NEW LIFE IN AUSTRALIA
Joseph Brooks and Edward went ahead of the family, leaving London on the first of January 1829 and arriving in Sydney before May 1829. Joseph, Mary, George and his new wife Elizabeth (married 11 July, 1829) , and the 2 daughters Fanny and Ann followed 8 months later. After a brief attempt at settlement at the Swan River colony (now Perth), the family moved on to Sydney where they arrived in 1830. On arrival in Sydney, Joseph put his money to work with the purchase of a large home in Sydney called Cleveland House. He also began the acquistion of large tracts of land from Sydney to Newcastle including large properties around the Maitland area, in the fertile Hunter River valley. His eldest son Joseph Brooks had been granted 1200 acres on the south bank of the Iron Bank Creek between Maitland and Newcastle ,which he named "Wellesley". Joseph senior was granted 2560 acres near present day Newcastle which he named "Ämersham . His estate now makes up the Newcastle suburbs of Argenton,Edgeworth, Glendale,Cardiff and Wallsend. George had similarly been granted 2560 acres in east Cockle Creek, Hunter River Valley which he named "Hampton".
The biggest investment however was in a whaling venture in Otago, New Zealand, which was run by his 3 sons. Initially the business was very profitable but after 9 years, the business failed due to a combination of bad luck and unscrupulous competion from another whaling station in Waikouaiti . The sons turned their attention to land acquistion in New Zealand , acquiring nearly 3 million acres . These acquistions were overturned by the British Government when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840. Eventually the business went into bankrupcy in 1842.
Alot of their property in New South Wales had to be sold, but the family still had considerable holdings.
With the bankrupcy, George and his family shifted up to Maitland to join Edward, who had taken over some of the family's interests in Maitland in 1841. Their parents, Joseph and Mary and the youngest daughter, Anne Meek Weller also lived here. Joseph and Mary were living on High Street, Maitland until Mary died on 1st Aug 1855, aged 78 years. Joseph survived his wife by less than 2 years, dying on 12 Feb 1857, aged 91 years old. Both of them were buried in the West Maitland cemetery along with many of their descendants.
DESCENDANTS
Joseph and Mary were responsible for the large branch of the Weller family that live in Australia and New Zealand. Of their 9 children, only 5 survived to make the sea voyage to Australia. The eldest son, Joseph Brooks died of consumption in New Zealand in 1835 without offspring. George married Elizabeth Barwise and had 6 children, but only 3 survived, 2 sons and a daughter. The 2 sons had 8 and 11 children respectively so many Weller name carriers remain in Australia. Fanny who married Robert Johnston of Sydney, had 9 children in and around the Sydney area. Edward had 2 Maori wives and one daughter from each. Hana had 4 children and Nani had 12 children and was the matriarch of the very large Ellison family. Anne married C.W. Schultze and they had 5 children and numerous descendants in New Zealand.
By Thomas Brons