John Eastment still owned the land at Wyrallah
at the time of his death in 1926 The land is described by the Land
Titles Office of New South Wales as Portions XVI and XVII in the County
of Rous and Parish of South Gundurimba, comprising one hundred and thirty
seven acres. By 1884 John had paid the complete purchase price of
137 pounds and met all other conditions of the original Crown Grant and
received a clear freehold Certificate of Title to the land. The land
was mortgaged to the Bank of New South Wales in 1887 and the mortgage was
discharged in 1891. In 1925 the land was leased to James Quillian
Kernaugh of Wollongbar, Farmer.
With the acquisition of farming land on the Richmond River at Wyrallah, John and Salome's life became more settled, although John did re-enter the carrying trade for a short time from about 1872. The land at Wyrallah was virgin land and considerable effort from the entire family went into clearing the land and developing it as a viable farm. In the early days, the main crop was maize, but in later years he took up sugar growing, and even later, dairying. John was well known as a breeder of draught horses, and for many years was a successful exhibitor at local agricultural shows, being rarely beaten in draught horse classes. The district grew to be one of great prosperity, and John was one of the leaders of the community. Salome's parents also selected land at nearby South Gundurimba and lived and farmed there until their deaths.
The Eastment family also grew during these years, Ann, Edward and John being joined by Charles Richard (1867), Mary Jane (1870), Henry Thomas (1872), Florence Emily (1876), Alice Salome Letitia (1878), Alfred Ernest (1881) and Maude Cedelia (1888). An unnamed daughter was born and died in 1884, and there were also two stillborn sons.
On 25 November, 1874 John purchased a parcel of land at the corner of Hoof and Bruce Streets, Grafton. On the Transfer document he was described as "John Eastment, of the City of Grafton, Carrier". This land was sold on 25 February, 1875.
John's signature, 25 November, 1874
Then, on 30 December, 1884, he purchased a block of land in Dawson Street, Lismore, for the sum of 200. This land was held in its entirety until 1911 when a part of the land was sold to his son-in-law, Alfred Edward Latter.
During these years, Salome developed her talents
as a nurse and midwife, in addition to raising her own large family.
Many babies in the Wyrallah, South Gundurimba and Tucki Tucki districts
were delivered by Salome, without the assistance of a doctor, and the Eastment
home also served as the district's hospital, to enable Salome to more closely
care for the sick and injured in the community. For so many of her
own children to survive to adulthood, at that time and in such a remote
locality, is a testament both to Salome's skills and to the hardiness of
the family.
John was involved, with many others in the community,
in the establishment of the Methodist Church at Wyrallah in 1885
The Eastment sons appeared to inherit their father's
itchy feet. They eventually settled and raised their families in
places far removed from Wyrallah, John in Charleville, Queensland; Edward
in Ipswich, Queensland; Charles in Byron Bay, NSW; Henry in Warwick, Queensland;
and Alfred in Port Douglas, Queensland.
By approximately 1908, at the age of 70, John was ready for retirement and the next stage of his life.
Wyrallah Village (1979)
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