DICTIONARY HISTORY OF RED HILL, VIC., AUST. (PIONEERS, FARM LOCATIONS AND NAMES, ANECDOTES.)
My 2500 page DICTIONARY HISTORY OF TULLAMARINE AND MILES AROUND was designed to enable family historians to quickly locate any information I might have about their families. Alexander Sutherland had done the same thing a century earlier in his VICTORIA AND ITS METROPOLIS: PAST AND PRESENT (1888) but inclusion in his book depended on whether you ordered a copy.
On reaching the part of my summary of Sheila Skidmore's THE RED HILL that concerned the Great War, I tried to find out why Charlie Trewin enlisted at Charlton. In the process, I found out much about the Trewin family; too much to include in the summary. In trying to work out where I would include this information, ease of accessing that particular information (perhaps by a descendant of Yuille and Bess Wilson) was considered, and a new journal with surnames, organisations, farm names etc in alphabetical order seemed the best option.
A year after a name refers to rate records from which the name came. The addition of Bal. indicates that the assessment was in the parish of Balnarring, south of Athurs Seat Rd. Names will be listed firstly from the last assessment available on microfiche, 1919-20 with other names added from earlier assessments and sources such as Hec Hanson's MEMOIRS OF A LARRIKIN. The area I have included in my definition of Red Hill extends west to Purves Rd, north to Boundary Rd (and Dromana-Bittern Rd east of Moats Corner), east to properties fronting Red Hill Rd and south to the limits of Melway maps 171, 190 and 191. This journal will take years to grow, so visit it now and again to see if details of your family have been added. I hope I don't miss anyone!
MOAL refers to Hec Hanson's MEMOIRS OF A LARRIKIN, which contains many anecdotes concerning Red Hill.
ADOD refers to Colin McLear's A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA.
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ADAMS Robert Henry.
In 1873, Robert Henry Adams, son of Captain Henry Everest Adams of Rosebud, married Mary Jane, daughter of William Hopcraft who had immigrated from Poorpastures in the old country. Mary Jane, who described herself as a gentlewoman on the marriage certificate, was not impressed by her father in law's drinking (of his Vivyan Vineyard product) and refused to live in the same house. Robert's choice of another abode, crown allotment 69A, Balnarring would have been influenced by Mary Jane as it was sandwiched between William Hopcraft's grants (70 A and B, Balnarring, across Tucks Rd) and John Hopcraft's grant (27B1Wannaeue, across the Mornington-Flinders Rd.) Robert Anderson signed his application for 69A (a bit over 94 acres) before Robert Anderson J.P. of Barragunda on 15-12-1877.
Robert's selection was bounded by Tucks Rd and Mornington Flinders Rd from their junction to a southern boundary indicated by that of the Ten Minutes by Tractor Wine Co.continued to Tucks Rd. (Melway 190 E11.) Robert persuaded the Captain to vacate Hopetoun House (which stood roughly where the car wash is situated on the west corner of Wattle Place, Rosebud) and the old salt moved to South Melbourne to live with friends. Robert was probably back at Hopetoun House by December 1881 when he was granted the licence for 44 acres on the north side of Hove Rd later granted to J.Bayford. Crown Allotment 69A Balnarring was granted to M.Byrne. (Sources: Documents and family legend supplied by Robert Henry Adams' grandson, Harvey Marshall.)
ADCOCK 1919.
The 1919-20 Assessments show that L. Adcock of Red Hill was the occupant of 42 acres and buildings being part of 20C Wannaeue. Crown Allotment 20C, granted to W.Johnstone on 19-7-1902 and consisting of 130 acres, is bounded by Roberts, Mornington-Flinders and Shands Rds (Melway 190 D12.) Robert H. Johnstone had retained 38 acres of the grant and Mrs Mary Cleave of Red Hill, had 24 acres, pt 20C (no parish mentioned!)
(The Argus, 31-3-1923, p.1.) ADCOCK (nee Elsie Osler) On the 15th March, at Queen Victoria Hospital, Melbourne, to Mr and Mrs L.F.Adcock, "Ashburnham", Main Ridge, Red Hill, -a daughter, Alwyn Amy (Caesarian birth.)
ADDICOTT 1919.
R.Addicott of Red Hill was assessed on 25 acres, part Crown Allotment 13B, Kangerong. This allotment, granted to Margaret Davies and probably consisting of about 70 acres, is now occupied by the Kindilan Society (Melway 191 A4.)
A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA
by Colin McLear, available for purchase from the Dromana Historical Society, has photos etc of the following, regarding Red Hill. Page numbers are given.
27. Jamieson's Special Survey re Tassell, Marshall, Griffith. 35. Griffith. 37. McLear bullock team. 49.McKeown's and Chapman's guest houses in Dromana. 63. Nelson Rudduck. 64. Nelson Rudduck and wife.
71. Griffith. 73. Arkwell's packing shed. 76. Lookout Tower (old lighthouse) on Arthurs Seat.78. William Moat.
86. James and Catherine McKeown. 87. Gracefield homestead in 1964. 87. Beautiful Eva McKeown. 97 and 102. Geo. McLear. 104. James McLear and Alice (nee Prossor.) 120. Frank Moat. 121. Dr Weld. 147. Will (Pop) Littlejohn. 157 Julia and James Clydesdale. 160 Nelson Rudduck, W.J.Mcilroy and Henry Ault.
ANDREW 1919.
M.H.Andrew of Red Hill was assessed on 45 acres and buildings, part crown allotment 12B, Kangerong. Granted to J.Arkwell and consisting of 71.5 acres, this allotment, between Arkwells Lane and Andrews Lane, extends as far north as the Red Hill Recreation Reserve.
APPLEYARD 1919.
The death of Mr Appleyard at Red Hill was reported under the heading of SORRENTO on page 10 of the Argus of 30-9-1927. The correspondent reported that he was an old resident of Sorrento and that he and his late wife had conducted a drapery business there for many years.The Flinders ratebook of 1919-20 shows that Thomas Appleyard of Sorrento was assessed on 197 acres, part crown allotments 19 and 20, Kangerong. The 1910-11 records describe him as a draper of Sorrento and showed that he was assessed on 313 acres. In 1900 he'd been assessed on 546 acres.
Strangely, it would seem, Appleyard was not mentioned in Colin McLear's "A Dreamtime of Dromana". But I think I know why. He would have been as popular around the locality as the local who bid against the Griffith family for their historic homestead block when the Clarkes' share of the survey was sold in 1907. I found reference to a letter he wrote to council in August 1898 stating that he had opened up the road at his property and asking for it to be repaired. I thought it strange that the council decided to take no action and wondered what opening up the road meant. Then I found that the draper had (probably in February) fenced off the road, which led to a water reserve and had ordered off anyone trying to use the road. No wonder the shire treated his request with disdain!
The parish map is hard to read but part of his land may have been issued in 1889. I've also noticed that he had land between Dromana Secondary College and the junction of Harrisons and White Hill Rds. Counting this land, his grants totalled 429 acres. It is almost certain that Thomas had blocked the top of Harrisons Rd and deprived Red Hill residents of access to the water reserve which was probably on the east side of Harrisons Rd where a creek crossed into Moat's grant.
It is certain that Thomas was on that land by 4-5-1892 when the Argus reported on page 3 that George Howat had sold 493 merino wethers for T.Appleyard of Dromana. William John Brady of Mount Evergreen took him to court in 1896 on a charge of sheep stealing but Brady's barrister was not available and the case was adjourned. Appleyard researchers can chase that one up; this is supposed to be a couple of sentences, not a book!It is possible that Appleyard was leasing W.A.Blair's or Hearn's land near Mt Evergreen at the time.
Where had he been previously? Welshpool, Sorrento, Richmond, Fitzroy? I think he might have been at Melway 151 B8. George Howat sold 10 bullocks for Simmons and T.Appleyard of "Dalkeith Park" (Argus 9-3-1882 page 10) and a later sale in the 1880's shows that Howat sold 3000 merino wethers for Alf Downward of Mornington and 1000 for Thomas Appleyard of Dalkeith Park. The latter sale makes it likely that I'm talking about the correct Dalkeith. As these were the only sales conducted by Howat on that day, it is likely that both consignments had been taken to Nelbourne together. I can't remember whether Watson had bought Hearn's grants at that stage but Dalkeith seemed to be chiefly occupied by lessees, such as Alfred Head before Vale bought it later on circa 1890.(Vale's daughter became Mrs Jackson; hence Jackson's Hill at the start of the Mornington turn off.) Appleyard was not the only one to move from Moorooduc parish to Kangerong to acquire a freehold, the Counsel boys did too.
Other trove articles lead me to believe that the late wife of Thomas was Eliza and that Lily was managing the drapery business.It seems obvious that Thomas was a grazier rather than an orchardist as one of his distant ancestors seems to have been.
ARKWELL.
