Mortimer Nolan (aka Murph, Mortimore, Nolen, Nowlan, Nowland) was born in 1815 and came from Wicklow. Mortimer's father may have been John Nowlan, who leased a house at Downhill., county Wicklow. He would have been a labourer for the owner of the property or estate.
He married Susan Scarfe, born in Wicklow around 1819.
Mortimer and Susan Nolan applied for a free passage to South Australia, as Emigrant labourers.His occupation was sawyer, age 25 and her occupation was farm labourer, age 20. They were indentured to and nominated by George Hepenstall, the second son of the CoE Archbishop of Wicklow. Along with Hepenstall and friends Patrick and Sarah Butler (also from Wicklow), they sailed on the Prince Regent.They departed in June 1839 and arrived in late September.
Mortimer and Susan worked off their passage by helping to build a house and set up a farm for Hepenstall at Port Noarlunga. They were then entitled to buy land on their own account.
They arrived at Clare around 1843 after a stop in Adelaide. They became one of the founding families of the Irish community in the Clare district. Years of prosperity followed for the Nolans, however som property purchases were funded by debt. He leased the Clare Inn in 1849, which was not in good condition and Mortimer spent a large sum to bring it up to standard.and acquire a hotel licence. He was sued for bankruptcy by a liquor merchant, who also went bankrupt. He was taken to jail in Adelaide and it took several months for him to be released to prepare his defence. The proceedings went on for 12 months and his assets were sold, the last in 1862. The Clare Inn was sold 1851. It appears that he was eventually discharged from bankruptcy and went to the diggings in Victoria in an effort to restore his finances.
The last record of Mortimer was a hospitalisation In 1875, Adelaide. His address was given as the Seven Stars Hotel, Adelaide, age 61, time in colony 37yrs and occupation labourer. No record of his death or burial has been found. Susan outlived him and died at Wirrabara in 1886, where she must have been living with her daughter Annie and son-in-law Andrew Clarke.
They had six children - Annie and her twin Ellen (died), Rose (Rosanna), John, Mortimer, and Thomas.
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| Date of Birth | 1st Jan 1815 (circa) | |
