Biography

John  Ward Gleadow (1801 - 1881) was born in 1801 at Kingston-upon-Hull, Yorkshire, England. At the age of 17 he was articled to a firm of solicitors and attorneys at Hull, England. He remained there until 1823, then hearing of the new settlement in Van Diemen's Land, he made plans to emigrate.

He arrived in Hobart on the ship 'Andromeda', in September 1825. The following March he was admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of Van Diemen's Land, and later in 1826, he married Dianna Harriet Keaston, who also arrived on board the 'Andromeda' and was the daughter of a London solicitor. The Gleadows spent a year in Hobart during which time their first child Robert was born. He died in December 1859, aged 33. They moved to Launceston where John set up his legal practice, becoming the town's first resident practitioner. He also opened a warehouse and built a residence in St. John Street in 1829. In 1837, John entered into a partnership with William Henty. This firm was to become the present day concern of Ritchie & Parker, Alfred Green & Co.

The family grew to five sons and four daughters. George Thomas was born in 1828; he had two sons, Robert Hartley who died aged 11 and George Dalrymple, of whom later. The family became followers of John Wesley and joined the congregation of the Wesleyan Chapel in Paterson Street in 1834. In 1837 John became secretary of the Sunday School and eventually its superintendent. He was instrumental in the establishment of a chapel and school at Morven, now Evandale. He was active in many other church and charitable interests such as the Wesleyan Mission Society, the Benevolent Society, St. John's Hospital, Launceston, and the Anti-Transportation Movement.

John was interested in agriculture and horticulture. He was an importer of horses and was one of a committee who, in the 1830s, founded the Cornwall Turf Club. He owned a great deal of land for farming and was a director of several companies. He was Member of the Legislative Council for Cornwall from 1851 to 1854 and Member of the House of Assembly for Morven from 1866 to 1869.

John died on 2^nd August 1881; his wife Dianna predeceased him four days earlier.

From the illustrious beginning the Gleadow family has spread in the ensuing century and a half, several children surviving only a few months, but others continuing the family traditions. One such was George Dalrymple, grandson of John Ward. He was born in 1863 and attended the Launceston Church Grammar School. As a boy he lived with his parents at 'Harland Rise', the Gleadow farm near Morven.

George joined the National Bank of Tasmania in 1880, worked his way through the stages of employment and in 1898 became manager. He married Jessie Louise Pike, eldest daughter of Dr Charles Pike of Launceston. George and Jessie had four sons and one daughter, and lived in Frederick Street. George was well known in banking and legal circles. He was a member of the Rotary Club, the Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Law Society. He was well respected in the Wesleyan Church and Church of England.

In memory of John Ward Gleadow and all his descendants, a memorial in the form of a beautiful carved prayer desk was placed in St. John's Church. It bears the inscription:
TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND IN MEMORY OF
THE GLEADOW FAMILY
THE GIFT OF EMILY MARTIN

Source