Koo Wee Rup Swamp History

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Who lived in Garfield in 1903?

The 1903 Commonwealth Electoral Rolls are listed by Polling Place and the Bunyip Polling Place covers Garfield, Bunyip and Tynong. What the list tells you is the name of the person enrolled and their occupation. I have extracted the Garfield information from this roll (which is available on Ancestry database) and there were 174 people enrolled with Garfield as their address of which 76 are women and 98 are men. You had to be 21 to enrol at that time. So, who did live in Garfield in 1903?

As you would expect, most of the men were engaged in farming activities - there were 48 farmers. Some of these farming families are now remembered in the names of local roads such as Brownbill, Campbell, Archer and Brew. According to the Shire of Berwick Rate Books the farms ranged in size from 15 acres to over 400 acres with John Lamble having 454 acres and William Shreeve 434 acres. Other occupations listed included two farm hands, four orchardists - William Ellis, John James, Robert Weir Smith (Junior) and William Weir Smith. Albert and George Marshall are listed as being a Station Manager and a Grazier. The Shire of Berwick Rate Books show the Marshalls owned 318 acres which doesn’t seem large enough to qualify as a Station.

The female pupils at Garfield State School, c. 1900-1910.

State Library of Victoria Image H2008.13/15

The occupations also give us some idea of the commercial structure of Garfield in 1903. There were three bakers - George Bird, Thomas Farrington and Charles Magnus; two blacksmiths - George Park and William Ritchie; two butchers - Charles Routley and William Walker. Charles Lobb is listed as a draper, George Archer, Russell Perl and Alfred Wild are storekeepers and William Campbell is listed as a grocers assistant. George and Thomas Ellis were produce merchants, Charles Regester was a driver; Joseph Rutledge was a saddler, Phillip Knight was an agent and James Towt was a contractor.

Advertisement for George and Thomas Ellis, Produce Merchants

South Bourke & Mornington Journal August 12, 1903

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66140604

Reflecting the growth in the area at the time there was one builder, Robert Weir Smith (Senior) and three carpenters – Ingebert Gunnulson, Samuel Harvey and Phillip Leeson. Joseph Jefferson is listed as a brick maker and John Jefferson as a wood merchant. To satisfy the grooming needs of Garfield, Percy Malcolm was the hairdresser and John Daly, the school teacher, took care of educational needs.

School teacher, John Daly, was also the Registrar of Births and Deaths in Garfield.

He was appointed September 1899.

Victoria Government Gazette, September 15, 1899. p. 3537.

https://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1899/V/general/75.pdf

There were several unusual occupations – Thomas Chippindall is listed as Crown Lands Bailiff; he was employed by the Department of Lands and Survey. Joseph Walker is described as being of Independent means, William Hewitt was an old age pensioner and David Brunt is described as a maltster, which is a beer maker. There were two railway employees - Robert Brewer and Charles Mason.

Appointment of Thomas Chippindall, and others, as Crown Lands Bailiff

Victoria Government Gazette, August 30 1902, p 3486.

https://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1902/V/general/98.pdf

What about the women? Of the 76 women all had home duties listed as their occupation, except for Florence Mason, the wife of Charles, who is listed as the Post Mistress. This all purpose description of "Home Duties" would not reflect the real role women played in helping to run the family farm or business. Elizabeth Williamson, listed on the Roll, owned 299 acres so was a major landowner in the area, but her occupation was still listed as "home duties".

The first Federal election in Australia took place in March 1901, and was conducted according to the voting legislation in each State. This Parliament enacted the Commonwealth Franchise Act of 1902, which gave the vote to most adults - both males and females - who were British subjects over the age of 21. The first election under this Act took place on Wednesday, December 16, 1903. We should appreciate the fact that women, including the 76 Garfield women listed on the 1903 roll, were eligible to enrol to vote and stand as candidates. This didn't happen in England until 1918, when women over 30 got the right to vote (women over 21 got the right to vote in 1929). In the United States women couldn't vote until 1920 and there are still countries in the world where women cannot vote. As a matter of interest, women in Victoria could not vote in a State election until 1908, and Victoria was the last State to give them this right – South Australia was 1894, Western Australia 1899, New South Wales 1902, Tasmania 1903 and Queensland 1905.*

Here is the list of of the 174 people with a Garfield address in the 1903 Electoral Roll

