Recent research has led to the discovery of Henry Early Hale in South Australia. After William Hale and family left Blackheath Hill, Kent, in the late 1830s, their whereabouts is unknown until 1855, when William and Alice emigrated to Portland, Victoria, Australia. Working backwards from records in South Australia and Victoria it has been discovered that Henry Early Hale, the eldest son of William Hale and Alice (Early), married in the registration district of Lambeth, Surrey, on 13 February 1853. The abode for Henry Hale and his bride Susan Mills is given as Agnes street, St. John, Waterloo. It is possible that father William and family were living in the district as well.

Earlier Trade and Post Office directories record the name Hale in the Lambeth region of Surrey and in central London. The 1839 Pigot & Co. Directory of London records a William Hale as a Furniture Broker at 29 Tower Street, Seven Dials. This is quite close to Long Acre where Alice's family had their Funeral Coach business. It is possible that William had decided to concentrate his trade and business skills solely in the furniture trade, and had left Blackheath Hill to establish a business in London.

The 1846 Post Office Directory of London records a Henry Hale as running a Furniture Warehouse at 79 Westminster Bridge Road. This address is in Lambeth, and gives rise to speculation that William and Alice had moved the business from Central London, and then handed it over to their eldest son Henry Early. However, the Hale name was quite common in the Lambeth area, and further research is necessary to substantiate or discount these theories.

Henry and Susan emigrated to Victoria, Australia, in January of 1855 on board the 1177 ton ship Epaminondas. The Epaminondas sailed from Plymouth on 31 January 1855 carrying government immigrants and four cabin passengers. She arrived at Geelong, Victoria, on 1 June. Henry and Susan are recorded incorrectly in the passenger list as Henry and Susan Hall. However, all other information about them appears to be correct. The passenger list records:

The Disposal List records that they left ship on their own account without having secured prior employment. They gave their address as Chilwell (Geelong). It is interesting to note that at the time of their emigration they were again living in Kent.

We next find Henry and Susan in Sydney in 1858. Their first child, Henry, was born in Waverley, Sydney, on 2 June 1858. The informant recorded on the birth certificate was Sarah Gee, Aunt, of Waverley. By 1860 Henry and Susan were living in Mount Gambier, South Australia. The 1869 Boothby Directory of South Australia records Henry Hale as a Carpenter in Mount Gambier. Seven children were born to them in Mount Gambier over a twelve year period.

Susan died in Catherine Street, Richmond, Victoria, on 4 August 1876. Her death certificate records that she had lived 18 years in South Australia and 4 years in Victoria. The family had therefore moved from Mount Gambier around 1872. It was from this record that we ascertained that Henry and Susan had arrived in Australia circa 1854.

Victorian Directories from 1875 and 1882 record a Henry Hale living in Swan Street, Richmond. The 1890 Directory of Melbourne records Henry Hale at number 23 Swan Street, Richmond. By the year 1900 there is no record of a Henry Hale, so he has either moved away (perhaps living with one of his children) or has died by this time.

Research into the life of Henry Early Hale has only just commenced, and apart from the dates included here nothing more is known. This page will be updated as research into the life of Henry Early Hale continues.