Samuel Long
Quartermaster
Crew member of HMCS Victoria 1860-61. See Victoria & Australia's First War, Ian MacFarlane & Neil Smith, Mostly Unsung Military History, Brighton 2005.
(Information from: Pam Jennings, 72 Simons Rd. Leopold 3224)
Samuel, the second child of Samuel and Maria, was born at Trowbridge on the 21 December 1828.
At an early age, Samuel went to sea and by the age of 26 had become a Quarter Master on one of the ships that took part in the Baltic Wars (1854-1855), for which he received medals for service.
Samuel arrived in Victoria pre 1857. It is not known exactly when or how he arrived but it is possible that he was part of the crew for the HMCS Victoria, ( which was commissioned by the Victorian Government to be the colony's first naval ship), which arrived from England on the 31 May 1856. Of the crew of 8 officers and 150 ratings, this was reduced to 6 officers and 52 ratings once it arrived in Victoria.
On the 27th November 1856, Samuel married Mrs Eliza GREGORY (MARSHMAN) at St. Paul's C/E, Geelong. Both Samuel and Eliza had given their present address as 'Mt.Moriac' and Samuel's occupation at that time was 'labourer'. The witnesses to their marriage were James Wood (Samuel’s brother-in-law, and Maria Long (Samuel’s sister).
Following their marriage, the couple settled at Inverleigh but their first years of marriage saw the tragic death of their first child, stillborn.
Once again the call of the sea beckoned Samuel and he joined the HMCS Victoria, as Quarter Master, in the Maori Wars of 1860-61. He also participated in hostilities ashore alongside James Ovenden, in the shore party. Samuel was awarded and received, the New Zealand Service Medal, an exceptionally rare medal, as only 10 were awarded (despite 40 being eligible) to the ships' company and it was the first service medal awarded to Australians serving abroad. Only 5 are known to exist today.
Also serving during these Wars was Joseph Ovenden, Captain Foretop, and obviously a friendship was struck that saw the Long and Ovenden families eventually become related.
On the 4th August 1861 Samuel was to sail in this same ship for the Gulf of Carpentaria to search for signs of the missing explorers, Burke and Wills. A framed certificate from the Royal Exploration Society of Victoria, dated 18.6.1862 is held at the local museum in Kerang and a similar one is in the Navy museum at Cerebus, Flinders. The ship returned to Hobsons Bay in March 1862.
Samuel returned home to Inverleigh. A further six children were born to Samuel and Eliza but two of them again died as infants.
On the 2nd May 1865 at the Geelong Land sales, Samuel purchased a block of land, beside the Presbyterian Church and established a store. It is possible that Samuel had been living on this land since arriving in Inverleigh.
Early in January 1875, Eliza gave birth to their last child, Jane. This baby only survived nine hours. On the 19th January, Eliza also passed away, the cause being the retention of the placenta haemorrhage, which she had endured for six hours, following baby Jane's birth. She was buried in the Inverleigh Cemetery and a headstone marks her grave. Presumably baby Jane was buried with her.
Samuel was left to rear his young family. His eldest son was aged 16 and his youngest daughter, Charlotte, aged 2 years. Apparently a family by the name of DANIEL, either reared or adopted Charlotte but nothing further has been found of her.
Six months following Eliza's death, Samuel remarried to Miss Susannah SPELLER. Their friendship had obviously developed through the friendship that Samuel had with the Ovenden family. Their marriage took place on the 28 July 1875 at Christ Church, Geelong. The witnesses were Simeon Long (Samuel's brother) and Mrs Jane Ovenden (Susannah's sister & the wife of Joseph Ovenden).
LONG- SPELLER.-On the 28th ult, at Christ Church, Geelong, by the Rev. H. Goodman, Mr. Samuel Long, of Inverleigh, to Susanna, second daughter of tho late Mr. Andrew Speller, of Much Hadham, Herts, England.
On 27 September 1877 Samuel advertised his store and house for sale as he had selected land in Terricks, near Kerang to become a farmer. He and his new wife and family, packed their goods and moved to the same district where Simeon's family and several other Inverleigh families had previously moved.
In 1883 Samuel petitioned for the establishment of a school at Macorna West.
In about 1890 it is thought that Samuel and Susannah returned to Inverleigh but Susannah found the climate too damp and so they returned north. Exactly how far north they had intended to go is unknown but on the 8th December 1898, Samuel died and his address given was "Moran Street, Bendigo". Susannah remained in Bendigo, dying on the 5th July 1904 at the Benevolent Asylum. Both are buried in an unmarked grave at the Bendigo Cemetery.
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