Jackson, Thomas Dennis

**Fast Facts**
Type of person	Individual
Date of birth	1835
Place of birth	Bedford, Bedfordshire
Date of arrival	1849
Principal occupation	Storekeeper
Date of death	1888
Place of decease	Westward Ho Mine, 110 km north east of Peterborough

Thomas Dennis Jackson was born in 1835. On November 5, 1849, he arrived in Adelaide with his father and mother, William Jackson and Jane Jackson (née Philipson) and six siblings on Navarino. The family made their home on Jackson Hill Road near Willunga, calling their property "The Grange". In his mid- to late-twenties, Thomas had some success with slate carving. He won two prizes at the Society of Arts (Adelaide) exhibition, which contrasts with the practice of other Willunga slate carvers, i.e. Hawken and Richards who displayed work at the Willunga Show. One item can be seen at 3Monkeys Fine Foods in Willunga. The painted slate fireplace has a centrepiece carved by Thomas Dennis Jackson.

Thomas Dennis Jackson married Alice Lewsey on June 30, 1873. In 1874, land he owned close to Willunga was badly scorched by bush fire.

Thomas Dennis Jackson moved north to Winninnie around 1874, and his brother George followed him some time later. George lived in Hawker, and Thomas and George were partners in several land titles in both Cradock and Hawker, and in a storekeeping business. In 1876, Thomas was appointed as a magistrate for Waikaringa. Unfortunately, Thomas suffered from money troubles during his time in Cradock, and it appears that he had to give us storekeeping to become a mine manager, probably in 1884-5. Certainly, at a public meeting and banquet, Thomas gave his toast as "The Mineral Interests". Thomas clearly had given up storekeeping for managing the Western Ho goldmine at Teetulpa and a correspondent noted in the Chronicle:

While in this part of the district I went a bit out of my course to have a look at a rather primitive but serviceable-looking Chilian mill, designed and constructed by Mr. Jackson, one of the pioneers of the district, for the Winnininnie Prospecting Association, the property of which he is at present managing. SA Chronicle 28 Jan 1888.

Unfortunately, he contracted fever and died on 15 July 1888 at the age of 53. After his death, Alice returned to Willunga.

External Links

[[External links::the Grange]]

Sources

Courthouse records
nla.gov.au (Trove)
South Australian Passenger Lists 1849 http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/fh/passengerlists/SAShips1849.htm
A full list of references is stored at the Willunga Courthouse