Heroes and Rebels in the Family Tree—James John Dowsing, the unintentional emigrant.
The next time you take a trip to Tasmania, off the southernmost point of Australia, look to the city of Hobart. There is a prominent land feature on the Derwent River called Dowsing Point. The suburb takes its name from the geographical feature of the same name, which was originally recorded as Dowsing's Point. It was so named after one of our family ancestors, James Dowsing, farmer of Prince of Wales Bay. James Dowsing was one of the Collins Settlement which landed at Sorrento on Port Phillip, Victoria, on the Calcutta . The first contingent relocated to Hobart Town on the Lady Nelson and Ocean. Dowsing and T Gavin took up a year lease on property here. This is the story of hero and rebel, James John Dowsing and his unintentional, but consequential, emigration to Tasmania. James John Dowsing (1776-1839) was born on January 1, 1776 in Lowestoft, Suffolk, England to William Dowsing (1745-1796) and Sarah Sallowes (1742-1864). James was the youngest of five c...