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KNIGHT, Charles – emigrated 1865

Charles Knight (1840-?) emigrated to Australia in 1865.

Charles was born at Badsey on 7th August 1840, the second of ten children of Charles and Ann Knight.   Charles was working as a plough boy at the time of the 1851 census, still living with his parents on Old Post Office Lane, Badsey.  By 1861, Charles was no longer living in Badsey, whereabouts unknown.

In 1865, Charles emigrated to Brisbane, on the Samarang.  He left Glasgow on 24th July and arrived in Brisbane on 15th November.  He worked on the railway line (possibly as a miner as there were tunnels to be built) from Brisbane to Toowoomba, 161 km away, which was opened in a series of sections between 1865 and 1867.

In Toowoomba, Charles married Emma Turner.  He then went to work on the ZigZag rail line at Lithgow, New South Wales, which opened in 1869 west of Sydney; it built to overcome an otherwise insurmountable climb up the western side of the Blue Mountains.  Twin sons were born at Clarence on the Lithgow line.

Charles and Emma ended their days at Lithgow, New South Wales.

We are grateful to Charles Knight’s great-grandson, Henry Knight, for supplying information on Charles’ life in Australia.