Bridget McGuire

Bridget McGuire married William Foster Sergeant at St Mary's Catholic Church in Geelong in 1858. The marriage certificate could interpret the surname as McGune, but it is given as McGuire on her husband's death certificate and her daughter Catherine's marriage and death certificates. Her marriage certificate also gave her parents names as Anthony McGuire and Ann O'Brien and that she was born in County Clare, Ireland about 1833. She did not sign her name.
It is probable that she arrived in Victoria on James Brown which sailed from Liverpool in September 1852, arriving in Geelong in January 1853. She was engaged to work for Mr Ryan of Mooroobool Street for £20 for 3 months with rations.
Three daughters and a son were born at The Leigh (Shelford) then they moved to Rokewood where three more sons were born, but the eldest son and a daughter died aged 9 and 6 years old. They were farming there when their eldest daughter, Catherine, married in Melbourne in 1881. In 1889, their daughter Alice married at Shelford, but she also lived in Melbourne.
Bridget Mary Sergeant died at the Alfred Hospital in Prahran in 1894 aged 59 and was buried at St Kilda cemetery.

William Foster Sergeant 1826

William Foster Sergeant was born in Lincolnshire in 1826. His father, also William Foster Sergeant, emigrated with his wife and 7 children to Adelaide in 1838, where he established a successful farm on the Sturt river at Marion. The gold rush in Victoria may have attracted young William as he married Bridget McGuire at Geelong in 1858 when he was 33. Their first four children were born at The Leigh (Shelford), then three sons were born at Rokewood from 1868-1873. Two children died around that time. William was a farmer at Rokewood when his eldest daughter Catherine married in 1881. In 1889 his remaining daughter married at Shelford. Both daughters lived in Melbourne and his wife died in Prahran in 1894. William was living with his daughter Alice when he died in 1902 and was buried at St Kilda cemetery. His occupation was given as an old age pensioner and labourer.