ALMOST FORGOTTEN
A Virtual Memorial Experience
Isabella Gilholme
(1822-1899) CofE Sec 16 Grave 10
NAME
Isabella Gilholme
DATE OF BIRTH
1822
CATEGORY
Almost Forgotten
DATE OF DEATH
1899
CEMETERY
Colac Cemetery
Life Story
Widowed and responsible for two young sons, Isabella Gilholme chose to leave behind her life in Britain and begin again in colonial Victoria.
Born in 1822 at Doddington, Northumberland, Isabella was raised in the border country between England and Scotland. At nineteen she married Edward Gilholme and the couple welcomed their first son, John, in 1842. A second son, Edward, followed seven years later. Their family life was cut short when her husband died on Christmas Eve 1849, leaving Isabella to raise two young boys alone.
Around the middle of the nineteenth century, Isabella and her sons arrived in Victoria. Pioneer life appears to have suited the family. Both boys became skilled horsemen and worked as stockmen on the Birchs station at Lal Lal. Over the following decades Isabella lived in Clunes, Beech Forest and Barongarook, becoming part of the fabric of these developing rural communities.
Like many mothers, Isabella experienced both pride and worry. Her eldest son John occasionally found trouble, once falling foul of the law and later losing his home to fire. Yet she also witnessed her family flourish. Through John's marriage to Emily Gaudin, Isabella became grandmother to eight children who were mentioned in her death notice. Her younger son Edward never married, and Isabella shared his home until almost the time of her death.
When Isabella died in 1899, newspaper reports described her as a colonist of almost fifty years. Her funeral attracted a goodly number of district residents and numerous floral tributes, reflecting the family and community ties she had forged during half a century in Victoria.
Research by Raye Loughnan
Story by Lynne Johnston
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Life stories have been researched and compiled by the Colac & District Family History Group Inc. and its independent contributors. This material must not be copied or reproduced without permission. AI tools have been used to assist.
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© Colac & District Family History Group Inc 2026
This profile is a potted biography prepared from more extensive research undertaken by the Colac & District Family History Group (CDFHG). For additional information, historical records, or further research relating to this individual, please contact the CDFHG team.