Much biographical and genealogical detail about John and Hannah Arkwell can be found on page 11 of Sheila Skidmore's THE RED HILL, which can be purchased at the old shire hall museum at Dromana (Sunday afternoons.)
The article AROUND RED HILL on page 2 of the 30-8-1902 issue of the Mornington Standard states that the 20 acre Arkwell orchard was well laid out and trimmed. Their late father had been the pioneer in the growing of strawberries of which there were 9 acres growing. The sons were doing well supplying flowers for Melbourne florists.
John Arkwell was granted the northern half of his land (12A, Kangerong), on 5-4-1862 and 12B in March 1870. The Red Hill Recreation Reserve is the western half of 12 B. Each allotment consisted of 71 acres 2 roods and 4 perches so the total area of his grants was 143 acres, not 144. John's land was bounded by Arkwells Lane (to its junction with White Hill Rd), a northern boundary heading due east and Andrews Lane (See ANDREW.)
In 1864, the rate collector assessed John Arkwell, the owner, on a 4 roomed house and "land", 3 acres of which was cultivated. By 1865, John was occupying 144 acres (12B as well.) Details were the same in 1879. In 1900, brothers, Herbert, Percy and Walter Arkwell were assessed on 144 acres. In 1910-11, Robert and Percy Arkwell were assessed on 144 acres. By 1919, 45 acres of 12B was occupied by M.H.Andrew; Herbert and Percy Arkwell only being assessed on 25 acres of 12B.The rate collector, blithely unaware that I'd be going through his records with a fine-tooth comb and in a frenzy because of the explosion in the number of ratepayers, had tacked two entries at the end of the riding: W.(Mc?)Roberts (having just moved from Main Ridge to Red Hill) 30 acres, part 12A, and Ewen Forest, Red Hill, 22.5 acres and buildings, part -A.) Thus only 122.5 acres of the 143 acres in 12A,B had been accounted for. Had some of the land been lost to banks? Sheila Skidmore states that 6 acres (of 12B) were purchased from the Arkwells in 1917-8. In his brief history of Red Hill, W.J.Holmes stated that this was called Arkwell's Bush and described the community effort to clear the trees, some of which Bob White carried to Rosebud for sale as firewood.
All Mornington Standard:
6-5-1905 p.5. W.Arkwell donated bulbs for Dromana State School's prize-winning garden.
5-12-1903 p.5. One of the Arkwells was selected in a combined team to play Port Melbourne at Frankston.
9-9-1905 p.5. W.Arkwell was captain of the Red Hill Rifle Club.
18-6-1896 p.2. W.Arkwell was on a Mornington/Red Hill committee to organise autumn and spring shows.
3-9-1896 p.3. Mr Arkwell,Wesleyan lay preacher, was a busy man on Sundays. On the following Sunday he took the Dromana service at 11a.m. and the Red Hill service at 3p.m.
Mornington and Dromana Standard 4-3-1911 p.2. James Connell had pinched Herbert Arkwell's bike.
Argus 24-3-1898 p.6. Ernest Edward Arkwell was kicked in the face while attending a horse on Saturday 22nd. Suffering multiple fractures he was operated on at the Alfred Hospital but was still in a critical condition.
ASSESSMENTS.
I don't like loose ends and the idea for this entry came to me today while I was researching for the RINGROSE entry in an effort to find a connection between Bryan Ringrose of Smythedale and Brian Ringrose of 18B Kangerong at Red Hill. I want you to imagine that you are a rate collector in the 1860's. How would you list your ratepayers?
If you were a small shopkeeper and allowed credit to your regular customers, the logical way to list them would be alphabetically so you could find their record quickly. This is the method used for the Kangerong Road Board and from the end of the 1860's by the Flinders Road Board. When they merged to form the Shire of Flinders and Kangerong whose first assessment was made in 1875, the same method was continued. All the shires (Keilor, Broadmeadows and Bulla) in my previous area of research used geographic listings. It was nearly as quick to locate a ratepayer's name if you knew where they lived and the visualised route you took as you listed them.
To compare the ease of the two methods, imagine a task of listing the residents in your street of a dozen houses where all the neighbours know each other. Wouldn't it be easier to imagine a walk up one side of the street and down the other? If somebody moved out, you would cross out their names and write the names of their replacements, whichever method was used (geographical or alphabetical.) But the next year, if you used alphabetical, the newcomers would have to be written in the correct alphabetical position. And if the newcomer was only leasing for a year, the original name would have to be written in its correct alphabetical position the next time.
Now imagine that the street was a few miles long. If the owner had leased his house to five or so families over a decade, you probably wouldn't remember which house had been occupied by them all. And that is exactly what happened with the Ringrose grant, 18B Kangerong. In geographical listing, the properties would be listed in the same order every year. If a crown allotment was subdivided, acreage for the various settlers could be checked by ensuring that they add up to the total acreage of the crown allotment, although this was rarely done.( A 46 acre block at Tullamarine was called 64 acres for almost a century before it was purchased for the airport!) The only advantage to me with the alphabetical listings is that if the previous occupant's name is written in its correct place, crossed out and replaced with the new occupant's name, this indicates that the latter had probably arrived only a few months before the date of the assessments. (See RINGROSE entry.)
Assessment mistakes. While researching Shand, Huntley, Bennett farms near Craig Avon Lane, I discovered one of the best howlers I've ever seen. In 1897-8, Alfred Ernest Bennett was assessed on 250 acres, specified as being 14A and 79A, Balnarring. (They total 250 acres 1 rood and 6 perches but that's close enough.) In 1898-9, Alfred and H.P.Bennett were also assessed on 352 acres leased from J.H.Aylwin. In 1900-1 Alfred was assessed on the 352 and 250 acres, the former occupied by John Shand. In 1901-2 John Shand was leasing the 352 acres again and it was specified as being 79AB and 78B1. This was also close enough to the correct total: 353 acres and 13 perches.
Have you spotted the howler? Crown allotment 79A was counted as part of the 250 acres and also part of the 352 acres. Poor Alfred Ernest was paying rates on the same 128.5 acre allotment twice while he was residing on Kent Orchard (79B)! He would have been given an account for his rates, which would have been a tenth of the Nett Annual Value, and as the value of land was so low, an additional 128 acres would not make much difference. In 1904-5, William Oswin was leasing Alfed's house and surrounding 7 acres (N.A.V.10 pounds) but the N.A.V. of the 115 acres of 79A was only five pounds more. Alfred's rates on the 115 acres would have been only ten shillings for the year.
AULT.
Extract from Dromana,Rosebud and Miles Around on Trove.
THE AULTS AND THE METHODIST CHURCH. Henry William Ault seems to have been a lay preacher in the Methodist Church. He was listed in Wises Dromana trades directory of 1895 as a carpenter. He had lived for many years in Lakes Entrance when he died on 14-11-1934, having remained a stalwart of the church. (Gippsland Times 19-11-1934 page 1.) Harry Ault of Sale had an important task as an engineer in W.W.2. H.J. Ault moved to Mile End in South Australia and named his house Dromana.
Henry William Ault was, by 1875, leasing Joseph Pitchers grant, 72B, Balnarring, of 140 acres 1 rood and 37 perches, at Red Hill. By 1887 he appears to have purchased the block, fronting the east side of Mornington-Flinders Rd (Melway 190 E-F5) and now occupied by Mock Orchards. The end of Pardalote Rise indicates its south east corner. (Balnarring parish map, Flinders and Kangerong Shire rates.)
The Dromana Methodist church was built by Brother Ault in May and June 1878 and Henry was an original trustee, along with Rev. Lindsay, John Coles, Edward Barker, Alexander Shand, C.D.Gunson and William McIlroy. (A Dreamtime of Dromana page 124.) Shands, McIlroy and Barkers Rds indicate where three of these trustees lived, and Coles was probably from Minto near Westernport. Brother Crichton had been on the building committee; he probably lived at Glen Lee (Melway 252 K1) but also had bush paddocks nearer to Main Ridge. (See map on page 10.) Nelson Rudduck of Dromana, who was soon to become a stalwart of the church, and J.S.Rudduck (his wife) received a grant of 100 acres (170 J9-10)between Kinwendy Rd and Duells Rd in 1888.
The Rev. Watford pointed out that many of the people in the mountains earned a living by splitting timber but could not get their produce to Dromana because of impassable roads. In view of the Shands, Barkers, McIlroys, Crichtons, Rudducks and Aults living south of this impassable barrier,and other families such as the Hopcrafts (Melway 190 D7 and F9) so opposed to drink that they must have been Methodists*, a church was probably also built at Main Ridge. The Flinders Heritage Study discusses a former Methodist manse being built in Palmerston Ave by Nelson Rudduck for the Main Ridge minister, it is likely that its occupant conducted services at Dromana too.
*Robert Adams wife, a Hopcraft, refused to live at Hopetoun House at Adams Corner (Wattle Place) because of Captain Adams drinking.
