Elizabeth Bunker and Luke Cullen

Elizabeth Bunker was born on 1 April 1821 in Hobart Town, Van Diemen’s Land and christened on 1 May 1821, the daughter of Sarah Goodwin and Mark Ashby Bunker.1 On 2 March 1839 Elizabeth Bunker and a convict Luke Cullen sought permission to marry.2 The event was registered on 16 April 1839 in Hobart Town.3 This article about Elizabeth and Luke's life includes significant contributions from Marion Cartledge and Lynnette Rhodes, both descendants of the Cullen family. That life was challenging for the Cullen family is undoubted, but we have resisted the temptation to assign cause or lay blame, we encourage the reader to do the same.

1. AOT Baptism Registration RGD 1821/999
2. AOT Convict Permission to Marry Record CON52/1 p29
3. AOT Marriage Registration RGD 1839/116

Comments

Cullens Buried in Common Plots

Submitted by John Horton on Sat, 16/05/2009 - 11:26pm

The following individuals were all buried in the same plots in the Cornelian Bay Cemetery (Information from Southern Regional Cemetery Trust: Cornelian Bay and Kingston Cemeteries; CDROM Search 1872-2004):

Location: Church of England, Section J, Number 1

CULLEN, Edward Robert; Buried 04/06/1895; Age 36; Born abt. 1859; Address Macquarie Street, Hobart; Probably Robert Edward Cullen, son of Luke Cullen and Elizabeth Bunker
CULLEN, George; Buried 10/01/1895; Age 58; Born abt. 1837; Address Elizabeth Street, Hobart; Probably an unregistered son of Luke Cullen and Elizabeth Bunker
CULLEN, George Ernest; Buried 15/02/1891; Age 23; Born abt. 1868; Address Hobart; Probably the son of George Cullen
CULLEN, Luke Joseph; Buried 23/03/1895; Age 49; Born abt. 1846; Address Collins Street, Hobart; Luke Joseph Cullen, son of Luke Cullen and Elizabeth Bunker
WILLIAMS, Leonard Charles; Buried 23/11/1925; Age 24; Born abt. 1901; Address Not Recorded; Unknown

Location: Church of England, Section P, Number 122

CULLEN, Not Named; Buried 17/07/1888; Age 3 months; Born abt. 1888; Address Brisbane Street; Probably Caroline Victoria Cullen, daughter of Edward Robert Cullen and Rebecca Rogers
CULLEN, Edward; Buried 18/08/1888; Age 4; Born abt. 1884; Address Brisbane Street, Hobart; Son of Edward Robert Cullen and Rebecca Rogers
CULLEN, Elizabeth; Buried 25/11/1889; Age 70; Born abt. 1819; Address Sandy Bay; Elizabeth Bunker, wife of Luke Cullen
CULLEN, Luke; Buried 24/02/1886; Age 67; Born abt. 1819; Address Collins Street, Hobart; Luke Cullen, husband of Elizabeth Bunker
CULLON, Stillborn; Buried 12/01/1887; Age 0; Born abt. 1887; Address Brisbane Street, Hobart; Probably Not Registered, child of Edward Robert Cullen and Rebecca Rogers

Location: Church of England, Section J, Number 10

CULLEN, Charles Robert; Buried 09/07/1891; Age 28; Born abt. 1863; Address Hobart; Probably Robert Charles Cullen, son of Luke Cullen and Elizabeth Bunker

Two more Cullen children ..R.C. Church Register, Richmond.

Submitted by Carol Brill on Sun, 17/05/2009 - 6:10pm

"From a copy of the original register made by Father J.C. Cullen, 1912." A.O.T.
EMMA b. Nov. 1, 1842 to Eliz. Bunker & Luke Cullen, Reg. 7th May, 1845.
and
ELIZABETH b. Aug. 6, 1844 to Elizabeth Bunker & Luke Cullen, reg. 7th May, 1845 also.
Carol.

Also: It's sometimes confusing to researchers who don't know the area to see B.D.M.s registered in Port Sorell - this name was given to the entire district stretching from the Rubicon River to the Don River, and included the tiny township of Port Sorell, and the much larger settlements of Latrobe, Formby and Torquay, which were later combined as Devonport, and the then largest township of all, Don. Mark Cullen's wife died in Latrobe, in the district of Port Sorell. Nitpicking it seems, but I was born and bred in Devonport, and was initially as confused by this as some people may still be today, when I began to research my father's family in the area. Carol.

English origins of George Cullen.

Submitted by Carol Brill on Fri, 20/11/2009 - 7:58am

The following article in the Mercury newspaper, dated 3 November 1879, is proof that the George Cullen attributed to Luke and Elizabeth Cullen was in fact born in England.

A PLEASANT MEETING.
On the return of Mr. George Cullen, with his four prize horses, from the late Agricultural Show, he was welcomed at Featherstone's Hotel, and congratulated on the honours which he had won, not only for himself but for Sorell, at the Exhibition, by his fine display of sires, both blood and draught, and the extraordinary success with which he had met. Richard Crocker, Esq., J.P., of Belle Vue, in proposing the health of Mr. Geo. Cullen, said he was as proud of the honours which had fallen to George Cullen as if they had been conferred on Richard Crocker, for he it was who engaged George Cullen in England and brought him to Tasmania a quarter of a century ago, and it afforded him the utmost pleasure to see that he had reaped the reward of his industry, perseverance, steadiness, good judgment, and sound principle. He hoped he would win many more prizes.

Also: there is no mention of a Martha Cullen in any newspaper report, nor is there a baptism, or a death recording any Martha as one of Luke and Elizabeth's children. I wonder whether some earlier researcher has confused Martha Herring, who married Mark Bunker, with this child?