HUDSON, James Cottrell & BRENNAN, Victoria Prudence
James Cottrell was the third child (first son) born to James Cottrell Hudson and Mary Jane nee Sale. He arrived in the world on 10 March 1864 at New Tiers, SA (Adelaide Hills nr. Woodside). Information on this area can be seen on the page relating to his parents James and Mary Jane.
Nothing is known of the early years of his life until he travelled up the Darling River by working his way on one of the steamboats, to Bourke district in 1888.
He left South Australia after receiving his Third Class Engineer's certificate from the Marine Board of SA. This Certificate found him duly qualified to "fulfil the duties of a Third Class Engineer of an intercoastal Steamship trading by river, or of a Steamship plying within the limits of any Port in the State of South Australia" - (The Marine Board and Navigation Act, 1881) - certificate dated 19 April 1893.
He worked on Dunlop Station and was Manager of the wool scouring plant there for over 20 years and was manager of this undertaking most of the time.
On 15 Aug 1893 in the Wesleyan Chapel, Bourke, he married Victoria Prudence Brennan, daughter of a well known Bourke family.
Victoria was the fifth child born to Michael James Brennan and Sarah Ann Reed. Their children were Sarah Ellen, Frances E, Emmaline, Isabella M M, then came Victoria born 14 November 1870, followed by William J, Mary Jane H, Josephine Whalen, Annie, Michael James and Alfred J Brennan.
James Cottrell and Victoria had 4 sons and 2 daughters - one who did not survive and another with no known information except her name. All births were at Dunlop Station.
Their first child was a son James Cottrell Hudson (of course!) born in 1895 in Bourke, NSW. He was a mechanic, and married Amy Annie Jones. (NOTE: see link below for more on James Cottrell and Amy Annie.
Also born in Bourke (1897) was another son Arthur William. Two more sons followed - Clarence Percival born 1898 - he moved away from the area and married Elizabeth Ellen Nicol in the NT. (NOTE: see link below for more on Clarence Percival and Elizabeth Ellen).
Their 4th child (also a son) was Roy Dunlop born 1900, also in Bourke. He married Catherine Phyllis Tonkin. Roy and Catherine had three chidren - Roy Angus, Victoria Prudence and Phyllis Erine. All of the foregoing dates are from the NSW BD&M indexes with additional information from J Blashek.
The next mention of James Cottrell and Victoria Prudence is on the 1903 Electoral Roll for Thurulgoonia - Division of Maranoa, Qld where they are listed as - Occupation Woolscourer, and domestic duties at Tinenburra Woolshed.
In 1909 a daughter Hilda Jane was born in Bourke and from the NSW BD&M we can see that she died the same year, also in Bourke.
 
James Cottrell Hudson and his wife Victoria Prudence nee Brennan
Arthur William, 2nd son of CJ & VP Hudson, enlisted in the AIF in 1915 - there is quite a bit of information on his Service Record on the NAA website. At the time of enlistment he was a station hand on Dunlop Station, Louth, NSW. He married Augusta Olive Brennan. (NOTE: see link below for more on Arthur William and Augusta Olive).
There is mention of James and Victoria having a daughter Violet, but no details are known relating to her.
The family then disappeared from the Electoral Rolls for some years......
An item of interest regarding the family is described below:
[Quote] "James Hudson was involved in a car accident in 1916. He was driving his sister-in-law, Mary Huckle and her two daughters, and another nephew (Eric) from another sister-in-law, my great-great grandmother Sarah (who was deceased at the time, so I am assuming Eric's aunt adopted him) from Bourke to Cobar. They hadn't travelled many miles from Bourke before the car which James was driving caught on fire. His sister-in-law and two nieces were able to jump out but 6-year-old Eric was unable and James went out of his way to get Eric out of the car. The brakes weren't functioning. James had to walk to the nearest government tank for water. Long story short, James and Eric were hospitalised at Cobar for several weeks and I believe my great-grandmother's half brother, Eric died from the burns he sustained." [End quote]
(The above details from Sarah, a Brennan-Reed descendant.)
The accident made the news in three states - Newspaper articles follow:
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. 1848-1954) Tuesday 18 January 1916
MOTOR-CAR ON FIRE
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BRAKES REFUSE TO ACT
COBAR (N.S.W.), Monday. - Mrs. Huckle and three little children were being driven in from Bourke to Cobar by motor-car. When about 62 miles from Cobar the car caught alight. Mrs. Huckle and two little girls jumped out of the moving car, but the driver (James Hudson) was unable to stop for some hundreds of yards, as the brakes refused to act. Eric Huckle, aged 6 years, was rescued from the flames by the driver, but not before he had been badly burned. Hudson, who was also severely burnt about the face and hands, had to walk four miles to a Government Tank under a burning sun for assistance.
The little boy, whose condition is critical, and Hudson were taken to the hospital.
