Thomas, son of James and Elizabeth (née Pierce) Coldwell was born in 1812 in Tyrone County, Northern Ireland. He married Isabella Taylor, daughter of William Taylor on 25 February 1834 in County Monaghan in Ireland. The couple arrived at Hobsons Bay aboard the Eurynome on 31 December 1863 with their children Thomas, John, Hamilton and Eliza. Their eldest son, William, sailed aboard Great Victoria on 12 October 1863 arriving before them at Hobsons Bay on 26 November. William went ahead to the Geelong area to find work and lodgings for the family and to find his uncle Joseph, discovering that Joseph was in gaol. Thomas and Isabella had six children: William — born in 1836, married Mary Murray in 1866 in Australia, died on 13 July 1919 aged 83 years at Colac, buried in the Church of England section of the Mount Moriac Cemetery James — twin of William was born in 1836 in Tyrone, Ireland, married Mary Murray's sister, Ann in March 1861 in Fermaraugh Northern Ireland, arrived in the colony at Hobsons Bay on 2 December 1865 on the clipper ship Donald McKay. with Ann and their two children, Annabella and Thomas, died of gastroenteritis on 9 April 1900 aged 63 years at Shepparton, buried in the Church of England section of the Shepparton Cemetery Elizabeth "Eliza" — born in 1838, died of dysentery on 13 January 1866 aged 19 years Thomas — born in 1840 in Tyrone Ireland, married Mary Wilson in 1866, died on October 1867 aged 27 years at Mount Moriac, buried in the Methodist section of the Mount Moriac Cemetery John — born in 1845 in Tyrone Ireland, married Elizabeth Ann Argus on 2 April 1872 at Mount Moriac, died on 26 October 1926 at Shepparton, buried at Shepparton Cemetery Hamilton — born in 1854 in Tyrone Ireland, married Louisa Maria Roscoe, died in 1939 aged 85 years at Caulfield The family settled at Paraparap. In 1870, when William and James were 22 years of age, they travelled to Bendigo with their brothers John (26) and Hamilton (16). The brothers wanted to see land around Tallygaroopna which was about to be opened up for selection. By 1874 James, John, Thomas and Hamilton each owned 40 acres at Shepparton. On 25 October 1867 Thomas died from injuries sustained when the limb of a tree fell on his head, falling from a tree which he was helping to fell. On 29 January 1874 at the age of 61 years Isabella died of heart disease at Paraparap and was buried in an unknown location of the Mount Moriac Cemetery. On 5 October 1874 Thomas married Sabina (née Wickett), widow of William Gliddon, in a Wesleyan service at the home of Sabina's son-in-law Thomas Job, at Freshwater Creek. Thomas died on 31 October 1896 at Belmont and was buried in the Methodist section of the Mount Moriac Cemetery. Sabina died in 1907 aged 81 years and was buried on 2 September 1907 in the Methodist section of the Geelong Eastern Cemetery. |
James was said to have founded the township of Tallygaroopna, a name with the meaning of "two blackfellows quarrelling". In the 1880s, as a tribute to him, there was a proposal to name the town Coldwellton. The thoughts of selecting land at Tallygaroopna came from meeting Sherbourne Sheppard, the man after whom Shepparton was named. At the time Sheppard was working in his father-in-law's firm, JB Were.