BALNARRING PIONEERS.
The first available assessments, of 8-6-1869, for the Balnarring Division of the Flinders Road District, list the following pioneers near Red Hill.James and Martin Byrne, 134 and 129 acres; Thomas Bullock 59 acres; Hamilton Allen 115 acres; George Wilson 32 acres; Edward Grey 53 acres; William Bayne 2059 acres- some leased by James R.Thomson; William Hopcraft 89 acres; Alfred Head 130 acres; James Pitcher 140 acres; {b]Hill Hillas 40 acres; James McEwan(McKeown)165 acres; Robert Wighton 243 acres and Alex Wighton 319 acres; James McConnell 135 acres; John Oswin 375 acres; Edward Stanley 160 acres; John Caldwell 225 acres; William Gibson 190 acres; George Sherwood 128 acres; James Davey 249 acres; James White (Whyte in Balnarring Byways)160 acres; Thomas Cahill 137 acres; James McCormack 175 acres; John Baldry 145 acres; William Bayne 197 acres; Michael Byrne 151 acres; Robert Kennedy 102 acres and Patrick Kennedy 30 acres; Henry Tuck 970 acres; Charles Graves 382 acres; John Richard and John Snr Barker 3481 acres; Robert Anderson 1967 acres leased from Howitt.
COMMENTS. It is possible that Thomas Cahill and James McCormack were former neighbours near today's Keilor Park. Thomas Cahill was on Gumm's Corner and Edward Cahill had 180 acres south of Broomfield if my memory is correct and Maurice Crotty of "Broomfield"(Melway 15 E4) married a McCormack girl. According to Glen Cotchen, a Crotty family historian, the McCormacks leased a 44 acre farm from George Annand south of the east end of Annandale Rd and called it Chesterfield.
The land held by the pioneers will be described by crown allotment and Melway location unless they are likely to have a separate entry.
BYRNE (Several crown allotments east and west of Byrne Rd at Melway 256 F7. M.Byrne was later granted the land that Robert Henry Adams had held on licence at the north end of Tucks Rd.); BULLOCK (CA 69B,Nepean Estate and T'Gallant Wineries at 190 E-F 10-11); ALLEN ( Surname on parish map is Allan,CA50A,B, 190 G 11-12); GREY (Surname on parish map is Gray, CA 67 A,B, 190 J 11-12); WILSON (CA 66A 255 J1); BAYNE (Much land along Shoreham Rd.); PITCHER (72B, 190 E-F 6, later bought by Henry Ault.) WIGHTON (CA 84, 50, 49 between the line of Tonkins Rd and Merricks Township.) OSWIN (CA 55A,B at 162 A-B12 and 192 A-B1 and CA ? of 63 acres north of Craig Avon Rd, 161 J 9-10); STANLEY (a few miles along Stanley Rd.) CALDWELL- see CALDWELL entry; GIBSON-see GIBSON entry. SHERWOOD (CA 79B, 191 H-J1) DAVEY(CA14A and 55A at 161 J 11-12 and K 10-11.) WHYTE (Location of homestead and the accident causing the death of James are described in Balnarring Byways.)
BALDRY KENNEDY TUCK ANDERSON.It is likely that all four were in the parish of Flinders, between Fingal and Balnarring.
BARKER David 1919.
(See COMMENTS after the journal.)
In 1919 David Barker of Main Creek had just replaced William Shand as the occupant of 19B, section B, Wannaeue. Consisting of just over 105.5 acres and granted to A.Shand on 4-10 18(82?), this crown allotment was at the south corner of Old Main Creek Rd and Shands Rd with Main Creek forming its eastern boundary.(Melway 171 J-K12.)
The Barkers followed Maurice Meyrick on the old Boniyong run and had purchased the pre-emptive right bounded by Limestone, Boneo and Browns Rds, and a southern extension of Grasslands Rd. By 1900,the executors of Mrs S.Barker were assessed on 922 acres including the P.R. and sections 1 and 6C, Fingal and by 1910 the pre-emptive right had been subdivided and occupied by such as Flinders grazier, Andrew Buchanan. Ray Cairns knew of no connection between the Barkers of Main Creek and Boneo but it is possible that there was one; Mentiplay lads from Flinders finished up as bakers at Rosebud and Rye, the latter playing footy for Rye in its first season, 1946. The Davey family of Frankston is another example of a family that expanded into other areas. There is much information about the Barkers of Boneo in Lime Land Leisure. Barkers Rd (254 H2) recalls the Main Ridge pioneers.
Many members of the Barker family were buried in the Flinders Cemetery.
Conclusive proof that the same family owned the Boneo and (parish of )Flinders properties was found at the start of the 1897-8 rates where the big landholdings of the Barkers, Robert Anderson, David Mairs etc had been typed up and placed in the rate book. The rate collector was apparently unaware that "executrix" was the feminine of executor. John Barker, executrix (sic) of the late Susannah Barker, was assessed on the Boniyong pre-emptive right in Wannaeue, the Cape Schanck pre-emptive right in (the parish of) Flinders and crown allotments 2 and 6 in Fingal.
BARRETT 1919 Bal.
Mrs E.Barratt of "Arran" Mornington, was assessed on 208 acres , crown allotment 76A and some gibberish, Balnarring. C.A.76A, consisting of 104 acres and granted to W.Bayne now contains Webb St and Allorn Cherry and Russell Rds. It is likely that the gibberish was meant to be 76B, also 104 acres granted to W.Bayne, accessed by the southern end of Webb St and Russell Rd.
BENNETT A.E. ( 28,29W and 10A K.)
A.E.Bennett of Kent Orchard, on Kentucky Rd, brought the plight of Red Hill's Connell family to the public's attention in letters to the editor; see the CONNELL entry.
An article on page 3 of the Mornington Standard's issue of 5-5-1898 gives excellent detail of how Bennett had utilised his four years of study at the Government's School of Horticulture to improve on the orchard that had been planted on Kent Orchard by a previous owner, probably the grantee in about 1878. Any descendants of Mr Bennett writing a family history will find fantastic detail in this article about the variety of apples, spaces between trees, the use of maize between rows, types of soil, measures to protect the fruit during picking and storage etc.
A.E.Bennett was obviously skilled in the use of the saw and axe and was considering entering these events at the Dromana Show (Mornington Standard 15-12-1898 page 3.) In the following year he offered the Dromana Agricultural and Horticultural Society a gold medal as a prize for export apples and the committee was so impressed with it that they intended to show it off at the Somerville Fruitgrowers' Show. (M.S. 2-3-1899 P.2.)
It seems that A.E.Bennett had leased H.E.Moor's* residence on Balcomb's (sic)Hill near Mornington and was leasing Kent Orchard to Cr W.Oswin of Balnarring**.(M.S. 11-2-1905 page 2, Personal.)
It is strange to find that the trustees of A.E.Bennett, (with W.W.Bennett named) were assessed on land near Main Creek in 1900. Perhaps the A.E.Bennett that was moving to Mornington was A.E.Bennett Junior. Wrong! See the BENNETT-COOKE wedding notice below. The assessment probably should have been on the trustees of William B.Bennett, namely A.E. and W.W.Bennett.
(*Henry Erskine Moors was appointed Shire Secretary, Engineer, Rate Collector and Valuer of the Flinders and Kangerong Shire on 26-3-1898.**The rate record shows that W.Oswin was leasing only the Seven Oaks Farm homestead on 7 acres in 1904-5 while Bennett was assessed on the 115 acres.
This is sheer speculation but A.E.Bennett might have been responsible for the name of Kentucky Rd. On page 4 of The Clarence and Richmond Examiner of 31-7-1897, it is reported that Mr Archibald E. Bennett of Kentucky who had just entered the service of the Commercial Bank, was to become the ledger keeper at Grafton, N.S.W. He would not have been our A.E.Bennett but he could have been a cousin. Kentucky Road's name might also have a connection with Peter Shand's "Kentucky" at Merricks North. Peter, who married John Huntley Jnr's widow, Mary, visited the U.S.A. and one of the Huntley girls was a reporter there according to Bill Huntley. Percy Huntley later owned Kent Orchard and may have applied the name of his mother's homestead to the road.
In 1900, the A.E.Bennett(sic) trustees were assessed on 644 acres in the parish of Wannaeue. It seems that he had 29A and 28AB totalling 626 acres which is all that land between Main Creek and Mornington-Flinders Rds for the length of William Rd.(Melway 191 A-D 2-6.) I wonder if the name of William Rd was bestowed to honour A.E.Bennett's father, William.B.Bennett. who had died before Alf's wedding in 1902. The assessment probably should have been on the trustees of William B.Bennett, namely A.E. and W.W.Bennett.