Adamson, Jessie Home Duties

Ahearn, Patrick Farmer

Ahearn, Bridget Home Duties

Alyward, Margaret Home Duties

Archer, Joseph Farmer

Archer, Susan Home Duties

Archer, George Storekeeper

Aspinall, Elizabeth Home Duties

Barber, Joseph Farmer

Barber, Catherine Home Duties

Bird, George Baker

Bird, Grace Home Duties

Body, John Farmer

Body, Elizabeth Home Duties

Brew, Robert Farmer

Brew, William Arthur Farmer

Brew, Margaret Home Duties

Brewer, Janet Allen Home Duties

Brewer, Margaret Ann Home Duties

Brewer, Robert Railway employee

Brownbill, George William Farmer

Brownbill, Mary Home Duties

Brunt, Alice Home Duties

Brunt, David Maltster

Burrows, James Farmer

Burrows, Mary Home Duties

Campbell, William Mortimer Grocers Assistant

Campbell, Henrietta Home Duties

Campbell, John Labourer

Cantieni, Alice Allen Home Duties

Chippindall, Thomas Edward Crown Lands Bailiff

Daly, John Joseph School Teacher

Edis, Frederick Herbert Farmer

Edis, Annie Home Duties

Edis, Charles De Linea Farmer

Edmiston, Annie Home Duties

Ellis, Helen Home Duties

Ellis, Helen Jane Home Duties

Ellis , Theresa Ann Home Duties

Ellis, William Orchardist

Ellis, George William Produce Merchant

Ellis, Thomas John Produce Merchant

Farrell, Patrick Farmer

Farrell, Julia Home Duties

Farrington, Thomas Baker

Fentrill, Samuel Thomas Labourer

Fox, John Farmer

Fox, Ellen Home Duties

Gaghin, Michael Farmer

Gaghin, Annie Home Duties

Gullick, John Farmer

Gullick, Lilian Home Duties

Gunnulson, Ingebert Carpenter

Gunnulson, Mary Home Duties

Hardwick, David Farmer

Hardwick, Janet Allen Home Duties

Hardwick, David Oudgtrig Labourer

Hardwick, John William Labourer

Hardwick, Robert Watson Labourer

Harvey, Samuel Francis Carpenter

Harvey, Laura Home Duties

Heagney, Thomas Farmer

Heagney, Elizabeth Home Duties

Hewitt, Martha Jane Home Duties

Hewitt, William Old-age Pensioner

Hogan, John Joseph Farmer

Hourigan, Henry Arthur Farmer

Hourigan, Valentine John Farmer

Hourigan, Catherine Home Duties

Hourigan, Mary Home Duties

James, John Orchardist

Jefferson, Joseph Brick maker

Jefferson, Marion Ethel Home Duties

Jefferson, John Henry Wood Merchant

Johnson, Thomas William Farmer

Johnson, Matilda Home Duties

Jolley, Joshua Farmer

Jolley, Harriet Home Duties

Keppel, Jeremiah Farmer

Keppel, Mary Home Duties

Knight, Philip Sidney Agent

Lamble, John Farmer

Lamble, Amelia Jane Home Duties

Leeson, Phillip Carpenter

Leeson, Amelia Home Duties

Leeson, Catherine Home Duties

Lewitzka, Mary Home Duties

Lobb, Charles Guerney Draper

Magnus, Charles Edward Baker

Malcolm, Percy Hairdresser

Marshall, George Grazier

Marshall, Albert Edgar James Station Manager

Mason, Florence Clara Post Mistress

Mason, Charles Dexter Railway employee

Mathews, James Farmer

Mathews, Elizabeth Home Duties

Maybury, William Martin Farmer

Maybury, Louise Olive Home Duties

McLean, Julia Home Duties

Middenway, Stephen Cox Farmer

Middenway, Emma Home Duties

Middenway, Gerritt Henderick Labourer

Miller, Luke Farmer

Miller, Fannie Home Duties

Murphy, John Farmer

Murphy, Eleanor Home Duties

Olsson, John Emil Farmer

Park, George Blacksmith

Park, Annie Home Duties

Perl, Florence Home Duties

Perl, Russell Alfred Storekeeper

Pettman, Ellen Home Duties

Pettman, Frederick Labourer

Pettman, Isaac William Labourer

Petty , William Michael Farmer

Pfau, Jane Home Duties

Pitt, Charles Farmer

Pitt, Lily Home Duties

Quin, Martin Farmer

Quin, Ellen Home Duties

Quin, Julia Home Duties

Regerster, Charles Lee Driver

Ritchie, William Blacksmith

Ritchie, Mary Ann Home Duties

Routley, Charles Thomas Butcher

Rutledge, Margaret Home Duties

