James Le Boeuf
James Le Boeuf
The South Australia Register which announced James Le Boeuf's arrival in Australia in 1854
This biography of James Le Boeuf appeared in a family history blog by Miles Meyer in 2014.
James Le Bouef was born around 1825 to Philippe Le Boeuf (1790-1835) and Jeanne Ann Le Geyt (1790-1840). He was baptised on 21 August 1825 and was the 11th of 15 children. His siblings were Jane (1812- ), Eliza (1813- ), Philippe (1814- ), George (1815- ), Jean (1816-1904), Elias (1818-1890), Elizabeth (1819- ), Anne (1821- ), Charles (1822- ), Louisa (1823- ), Susanna (1827- ), Mary Ann (1829-1904), William (1830- ), and Frederick (1832- ). His family lived in St Helier.
James grew up in an area known for its mariners and many members of his family took to the sea at an early age. In 1851, James, his sister Mary Ann, and brother Frederick, were living in the home of George Vickery. George Vickery had married Louisa Le Boeuf, James' sister, a couple of years earlier. James (25) and Frederick (19) are listed as seamen in this census.
Hindostan
An article in The South Australia Register on 25 May 1854 announced the arrival of the Hindostan with J Le Boeuf as captain. James was 28 in 1854, which seems a little young to be a captain of a transoceanic voyage. These voyages lasted months. The ship left London on 2 February 1854 and arrive in Port Adelaide on 23 May 1854. According to newspaper records, the Hindostan was still in port through at least 12 July 1854. She was a 708-ton, 65-meter long, three-masted ship, built in 1840 at Greencock, England and was owned by Hammond and registered at London. The ship made several voyages between England and Australia carrying immigrants.
James married Mary Ann Vickery (1826-1904) around 1855. The Vickery and Le Boeuf families were very close. James and Mary Ann's first child, James Vickery Le Boeuf was born in St Helier on 1 March 1856.
The ship was refitted in 1856 with felt and yellow-metal on the hull to add strength and stop marine organisms from growing on or burrowing into the wood. On 27 October 1856 she left Southampton bound for Sydney, carrying 278 passengers - 109 male adults, 106 female adults, 25 male children and 37 female children. There were 52 married couples and 16 infants on board. Two male children died during the voyage.
They arrived in Sydney 109 days later on 12 February 1857. Tickets for the voyage were £13 17s per adult. At least one child was born during the voyage. One of the crew members was Alfred Vickery (age 21). Alfred is listed as a second mate and is the younger brother of James' wife Mary Ann.
The Empire, of Sydney, on 14 February 1857, reported the following letter from the passengers:
To Captain Le Boeuf Sir
- "At the termination of our anxious and prosperous voyage, we, the emigrants on board the ship Hindostan, desire to convey to you our best thanks for your courteous and gentlemanly demeanour towards us, and further to express to you the satisfaction we have enjoyed and the pleasure we still feel in having made the voyage with so skillful a commander; and, Sir, in separating from each other, you have all our best wishes for your prosperity and happiness and that of your family.
Believe us to be, Sir, your grateful and obedient servants, Thomas J Douglas R Haswell Joseph Newman John Badcock. [On behalf of the emigrants at large] Sydney Harbour, Friday morning, 13 February 1857.
Trouble in port
Even though the voyage seems to have been enjoyable for many of the passengers, the time in port and the voyage home seems to have been a little more eventful. On 25 February 1857, twelve of the crew from the Hindostan were convicted of continued disobedience and sentenced to six weeks in prison. On 3 March 1857, James Muric, a baker on the ship, sued James for wages in the amount of £8 11s but failed to convince the court and the case was dismissed. On 22 March 1857, the Hindostan left Australia for Batavia (Jakarta, Indonesia) with one passenger, Mrs LeBouef, and presumably 12 fewer crew members. Mrs LeBoeuf was over eight months pregnant at the time and gave birth to their second child, Jessie Clara Le Boeuf, two weeks later off the coast of Australia on 4 April 1857. Jessie Clara is listed as having been born at sea, Latitude 38S, Longitude 142E. The ship arrived at Calcutta on 23 April 1857.
James Le Boeuf returned to Australia again in February 1858 with more immigrants. This time he made port in Hobson's Bay. The 1 March 1858 edition of the Melbourne Argus had a small post in it that read "Should this meet the eye of John or Elias Le Boeuf they will find their brother on board the Hindostan, Hobson's Bay."
This voyage was also eventful, at least his time in port was eventful. James was arrested on immigration charges. He was caught bringing in Chinese passengers beyond the number allowed to the tonnage of his vessel. It appears that he made a stop in Hong Kong on the way and picked up at least 84 additional passengers. He claimed ignorance of the law and was fined £2 per passenger in excess for a total fine of £168. He departed from Australia on 26 March 1858 on the way to Christmas Island.
James and Mary Ann had their third child, Horace Frederick LeBoeuf, on 23 July 1860. He was born in St Helier. According to the 1861 census the family was living at 2 Fair View Place, Gorey. The family consisted of James (35), his wife Mary Ann (34), their children James (5), Jessie Clara (4), and Horace (8 months). In addition to the family, the following people were in the house: Louisa Laurens (16), Margaret Walsh (17), Clara Vickery - sister of Mary Ann (15), and John Tepier (32).
The Hindostan was wrecked during a cyclone at Calcutta in 1864. In 1869 she was rebuilt, but was later lost in another cyclone in 1879 near Bombay.
Life ashore
The 1871 Jersey census lists James Le Boeuf (45) as a farmer. He and his family were living at Anneville Farm, St Martin. The family consisted of his wife Mary Ann (44), their children James (15), Jessie (13), and Horace (10). All of the children were attending school. Additionally, their niece Amelia Peter 13) and farmhand, John Bedel (33), were living in the home.
The stationary life of a farmer may not have been for James since he returned to the sea for at least one more voyage. This final voyage did not end as expected. James departed England with his entire family on board. The name of the vessel is not known, but it was apparently wrecked, and James and the family never returned to their home in the Channel Islands.
The entire family survived the accident and made it to land in Florida. They decided that this would be where they spend the rest of their lives, and settled there. On 5 October 1883, James died of typhoid fever at the age of 58 in Fernandina Beach, Nassau County, Florida. His wife Mary Ann Vickery Le Bouef died on 18 January 1904.
Family tree