Sheila Skidmore, in discussing efforts to get a railway to Red Hill on page 51 of THE RED HILL, mentions a meeting at the first schoolhouse in 1899 at which A.Bennett was elected secretary of the new railway league.This was probably A.E.Bennett.
I am treading cautiously here because Red Hill was a name that applied to many places other than "Red Hill: Beauty by the Bay".
The Argus 23-12-1902 page 1. Marriages. BENNETT-COOKE. Alfred Ernest Bennett of Seven Oaks Farm, Red Hill, eighth son of the late William B.Bennett of South Yarra married Isabel May Cooke who hailed from Tasmania. A possible connection with William Rd, just over Mornington-Flinders Rd from W.H.Blakeley's land! The announcement must have been somewhat delayed because Personal Pars on page 2 of the Mornington Standard of 22-11-1902 mentioned that Mr A.E.Bennett had arrived at his residence "Seven Oaks Farm" a few days ago with his bride and was tendered a musical evening by his many friends.
I'm no longer walking on ice but now I have to find out where "Seven Oaks" was. The wife of A.E.Bennett of Seven Oaks, Red Hill,(i.e. Isabel May) gave birth to a son at Mornington on August 3. (Argus 8-8-1903 P.9.)
I have not found where Seven Oaks was but it was occupied by James and Elizabeth Hinds by 1915 when their son Will was killed in action in Egypt.(Argus, 26-10-1915 page 1.) When I discover the location of the farm, it will be written only in the SEVEN OAKS entry.
CHARLES BENNETT of St Kilda was assessed on 172 acres of crown allotment 10 Kangerong in 1910-11. He may have been a brother of Alfred Ernest Bennett and the C.H.Bennett who had 36 acres of Cooma, 13 Balnarring in 1901-2.
BENNETT IN THE RATE BOOKS. The following was transcribed in an effort to establish the locations of Kent Orchard, Seven Oaks Farm and James Hinds' Seven Oaks.
1897-8. Alfred Ernest Bennett owned 250 acres, 14A and 79A Balnarring.(Occupier K.Parker.) I chose this year to start my research because the article about Kent Orchard was written in May 1898. BENNETT WAS FIRST ASSESSED IN 18__-__.
1898-9. A.E.Bennett and H.P.Bennett were occupying the same 250 acres, owned by A.E.Bennett, and Alfred Ernest Bennett was leasing 352 from J.H.Aylwin. As explained in the ASSESSMENTS entry, Alfred was paying rates twice on 79A as its 115 acres were added to 14A to make up the 250 acres and to 79B and 78B1 to make up the 352 acres.
1899-1900. Alfred and {b]Henry P.Bennett were assessed on 352? acres and 250 acres, both owned by Alf.
1900-1. This must have been when The Bennetts went overseas as mentioned by Bill Huntley. John (Peter) Shand was leasing the whole 602* acres from A.E.Bennett. John Shand was the second husband of Bill Huntley's grand-mother, Mary Huntley. (*487 acres if 79A is not counted twice!)
1901-2. Alf still owned both parcels but since he was occupying the 250 acres and John Shand the 250 acres, I wonder who actually was occupying 79A. Henry Erskine Moors realised there was something that didn't make sense about the 352 acre total from the specified 79AB, 78B1, hence his question mark; the problem was that 79A was part of the 250 acres and also part of the 352 acres.
1902-3. The same as above but we now know who were on 79A or "Seven Oaks Farm" in November, 1902: Alfred Ernest Bennett and the former Miss Isabel May Cooke. I wonder whether they had met during the "Season" in London in 1900-1. The rate collector still hadn't worked out whether 79A was part of the 250 or 352 acres and to make matters worse, he assessed William W.Bennett on 14A Balnarring of 121 acres. Bill Huntley has told me that 79A of 128 acres was definitely Seven Oaks Farm. Crown allotment 14A, which later became Huntley/Shand land, consisted of 121 acres and with Seven Oaks Farm made up the 250 acre total, so both Alfred and William were paying rates on 14A! C.H.Bennett, perhaps one of Alf's seven brothers, had 36 acres on Cooma, 13,Balnarring which was on the north west corner of Tubbarubba and Bittern-Dromana Rd.
Robert H.Morris, from Penbroke in Wales, had 121 acres that he called Pembroke, across Tubbarubba Rd from 13A, the grant of his father-in-law, Edward Jones of Spring Farm and Penbank at Moorooduc. Robert and his wife lived at one stage on the block now occupied by Penbank School (Melway 146 G6.) Pembroke Drive, in Somerville, may owe its name to Robert's place of origin because his sister-in-law, Mrs Unthank, another of the Jones girls, had the orchard there before the Bullens.
1903-4. A.E.Bennett was assessed only on Seven Oaks Farm, a house on 10 acres (N.A.V. 10 pounds) and 115 acres (N.A.V.15 pounds) on 79 A Balnarring. This crown allotment consisted of about 128.6 acres so the land only assessment should have been on 118 acres. William W.Bennett was assessed on 14A of 121 acres. C.H.Bennett was recently replaced by Archibald McGregor Lennox on the 36 acres of 13 Balnarring.
1904-5. As reported in the newspaper article, Alfred had leased his farm to Cr W.Oswin but Oswin was only assessed on the house and seven acres and Alfred on 115 acres (a total of 122 acres instead of 128!) John (Peter) Shand was now assessed on 14A, which eventually became John Shand's "Kentucky" and Percy Huntley's "Rosslyn".
1905-6. A.E.Bennett was assessed on 115 acres 79A, Balnarring.
BENNETT FARM LOCATIONS.
SEVEN OAKS FARM. 79A Balnarring,128.6 acres, Melway 161 J pt11,12 and left half of K12, bounded by Craig Avon Lane (N) and Red Hill Rd (W).
KENT ORCHARD, 79B Balnarring, 128.6 acres, Melway 191 H- (left half of) K 1 and (top half of) 2, fronting Red Hill Rd from just north of the Kentucky Rd corner to the north boundary of the Port Phillip Estate Winery.
78B1, 95 acres, Melway H/K (bottom half of) 2 following the boundaries of the southern extension of the Port Phillip Winery to Stanleys Rd, frontage of 330 metres to Stanley Rd with No. 96 being near its midpoint.
14A Balnarring,(Later Kentucky and Rosslyn, both homesteads still there at 214 and 212 Bittern-Dromana Rd), Melway 161 K 10-11 north of Bittern-Dromana Rd with the south west corner at the bend in Craig Avon Lane.
BITTERN-DROMANA ROAD.
The name of Junction Rd, which leads from the north end of Red Hill Rd (Melway 161 H 12) seems strange because it does not lead to a junction. There is a junction of Red Hill and Dromana -Bittern Rds at the aforementioned location but this came much later than the original junction which no longer exists. The junction of the road from Dromana to Bittern and Bulldog Creek Rd was at Melway 161 J7. Myers Rd was named after a latish pioneer about whom there is considerable detail in Charles Hollinshed's LIME LAND LEISURE. It would not surprise me to find a reference in about 1880 to a tender for roadworks on the Bittern Dromana road near the Firths' properties; that is on Myers Rd east of Tubbarubba Rd. Myers Rd is shown on the Kangerong and Balnarring parish maps and I believe that is was part of the original route from Dromana and Bittern; it leads straight to the Bittern station.
The part of this route between Melway 161 D6 and 161 J 7 no longer exists, the same situation applying to Bulldog Creek Rd south of Wallaces Rd. The land near these two portions of closed road was probably reserved from alienation by the Crown at the request of many locals, being the site of the Tubbarubba diggings. Bernard Eaton was probably the last to conduct large-scale gold mining here from the late 1880's and it is possible that the Government, almost bankrupt because of the 1890's depression, decided to sell this diggings land, Alfred and Caroline Downward buying much of it.
The Clydesdale, Moat and Peatey lads would have tramped along this now-closed road every day to work at Eaton's mine but by 1900 there would have only been a few fossickers left. The road was probably deplorable and the Dunns Creek crossing may have been too difficult to bridge so at about that time Dunns Creek Rd was diverted along the west bank of Dunns Creek to Melway 165 F9 and then headed south east to the bottom of G9, where it ran east with a short turn to the north east as it met Junction Rd just south of No 8 Junction Rd. From there, travellers would turn right to continue eastward along Craig Avon Lane.
Land fronting the new road on the west side was sold to William Joseph McIlroy(whose diary supplied much information for Sheila Skidmore's THE RED HILL)in 1902 and Caroline Downward on the east side in 1905. Caroline's 118 acres 1 rood 12 perches (called 120 acres in rate records)had a frontage to the closed road of 1475 metres and a similar frontage to the new road. Andrew Fritsch and Charles A Fritsch had land fronting Junction Rd north and south of the new road.
There must have been complaints about the detour south along Junction Rd to Craig Avon Lane and in about 1920 the road was deviated southward from 161 F9 taking its present course along the east bank of Dunns Creek and turning to the north east at Junction Corner to meet the old route at 161 J11. The Balnarring parish map is labelled "C.R.B. 1920 30A (probably Crown allotment) and C70704" on the portion of new road east of Red Hill Rd.