Rutledge, Joseph James Saddler

Shipton, Emma Sophia Home Duties

Shipton, Jane Home Duties

Shipton, Thomas Henry Labourer

Shreeve, James Farmer

Shreeve, William Farmer

Shreeve, Alice Sarah Home Duties

Shreeve, Emma Home Duties

Smith, Robert Weir Senior Builder

Smith, Jessie Home Duties

Smith, Margaret Home Duties

Smith, Sarah Jane Home Duties

Smith, Robert Weir Junior Orchardist

Smith, William Weir Orchardist

Snider, Henry Carl Farmer

Stevens, William Farm hand

Storen, John Farmer

Sullivan, Patrick Labourer

Thompson, Henry Farmer

Thompson, Ellen Home Duties

Towt, James Allett Contractor

Towt, Edward Arthur Farmer

Towt, James Farmer

Towt, Sarah Jane Home Duties

Tully, Lawrence Farmer

Tully, Margaret Home Duties

Turner, Henry Edwin Farmer

Vaughan, Thomas Farmer

Vaughan, Caroline Home Duties

Walker, William Stanley Butcher

Walker, Charlotte Home Duties

Walker, Florence Home Duties

Walker, Joseph Henry Independent means

Watson, Joseph Farmer

Watson, Sarah Jane Home Duties

Watts, Ernest John Farmer

Watts, Emmie Elizabeth Home Duties

Watts, Rose Matilda Home Duties

White, Mary Home Duties

Wild, Alfred Storekeeper

Williams, John M. Farm hand

Williams, Edward Farmer

Williams, Mary Jane Home Duties

Williamson, Thomas George Farmer

Williamson, Elizabeth Home Duties

Willing, Adolph Christoph Farmer

Wilson, Edwin Farmer

Wilson, Sarah Home Duties

To see who lived in Koo Wee Rup in 1903, click here.

* https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2022/June/Womens_suffrage

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Local Cemeteries

The Koo Wee Rup Swamp doesn’t have a cemetery, I presume because it was too wet and swampy, so residents of the Swamp would be buried at Cranbourne, Pakenham, Bunyip or Lang Lang depending on which area of the Swamp they lived. Of course, for those that didn't wish to be buried from April 1905 they could be cremated at The Necropolis at Springvale. As a matter of interest, the first person to be cremated at Springvale was an Edward Davies who had specifically requested this in his will and also that his ashes be scattered to the four winds of heaven (1). This post presents a short history of the four Cemeteries.

Cranbourne Cemetery
The earliest cemetery was the Cranbourne Cemetery. The site for the Cemetery was reserved on December 11, 1857 and the following Trustees were appointed at the same time - Alexander Cameron, Patrick Thomson, James Smith Adams, William Sykes and Edward Malloy (2).

Trustees for the Cranbourne Cemetery

Victoria Government Gazette December 15, 1857, p. 2422

https://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1857/V/general/146.pdf

William and Annabella Lyall are both buried at Cranbourne, they were the owners of Harewood house on the South Gippsland Highway which they built from 1857. William was a Shire of Cranbourne Councillor, first President of the Mornington Pastoral and Agricultural Society, a founder of the Victorian Agricultural Society, the Zoological Society, the Acclimatisation Society and the Victorian Racing Club. A report of the content of his Will (it was once quite common for newspapers to report this type of information) says that William Lyall directs that his body be buried in the allotment set apart on his property as a private burying ground and that as little expense as possible be gone to in connection with his funeral (3). It doesn’t appear that his wishes were adhered to in the matter of the burial as he has a substantial grave at Cranbourne. William died on January 20, 1888 and Annabella on November 15, 1916. I have written about William Lyall and his business partners, John Bakewell and John Mickle, here.

