon and Alexander Munro were taken off. The light house keeper returned to the vessel in an attempt to anchor it off Port McDonnell the vessel continued to drift. The remains of the vessel lie fragmented and scattered along the beach.
In 1862 Captain Thomas Sivier was in command of "The Dragon" plying between Sydney and Melbourne. In 1863 he then took command of "The Bengal" a packet ship of the Pioneer Line.
Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Tuesday 17 February 1863, page 1
SHIP ADVERTISEMENTS.
FOR OTAGO GOLD-FIELDS. PIONEER LINE OF PACKET SHIPS.
The clipper ship BENGAL, THOMAS SIVIER, commander, will positively sail with the usual punctuality adopted by the Pioneer Line, This beautiful ship performed her last voyage to Otago in eight days and having just undergone a thorough outfit, will prove a rare opportunity to intending passengers.
Passengers are requested to go and inspect her very superior and lofty accommodations. Immediate application is necessary on board, at Smith's Wharf; at LINCKBR and CO.'S, Lower George-street; or, at R. MURIEL'S, opposite Cobb and Co.'s Booking Office, Royal Hotel.
Thomas Sivier commanded another ship called the "Spec" that ran between Adelaide and Newcastle until early 1869. The Spec a british brig sailed from the Copper Company's Wharf and teh shipping agent was H. Simpson. In October of 1869 he is in command of the Essie Black. The advertisements have reference to Captain Simpson as agent and the route between Newcastle and Adelaide. In November of 1869 the barque Essie Black of 285 tons was in Melbourne with a reference to Captain Sivier as agent. In April of 1870 the Essie Black carried 410 tons of coal from Newcastle to Adelaide.
Further research into Captain H. Simpson uncovers that Captain Henry Simpson of the Black Diamond Line from Adelaide was a well known shipping industry figure and the company had contracts to ship coal between Newcastle and Adelaide. It does appear the Thomas Ingles Sivier owned the Essie Black and must have had contracts with teh Black Diamond Line and Captain Henry Simpson to ship coal between Newcastle and Adelaide. The Essie Black also carried passengers and general cargo.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Simpson_(shipping)
The Essie Black sailed between Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide until the end of 1875 and tragedy struck the Sivier family. The Sivier family in the newspaper references to births and marriages are referenced as living in Enmore Road, Newton during the 1870s. For those Sivyer descendants reading this you will immediately note the connection to Newtown. James and Harriet Sivyer were living in Chelmsford Street Newton (then named Wellington Street) at this time. Captain Thomas Ingles Sivier and his oldest child and daughter Rebecca Isabella (aged 28) perished in the loss of teh Essie Black in Bass Strait.
Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931), Thursday 13 January 1876, page 3
The Essie Black.
We have ascertained the following particulars respecting the missing barque Essie Black and her ill-fated crew, who are supposed to have been lost in Kent's Group early in the present month, from the eldest son of the master. The Essie Black was a vessel of French build, 12 years' old, 280 tons register, commanded by her owner, Thomas Ingles Sivier. She left Newcastle for Adelaide on November 15th with 400 tons of coal. A report reached Melbourne on January 4th that portions of her remains had been found floating in Bass Straits, near Kent's Group. A schooner was dispatched by the Victorian Government last week, and after an absence of three days only returned with portions of the vessel which left no doubt that the ill-fated vessel had struck on the island. The captain of the search schooner also holds out no hope that any of the crew survive, though it seems hardly possible for him to have satisfactorily ascertained that in the short time he waa in the vicinity of the scene of the wreck. The barque was last seen to the eastward of the group on December 1st. The following are the particulars respecting the crew, who were as follow :Captain Thomas Ingles Sivier, aged 58, master and owner ; he leaves (if it be as feared that he perished in the wreck) a wife and five children, all grown up, one being married to Mr Lewis, of Glen Innes ; Mrs. Kersey, another daughter, was a passenger with her father. Her husband is in New Zealand, having lately arrived from London. Mrs. Kersey has a little boy, whom she left behind with her father's family, in Macquarie-street. The mate, Mr. Graham, who is believed to be married and to have a family in London; second mate, Mr. E. Murray; cook and steward, J. Carlington; seamen, D. Macleachlan, J. E. Mitchell, H. Wilkins, J. Wilson, J. Ricketts, and R. Jackson. Nothing is known of the foremast hands except their names. They shipped in different ports, some in Adelaide, some in Newcastle, and one in Sydney. Captain Sivier has two sons in Messrs. Robert Gray, Son, and Co.'s warehouse. There is a general feeling that the search made was inadequate, and though few hopes can be entertained that any of the shipwrecked party survive, there is a possibility of it, and a second search is advocated.
The following taken from Wikipedia provides information on the group of islands named Kent's Group.
"The Kent Group are a grouping of six granite islands located in Bass Strait, north-west of the Furneaux Group in Tasmania, Australia. Collectively, the group is comprised within the Kent Group National Park. The islands were named Kent's Group by Matthew Flinders, "in honour of my friend captain William Kent, then commander of Supply" when Flinders passed them on 8 February 1798 in Francis (on her way to salvage Sydney Cove). The largest island in the group is Deal Island; the others, in order of descending size, are Erith Island, Dover Island, North East Isle, South West Isle and Judgement Rocks."
There have been 18 ships lost on the Kent's Group from 1816 to 1961. Sixteen of these ships are listed as having no loss of life. The loss of the "Esse Black" with all hands and passengers lost is very significant in our shipping history.
For those reading this and asking is there a connection between this Thomas Ingles Sivier and oneself the answer lies in the ancestral lines of Francis Sivyer / Sivier born 1702 in Dallington. He married Sarah Foster born 1713 in Salehurst in October of 1731. They have seven children recorded with Francis Sivyer born 1742 and William Sivyer born 1757.
Using the records available for research Captain Thomas Ingles Sivier is the great grandson of Francis Sivyer (b:1702) and James Sivyer (b: 1791) the grandson of Francis Sivyer (b:1702).
Given the information available it is possible to state that in 1871 when James Sivyer died in Wellington Street Newton he had a relative Captain Thomas Ingles Sivier living close by in Enmore Road Newtown. This James Sivyer being my great great grandfather.