Who was responsible for the new (1920) road? None other than Red Hill identity, William Calder, chairman of the C.R.B.The realignment of Red Hill Rd at Melway 191 C6, in 1921, was probably also the work of William Calder; the original course was along Station St.
BLACK 1919 NURSERY, SURVEY.
G.M.Black of Emerald Nurseries, Upper Packenham was assessed on 747 acres, lot 15, part lot 14 special survey. Lot 14, consisting of 532.875 acres now contains Wallaby Downs (Melway 161 H5) and across Wallaces Rd was section 15, consisting of nearly 354.5 acres between Bulldog Ck and Bulldog Ck Rd.
(Source: Subdivision map of the Clarke Estate in 1907 transposed onto Melway.)
BLAKELEY
Sheila Skidmore gives much detail about William Henry Blakeley in THE RED HILL. He was from Sheffield so it was no surprise that he became a saw maker. Sheila mentions a ship that he purchased in partnership with Captain Moore to carry firewood to Melbourne and return with supplies; it was wrecked when it was swept back onto sandbanks a long way offshore after setting sail from Dromana in a strong northerly. (See MOORE entry.)
As mentioned in my journal THE RED HILL, William Henry Blakeley had his premises in Melbourne at 115 Lonsdale St. Sheila Skidmore mentions that William Henry Blakeley bought and extended the post office, adding a bakery that was probably never used. This work was said to have been carried out for the benefit of his son-in-law, George Cousins. Having seen the name written elsewhere as Cussens, I searched and found the following Silver Wedding notice.
Cussons-Blakeley. On 15 June 1892 at the Methodist Church, Kew, George F.Cussons, only son of George Cussons, Stockport, England to Martha, third daughter of W.H.Blakeley, "Ecclesall?", Elphin grove, Glenferrie. Present address: Commercial bank of Australia, Wycheproof. (Argus 23-6-1917 page 11.) I had gained the impression, from page 23 of THE RED HILL that George and Martha had been married in the late 1870's.Perhaps Blakeley did not buy the post office and extend it until about 1890.
William Henry Blakeley died at his residence, 19 Clarke St, St Kilda on 24-4-1921. His wife's name was Annie and their children were Jenny, Lizzie, Martha, Emily, Florrie, Leslie, Grace and Willie. (Argus 26-4-1921 P 1.) One of the girls must have married Mr Scott. Emily, the fourth daughter who died on 9-4-1955, did not marry but was the fond aunt of Beryl and Tim Scott of 6 Palmerston St, Camberwell. The great coincidence was that Daisy Maria Jarman who lived only 605 metres south of the Blakely land, died on exactly the same day and her death notice was in the same paper.
Sheila states that William Henry Blakely purchased his land from the grantee, R.H.Holding, in 1870. Sheila also stated that Richard Holding was the first teacher at the Red Hill State School in 1873 but only lasted for a short time. Crown Allotment 72A,of 140.5 acres, which was granted to Holding on 20-2-1865, is indicated by the Consolidated School site plus Melway 190 E-F 4. In 1919, William Henry Blakeley (115 Lonsdale St, Melbourne)retained only 80 acres, Thomas Chapman being assessed on the other 60 acres.
The assessments of 29-7-1889 show that William Henry Blakeley was occupying 775 acres in the parish of Wannaeue, that is west of the Mornington-Flinders Road.
Notice is hereby given that William Henry Blakeley and William Hartley have entered into a partnership as sawmakers and ironmongers and the business will be carried on at 116 Russell St under the style of "W.H.Blakeley and Hartley." Dated this 30th day of April, 1878. (Argus 1878 page 8.)
Blakeley did not purchase the Holding grant in 1870 unless the Flinders District Road Board rate collector was way behind the times. I have known rate collectors to be a little slow to change details, such as to record that somebody was leasing from the Crown after the land had been granted. However Robert Henry Holding was assessed on 72A of 140 acres in the assessments of 7-6-1870, 8-6-1871, 11-5-1872 and 14-6-1873. In the assessment of 13-6-1874, William Henry Blakely (sic) was said to be leasing the 140 acres from Joseph Blakely. I think the rate collector made a mistake regarding the owner; he was probably thinking of Joseph Pitcher, the grantee of 72B, also 140 acres, adjoining Blakeley's land on the south.This was the last year of the Road Board as it combined with the Kangerong Road Board to form the Shire of Flinders and Kangerong.
The Shire's first assessments on 2-10-1875 recorded William Henry Blakeley as the owner and occupier and stated that there were two houses on the property. Henry Ault was leasing Joseph Pitcher's grant to the south.
Hec Hanson was born on 14-2-1913 and when he was about six (I'd say nearly 7 because of the 1919-20 rates) 69 acres of 70B Balnarring at the top end of Tucks Rd was sold to the Lessings from Carrum along with what I presume was William Hopcraft's beautiful old two storey homestead with cherry trees along one side and apple trees along the other. Hec's dad, Alf, had another house built on 20 acres on the north side of the property by Littlejohn the builder, and while this was done the Hansons lived in a house on W.H.Blakeley's property.
I quote Hec."We had to walk to school (from the Tucks Rd property) and did so through the back of Jarman's property. There were plenty of "teddy bears" (koalas)around in those days, especially up on W.H.Blakeley's land." We can visualise Hec's walks to school following the opening of the new school on 16-9-1920. Hec's house was at Melway 150 F9, now the Maritime Estate. The new site was bought from W.A.Holmes and Keith Holmes tells me that it was at 190 H4. The Church of England bought the school at auction on 1-6-1955 and named it St George's.Join the dots!
BOWRING.
John Bowring Journeaux was a grantee of land in the northern part of Balnarring parish. He was probably a descendant of the families of Messrs Bowring and Journeaux of Collingwood who had manufactured some tobacco by blending locally grown and imported product.(Argus 29-11-1864 page 5.) This Mr Bowring was most likely Joseph Paul Bowring who was described as a baker of Wellington St, Collingwood in his wedding announcement (Argus 11-1-1854 page 4.) He became a magistrate and Collingwood councillor. A very interesting coincidence is that a Mr Fritsch was a fellow Collingwood councillor at about the time that Joseph died. As you will see the Fritsch name appears as an entry in this history.
John Journeaux who was a warehouseman (owner, not worker) in Swanston St, and most likely the grantee, was convicted of forgery, the victim apparently being William McIlroy of Dromana, and sentenced to two years jail. (South Bourke and Mornington Journal 12-2-1879 page 2.) Joseph Paul Bowring died at the relatively early age of 54 at his residence, 58 Wellington St, Collingwood.(Illustrated Australian News 12-3-1881.)Joseph Paul Bowring was a man the Red Hill Bowrings would be pleased to claim as an ancestor; he was certainly the type of boss any worker would want. (Argus 2-6-1860 page 5-Letter: The Journeymen Bakers.)
Hopefully Red Hill's Eddie Bowring was not living at Chilwell, aged 21 in 1893. This Edward was charged with a stabbing in Geelong! (Argus 25-9-1893 page 6.) Edward Bowring, the father of Red Hill's Eddie Bowring lived in Mt Alexander Rd, Essendon and it is possible that an uncle had run the Coburg Electrical Service with a Mr Stubbs. Eddie must have arrived in Red Hill in about August 1901 as "Around Red Hill" on page 2 of the Mornington Standard of 30-8-1902 stated that he had been on his Village Settlement block for twelve months. Why was Thomas Harvey building a house on his block? The details of his crops are in the Village Settlement journal.
Eddie Bowring was no slouch as a cyclist. He had ridden his bike to Melbourne, probably to visit his parents in Essendon, and decided to "open her up" on the way back to Red Hill. He made it in just over three hours!
(Mornington Standard 26-4-1902 page 2.)
March 1903 was a busy month for Eddie. Firstly he was best man in the wedding of Fred Wheeler and Miss Goodman at Brunswick on Friday 6th and then he married Emily, the eldest daughter of Mr T.Harvey "Fernside" Red Hill on the 11th. Eddie was the eldest son of Edward of Essendon. His best man was Will Bowring, late of Red Hill and his groomsman was Mr E.Harvey. The bridesmaids were Sophie Harvey and Gertie Bowring. (Both items, M.S. 21-3-1903.)
George Higgens was a councillor and real estate agent, honoured by oldtimers who named a corner after him. I presume that his daughter, Edna, married(C?).H.Bowring of Red Hill. Their daughter, Aubrey Winifred, was born at the Bush Nursing Hospital, Dromana on 21 November. (Argus 29-11-1930 page 13.) In 1955, her parents,Mr and Mrs E.H.Bowring of "Heathfield", Red Hill announced her engagement to Walter Bruce Kells , from Alexandra. (Argus 14-2-1955 page 9.)
