Barton Hack

John Barton Hack (2 July 1805 – 4 October 1884) was an early settler in South Australia; a prominent farmer, businessman and public figure. He lost his fortune in the financial crisis of 1840 and despite his best efforts, never regained anything like his former influence and prosperity. His son Theodore Hack, younger brother Stephen Hack and nephew Wilton Hack were all figures of some significance in the history of the Colony.

Hack was born in Chichester, England to Stephen Hack, a banker, and the educational writer Maria Hack (née Barton), sister of the poet Bernard Barton. He was educated at Southgate, Middlesex before going into the leather trade, building up a business in Sussex. On 9 July 1827, Hack married Bridget Watson (born 27 September 1806), daughter of William Watson of Hardshaw, Lancashire. After an illness which affected his lungs, he was advised to move to a warmer climate. While in Portsmouth he met Captain Thomas Lipson, who was fitting out the "Buffalo" for its pioneering voyage to South Australia. This new colony captured his imagination. He read Robert Torrens's book The Colonization of South Australia and met with Edward Gibbon Wakefield and some members of the South Australian Company and was so convinced of the colony's future that he sold up his considerable business interests and purchased three 134-acre sections with their three accompanying town acres. In September 1836 he embarked with his wife, six children and younger brother Stephen (who was to become an explorer of some note and father of Wilton Hack), on the Isabella, commanded by Captain Hart for the owner Griffiths of Launceston, Van Diemen's Land. A surprise last-minute addition to the passenger list was Sir John Jeffcott, who had been appointed Chief Justice of South Australia, and was "slipping away" surreptitiously to avoid creditors. The Isabella's first stop in Australia was Launceston, where he spent a month purchasing livestock and equipment, which were loaded on the Isabella for shipping to South Australia. His purchases included nearly 400 sheep, six cows and a bull, ten bullocks, a large wagon and a dray, three horses and a Timor pony. Another livestock importer from Launceston aboard the Isabella was Henry Jones (1799-1889), son of a prosperous London oil merchant, and, like Hack, an influential colonist.

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