Timeline
* 1833 Betsy Chalmers born to parents James and Baikie Chalmers
* 1851 Betsy marries Peter Sinclair and leaves Stronsay for South Australia
* 1852 Betsy and Peter Sinclair arrive in South Australia
* 1856 First child James Sinclair born
* 1859 Rebecca Sinclair born
* 1859 Peter Sinclair dies in an accident aged 34 years
* 1860 Jane Sinclair born a few months after her father’s death
* 1863 Betsy remarries, to William Lyddon – seven children are born in the next 13 years
* 1878 Harriet the youngest Lyddon child dies at 2 years of age
* 1897 Betsy Lyddon, second daughter of Betsy and William dies aged 32 years
* 1898 James Sinclair killed in a mine explosion at Broken Hill Mines
* 1924 William Lyddon dies aged 85 years
* 1929 Betsy Chalmers/ Sinclair/ Lyddon dies aged 97 years
Betsy Chalmers was born to James Chalmers and Baikie Chalmers nee Reid on 20 August 1833 on the Orkney Island of Stronsay. At just 18 years of age she married Peter Sinclair on 28 August 1851 on Stronsay. Betsy’s eldest sister Janet had married Peter Miller in 1843.
In October 1851 Betsy and Peter, together with Peter’s parents, James and Janet Sinclair, Peter’s sister Eliza, her husband William Miller and their one year old daughter Jane, all left for South Australia along with Betsy’s sister Janet, her husband Peter Miller and their three sons, Peter, James and William. They were all due to leave Plymouth onboard the Adelaide, but owing to an outbreak of measles the Peter Miller family had to remain in Plymouth until the next ship.
Upon arrival in South Australia on 2 February 1852 the Adelaide was held up on a sandbar for two weeks before the women and children could come ashore. After a few days in Adelaide, Betsy and Peter left for Mt Barker by bullock dray where they were taken to the home of Mr. Allen Bell, arriving on Saturday night.
Betsy was anxious to know if her sister Janet and family had arrived as Janet was very pregnant with their fourth child when they were about to leave Plymouth. Betsy walked back to Adelaide to the Government Office and found that the Millers had arrived on the ship Amazon, and that Peter Miller had been engaged as overseer at Mr. David Randell’s property at Mount Crawford, after which she returned to Mount Barker. Peter and Betsy later walked to Mount Crawford from Mt Barker arriving at sunset at the home of Mr. John Murray who forbade them to continue until the next day. Next morning they arrived at their destination, the home of Mr. David Randell where Peter Sinclair was engaged to take charge of the dairy farm as soon as his term of employment of six months at Mt Barker was up. Peter and Betsy subsequently moved to Mount Crawford.
The gold diggings in Victoria drew a number of people from South Australia and Peter Sinclair and his father joined the rush leaving Betsy to run the dairy. After a few months James Sinclair (Peter’s father) died and so Peter returned to the farm and the dairy at Mt Crawford. A large number of cows were milked at the farm and a quantity of cheese made. Never was cheese made on a Sunday, this milk was always saved for butter.
Peter and Betsy had two children, James, born 1856 and Rebecca in early 1859. Peter Sinclair was tragically killed in late 1859 aged 34 years having fallen off of a dray. His burial place is unknown. Betsy gave birth to their third child, a daughter Jane on the 16th May 1860. Betsy and her young family were cared for by her sister Janet and her family, living in a cottage across the road from Janet and Peter Miller at South Rhine where Peter had purchased his own farm.
Peter and Betsy Sinclair’s children:
James Sinclair b. 1856 – d. 8 January 1898
Rebecca Sinclair b. 1859 – d. 10 December 1933 (buried in the South Rhine cemetery)
Jane Sinclair b. 16 May 1860 – d. 28 January 1949
Betsy married William Lyddon on 27 February 1863 and they lived at South Rhine and had seven children. Two of Betsy’s daughters, Harriet Lyddon and Betsy Lyddon predeceased her and are buried in the South Rhine cemetery. Betsy’s son James Sinclair died on 8 January 1898 from an explosion at the North Quarry Broken Hill mine where he was a miner.
William died 24 September 1924 buried at South Rhine aged 85 years.
Betsy died 22 May 1929 buried at South Rhine aged 97 years.
William and Betsy Lyddon’s children:
Isabella Lyddon b. 30 July 1863 – died at Jamestown
Betsy Lyddon b. 4 May 1865 – d. 6 May 1897 (buried in the South Rhine cemetery)
William Lyddon b. 3 October 1867 – d. 9 July 1943
John Lyddon b. 25 September 1869 – d. 17 April 1958 (buried in the South Rhine cemetery)
Jeannet Lyddon b. 18 March 1872 –
Peter Reid Lyddon b. 16 April 1874 – d. 21 March 1940 (buried in the South Rhine cemetery)
Harriet Lyddon b. 4 May 1876 – d. 11 August 1878 (buried in the South Rhine cemetery)
