28/04/2026
STORY 30 ASENATH ELLIOTT
When the Ulverstone State School opened in 1870 the very first pupil listed on the attendance ledger was Asenath Elliott, aged 15. Her previous education was listed as “private” which may have meant home schooling or private tutoring in the town. Asenath only received 10 months of schooling before being “required at home” in May 1871. This was the usual fate of teenage girls who were needed by their mothers to help with the general household work.
Asenath was born in 1855 to James and Eliza Elliott (nee Taylor). She was named after her paternal grandmother. Asenath became a dressmaker and, in 1879, she married bootmaker Robert Hawkins. This marriage produced three sons but was not a happy marriage as Robert deserted his family and left for the mainland.
To support herself Asenath took on dressmaking work. Her life tragically came to an end in September 1888 as the result of a storm which the North West Post described:
STRUCK DEAD BY LIGHTNING, ULVERSTONE
"During the thunderstorm that occurred here last night, Mrs. Hawkins, daughter of Mr. J. Elliott, one of the oldest settlers at the Leven, was struck dead by lightning. The fatal event must have been almost instantaneous, as the deceased had been seen by her father a short time before. Feeling uneasy about his daughter he again visited her house about 10:30 p.m., when he discovered her prostrate with life extinct. The supposition is that deceased had just left her sewing-machine to look after her children and was in the act of returning when she received the electric shock, as a candlestick was lying beside her. Part of the chimney was dislodged and a hole made through the roof. The deceased was very industrious and supported herself and three small children by the use of her needle, having been deserted by her husband for some years. A widespread commiseration is felt for the family."
The Ulverstone community rallied around the three children who were aged between 2 and 8 years old.
A relief fund was set up and a charity football match was held:
"A successful attempt to relieve the Hawkins family, who lately were bereaved of their maternal parent by the thunderstorm catastrophe, was made on Saturday, by holding a fancy-dress football match on the recreation ground, when a charge was made of a silver coin, the size thereof to be regulated by the dimension of the donor's own development. This arrangement proved quite satisfactory, as a considerable sum was realised which, added to amounts collected, brought the aggregate to nearly ÂŁ25. This will be a timely help, as the children are supported by their grandparents, who have barely enough for themselves, the father having heartlessly deserted his children. Of the football match itself I have nothing to say, as I am, not conversant with the science of 'shin kicking,' but I suppose it was conducted on the usual lines and with the usual amount of interest".
By the end of November over 57 pounds had been raised and the committee which collected the funds set up quarterly instalments to be paid to the grandparents who now had care of the children.
A large number of people attended her funeral. She is buried in section 5 of the cemetery and, not surprisingly given her family’s lack of money, her grave is unmarked.
The house where Asenath lived is now where Hive Tasmania now stands in Ulverstone. It has been suggested that she haunts the site as the lights dim and surge at different times.
References: Trove for various newspaper articles; Ancestry for the photograph of Asenath; Hive Tasmania for school register page.
