Emily Sophia Pickett
4 July 1857 — 19 December 1923
Emily Sophia Pickett (21‑1‑55)
Henry Tom Pickett (21‑2‑31)
Died 21 May 1927
Emily was born Emily Sophia Leader on the 4th of July 1857 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, where her father Richard Leader owned the Sun Inn. Emily was married to Henry Tom Pickett on the 12th of March 1878 at St Peters and St Pauls, Marlborough and left for Australia soon after. Henry must have been to Australia before as he is listed as hotelkeeper of the Steam Packet Hotel, Cairns in 1870. The account of the marriage in the Marlborough Times describes "Tom" as "being late of Leichhardt Hotel, Cairns."
Their first child, Emily Margaret, was born on the 8th of March 1879 at the Kelly Building in Elizabeth Street, Brisbane. Tom and Emily had five other children. Eleanor Sarah was born on the 26th of November 1880 at the Union Club in Charlotte Street. Another daughter, Evelyn Ann, was also born at the Union Club on the 20th of January 1882. Evelyn died on the 13th of April 1882 and is buried with her mother at Toowong. Emily Sophia went back to England about 1883 because her father died that year.
The next child, Dorothy Kemp Pickett, was born on the 12th of March 1897 at the Post Office Hotel. Frank Burgess Pickett was also born there on the 17th of November 1898. Henry Tom Pickett was proprietor of the Post Office Hotel, which was in Queen Street opposite Eagle Lane, from the 8th of September 1885 to 1900. They had water up to the ground-floor ceiling during the great 1893 flood. The hotel was in Queen Street, Brisbane opposite Eagle Lane. Tom moved to the Metropole Hotel, 78 Edward Street, as proprietor in 1901-1902. Marjorie Leader Pickett was born at Fairview Guesthouse in Sandgate on the 17th of May 1901. The family story goes that Emily Sophia Pickett travelled down to Sandgate every Friday and stayed the weekend. The 1903 Post Office Directory listed the family at Savernake, Kedron Park Road, Lutwyche. The house was so named because Tom Pickett was born near this area in Wiltshire.
Emily Sophia ran boarding houses in her later years. The first was the Strathmore on North Quay. Then, in 1915, she took over and refurbished the Fairview at Sandgate.
Emily Sophia died on the 19th of December 1923 at Kent Road, Wooloowin. Henry Tom was admitted to Dunwich Asylum in early November 1925 and died there on the 21st of May 1927, his body being taken by launch to Cleveland. He is buried at Toowong with his brother Frank.
Redael the name of the family home in Kent Road Wooloowin, is 'Leader' (Emily's maiden name) spelt backwards.
This advertisement appeared in The Queensland Figaro on the 20th of April 1889.
Acknowledgement
This story was contributed by Pamela Webster.