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The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW: 1842-1954) Tuesday 18 January 1916
MOTOR CAR AFIRE
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PASSENGERS' TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE
COBAR, Monday
Mrs Huckle and three little children were being driven in from Bourke to Cobar yesterday by motor car, when about 62 miles from Cobar, the car caught alight. Mrs Huckle and the two little girls jumped out of the moving car, but the driver (James Hudson) was unable to stop for some hundreds of yards as the brakes refused to act. The little boy, Eric Huckle, aged 6, was rescued from the flames by the driver, but not before he was badly burned. Hudson, who was also severely burnt about the face and hands, had to walk four miles to the Government Tank under the burning sun for assistance. The party was brought into Cobar this morning, and the little boy and Hudson were taken to the district hospital. The former's condition is critical.
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The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA: 1889-1931)
Sydney, January 18
Mr. James Hudson was driving Mrs. Huckle and three children from Bourke to Cobar, when the motor car caught fire. The driver was unable to bring it to a standstill for some time, and Mrs. Huckle and two little girls jumped out. Mr. Hudson, when he succeeded in stopping the car, saved the boy, six years of age, but was badly burnt himself. He then had to walk to the Governmant tank some miles away for help.
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NOTE: a Hudson descendant stated that James bore the scars from the above incident all his life.
Some months following the horrific accident, on 13 November 1916, James' wife Victoria, aged only 46, died; she is buried in Bourke Cemetery.
A few years later in 1919 Arthur William Hudson returned from active service in the AIF.
James, now a widower, married his 2nd wife Muriel Claire Amourous on 24 May 1922 at Redfern, NSW (details from Marriage Certificate). Place of residence at that time was 51 Maddison Street, Redfern, Sydney NSW and Occupation is shown for James as Engineer. Things must not have worked out as his new wife sued him for a divorce on the grounds of desertion and in March 1928 a decree nisi was declared - a decree absolute being granted in October 1928.
A little more came to light when the Divorce papers were accessed at the NSW State Archives in June 2010 - it was stated that the couple had a child that had died, that Muriel declared her husband was managing a station at Bourke and would be earning six pounds a week and should be able to support her. The first sitting for the divorce was postponed as JC Hudson could not be located in order to serve the papers...!
Following the finalisation of the divorce action Muriel then remarried in 1929 to William J Merewether (from NSW BD&M index).
James Cottrell Hudson (son of James and Victoria) born 1895 in Bourke, NSW married Amy Annie Jones in 1921 (from Qld. BD&M online index). Their first child was a son James Cottrail (slightly different spelling) was born 14 November 1922 in Bourke. A private baptism was held on 15 November and that same day the baby died. He was buried in Bourke Cemetery on 16 November 1922. James and Annie had four more sons - James Henry (dob not known), Alan Brian 26 May 1930, Noel Francis 27 January 1932 and Hugh Philip born 4 October 1934. James was a mechanic and the family lived in Bourke, NSW
Around that period - 1924 - Arthur William Hudson married Augusta Olive Mathews in Bourke. They had a son Clarence who died in 1925 (from NSW BD&M), further sons William Charles, Arthur Ronald, Raymond Valentine and a daughter Violet Olive.
By 1930 James Cottrell Hudson had reappeared on the Electoral Roll - along with his son James Cottrell and wife Amy Annie nee Jones.
There are entries for: 1930 in Dunlop - Cobar - Louth, NSW for James Cottrell Hudson - Engineer
and also for: 1930 in Caiwarro - Maranoa - Eulo, Qld for James Cottrell Hudson - Engineer
The reason for the double entries is that in the same year he was working on Dunlop Station he was also working at Caiwarro repairing windmills. He travelled all over SW Qld., Cunnamulla and Bourke - and worked on traction engines for machine shears. Dunlop Station was the first to use the revolutionary invention.
Around 1935 he went to Caiwarro as a maintenance engineer, carrying out blacksmith work and repairing windmills etc. on this holding.
The 1936 and 1937 Electoral Roll entries show: HUDSON, James Cottrell (Engineer) - Caiwarro - Eulo, Qld Cobar, sub-div. of Bourke - Commonwealth - Darling, NSW.
Whether illness or some other reason took him to Sydney is not known, but on 10 December 1941 James Hudson, (husband of Prudence Victoria nee Brennan) died in St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, Sydney aged 77 years. The informant on his Death Certificate was his son Arthur William of Tudor Street, Bourke, NSW. His OBITUARY refers to him as "a well known western identity". His remains were interred on 12 December 1941 in the Church of England portion, Section 14, Grave No. 0005213 of the Rookwood Cemetery although it was his wish that his body be interred alongside his late wife in Bourke Cemetery. This wish was to be carried out by his sons at a later date. (Detail from Obituary).
There is an entry on the 1943 Electoral Roll: HUDSON, James Cottrell (Engineer) - Caiwarro - Eulo, Qld; No clarification has been supplied by the Archives - it is most likely a clerical error.
James Cottrell Hudson the 2nd - the foregoing was just a brief look at his life; it's rather more than we knew 6 months ago and I'm sure there is more..........
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