Eleanor Meade drowned in a flood at Amphitheatre

In late October 1870 there was widespread flooding in northern and western Victoria. Twenty people were drowned. At Avoca large trees and fences were swept away. There had been flooding in Avoca earlier in the month.

One of the people who drowned was an Amphitheatre woman, Eleanor Maria Meade nee Williams. She was the daughter of Henry Williams of Creastown (Craystown), born in County Meath, Ireland.

In 1852 Eleanor had married Phillip Meade at Killeen, Ireland. They had three children, Mary Jane born 1857, John Henry born 1859, and Robert born 1862 at Redbank, Victoria.

The family emigrated to Victoria from Ireland about 1860.

About 1865 Phillip Meade bought 120 acres of land east of Amphitheatre.

The floods of 1870 were the worst since white settlement. The Meade’s house near Amphitheatre was flooded. Eleanor Meade and her daughter Mary Jane were both drowned. There were inquests into their deaths and the events of the early morning of Saturday 29 October.

At the inquest of his mother Eleanor’s oldest son, John, stated that “between twelve and one o’clock this morning mother said, ” the flood is in the place, get out of bed;” the flood was coming in fast.” He tried to go to a neighbour’s house. The water was about 2 feet deep. He found the current too strong. He climbed a fence and was rescued by a mounted policeman.

His brother Robert went with his mother and sister to a neighbour’s house. The three of them were knocked over by the floodwater. Robert made it to safety but his mother and sister did not survive.

Avoca Mail, Saturday 5 November 1870, page 3

INQUESTS.
The district coroner, L. Worsley. Esq., held an inquest on Saturday last at Glenlogie, on the body of Eleanor Maria Meade, who met her death early the same morning by being swept away in the flood. The following evidence was taken : —
John Henry Meade deposed: — l am the eldest son of the deceased and Philip Meade. Mother put us to bed at about nine o'clock last evening; my sister and younger brothers, as well as myself, slept in the same room with my mother; father was away at work in Avoca ; between twelve and one o'clock this morning mother said, " the flood is in the place, get out of bed;" the flood was coming in fast ; I went out of the house first, down the lane towards Mr. McDonnell's place, a short distance from where we lived ; the water was then about two feet high : I tried to go through the flood, but it was too strong ; I tried to save myself by taking hold of the palings, and managed to get back to the cottage ; I saw my mother in the water leading my brother and sister by the hand ; I soon lost sight of them from the darkness ; I got upon the fence near the cottage and remained there some time, after which constable Fenton came and took me on his back to Mr. McDonnell's ; I have seen my mother today lying dead ; I cooeyed and constable Fenton came to my rescue; I did not hear or see my mother or sister after that ; my sister was lost in the water and has not yet been found ; My brother was first at Mrs. McDonnell's house.
Robert Meade, the younger brother of the last witness, nine years of age, deposed :-There was a great storm this morning; mother told us to get up ; we got up ; my brother told mother not to go out into the flood, it was too deep ; mother did go out into the water, and took me and my sister by the hand. She went down the lane to go to Mrs. McDonnell's ; the flood took mother off her feet; she fell forward into the water ; I was under her ; my sister had hold of my mother ; I managed to get to Mrs. McDonnell's ; I never saw my mother or sister after that ; I have heard my sister is lost ; while my mother was in the water, just after she fell, she called out, "Mrs McDonnell !"
Mary McDonnell deposed :— This morning, between twelve and one o'clock, I got up and went outside my house and cooeyed at the back of it to the deceased, Mrs. Meade, who lived at the rear of me about one hundred yards; I got no answer; the flood was then about a foot high in my house ; heard the first witness cooey ; I then called out to him, " Are you all right?" he answered, "yes;" I then said, " Where is your mother?" he said, "I don't know;" I called to Mr. Bird, of the hotel, and he came over to me; I told him that Mrs. Meade was in danger, and he went to the Police Station to give the alarm ; two of the persons who were present tried to get to the boy (the first witness), on the fence, but the flood was too strong to do so ; the darkness was very great, and the storm of thunder and lightning was at its height ; I saw constable Fenton go into the water, which was then four feet deep, with a violent current running, and rescue the witness John Henry Meade. To a juryman :—The boy was in danger; if the fence had been swept away by the force of the current the boy must have been lost, a large portion of the same fence has been swept away by the flood.
William Fenton, mounted constable at Glenlogie, corroborated the testimony of the last witnesses as to the rescue of the boy and other particulars, as also to finding the body of the deceased among a quantity of flood debris in Mr. Bird's garden.
The jury returned the following verdict : — That the deceased, Eleanor Maria Meade, was accidently carried away by the flood of water and drowned on the 29th day of October, 1870, at Glenlogie, in the colony of Victoria."
On the following Monday, the coroner held an inquest on the body of Mary Jane Meade, the daughter.
William Duff deposed to finding the body about eight o'clock on Sunday morning, on the bank of the river, in a place known as " Clapperton's Paddock."
Philip Meade, the father, identified the deceased as his daughter, stating her age to be fourteen years.
The evidence for the most part was but a repetition of that taken on the previous Saturday, and the jury returned a verdict similar to that recorded at the previous inquest

Avoca Mail, Saturday 5 November 1870, page 2

Deaths.
Drowned at Amphitheatre on the 29th October, 1870, Mrs. Philip Meade, youngest daughter of the late Henry Williams, Esq;, Creastown House, Co. Meath, Ireland, aged 44 years.
And at the same time and place, Mary Jane Meade, in her 14th year, (R.I.P.)

A week later Eleanor’s husband Phillip wrote a letter to the Avoca Mail thanking the people of Amphitheatre for their help and sympathy :

Avoca Mail, Saturday 5 November 1870, page 3

(To the Editor of the Avoca Mail.)
Sir, — May I beg a little of your space in which to convey to the people of Amphitheatre my heartfelt thanks for the sympathy, and assistance shown to me under the awful calamity that overtook my home on Saturday morning last ? To the inhabitants generally, who forgot their own losses by the flood in their endeavor to recover the remains of my dear daughter, and who, again, at the funeral of my dear wife and daughter, consoled me by their unaffected and unobtrusive grief, I owe the most sincere gratitude, and they have the reward of knowing that their kindness has been a genuine consolation to me in the time of my desolation. To Constable Fenton, however , is due a marked and special expression of thanks for having saved the life of my eldest boy at the risk of his own, and for having afterwards, in the midst of the darkness and storm, gone into the flood in search of those who, alas! were far beyond his reach. To Mr John Hardie, also, who was at the constable's elbow when the boy was saved, and to the other gentlemen who, knowing that I was away from home, did all they could to save my family, I hereby express my unfeigned gratitude. I am, Sir, yours faithfully,
PHILIP MEADE.
Amphitheatre, 3rd November, 1870

Phillip died 23 years later. He did not remarry.

Age (Melbourne, Vic.), Monday 11 September 1893, page 1

MEADE.— On the 10th September, at Sandringham, Phillip Meade, aged 67 years, late of Avoca.

Wikitree: Eleanor Maria (Williams) Meade (abt. 1822-1870)

Related post: Avoca River in flood 1870

From the blog Western District Families: In the Western District at Coleraine there were ten deaths in the great flood of 1870.