Chapter 3: Thomas Marslin (1819-1885) and Catherine Cook (1827–1857)

Thomas Mazlin: A Currency Lad

Thomas Marslin, born in 1819, was the son of Hannah Brown and Thomas Marslin. He was a "currency lad," an Australian-born child of convicts. Thomas's father was transported to Australia in 1817, while his mother, Hannah Brown, arrived in 1814.

Thomas’s early childhood was likely marked by significant instability. Although Thomas and Hannah never married, they shared responsibility for raising their son during different periods of his childhood. Both parents were convicted of secondary crimes: Thomas was sent to Port Macquarie in 1824 to serve a three-year sentence, and Hannah was incarcerated at the Parramatta Female Factory in 1828. During Hannah’s confinement, the nine-year-old Thomas was likely cared for by family friends or acquaintances. After Hannah married Isaac Gadman later that year, Thomas joined the Gadman household. Tragically, Hannah passed away in 1835 when Thomas was just 16 years old.

Despite these early challenges, Thomas Mazlin found stability in the Lane Cove locality near Sydney. The mid-19th century was a time of rapid economic expansion for Sydney as the colony moved beyond its reliance on agriculture and convict labour. Amidst this environment, the timber industry became crucial to Sydney's development. The surrounding forests of New South Wales provided a rich source of timber essential for building homes, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.

Thomas found work in the timber industry as a sawyer—a skilled worker responsible for cutting timber into planks, beams, or other usable pieces, often using large saws or sawmills. This profession not only allowed him to support himself but also positioned him as a key contributor to the expanding infrastructure of the growing colony.

Thomas and Catherine Mazlin: A Life Together

Thomas and Catherine Mazlin’s married life centred on providing for their growing family and developing their business within the growing timber industry of mid-19th century New South Wales. After their marriage in 1842, the young couple settled into the rugged life of timber-getters. As they raised their eight children—Catherine (born 1843), Sarah (born 1844), Thomas (born 1846), James (born 1849), Martha (born 1850), Mary Jane (born 1852), John (born 1854), and William (born 1856)—tragedy struck frequently. Two of their children, Martha and Mary Jane, died in infancy. These losses, coupled with the harsh conditions of life in the bush, must have weighed heavily on Catherine, who was responsible for managing the household and caring for the children.

Pioneer women in 19th-century Australia, like Catherine Mazlin, played a crucial yet often overlooked role in the colony's development. Living in isolated and challenging environments, these women were tasked not only with raising large families but also with managing households under harsh conditions, often far from medical care and community support. For women in remote bush camps, daily life was a test of endurance, and childbirth posed serious risks. Without access to modern medical facilities, they relied on local midwives and each other for assistance during labour,

By 1856, Catherine had become gravely ill. The isolation of the timber camps meant that medical care was scarce, and despite their growing business, the Marslins were not immune to the realities of pioneer life. Catherine’s illness, identified as lung inflammation, likely stemmed from the constant exposure to the elements and the physically demanding work she carried out in running the household. Despite any efforts to save her, Catherine succumbed to her illness in 1856 at the young age of 29, just months after giving birth to their youngest child, William. At the time of her death, Thomas was 37 years old, still in the prime of his working life, but left to care for their surviving six children.

Following Catherine’s death, the surviving children—Catherine, Sarah, Thomas, James, John, and William—were largely left in the care of their grandmother, Catherine Cook. It was common in this period for family members to step in to help raise children after the death of a parent, particularly in rural and isolated areas. Thomas, the eldest surviving son, likely stayed with his father, learning the timber trade and helping with the family business. He was ten at the time of his mother’s death. The other children, still very young at the time, were nurtured by their grandmother, ensuring their upbringing despite the loss of their mother. Catherine’s passing marked a turning point for the family, but the business that Thomas had built continued to sustain them, thanks to his determination and the support of their extended family.

Michael, Sarah and Catherine Cook

In all likelihood, he was employed by Michael Cook, an emancipated convict who played a significant role in the early development of the timber industry in the Lane Cove area of New South Wales. Michael Cook’s wife was Sarah Clarkson, the daughter of Thomas Clarkson and Catherine Rayson. Sarah was born in Kingsbury, North Warwickshire, England in 1804. She emigrated to Australia with her family in 1806 after her father was transported as a convict. After settling in the colony, Sarah married Michael Cook on August 9, 1824, shortly after her father’s death, and together they built a family and a prosperous and reputable timber business.

Sarah Clarkson Cook faced significant tragedy in the early years of her marriage to Michael Cook. Her first children, twins Martha and Charlotte, were born in 1822 but died shortly after birth. The loss of the twins was compounded by the death of another child soon after, leaving Sarah to cope with the heartbreak of losing three children in quick succession before Catherine was born in 1827.

These early losses likely shaped Sarah’s approach to family life and could have influenced her empathy and care toward others. In addition, Sarah and Michael were of the Wesleyan faith, a branch of Methodism that emphasized care, empathy, and social responsibility towards others. It focused on living a life of compassion, charity, and service, particularly towards the poor and marginalized. Wesleyans were known for their strong sense of community and mutual support, encouraging believers to help those in need, whether through direct aid or fostering spiritual and emotional support. This emphasis on care for others could have influenced the Cook family’s approach to people like Thomas Marslin, who they incorporated into their family. After experiencing so much loss in her own family, it is easy to see how Sarah would have taken the orphan Thomas Marslin under her wing. The stage was set for Thomas and Catherine’s marriage in 1842. Thomas was 21, and Catherine was just shy of 15.

The Dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People

During the early to mid-19th century, interactions between European settlers and Aboriginal peoples were often marked by tension, conflict, and misunderstanding. As settlers expanded into new territories, including areas like Pennant Hills and Lane Cove where Thomas and Catherine Mazlin lived, they increasingly came into contact with Aboriginal communities. European settlers’ arrival disrupted traditional land use, hunting practices, and the cultural fabric of Indigenous life. The settlers tended to view the land as an untapped resource, disregarding its significance to local Aboriginal groups, which led to frequent clashes. By 1850, Aboriginal dispossession in the Sydney area and its immediate regions was largely complete, although the process of displacement and marginalization continued in other parts of New South Wales.

The timber industry, in which Thomas Mazlin worked, was one such sector that contributed to this disruption. Clearing forests for timber and expanding settlements displaced Aboriginal communities from their ancestral lands, often resulting in violent confrontations. Settlers and timber workers needed access to large tracts of land, and many Aboriginal people were forcibly removed or faced conflict as their land was appropriated. While much of the prime land in the Sydney Basin had been taken over by settlers by the mid-19th century, some Aboriginal communities remained, though largely marginalized. These communities were pushed to the fringes of society, often forced to live in remote areas. Even though some Aboriginal groups adapted to the changing landscape by working for settlers as guides, stockmen, or labourers, such cooperation was generally on unequal terms, with Indigenous people facing significant exploitation.

Given the widespread dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by the mid-19th century, the Mazlin family, including Thomas and Catherine, were likely aware of these developments, especially in areas like Lane Cove. As members of the Wesleyan faith, which emphasized compassion and social justice, they may have felt a moral duty to empathize with Aboriginal communities. However, the prevailing colonial attitudes of entitlement to land and resources likely influenced their views. Focused on survival and economic success in a developing colony, the Mazlins may have accepted or justified the dispossession as part of colonial expansion. While their faith may have led them to question the injustices they witnessed, their own hardships may have shaped a more conflicted stance—a struggle that continues for many Australians today.