Life Story

​

Janet Bailey, also known as Jessie, was born around 1822 in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland, to James Plewright and Jane Hind. Her early years were shaped by modest circumstances, and as a young woman she worked as a servant for the family of John Garven, a quarry manager. Life was steady but demanding.

 

In 1855, carrying with her hope for a better future, she boarded the Admiral Boxer in Liverpool, bound for South Australia. The following year, on 24 June 1856, she married Thomas Hooper Bailey in Thebarton, Adelaide.

 

Four years later, while living in Carngham, Victoria, Janet gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl—a joyful milestone in her journey. Sadly, her baby son lived only eleven days and was buried in the Carngham Cemetery. These were the only children Janet and Thomas would have.

 

Janet witnessed the marriage of her surviving child, Elizabeth, to William Sharp at St John’s Church, Colac in 1879, and most likely the baptism of three of her grandchildren there as well.

 

At the age of sixty-four, Janet died at her home in Elliminyt on the last Sunday of March, 1886, reportedly “death came as a relief” after “a long and painful illness”. Five years later Thomas remarried, yet on his death in 1920 he was buried beside Janet, reunited with her here in Colac Cemetery.

 

Research by Jill Judd and Raye Loughnan

Story by Lexie Picken

Narrated by Deb Baillie
 
© 2026 Colac & District Family History Group Inc. 
All rights reserved. 

​

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. 

 

For more information, please contact the Colac & District Family History Group Inc.