A Brief Introduction: (see Detailed under People & Stories)

      The son of Henry Ratcliff Crocker born CAL/ABT. 1745 and Martha Sherren born  13/9/1775 Milford, Hampshire, England was Robert Radcliffe Crocker(Farmer), born 28/9/1789  Milford, Hampshire, England. 
      Robert and his wife Mary Seir born 18/9/1784 of Milford, Hampshire, England,  together with Edward Sanders born CAL/ABT.1801, Hertfordshire, England, Coffee House  Keeper and his wife Anna Groves born ABT 1800, England were my Great-great-great  Grand parents. (After Anna's death in 1841 he married an Elizabeth Jest). 
      Robert and Mary's son Ebenezer Crocker, Harnessmaker/Carpenter born 18/2/1824  Milford, Hampshire, England, married Edward and Elizabeth's daughter Jane Ann Sanders  born 31/7/1827 on 5/11/1848 in the Parish Church, Mary-le-bone, Middlesex, England  and emigrated soon after to Australia on the "HMS Whitby" on 28/6/1849 (confirmed)  settling in "Williamtown" now Williamstown, Victoria.
      It is from these origins to the Goldfields in Wedderburn, Mt. Korong - and the "Round  trips" on the sailing vessels to London and back, along with the early days of the then "Newly Formed" Victorian Navy, where our "Australian" history commenced.  
(see: http://www.cerberus.com.au/muster_dadabik/index.php for Henry Coster - Ship's Steward)
      I give you an insight into the Crocker-Costers, purely from my point of view, as I believe I owe it to them to help keep alive their memory for the time and effort that they invested in my upbringing and if it deviates from the conventional, then no offence is meant but rather, the kind of tribute that I sincerely believe they would have me pay them.
      This has been a project on and off again, from 1982 in the making, and of course it will never be complete. A legacy for my children and grand children and YOURS, to know of and take pride in their fore-fathers and their Heritage.
      I sincerely thank those family members who have already supplied me with material, and have been such a wonderful source of information and those who have offered to loan or photocopy photo's and documents for the purpose of this family record, particularly the late Pearl McEwen,(not only for all those wonderful photo's of Papa's mother, siblings and his children that she gave me but all the early information, I am going to miss our long talks) also Veda Heath, (the late) Hazel Coster and Robyn (Coster) Waterworth, (the late) Nellie (Coster) Currow, (the late) Ian Friswell, Keith Coster (the younger) and his brother John, Sue and Merryl Morris, Norma Bolton and (the late) Doris Emmett, Neil Coster and most especially Lorraine (Coster) Rafferty and Jai Currow for a few Coster Grave photos in 2014.      
      Not to mention our marvellous overseas distant cousins Margaret Macey(dec) and Dawn Sell and  another distant cousin there who prefers her details with-held, and with special mention to Cyril  Curtain, grand-son of Emma Crocker-Coster's eldest sister, Mary Ann Howse Crocker-Seabridge and  Roslyn Duncan, decendant of (Ebenezer Crocker's brother) Phillip Crocker and most recently, Grant  Seggar decendant of (Ebenezer Crocker's) brother James Crocker.
      To Diana Still, and her endless research into the validation of our early records of the Costers and Crockers, our sincerest gratitude ... a tireless assistant and wonderful source of information, thank you Diana you are a gem.          
      If I have made any mistakes with dates etc. they are unintentional, as I have simply compiled this from the information at hand at this time. I hope the reader will find as much enjoyment in sharing my family's experiences as I did ... by being  there.
      There are some details I don't have, should you have any information to add, particularly photo's (room for tons of them) or stories, all information would be most welcome.

Sincerely,

Rhonda Dianne Haines (nee Semmler)