Vaisey and
Wicks
Biographies
========================================================================
Nathan Vaisey
The notes that follow were written by Nathan Vaisey, apparently on three different occasions. It appears he saw it as quite important to pass on the message about Huguenot beginnings and the silk weaving industry. His last note was written when he was 86 years old. They have been transcribed from a photocopy in the possession of Linda Barraclough, and information as to the holder of the original is sought.
Some editorial comments have been added in [square brackets]
Autobiography of Nathan Vaisey
Born on Cullingral Station, owned at that time by Alfred Blaxland, 2 miles from Merriwa in the upper Hunter district.
The date August 27th 1877
My father was born in Hinton in 1841, just after the family arrived from England. The voyage took seven months. My grandfather Vasiey (Nathaniel) was a native of Gloucestershire and lived at Wotton-under-edge, the Cotswold Hills. He had been a silk weaver and the invention of the power looms put the hand loom weavers out of business. The Vasieys originally came from France but had to migrate to England about the 17th century to escape the persecution of the Protestant people.
A few facts about the Vaisey family written by Nathan Vaisey in April 1958 [or 1955?]
The Vasieys originally came from France and were Huguenots. During thepersecution of the …… in France they sought asylum in England [and] with many other Huguenots set up their trade as silk weavers in Gloucestershire in the Bath district. The advent of the power looms threw the hand loom weavers out of their business and many of them came to Australia.
My grandfather Nathaniel ….. with his wife and three daughters ….. Emmigrated in 1841 [actually 1839] and arrived at Hinton on the Hunter River after a voyage of seven months. They came from the little village of Wotton-under-edge at the foot of the Cotswold Hills. Although my grandfather had no farming experience he rented a small farm at Hinton. This proved very poor land. They made various moves during the next 3 odd years ……. Iona and Woodville.
My father was born at Hinton in 1841 soon after they arrived. He was named Thomas. There were also two other sons, John and Andrew and one daughter, a family altogether of seven. They endured great hardship most of those years.
Things became so bad that about 1840 the family migrated to New South Wales and settled at Hinton in the lower Hunter district. The family then consisted of three daughters. At Hinton 3 sons and one daughter were born. The family had a desperate struggle on the farm at Hinton and my father had to work on the farm when he was six years old and his total school attendance was only six weeks. In later life he taught himself to read. He practically learned the Book of Psalms by heart. My grandmother died while the family lived at Hinton and is buried in the cemtery there. Later the family moved to Woodville on the Paterson River where the land was much better.
In the early 1870s my father helped to drove 600 head of cattle from Maitland to Dubbo and on the way picked on Merriwa as a likely place to settle. When they were flooded out three times in the one year in the 1870s and his father then being an old man, they gathered their worldly possessions, loaded them on a one-horse dray and went to Merriwa.
A few words about the Vaisey family by Nathan Vaisey, August 27, 1963.
The Vaiseys were forced to leave France during the religious persecutions about 250 years ago. They were silk weavers and on landing in England settled in the Cotswold Hills District and again set up their hand looms and started a silk industry there. On the introduction of power looms they were soon unable to compete.
To add a Biography e-mail Linda: kapana@netspace.net.au
Last updated: 26 Aug 2000