Elizabeth Oliver
Biography
Role: Wife of Robert Telfer (1803–1878)
Born: ~1807 — likely Roxburghshire, Scotland
Died: 1846 (aged ~39) — Newcastleton, Scottish Borders, Scotland
Family
| Relation | Name |
|---|---|
| Spouse | Robert Telfer (1803–1878) (marriage date unknown — the "~1832" formerly shown here was not from any register) |
| Daughter | Elizabeth Telfer (~1834–?) |
| Son | James Telfer (b. ~1836) |
| Daughter | Jean Telfer (1840–1892) |
| Son | John Telfer (b. ~1839) |
Family Stories
A Quiet Life in Liddesdale
Elizabeth "Betty" Oliver was born around 1807 and married Robert Telfer, one of the younger brothers of Francis Telfer who would later emigrate to South Australia. Unlike Francis, Robert and Elizabeth stayed in Scotland, living in Newcastleton in the Liddesdale valley where the Telfers had been for generations.
The 1841 Census Snapshot
The 1841 Census gives us a rare clear window into Elizabeth's life.
What the census actually records (1841 census, Roxburghshire, District and Civil Parish Castleton, piece 784, enumeration district 13, page 2, street "Village"):
| Name | Sex | Age | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telfer, Robert | M | 36 | Clogger |
| Telfer, Betty | F | 34 | — |
| Telfer, Elizabeth | F | 7 | — |
| Telfer, James | M | 5 | — |
| Telfer, Jean | F | 3 | — |
| Telfer, John | M | 2 | — |
| Oliver, Agnes | F | 22 | Female Servant |
Note on the household: From the Borders to the Bush (p.18) describes this entry as including "James aged 75, and Betty Hutton 65 of Newcastleton," and reads the household as a multi-generational home in which Elizabeth helped care for her aging in-laws. The census transcription does not support that. James Telfer (75) and Betty (65) are recorded in a separate household in the same village — they are Robert's parents, living independently, not under Robert's roof. The book appears to have merged adjacent households. The caregiving reading is therefore a lead, not a fact.
A Short Life
Elizabeth died in 1846 at around 39 years old, leaving Robert a widower with four children to raise — the oldest just twelve. She never lived to see the next chapter of the Telfer story, when some of the next generation would follow Uncle Francis to Australia. Her children — Elizabeth, James, Jean, and John — carried on the family name in Scotland, and some of their descendants would later make the journey to the new world.
(From the Borders to the Bush, p.18)
Sources
- 1841 Census: Scotland Census, 1841 — Castleton, Roxburghshire, piece 784, enumeration district 13, page 2 (street "Village"). Household of Robert Telfer (36, Clogger): Betty Telfer (34), Elizabeth (7), James (5), Jean (3), John (2), and Agnes Oliver (22, Female Servant). Transcript read from FreeCEN, record for Robert Telfer (b. 1805, Castleton) —
- 1841 Census — Robert's parents' separate household: James Telfer (75, Woollen Hand Loom Weaver) and Betty (65) with William Telfer (25) recorded in their own dwelling, same parish.
- From the Borders to the Bush by Hope Simmons (1989), p.18 — book prose merges the two households; the census transcript does not support the merged reading.
- Castleton Parish Records, OPR 784/1 — baptism records for Telfer children
Tags
Spouse
- Robert Telfer (1803 – 1878)