Also buried at Cranbourne Cemetery are Charles and Ellen (nee O'Shea) Rossiter, the source of the name Rossiter Road. They lived at Hawksdale at Koo Wee Rup from 1873. Charles was an original Committee member of the Mornington Farmers Society from 1856, a Cranbourne Shire Councillor from 1869 to 1884 and Shire President on four occasions. Charles and his brother, Thomas, bred horses, amongst their other agricultural pursuits. As he had many children, Charles was interested in having a school established in the area and was one of the local land owners to sign a petition for its establishment. Subsequently, Yallock State School No. 2629 (later called Koo Wee Rup State School) was opened on November 1, 1884 at Bethune's Road. Charles died on February 6, 1895 aged 74 and Ellen died June 3, 1909 aged 73. I have written about the Rossiter family and the Hawksdale property, here.

Pakenham Cemetery

The site for the Pakenham Cemetery was reserved on February 13, 1865 (4) and the first trustees were appointed on May 8, 1865 and they were John Startup, Richard Fortune, Michael Bourke, Thomas Mulcahy and George Ritchie (5). It is believed that the first burials actually took place in the 1850s, before the official gazetting.

Trustees appointed for the Pakenham Cemetery.

Victoria Government Gazette, May 23, 1865, p. 1158 . https://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1865/V/general/55.pdf

The owner of the Royal Hotel at Koo Wee Rup, Denis McNamara, was buried at Pakenham after his death on July 27, 1925. Mr McNamara had started a business in Koo Wee Rup in 1891, then left the area and returned in 1904 when he purchased O’Riordan's store and in 1915 he built the Royal Hotel. His funeral was described as one of the largest in the district, representative of every class and creed (6).

Charles Wadsley who died on September 12, 1944 at his home Strathallan in Koo Wee Rup is also buried at Pakenham. His obituary notes that Mr Wadsley was a Past Master of the Koo Wee Rup Masonic Lodge, a Shire of Berwick Councillor for eleven years, as well as Shire President and an expert on asparagus growing (7).

Pakenham Cemetery Trustee, George Ritchies' grave at Pakenham.

Bunyip Cemetery
The Bunyip Cemetery site was officially reserved on November 22, 1886 (8) and on December 6, 1886 the first Trustees were appointed - William Harry Webb, Lawrence Finch, James Mortimer, Christian Hansen, Peter Gillespie and John Reynolds (9). This cemetery was used by people living on the eastern end of the Koo Wee Rup Swamp such as Cora Lynn and Iona.

The first official burials did not take place until eight years after the Cemetery was officially gazetted with the first one in March 1894. Of the first 20 burials in the register, 19 were children. This was a result of the high infant mortality rate at the time before vaccinations and antibiotics came into widespread use. Here is a sample of this depressing and sad list: William Barnes aged 6 - cause of death Diphtheria; Ethel Wayneith, 9 months - Marasmus (severe undernourishment); John Peart, 2 months - Marasmus; David Fallon 9 weeks - Maramus; Ann Benham 10 months -Pneumonia; Lily Norton 10 weeks - Whooping cough; William Heuson 4 months - Whooping cough; Denis McIvor 20 days - Meningitis; Mary Anne Mulligan 3 years - Diphtheria.

Trustees appointed for the Bunyip Cemetery

Victoria Government Gazette, December 10, 1886, p. 3604.

https://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1886/V/general/132.pdf

I have written more about the Bunyip Cemetery, here.

Lang Lang Cemetery

Lang Lang Cemetery site was reserved on December 5, 1887 (10) and the first Trustees appointed December 10, 1889 were Thomas Poole, William Jones, Prosper Henry Victor Le Roux, Joseph Foster, William Norquay, Patrick McGrath, Edmund McGrath and Alexander McMillan (11).

Christopher Moody, who died November 17, 1920, is buried at Lang Lang. He is the source of the name Moody Street in Koo Wee Rup and Moody's Inlet on Western Port Bay. In 1890, Mr Moody who owned what was to become the site of the Koo Wee Rup township sub-divided the land between Rossiter Road and the Main Drain and Denham’s Road and the Highway. Very little of the land was sold due to the 1890s depression. The sub-division set out Moody, Gardner (called Koo Wee Rup Street by Moody), Henry (called Christopher Street by Moody) and Salmon Streets. Christopher Moody was also a Shire of Cranbourne Councillor and donated the land for the Presbyterian Church and the Public Hall in Rossiter Road in Koo Wee Rup. I have written about Christopher Moody, here.