1861 - 1900 (39 years)
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Name |
Elizabeth Minter |
Birth |
10 Apr 1861 |
Porcupine, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia [1] |
Gender |
Female |
_UID |
3B19F48458A74C4BBD30C8FC5E2D8FA5D2B1 |
Death |
2 Aug 1900 |
10 Tivoli Road, South Yarra, Victoria, Australia [2] |
Notes |
- The following was provided by Judith Kinnear in January 2007.
On 31 August 1880 at the age of 19 years, Elizabeth married 21-year old Alfred Gibson at St Paul's Church of England, Sandhurst. Elizabeth was courted by Alfred for about ten (10) months before their marriage (Source: Divorce affidavit)
Alfred Gibson was the son of Edward Gibson and Elizabeth Sawyers, and like his father, was a furniture dealer. After the death of his father on about 27 Sept 1879, Alfred Gibson had inherited property and money. His annual income was estimated at about two hundred and fifty pounds and would have been "very much more if he attended to his business and were not of such drunken and dissolute habits" (Source: Petition for Alimony dated 23 Sept 1882 and served on Alfred Gibson on 25 Sept 1882)
Initially the marriage was a happy one, but soon after moving to their own house, Alfred became violent towards Elizabeth. In February 1881, Elizabeth issued a summons against her husband for assault. The summons was returnable on 7 Feb, but Elizabeth did not appear because her husband expressed regret and promised to behave better in the future. She returned to live with him on
several occasions based on his promises of reform. Later, Elizabeth issued another summons heard in the Court of Petty Sessions at Sandhurst, on 28 March 1881, and Alfred Gibson was fined twenty shillings in addition to costs of twenty-three shillings and sixpence.
Because of continuing violence, drunkenness and adulterous behaviour by her husband, Elizabeth began divorce proceedings. Her sworn statement was made on 22 Aug 1882 and the Cause for Hearing was set down before the full Court without a Jury at the Supreme Court House, La Trobe St, Melbourne on 12 Dec 1882. Although Alfred Gibson had been served with a summons to appear, he did not appear apparently having left the colony. Elizabeth gained a divorce on grounds of adultery and cruelty, with the absolute decree being granted in December 1882. (Divorce Index Victoria 1861-1900: Reference 1861-84/491: Series 283, Unit no. 42). She also received alimony.
Obtaining a divorce was not easy. To obtain a divorce under the provisions of this 1861 Victorian Act, women had to have more substantial reasons for divorce than men. When Elizabeth Gibson nee Minter obtained her divorce in December 1882, it was under the provisions of this discriminatory 1861 Act, later amended (1889).
On 12 Jan 1897, Elizabeth re-married according to the rites of the Wesleyan Church. Her second husband was a 42-year-old widower, Thomas Robertson, born in Perthshire, Scotland. Thomas, a Post Office employee, had been widowed on 30 August 1894 and had four surviving children. Elizabeth had no children and she died at 10 Tivoli Road, South Yarra on 2 August 1900 when she was just 39 years old. The cause of her death was 'Sulfingo filioritis Meningitis'.
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Person ID |
I321 |
North Suffolk, Suffolk |
Last Modified |
8 Sep 2009 |
Father |
James Minter, b. 1831, Palgrave, Suffolk d. 15 Sep 1902, Sheepwash Road, Sandhurst, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia (Age 71 years) |
Mother |
Sarah JUDSON, b. Bef 10 Nov 1835, Castle Bytham, Lincolshire d. 26 Apr 1874, Sheepwash Road, Sandhurst, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia (Age ~ 38 years) |
Marriage |
17 May 1852 |
Bourne, Lincolnshire [3, 4] |
Family ID |
F50 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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Event Map |
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| Birth - 10 Apr 1861 - Porcupine, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia |
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Sources |
- [S48] Judith Kinnear, January 2007 (Reliability: 3).
Victoria BMD reg no. 22475.
- [S48] Judith Kinnear, January 2007.
- [S11] FreeBMD (Reliability: 3).
Q2 1852 Bourne 7a/498.
- [S106] Daughter Emma's 1874 birth certificate.
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