Table of Contents

Introduction Descendants of William SUTER of Portsea (1783-1827) The Suters of Portsea Flight from Poverty Meanwhile, in England To the Gold Diggings The Letters from Australia First letter - 20th July 1853 Second letter - 26th January 1867 Third letter - 26th September 1867 Fourth letter - 10th September 1868 Fifth letter - 18th June 1869 Sixth letter - 27th January 1875 Seventh letter - 27th December 1875 Australian Postscript Full Circle Appendix I: James Read Appendix II: Ellen's children Appendix III: Calendar of Events Acknowledgements

About the Author

Joyce Stevens, nee Suter, was born in Headley in 1914. Educated at the Holme School in Headley and then Eggars Grammar School, Alton, she went on to teach in Alton and Wrecclesham. She met her husband-to-be in Headley-he was a young teacher at the Holme School-but by the time they married in 1942 he had joined the Royal Air Force. Sadly, he was killed eight months later. With altered circumstances, she completed her degree, became Head of the English Department in a local Comprehensive School, and made teaching her life career. She lives in the same house in Headley in which she was born. As the only child of Percy and Nell, this branch of the family name will die out, so she renamed the house Suters in 1971.

Reviews

The Hampshire Family Historian, Magazine of the Hampshire Genealogical Society, February 2002 SUTER FAMILY LETTERS Hampshire women were made of strong stuff as another book available through John Owen Smith shows. A PARCEL OF GOLD FOR EDITH is the result of a 30-year search by Joyce Stevens following the discovery in a bureau of letters from Australia written 1853 to 1875. They were from her great-great-aunt Ellen READ (1822-1882) to her brother William SUTER, a Headley papermaker. The family background scene is set first with their parents William and Frances (nee CHIVERTON) Suter before Ellen, their fourth child, left the poverty of Portsea in 1841 to become one of Australia's Pioneer Women, spending most of her life in the gold fields of Bendigo. The Edith SUTER (1859-1939) referred to in the title is pictured on the front cover of this book which has information on other SUTER/SOUTER/SOWTER of Portsea descendants. Priced at GBP4.95 this interesting account of real Victorians (not just of the time, but the place) and the hardships or joys in their everyday life will appeal to all who wish they had letters describing family and other matters with such detail, back and forth. Ellen "had twins 3 times running". She refers to her daughter: "Our pet Rosa, four years old and the last of six. All has died but her; although every care and attention was given them, they all went. This is a dreadful country for children". She wrote that only five children were left of the 14 she bore. Her perseverance comes through her letters - at one time she wrote 15 home in a year and all went unanswered, but many have survived to be printed. We owe this remarkable woman the courtesy of reading them. ---------- From some individual readers: I began reading it in bed and didn't turn out the light until I had finished it. There is a rare quality to her writing. Somehow the author manages to combine economy of word and phrase with a gentle, sensitive style and a deep care for her relative, dead now, but still so close to her, as, indeed, are all other members of the family who feature in her remarkable story. I should say "their remarkable story", of course, because clearly the lady in Australia was a very special person, too. We are all so fortunate that she never gave up writing, even when replies were scarce. She gave the heart of the book to the author, who has given it to all of us. There must be so many similar stories hidden now and likely to remain hidden. ---------- A fascinating read! ---------- How I wish we had a relative clever enough and tenacious enough to give me a similar view into my family's past. I didn't want the book to finish; there was so much more I'd have liked to know. What a hard life they had, and what an intelligent woman Ellen was to be able to express herself so fluently after such a basic education.