Emily Hill (1839–1899)
Wife, mother and a life in Tasmania’s Midlands
Early life in colonial Tasmania
Emily Hill was born on 15 February 1839, reportedly at Cleveland, in Tasmania’s Midlands, then part of the British colony of Van Diemen’s Land.
Her early years were spent in a region of farming settlements, coaching roads and small rural communities. Much of her life would remain connected to this part of Tasmania.
Family-tree records identify her parents as Peter Hill and Julia Mullins, although their relationship to Emily still requires confirmation from original records.
A seven-mile walk for love
One of the most charming stories preserved about Emily concerns her courtship.
According to family recollections passed down by her granddaughter Caroline Porter (née Jenkins), Thomas Presnell walked seven miles every Sunday, carrying a bag of lollies for Emily.
It is a small but memorable glimpse of affection in the lives of two young people in nineteenth-century Tasmania.
On 16 September 1856, Emily Hill married William Thomas Presnell at St Luke’s Church, Campbell Town. The marriage register records Emily as eighteen years old and William as twenty-seven. However, Emily’s reported birth date of 15 February 1839 would make her seventeen at the time of the wedding.
The register also reveals a small but interesting detail: Emily signed her own name, while William made his mark.
Raising a family in the Midlands
Emily and William went on to have fifteen children — eight daughters and seven sons — between 1858 and 1881.
| Child | Born | Birthplace | Died |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Presnell | 11 Jul 1858 | Salt Pan Plains, Campbell Town | 23 Dec 1861 |
| Thomas Presnell | 23 Sep 1859 | Blackmans River, Oatlands | 1936 |
| Caroline Emily Presnell | 15 Jul 1861 | Oatlands | 1941 |
| Martha Presnell | 30 Sep 1862 | Blackmans River, Oatlands | 1925 |
| Esther Louise Presnell | 18 Jun 1865 | Tunbridge | 1897 |
| Rose Presnell | 24 May 1867 | Oatlands | 1899 |
| Charles J. Presnell | 18 Sep 1868 | Tunbridge, Oatlands | 1918 |
| Arthur Presnell | 8 May 1870 | Tunbridge, Oatlands | 4 Jan 1871 |
| Robert Presnell | 24 Jun 1871 | Oatlands | 4 Aug 1918 |
| Frederick (Fred) Presnell | 8 Oct 1872 | Oatlands | 1951 |
| Christianna Presnell | 21 Apr 1874 | Oatlands | 1960 |
| Harriet Presnell | 21 Feb 1876 | Oatlands | 1957 |
| Catherine Louisa Presnell | 10 Dec 1877 | Parattah | 1951 |
| William George Presnell | 9 Mar 1879 | Parattah | 5 Dec 1957 |
| Arthur James Edward Presnell | 21 Nov 1881 | Oatlands | 1971 |
Their children’s recorded birthplaces trace the family’s life through Salt Pan Plains, Blackmans River, Tunbridge, Oatlands and Parattah.
Life in a large rural household would have demanded considerable work. Emily experienced the loss of children in infancy and childhood while continuing to raise her growing family.
By the later years of their marriage, William was described in official records as a farmer of Parattah.
Widowhood
William died at Parattah on 18 June 1887, aged fifty-eight.
Emily was left a widow with a large family, including children still living at home. She took responsibility for administering William’s estate, appearing in the surviving letters of administration as Emily Presnell of Parattah.
The estate records offer a rare documentary glimpse of Emily acting in her own right after her husband’s death.
Emily by the fireside
Another family memory, attributed to granddaughter Caroline Porter, describes Emily in her later years sitting beside the fire, smoking a little pipe and reading the Bible.
The image is wonderfully personal: a woman whose life had been shaped by marriage, motherhood, hard work and loss, enjoying a quiet moment beside the hearth.
Although the story survives as family tradition rather than a contemporary written account, it gives Emily a personality that official records alone cannot capture.
Her final years
Emily Presnell died on 25 July 1899 at Spring Valley, Oatlands, aged sixty. Her death was recorded in The Mercury on 5 August 1899, identifying her as the widow of Thomas Presnell of Mount Seymour.
The notice provides two valuable geographical connections to the family’s history: Spring Valley, where Emily died, and Mount Seymour, associated with her late husband.
Emily survived William by twelve years and is commemorated alongside him on the family gravestone at Oatlands.
She is commemorated alongside him on the family gravestone at Oatlands.
Together, Emily and William left a large family whose descendants would become part of Tasmania’s continuing story.
Family recollections: Stories attributed to Caroline Porter (née Jenkins), granddaughter of Emily Hill. Historical records include the 1856 marriage register, William Presnell’s 1887 estate administration and the family gravestone at Oatlands.