Ross concluded his application by revealing that on his recent voyage to Scotland he was struck by illness, and consequently suffered financial hardship:

Until last January I was completely bedridden with Chronic Rheumatics. My means are all gone and I crave employment to continue the education of my two sons (all my family), the elder on the death of my aunt and myself comes into an inheritance of £3,600 per annum in an entailed estate viz the Hume Estate Ninewells, Berwickshire.⁵

David Hume Ross died in Melbourne in 1879, aged 55.⁶ His widow Charlotte Isabella Ross, née Hallam died in 1903 aged 72.

Caroline Charlotte Allen
Caroline Charlotte Payne, née Lagoe, married Samuel Allen in the parish of Mancetter in Warwickshire, England, in 1841. She was born in Atherstone, a small parish adjacent to Mancetter. Samuel was a native of Birmingham. The 1841 census of Warwickshire lists (Caroline) Charlotte aged 20, with her daughter Charlotte Payne aged 4 and Samuel Allen aged 25.⁷ The small family lived separately in their own house in Caroline Street, Birmingham. At this time Allen gave his occupation as clerk.

Samuel improved his situation greatly over the following ten years. The 1851 census of Warkwickshire shows the family residing at 11 Great Hampston Street in Birmingham and gives Samuel Allen's age as 39. It records that he was a Florentine button manufacturer, employing fifty-six women and four men. Caroline's age was now given as 33. Living with them at the time were a visitor and an apprentice, neither of whom had an obvious connection to the family. Despite having what was an apparently successful manufacturing business, two years later the Allens decided to migrate to Australia.

Samuel and Caroline arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Covenanter as unassisted passengers, that is, they paid their own fares. Samuel gave his age as 41 and occupation as 'farmer'. Caroline, whose age was recorded as 34, was listed as his wife. Travelling with them on the same ticket (no. 130) were John Allen, aged 26, a farmer and brother to Samuel, and Henry Allen, aged 24, also a farmer who may or may not have been related.⁸

Samuel Allen took on the role of Deputy Registrar for Collingwood in June 1853, although his official appointment was not announced until 1854.⁹ Following his death in 1864,¹⁰ Caroline applied for the position, stating in her application that for the past twelve months she had, with permission, been filling out the certificates which Samuel, who had been an invalid for five or six years, then signed. Caroline argued that this made her well-accustomed to the procedures and hence competent to fill the role. Her husband's very heavy medical expenses meant that she was now destitute and needed the position for her own maintenance. In her support, the inhabitants of Collingwood drew up a petition, which was presented on twenty-five large pages of signatures. Thes names included the local members of parliament, councillors, doctors, lawyers and stockbrokers down to the merchants and tradesmen - coachbuilder, publican, saddler, butcher and chemist. Almost seven hundred names are listed, with signatures and addresses.¹¹

Caroline's nephew, William John Allen, also applied for the position so that he could support his aunt in her need, '[i]n the unfortunate event of her appointment not being favourably received owing to her sex'.¹² Allen's comments draw attention to the very real obstacles preventing women from securing employment and the independent means to support themselves in 1864. Between 1854 and 1900 there were nineteen women appointed to the position of deputy registrar in the greater Melbourne area, but none before 1867, two in the 1870s and the remainder in the late 1880s and 1890s. About the same number were given temporary positions in the suburbs of Melbourne, but only after 1880.¹³

Neither David Hume Ross nor Caroline Charlotte Allen was successful in applying for the position of Deputy Registrar for Collingwod in 1864. The position was filled by Henry William Mortimer.

Henry William Mortimer
When I discovered that Henry William Mortimer was the successful candidate, I wondered at first why he got the job and not the others. He did not have the notable ancestry or, apparently, the wealth of worldly experience that David Hume Ross had. Nor did he have the backing of the local community and job experience of Caroline Allen. However, Henry proved to be a perfect research subject, as every clue followed up and every resource examined provided revealing information. A fellow researcher exploring records about Mortimer's son-in-law observed to me that a whole book could easily be written on him.

Henry was born in London in c. 1797 to Jackson Mortimer and Elizabeth Vaughan, and married Mary Addis in September 1819 in Hereford. By 1825 he had arrived in Hobart with Mary and their sons Matthew Henry and Mark William; daughter Mary Ann died during the voyage. Eight more children were born between 1825 and 1841.¹⁴ According to family memory, one reason Henry moved to the far-flung colony was the advice of his doctor to relocate to a place with a warmer climate for the sake of his health.¹⁵