GOLDEN Michael
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- GOLDEN Michael
From 1761 to 1818, five regiments of foot with the numeral 99 had been raised and disbanded. A sixth was raised in 1824 in Glasgow which in 1832, while serving in Mauritius and Seychelles, was formally granted its name 99th (Lanarkshire) Regiment. In 1874, it became 99th (Duke of Edinburgh’s) Regiment.
The 99th was stationed in Ireland for five years, before being detailed to escort convicts to Australia in 1842. It remained in Australia until 1856, but also sent two companies to New Zealand during the Flagstaff War (or First Māori War) in 1845-46.
In 1850 a monument was erected in Hobart to commemorate twenty four men of the Regiment who were killed on active service in the New Zealand Māori Wars of 1845-46. The monument is unique as it was the first war memorial to be erected in Australia and also the only memorial to be erected by a British Regiment serving in Australia.
In 1849 a Company of the 99th arrived in Western Australia, and in 1856 joined with the regiment from Hobart to return to England. When it sailed for home, over 400 of its men stayed behind in Australia to transfer to other units.
| NAME Michael GOLDEN | Name variations: None encountered. |
|---|---|
| Birth Date and Place | c. 1817 Roscommon, Ireland [NSW Death Cert. Reg. #09136]. |
| Baptism Date and Place | |
| Marriage Date and Place | Not legally married [RC Baptism of son 1853 – see Additional Details]. |
| Spouse | Eliza CLEGG (formerly Walsh). |
| Children | Bernard b. 1853 Albany, Western Australia [WABDM Reg. #2139]. Mary b. 1856 St Leonards, New South Wales [NSWBDM Reg. #2606]. Eliza J. b. 1859 (d.1861) St Leonards, New South Wales [NSWBDM Reg. #4087]. Jane b. 1864 Wagga Wagga, New South Wales [NSWBDM Reg. #15583]. |
| Occupations | 10 Dec 1858 (dismissed) NSW Metropolitan Police Force [NSW Police Gazette 13 Dec 1858 – identity not verified]. 5 Jul 1865 Ensign, Volunteer Corps, No. 4 Company, Sydney, NSW [Blue Book NSW 1865 – identity not verified]. From 1860s? Warder, Wagga Wagga Gaol, NSW [NSW Death Cert. Reg. #09136]. |
| Land Acquisition in WA | None in Western Australia. |
| Death Date and Place | 6 Jul 1896 Weston Road, Balmain South, New South Wales [NSWBDM Reg. #09136]. Cause of Death: Asthenia. |
| Burial Date and Place | 7 Jul 1896 RC Cemetery, Balmain, New South Wales [Death Cert.] |
| Death, Funeral, Obituary Notices | |
| Will and Probate | None. |
| BRITISH ARMY | |
| Regiment | 99th (Lanarkshire) Regiment. |
| Soldier No. and Rank | #1110 Private. |
| Enlistment Date and Place | before 1841 [deduced]. |
| Service/Campaigns | Dublin, Ireland [WO12-9804]. Australian Colonies [WO12-9805 to 9817]. |
| Promotions | None. |
| Medals, Clasps and Badges | Good Conduct Badge 1d. per diem from service in Eastern Colonies. Good Conduct Badge 2d. per diem from 30 Jun 1849 [WO12-9813-32]. |
| Arrival Australia: Ship and Date | Isabella. Dep. 28 Dec 1841 Deptford, London [ADM101-36-7]. Dep. 19 Jan 1842 Portsmouth; Arr. 19 May 1842 Hobart, VDL [DPS, TROVE]. Dep. 9 Jun 1842 Hobart, VDL; Arr. 20 Jun 1842 Port Jackson, NSW [WO12-9805-8]. |
| Arrival Western Australia: Ship and Date | Ratcliffe 7 Apr 1849 from Hobart via South Australia [TROVE]. |
| Military Postings within Western Australia | On Command 7 Apr to 31 Oct 1849. Champion Bay 1 Nov to 1849 to 31 Oct 1851. Perth HQ 1 Nov 1851 to 30 Jun 1852 inc. On Guard Dec 1851, Jan & Mar 1852. [All sourced from WO12-9813 TO 9817]. |
| Courts Martial in Western Australia | None. |
| Discharge Date and Place | 30 Jun 1852 Perth, Western Australia. Discharged at own request, receiving a gratuity of nine months pay [WO12-9817-156]. |
| Age at Discharge | c. 35 years [deduced]. |
| Length of Service | > 11 years [deduced]. |
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
Not to be confused with convicts Michael Golden
1. Transported for 7 years after trial in Canada on the ship Canton arriving Hobart, VDL 12 Jan 1840.
2. Transported for 7 years after trial in Kildare on the ship Elizabeth and Henry arriving Hobart, VDL 9 Jun 1845.
There is no record of Michael Golden being posted to Albany during his Army service, yet 12 months after his discharge, his son Bernard was born and baptised in Albany. According to the baptism record, the boy’s mother was Eliza Walsh, née Clegg. The baptism took place in the home of Lawrence Mooney, a policeman in Albany, formerly a corporal in the 21st Regiment of Foot. Bishop Joseph B Serra officiated at the baptism and described the child as illegitimate, presumably because Eliza’s legal husband, Mr Walsh, was still living. [Albany RC Baptism Register 1853]. No marriage record between Golden and Eliza has yet been found in Western Australia, Tasmania or New South Wales.
Bernard Golden later immigrated to Vancouver, Canada (1907) and from there moved to Los Angeles (1909) [Sources: Ship Moana Passenger List, Ottawa Archives, Canada; Border Entry Index, National Archives, Washington D.C.].
I have not discovered why Golden was in Albany and what occupation he had between his Army discharge in 1852 and 1856 when the couple’s daughter was born in St Leonard’s, NSW in 1856. No shipping record to NSW has been found.
Michael Golden was working in Wagga Wagga as a gaoler from at least 1864 when his youngest daughter was born. Wagga Wagga Gaol, erected on 27th May 1862, was a minor gaol used for short-sentence prisoners. It closed on 16th August 1909. (See image left).
Eliza Golden, ‘wife’ of M Golden, was witness at the Wagga Wagga Circuit Court hearing of 27th September 1883 before Judge Fawcett. The charge against Eva Suiter, one of Eliza’s neighbours on Tarcutta Street, Wagga Wagga, was the murder of a male child on 15th April 1882. Eva Suiter was defended by Mr Gibson and was found not guilty. [Source: Wagga Wagga Advertiser 29th September 1883 p.2].