H.Bowring won a prize at the Red Hill Show in 1938. (Argus 27-10-1938 page 9.)
Was there a Dessie Bowring who married a Roberts from Main Ridge? (Births, Roberts, Argus 16-4-1921 page 11.)
Extract from my journal: THE VILLAGE SETTLEMENT PIONEERS AT RED HILL.
H.P.PROSSER.74c? and d of 20 acres each fronting the west side of the southern half of Prossors Lane (190 J-K6.)
In 1902, Edward Bowring was assessed on 74C and the article said that Edward had been on the block for 12 months. He had planted 2 acres of orchard and also had 2 acres of strawberries as well as currants and raspberries. He'd been successful with summer vegetables. Thomas Harvey was building a 4 roomed house on the block (which was noted in the 1902 assessment, one of only four on the village settlement at that time, another being on 74D.)
Keith Holmes said that Edward Bowring was on the last block on the right but as Prossors Lane does not go to the south boundary of the village settlement as shown on the Balnarring parish map (because of an extremely steep slope), he could have been referring to 74C.
The 1919 assessments show that Henry P.PROSSOR was assessed on 74c as well as another 32 acres of settlement land. It appears that the rate collectors had finally discovered the correct spelling of the grantee's surname. And where was Edward Bowring? By 1910 he had moved to 18A Kangerong, 60 acres granted to Henry Dunn at the south corner of White Hill and McIlroys Rd. By 1919 he was on part 19 Kangerong slightly to the east and across McIlroys Rd, Bowring Rd being the east boundary of the 27 acre block.
Rates (in this shire) rarely had entries indicating the owners of land but it is likely that Edward was leasing in 1902 and 1910 but owned the 27 acres in crown allotment 19 (which must have included 8 acres of Red Hill township blocks, as mentioned by Sheila) at Melway 161 A 11.
Florrie Bowring married Herb Littlejohn . The first Littlejohns in the area were William Alfred and Frederick, sons of a convict who had settled in Brunswick after gaining his ticket of leave. They had land across the road from each other near Moat's Corner. After a while Fred moved to Coburg and William to Red Hill. William was a builder and was followed in this trade by his son, Fred, who married Florrie Bowring in 1935 but died at only 25.(Thelma Littlejohn, their daughter.)
Fred and William Littlejohn had lot 9 of 205 acres and lot 11 of 130 acres in 1919. Lot 9 is inside the curve of the Nepean Highway with the non-historic Bluestead Cottage at its north west corner (160 H3-4) and lot 11(160J-K 5) is north of Dunns Ck Rd to a point opposite No 665 with its frontage to the highway extending a little less than halfway to Wallaces Rd.
BROWN 1919.
In the 1919 assessments, Isaac W.Brown of Red Hill was listed as the occupant of 24 acres and buildings, part 9A and 20A, Wannaeue. This makes little sense to me because William G.C.Roberts of Main Creek had all 175 acres of 20A. Crown allotment 9A Wannaeue was part of 626 acres 1 rood and 20 perches in Wannaeue and Fingal granted to M.E.Capples according to the Wannaeue map and M.E.Green according to the Fingal map.
There is no mention of any other occupants of small blocks on 9A but I had seen small blocks specified as being on the Billingham Estate. Then I saw an assessment for (Florence?)A.Bellingham for 147 acres, part 9A,24B Wannaeue, lots 1, 4-8 and part 3.
Crown allotment 9A (Melway 254 E4 and D 5-6 roughly) was a battleaxe block of nearly 216 acres fronting Greens Rd, Limestone Rd and the same part of Baldrys Rd as the Main Ridge Equestrian Ground and Pony Club.It surrounded crown allotment 8 of 161 acres granted to John Baldry, in which the Baldry Circuit Walk follows the southern and western boundary before crossing the creek into 9A.
Crown allotment 24B of 145 acres, another battleaxe block with frontages to Whites Rd and Main Creek Rd, was granted to Nelson Rudduck. It is roughly indicated by Melway 171 J-K3 and K4. The Billingham Estate therefore consisted of 360 or 361 acres; as 147 acres remained unsold, 214 acres must have been occupied. Apart from Isaac Brown, the only other purchaser (*whose details I transcribed) was Robert G.White of Main Creek who had lot 9 of the Billingham Estate, consisting of 13 acres. (*The 1919-20 rate book is as long as the Bible and many estates were listed separately.)
BULLDOG CREEK RD. See Bittern-Dromana Rd entry.
BUNTROCK (TRH)
(Standard, Frankston, 31-10-1946, p.4.) SILVER WEDDING. Mr and Mrs E.F.Buntrock have much pleasure in announcing the 25th anniversary of their wedding at Prahran on October 29, 1921. "Thuruna", Red Hill.
BURSTON 1919.
George Burston of Fitzroy had acquired a huge area near Red Hill by 1919. In the West Riding he had 368 acres of the Burrells' Arthurs Seat 640 acre pre-emptive right, and in the Central Riding (Dromana, Red Hill etc) he had 189 acres (part crown allotment 4 section 3 Kangerong), 80 acres (25C Wannaeue), 440 acres (part 28A, 28B Wannaeue). Crown allotments 28A and B Wannaeue comprised 295 acres so you can see how difficult it is to make sense of the assessments at times.These allotments were between Main Creek Rd and Mornington-Flinders Rd (Melway A-D 5-6.) 25C Wannaeue of 79.6 acres is on the south corner of Pindara Rd and Purves Rd (Melway 171 F-G1 and F2.) The Kangerong land was about two thirds of E.Calwell's 297 acre grant that is now housing near Devon St, Somerset Drive and Manna St and the Hillview Quarry (Melway 159 K 9-12.)
(Ernest, Robert, Robert G and Albert C.White between them were recorded as having three 53 acre blocks on 28A, which rings true because 28A consists of almost 159 acres. Therefore Burston did not have 28A and B.
The 440 acres of land was possibly part of the Arthurs Seat pre-emptive right.
CALDER.
In 1919, William Calder of Armadale was assessed on 591 acres in crown allotment 18A and part 17A Kangerong. This information is completely useless because 18A (apparently the homestead block of Henry Dunn's "Four Winds" at the south corner of White Hill and McIlroys Rds) consisted of 60 acres and the whole of 17A was only 77 acres. William was also assessed on 43 acres, 13C, Kangerong. (Bottom half of Melway A-B2 and top half of A-B3, bisected by the tributary labelled Dunns Creek. Nashs Lane runs to the midpoint of the southern boundary.) It seems obvious that much of the unexplained 591 acres was former McIlroy land as William John and James McIlroy had 1205 acres in 1910 but their descendants only had 644 acres in 1919.
Also in 1919, S.P.Calder had 12 acres, part 18B. The parish map seems to indicate that he was granted 18C of 22 acres west of Four Winds (east half of 161 A12), which with an unclear tied block made a total of 24 acres; the 12 acre block must have been 18D (the middle longitudinal third of Melway 190 K1)which was surrounded on the east and north by the battleaxe Ringrose grant.
The following is the start of William Calder's biography from the Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Calder, William (18601928)
by Roger J. Southern
William Calder (1860-1928), engineer, was born on 31 July 1860 at his father's sheep-farm at Lovell's Flat, Milton near Dunedin, New Zealand, only son of Arthur Calder and his wife Margaret Milne, ne Strachan. Calder was educated at the local school at Milton and the Otago Boys' High School in Dunedin in 1876-77. From 1881 he attended engineering lectures at Otago University before entering the New Zealand Government Survey Department as a cadet in October 1883; after five years practical training he passed the authorized surveyors' examination with credit in July 1888.
Later that year Calder came to Victoria and worked in private engineering and surveying firms. In October 1889 he became assistant town surveyor for the City of Footscray, and in July 1890 town engineer. At night he studied to gain certificates as municipal engineer (1890) and engineer of water-supply (1892). From December 1897 to March 1913, Calder was city engineer and building surveyor to the City of Prahran. Among his achievements were construction of, allegedly, the first asphalted carpet-road surface and the first refuse destructor in Australia, and the completion of a major drainage project.
By 1912 the appalling condition of Victoria's rural roads was a major concern to both farmers and motorists. That year a Country Roads Board was set up and Calder was appointed chairman, with W. T. B. McCormack and F. W. Fricke as the other members. In its first two years, the board travelled ceaselessly, inspecting a road system neglected by indigent municipalities since the building of the railways. A meticulous note-taker and enthusiastic photographer, Calder recorded the board's progress; his notes were transcribed and used as a basic reference for many years. Maps were published in 1914 and 1915 showing the roads selected for improvement. The board was endlessly tactful in receiving interest groups pressing for various improvements, while insisting on high standards of construction and financial control.
William Calder was Chairman of the C.R.B. until 1928, the year of his death. In 1929, "Four Winds" was sold by George Higgens.
