A total of fifty-eight areas have been identified that are likely to be unmarked graves, along with an additional fifteen areas that may also be unmarked graves.
Hunter Geophysics report, March 2021
There are people buried at the site for whom records have not been kept or located*. However, the names listed below are either documented or very likely to be buried on the site.
-Unknown Sailor, d 1870
-John Lucy, age 63, d Oct 1873
-William Dent, age 1 day old, d 14 May 1899
-Carl Niclasson age 32 d 1912 Swedish Whale Boat Sailor
-King Budd Billy II, James Golding/Golden/Goulding, age c 90, d July 1905
-James Dann/ Carpenter Dann/ Jimmy Dann age 65, d Dec 1913
-Rebecca Golding/Goulding d 1935
– Rebecca Penrith nee Carpenter d 1936
-Jack (Johnnie) Campbell d 1938
* The Anglican Church has never made public any records of burials on the site. There are claims that there are no church records, but this has never been established or stated by the Church unequivocally.
Research is ongoing and as more historical documents are digitised, we anticipate more will be uncovered in future.
James Goulding AKA King Budd Billy II is buried on the site.
Evening News 1905, July 22
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article114461985
Mary Salmon, ‘In the Shoalhaven District, vi. Jervis Bay’: Evening News, 22 July 1905, p 8. This article contains a photograph of Jimmy, King of Jervis Bay and his Queen, photographed by C S Moss of Nowra.
The article is sub-titled Jervis Bay but is exclusively about Huskisson. The penultimate paragraph refers to the burial of Jimmy, the ‘old king of Jervis Bay, who only a few weeks ago died … The poor old widow was very proud that her man ‘had a Christian burial, with a minister, in the churchyard.’
There was no other church in the vicinity at this early date.
Boree AKA Dan Carpenter/ Carpenter Dan/ James Dann/ Carpenter Dann/ Jimmy Dann ) is said to buried on the site in 1913, aged 65. He worked for the local police and may well have been buried by the local police. He had permission to live on the Government reserve to the east of the current Huskisson Hotel site.
Rebecca Golding is believed to be the younger woman in this photograph. Rebecca was buried on the Holy Trinity Church site. Her death certificate dated 4th of February 1935 says so.
The local church wardens and the hopeful developer have never acknowledged this burial. The records are on file at the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum. The researchers who produced a heritage report for the developer do not appear to have used this museum’s extensive local archive.
The older woman is Mary Carpenter (AKA Queen Mary and Mary Golding) aged around 105 appeared in the Sydney Telegraph 29th November 1927. Mary died three months later and was buried with much ceremony at Bilong (now Myola) across the Currambene Creek from Huskisson.
Carl Niclassen was buried on the site in 1912.
Sudden Death at Jervis Bay SCANDINAVIAN SAILOR SUCCUMES.
On Saturday last, a seaman named Carl Niclasson, aged 32 years, employed on the whaling factory ship Loch Tay at Jervis Bay, died suddenly. On Monday Mr Watson, district coroner, held an inquiry at Huskisson, when the following facts were elicited: Hans Egeness, captain of the Loch Tay, deposed that deceased was a native of Gothberg, Sweden, and had been in Australia only a few months, engaged on his ship. On Saturday about 7pm a party of seamen left Huskisson for the ship, deceased being one of them. At that time he was apparently in good health, but slightly under the influence of liquor. Niclasson was seated in the launch, and after a short part of the passage across had been accomplished the captain saw him drop down to his feet, but attributed this to intoxication. When the Loch Tay was reached, deceased was carried on board and placed in a room set apart for the sailors. The captain had a look at him, felt his pulse, and found him apparently lifeless. He sent the launch to signal the ship’s doctor, who was away on the beach fishing with the chief officer. Dr. Jeorg B. Kolfelaath examined the deceased, and found life «extinct, death apparently having taken place about an hour and a half previous to his examination. The doctor had known deceased all the time he had been on the Loch Tay. He bore a good character and was a good workman. Deceased, he understood, had only one relative, resident in Sweden. He was generally in good health, never being ill, but he was evidently suffering from heart disease, to which he attributed deceased’s death. Herbert Ottersen, seaman, corroborated the evidence of Captain Egeness. The coroner found that death was due to natural causes. The body was buried at the rear of the union church at Huskisson, alongside the grave of a sailor interred there some 42 years ago. The service was conducted by the Rev. A. G. Perkins, but this was followed by an impressive service in Norwegian, in which the officers and men of the Loch Tay took part.
The Shoalhaven Telegraph Wed 27 Nov 1912 Page 5 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article127193809
There has always been a suggestion that Niclassen was not buried in a coffin
Phillip, Joyce and Beccie went to the Huskisson wharf and witnessed the
following: A pinnacle (long boat) rowed by 12 sailors with oars came ashore from a Swedish Whaling Ship. They had the body of a Swedish whaler. the corpse was wrapped in canvas and covered with a Swedish Flag. It was buried in the churchyard and later had a picket fence erected around it.
Helen Ruttley interview with Joyce and Joan Woodhill, The Crest Killara 1.8.1985
The Unknown Sailor buried in 1870.
Significantly Niclassen was interred next to an unknown sailor, buried 42 years previously. This means there were burials on the site before it was gifted to the Anglican Church. He was buried “behind the Union Church”. The Union Church was originally sited at the north eastern area of the block, where the 1970s rectory is now. This would indicate that burials were in the area many claim James Golding was buried.
This extract is from notes, ‘Graves in Church Yard’ that were assembled by Helen Ruttley probably in the latter part of the 1990s. Helen did a lot of work on the history of the site and campaigned to have the Church heritage listed. Helen’s notes are in the Shoalhaven Historical Society archive.
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Ground Penetrating Radar Surveys
Over the years a number of ground penetrating radar surveys of the site have been done. The independent survey commissioned by Council found A total of fifty-eight areas have been identified that are likely to be unmarked graves, along with an additional fifteen areas that may also be unmarked graves. Hunter Geophysics report, March 2021. Earlier surveys were either inexpert or selective of the amount of lane surveyed. Those made public can be perused here.