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James Gosper (1840–1923)

Another of the esteemed and respected old Hawkesbury natives, in the person of Mr. James Gosper, of Alma-street, North Sydney, has passed to the Great Beyond, after a brief illness. Many Hawkesbury folk have kindly recollections of Mr. and Mrs. James Gosper, and will sympathise with Mrs. Gosper in her great loss after nearly sixty-two years of married life. The late Mr. Gosper, whose death occurred in a private hospital, at North Sydney on September 10, was a native of Upper Colo, and was born on November 18, 1840. His parents were Thomas and Mary Gosper, and he was the last surviving member of a family of eleven. The subject of this notice spent his early years in Colo and was married on October 9, 1861, to Miss Ellen Christie, third daughter of Captain Thomas and Mary Christie of Lower Portland. The wedding was celebrated in the old building which served the dual purpose of schoolhouse and church at the Mouth of Colo, Lower Portland. The celebrant at the marriage was the Rev. Thorby Bolton, of the Church of England. Six years later the building came to grief in the big flood, not a vestige of it being left, barring the foundation stones. Mr. Gosper followed farming pursuits at Colo and Lower Portland for several years, but after the big flood of 1867 he left the river and entered into business at North Sydney as a baker and confectioner; In 1911 Mr. and Mrs. Gosper celebrated their golden wedding and again in 1921 there was a great gathering at their residence assembled to commemorate their diamond wedding anniversary. Despite his great age, the deceased veteran's mental faculties remained unimpaired right up to the last, and it was a pleasure to hear him relating his experiences on the river away back in the fifties and sixties of last century. His parents were old colonists, both being Sydney natives. One of his brothers, William Gosper, who died twenty years back, was a well-known identity of Lower Portland. The late James Gosper is survived by his widow and a family of four sons and one daughter. Several children pre-deceased their father by a great many years. Those living are: C. J., of Perth (W.A.), T. H. (Manly), Ephraim (North Sydney), Frederick (Lower Hawkesbury) and Miss Edith Gosper, who resided with her parents at North Sydney. Of grandchildren there are 19, and great-grandchildren 23. The interment took place in the C.E. section of the Northern Suburbs cemetery. The coffin was carried from the hearse to the graveside by four grandsons, viz., James, Reginald, William, and Sidney Gosper. Before the last sad rites were performed, the deceased's favorite hymn "Abide with Me," was sung by those assembled to pay their last tribute of respect to the worthy old Colo native. The service at the graveside was conducted by the Rev. Frank Cash, of Christ Church, Lavender Bay, North Sydney, who spoke words of comfort to the bereaved widow and children.

Original publication

Citation details

'Gosper, James (1840–1923)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/gosper-james-24454/text33173, accessed 19 March 2024.

© Copyright Obituaries Australia, 2010-2024

Life Summary [details]

Birth

18 November, 1840
Colo, New South Wales, Australia

Death

10 September, 1923 (aged 82)
North Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Cause of Death

cancer (ear)

Religious Influence

Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.

Occupation