(The Argus 29-10-1929 page 14.) RED HILL PROPERTY SOLD. Late Mr W.Calder's Home. The country home known as The Four Winds at Red Hill, which was the property of the late Mr William Calder, chairman of the Country Roads Board, has been purchased by Mr E.E.Thompson of Flete avenue, Malvern. The house is modern in design and construction, and has fine grounds, to the improvement of which Mr Calder devoted much of his leisure time. The sale was made through the agency of Mr George Higgens of Red Hill.
William Calder died at the home of his son-in-law (Mr Lewis)on 18th February, 1928.(Argus 20-2-1928, page 1.)
The Frankston and Somerville Standard reported on page 1 of its 11-1-1929 issue that the Melbourne to Mildura road via Bendigo formerly known as the North-western Highway was to be renamed the Calder Highway as a tribute to William Calder, who was a good friend of the peninsula (more). William did not spend all of his leisure time on the gardens at Four Winds. He was Chairman of the Red Hill Show Committee and unfortunately I haven't been able to locate a great article that I read over a year ago about the void that had been left by his death and how the other members of the committee had taken on extra workloads to ensure a successful show.
See the RAILWAY OPENING entry re William Calder.
CALDWELL.
The Caldwell name appears on many parish maps as far north as Somerville. This would indicate that the family had plenty of money, but this came to an end in 1891 due to the depression, and without any experience, the family planted an orchard at Somerville, with the trees far too close together. (Mornington Standard 2-7-1896 page 3.) I've forgotten the name of the nursery they established there (perhaps it's in my THE FEMALE DROVER: A HISTORY OF MOOROODUC journal) but I remember that they were the first to export fruit trees to China.
I this work, I will concentrate on the Caldwell grants in the parishes of Balnarring and Kangerong. John Caldwell was mentioned in the BALNARRING PIONEERS entry. He had 225 acres which could not be in the parish of Kangerong. He had 34A (almost 132 acres granted on 11-2-1876) and 35A(a bit over 94 acres granted on 4-4-1875, in the parish of Balnarring, which fronted the east side of Merricks Rd from Stanleys Rd to the Frankston-Flinders Rd (roughly Melway 192 E6 and F 7-9.) His frontage to the south side of Stanleys Rd was 883 metres and the southern boundary of 35A was only 170 metres along Frankston-Flinders Rd. As you can see, these two grants make up the 225 acres on which John was assessed on 8-6-1869.
In the parish of Kangerong, Robert Caldwell was granted 10 B of about 172 1/2 acres on 30-1-1868. This allotment is south of Tumbywood Rd (Melway 160 F-J 12)with an Arthurs Seat Rd frontage of only 214 metres east of Sheehans Rd.
E.Caldwell was granted Crown Allotment 4, section 3, consisting of almost 298 acres. Today this allotment consists of the Hillview Quarry land and a subdivision of Spencer Jackson's off Boundary Rd with streets named after counties and Jackson himself. (Melway 159 J-K 9-12.)Caldwell Rd (159 G 9-10), the west boundary of "Gracefield", honours the Caldwell family.
W.Caldwell was granted Crown Allotment 2 of section 2 of 167 acres. This allotment is bisected by Shergolds Lane and extends 200 metres on each side of this road.(Roughly F 6-9.) This member of the Caldwell clan was presumably about to leave the colony at the end of 1858 when the 167 acre allotment was advertised by Alexander Young and Co. with the title being a Crown grant.(Argus 31-12-1858 page 2, column 4.)
CHAMBERS AND STEANE ESTATE, Melbourne, 1919.
In the centre riding the Chambers and Steane Estate, whose address was in Melbourne, was assessed on 32 acres crown allotment (6?)D and 20 acres, part 29A, section B, Wannaeue. In the West Riding, Chambers and Steane were assessed on 84 acres, lots 29-33 and 39-47, part crown allotments 31C and 31D Wannaeue.
The 32 acre land is a mystery. I thought that it was probably in Crown allotment 6 of section 1 Kangerong,
with D being my abbreviation for Dromana, but Archibald Vine Shaw had 18 of its 37 acres.Section D (suburban blocks)is between Tower Rd and the chairlift line on the western boundary of Arthurs Seat State Park but no two allotments total 32 acres.
Crown allotment 29A, section B, Wannaeue, consisting of 331 acres and granted to Ben Hards, is bounded by Main Creek Rd, Arthurs Seat Rd and Mornington-Flinders Rd (Melway 190 B-D 3-4.)
Crown allotments 31 C and D , granted to Dromana pioneer, John Townsend, and consisting of 147 acres altogether, is bounded by Hove Rd, Bayview/Old Cape Schanck Rd, Waterfall Gully Rd and Rosebud Ave (Melway 170 G 4-5.)
CHAPMAN 1919 Bal.
Thomas Chapman, Red Hill, was assessed on 60 acres and buildings, part 9A and 72A, Balnarring. The only way I can make sense of 9A, is crown allotment 9 of section A, Dromana Township. Consisting of 2 roods (half an acre) this was on the west corner of Grant St and Latrobe Pde (Melway 159 E8.) CROWN ALLOTMENT 9 BALNARRING IS IN BITTERN NORTH!
Crown allotment 72A Balnarring was Robert Henry Holding's grant (Melway 190 E-F4) which became William Henry Blakeley's 140 acres and on which the Consolidated School is situated. In 1919, Blakeley had 80 acres and Thomas Chapman the rest.
Colin McLear's A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA had much information about the Chapmans.
Thomas Chapman (1868-1941) was the second child of George Chapman, the founder of "Seawinds" on Arthurs Seat. The Dromana block was probably where George, who died in 1898, lived while he was hauling timber off Arthurs Seat in 1862 although he later bought land and built a house near James St or Thomas St in Dromana (Melway 159 H7.)
The triangle bounded by McCulloch St, Arthur St and Palmerstone Ave,Crown Allotment 1, Section 1 Kangerong, consisted of 43 acres.In 1910, Edith Chapman, farmer, Red Hill, was assessed on a lot on this triangle and I believe that the streets on it were named by, or in in honour of, the Chapmans. Thomas St could be named after Red Hill's Thomas,George St after his father or Dromana's blacksmith, and James St after younger brother James (1863-1953) who established Belmont Guest House in Dromana.
When Thomas was about 8, George moved to Arthurs Seat and cleared his selection over the years with the help of John (1866-1901), Thomas and James. John and James were lured by the gold rush of the 1890's in Western Australia, while James stayed on Sea Winds, and they established a water condensing enterprise in Kalgoorlie. Thomas returned to Red Hill, becoming an orchardist and serving as a councillor . When John died in Bunbury, his wife Edith, nee Sheehan returned with their little daughter to her family at Red Hill.
Thomas Chapmans youngest sister, Janet, born in 1877, lived with Thomas and Kate at Red Hill and later at Frankston.
There was an obituary for Mrs T.Chapman on page 4 of the Standard (Frankston) of 7-3-1941. She had died at her residence, Beach St, Frankston on March 1st.She and her husband were old residents of Red Hill and since moving to Frankston had been involved with the Presbyterian Church. She left behind her husband, two daughters and one son. (Thomas obviously died soon after if Colin McLear's details were right.) The pall bearers were Crs Rudduck and Higgins (sic*) and Messrs J.J.Griffiths, R.Holmes, J.Watson, E.Trewin. The funeral was at the Frankston Cemetery with Messrs E.Turner, V.C.Francis, E.Haig and C.J.Clarke as coffin bearers.(*George Higgens.)
Colin McLear's claim that Thomas became a councillor was correct (although the road board had become a shire by then!) The details of his election to fill the vacancy caused by Cr Nowlan's death were on page 2 of the 19-9-1908 issue of the Mornington and Dromana Standard.Despite (Andrew?) Buchanan gaining a huge majority at the Flinders booth, Thomas achieved landslides the other way at Red Hill and Dromana to win 109 to 91.
P.S. It was Andrew Buchanan that Thomas defeated.
Thomas was sometimes distracted from his orchard and council affairs by poultry matters such as his prize white leghorns (M&D Standard 29-9-1909 page 2.) Thomas died on December 21, 1941 and his obituary was on page 1 of the Standard (Frankston) of 2-1-1942. His son's name was Edgar. Pall bearers and coffin bearers are listed. The Turner, Francis and Haig families appear to have been close to Thomas and Kate.
Having seen that Mr Chapman often conducted Methodist services at Red Hill, I was puzzled about Thomas and Kate's association with the Presbyterian Church at Frankston until I found that the lay preacher was H.W.Chapman.
Thomas Chapman was heavily involved with the Dromana Literary Society (Mornington Standard 21-7-1892 page 2) and the Dromana and Red Hill Agricultural and Horticultural Society.
CLEAVE 1919.
