Ezra and Mary Barham Westneat (Continued)

In Plymouth, the sailing Vessel "James T. Foord" had been contracted to transport immigrants to Australia. It is most likely that at some point in the middle of July 1849, that Ezra, a vigorous man of 37 and his little family walked up the gangplank.  

We will never know what fear and apprehension they felt. They were aware, however that this ship was scheduled to carry 300 people on a 3-4 month voyage through the rough winter seas of the southern Hemisphere. There was to be only one stop along the way in Cape Town, South Africa. Perhaps it was just as well they could not see what lay ahead. As the ship made preparations to sail, a young 4 year old girl on board became sick with the dreaded cholera and died. Her body was removed from the ship and buried on shore. With that as the parting gesture, the James T. Foord, under the command of Master Charles Elliot, weighed anchor and on July 17 headed into the English Channel for the long trip to Australia.

The very next day, July 18, 1849, one of the twins, Elizabeth died of cholera and was immediately buried at sea.  Hardly a day passed that some passenger was not stricken and buried at sea. On July 20th, 4 more passengers died of cholera, another 5 on on July 25th. By August 1, the last cholera death occurred. A total of 10 adults and 12 children had been lost.  The James T. Foord continued to push its way southward through the Atlantic as Ezra and Mary mourned their loss with others on board.

Death, however, remained a passenger on this ship. The report that was filed at the conclusion of the journey lists diseases with names not common today, Atrophy and Misenteria were two. It is Misenteria that on September 22, 1849 struck down the second twin, John Westneat, forcing Ezra and Mary to bury their second child at sea.  Two days later, September 24, 1849, William Sheridan Westneat was born.  It would be another 6 weeks before the James T. Foord would reach its destination.

On November 7, 1849, the James T. Foord dropped anchor in the harbor of Port Phillip Bay, within sight of the city of Melbourne.  During the 112 day voyage, 34 people had died -- 13 adults and 21 children. Also during the trip, 8 babies were born.  Yet their journey was not yet quite over. Because of the cholera epidemic as well as other diseases, the passengers were required to remain on board under quarantine until the Board of Health could certify there was no health hazard. Finally, on November 14, 1849, with 7 week old William in their arms, Ezra and Mary stepped onto this foreign land  -- strangers in a strange land.

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