James (born 1849, Windsor) is also my great grandfather. He ran away at 9yrs old to join his brother William (born 1847, Windsor), 11 years old in Mudgee. His mother was Elizabeth Lewis (born 1823, Windsor), daughter of William Lewis (convict “Baring", 1815 and Louisa Lucy Lewis (née Adams). There doesn't appear to be any records of Elizabeth's first partner - their children are William, James (this James Lewis) and possibly Catherine. References are made to "Mark Lyons" but I can find no proof of that relationship. She married John Henry Cook (1853) and had other children. It appears William and James ran away about 5 yrs later). Our family history notes them both working in Mudgee, on a treadmill, grinding wheat for about two years. Then James (Jim) moved to Mendooran district, arriving about 1880. He was 32 yo when he married Janett in 1881. James eventually lived in the Breelong area with his wife Janett (née Diggs), my great grandmother. They owned "Clearview” (purchased 1891), and up to 50 houses in Gilgandra. They also bought the Mawbey property, the site of the Breelong massacres featured in ‘"The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith”movie. Janett was responsible for "cleaning the blood from the walls”after the massacre. There were 12 children, 11 boys and only 1 daughter. James was a big man - 6'4”tall and about 17 stone at 80yrs old.
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