Mrs Mary Cleave, probably a widow, was assessed on 24 acres and buildings, part 20C, Wannaeue. (See ADCOCK.) See the SHEEHAN entry re Reg Sheehan's poem "In Memory of the Late Albert Cleave".
W.Cleave was a member of the Red Hill Rifle Club. (Mornington Standard 9-9-1905 p.5.)
CLEINE 1919 K & Bal.
Extract from Dromana, Rosebud and Miles Around on Trove.
In 1879, Charles Cleine was leasing 50 acres from the Crown. In 1900, Charles Cleine had 52 acres and Thomas Henry Cleine 45 acres, both in Kangerong. Karl Cleine had 30 acres at Red Hill, north of Perry Rd in 1919. One of the Cleine girls married Alec Clydesdale.
Extract from my journal THE RED HILL.
Charles, the first of the Cleine family came from Groningen, now part of Holland. He ran away from home at the age of 12 to avoid compulsory military training and retained his pacifist belief which caused arguments at Cleine's Corner between him and Mr (CHARLES?) White. He had a certificate for a donkey engine and worked for L.L.Smith building bridges. He married and had a large family. A little grave near the homestead site in the valley is marked by moss roses.
The 1919-20 assessments reveal the location of the Cleine land at that time. Karl had 30 acres and buildings, part of crown allotment 14A, Kangerong. This allotment, of 103 acres and granted to William McIlroy on 8-1-1889, was east of (and parallel to, and of 25% more depth than) the Kindilan Society land, with its south east corner on Mechanics Rd near the C.F.A. Fire Station. The properties of 50 or 52 acres and 45 acres must have been absorbed by 1919, so their locations cannot be determined.
A phone call to Keith Holmes revealed that Charles Cleine married Elizabeth, the daughter of the original McIlroy. Cleine's Corner is the corner of Arthurs Seat and Mechanics'* Rds. The moss covered grave and homestead were on crown allotment 14A, north of Cleine's Corner.
(* POSTSCRIPT.The sharp-eyed Sybil Cumming,grand daughter of Carl Cleine, spotted an error which has now been corrected. Thanks, Sybil.There will be much more detail about the Cleines and their descendants in RED HILL MEMOIRS POST 1940 after the Back to Red Hill on 22 March, 2015.)
The 50 acres earlier leased from the Crown may have been near the sites of the Two Bays Estate and Foxy's Hangout Wineries at Melway 190 J2. The state school and Mr Wiseman's blacksmith shop were near this location according to Keith. They would have been on crown allotment 18 Kangerong which seems to have been surveyed as suburban blocks in the original Red Hill Township. The Cleines were still in this area in 1902. Thomas Cleine had 8 acres of young orchard and extensive strawberry patches on his block, which was described as being opposite the state school and blacksmith shop and opposite the Arkwells. This orchard seems to have been across White Hill Rd from the winery site (on 10B Kangerong, granted to Robert Caldwell and seemingly subdivided by 1879.)
On our history tour, Bill Huntley told me of land the Cleines had near Fenton Hall at the north end of Merricks Rd; they also had a saw mill in the area.
CLEMENTS 1919
The 1919-20 assessments show that Owen Clements had recently bought bought 45 acres and buildings, part crown allotment 26A, Kangerong, from Martha Clydesdale. It was actually the whole of 26A, granted to James Clydesdale, today situated between the Dromana-Red Hill boundary and Gibb Rd (which starts at the midpoint of the Bittern rd frontage.) Martha Clydesdale now had 20 acres in E.Caldwell's grant, crown allotment 4, section 3, Kangerong. (See the description of the location of E.Caldwell's grant under CALDWELL.)
CLYDESDALE (See CLEMENTS entry.)
Extract from Dromana, Rosebud and Miles Around on Trove.
CLYDESDALE (Extract from Peninsula Dictionary History.)
www.genealogy.kirkpatrickaustralia.com
The above source gives the following details.
James Clydesdale was the son of William Clydesdale (born 1790 at Glasgow) and Janet (nee Muir, born 21-1-1794 at Gorbals.) Gorbals was probably close to Glasgow; both are in Lanarkshire. James whose first given name was William, according to his death certificate, was born on 1-11-1817 and died on 15-8-1902, the burial taking place three days later at Dromana Cemetery.
On 10-1-1850 in Melbourne, he married Julia (nee Cahill) who was born in 1831 at New Ross, County Wexford, Ireland. Julia outlived James by almost 8 years and died at Dromana on 4-8-1910. I hope Julia didnt aspire to an hourglass figure because she had 14 children in the first 23 years of their marriage. Dates and places of their childrens births and deaths are available on the website. (Google: Clydesdale kangerong).
They seem to have been in Melbourne until at least July 1852 and at Footscray in 1854 and 1855. Perhaps James was involved in George Spottiswoodes bluestone enterprises. (Spotswood was named after him.) If so, it would have been good practice for the gold mining that Bernard Eaton conducted near James grant three decades later.
From 1856 to 1859, James and Julia were probably living in a tent at Canvas Town at Emerald Hill (South Melbourne). The gold rush was in full swing and those lucky enough to own lodging houses could let rooms to the highest bidder. No matter how menial the work that James was doing, he would have been getting good pay. The high wages being demanded by workers outraged their pre- gold rush masters. Now they had to dress themselves, clean and cook or pay until it hurt. Luckily for the toffs the huge numbers returning from the diggings with empty pockets soon created a surplus of labour and the tables were turned.
James and Julia were at East Creek, Westernport when their first child, Jane Ann died on 11-6-1860 at 9 years and four months of age. They were probably at todays Merricks or Red Hill South, the Melway references for East Creek. They had previously lost Mary Ann, Margaret and William before they had taken their first steps.
By September they had moved to Mount Martha and James could have been leasing land. Hearn and Big Clarke had combined their land holdings to create the Mount Martha Sheep Station, Clarke having bought part of Jamiesons Special Survey. Henry Dunn had been leasing land from both Hearn and Jamieson in the late 1840s and by the time James arrived, Dunn had been replaced by Cottier, Griffith, Eaton, Peatey and others. James and Julia would become their neighbours.
The child whose birth on 4-9-1860 was registered at Mt Martha was given the name of Martha. Was this coincidence intentional? Lillie (Lily?) Eleanor was born in about 1862. Susan Peatey, a midwife and neighbour, delivered their tenth child, Emma, on 17-4-1864 at Jamiesons Special Survey. Susan recorded the fathers occupation as mariner and the mothers age as 27. (According to the website details, Julia should have been 33!) James was probably working for Peter Pidota who was fishing between jobs transporting timber about the bay.
The next child, George, was born on 20-8-1867 and died later that year. The remaining children were probably all born on the Survey although the last two were registered at Dromana.
They were:
Alice Maud Mary b.28-10-1868 JSS.
Henry John b. Nov. 1871, Dromana.
Alexander b. 1873, Dromana.
As well as Mary Ann, Margaret, William, Jane Ann, George and Thomas who all died young, Colin McLear did not mention any of the girls by name, only that one of them married Mr Davis of Red Hill. The husband might have been Frederick, Henry, James or Jonathan Davis who appear to be the sons of Jonathan Davis. The bride was possibly Lily (D.1931 at Dromana) as rate records indicate that Martha remained unmarried. However it might be that the death details of Catherine, or Alice Maud Mary are missing on the website because the researcher didnt know about Mr Davis.
The other girl, Emma Sophia, died in Hotham in 1900. I wonder if she married a son of Walter Gibsons brother, Thomas. James W. and Thomas Henry Gibson had land either side of Purves Rd at the end of Waterfall Gully Rd in 1900 but both lived in Melbourne; James at Carlton and Thomas at Northcote. By 1910, both were dairymen, James at North Melbourne (Hotham) and Thomas at Balwyn.
On 7-5-1884, James Clydesdale received the grant for lot 26A of Kangerong, consisting of 45 acres. (Melway 161 A7) He had selected this land prior to September 1879 when the rate collector called it 50 acres. On its western side was Alf Harrisons 63 acres with the 100 acre farm of George and Susan Peaty between Alf and Harrisons Rd. To the east of Clydesdales grant was land owned by McIlroy and Downward.
Within five years of receiving the title to his farm, James would probably been telling his sons, Harry and James how to dig rock as the three went off to work at Bernard Eatons gold mining operation about a mile to the east near Dunns Creek.
James Jnr married Martha Ellen, the daughter of Charles Dyson and their children were Bill (killed at Gallipoli), Bob,Harry, Jack and Kitty. Alec married Miss Cleine from Red Hill and lived in a cottage with bead-screened doors, on the corner of Heales and Hodgkinson St, Dromana. He was a longtime employee of the council forming and repairing the roads.
Among the members of the Dromana Sports Club in 1914 when it conducted a race meeting were W. Clydesdale, Harry Clydesdale, R. Clydesdale and Alec Clydesdale. In 1927 Bob, Alec and Harry Clydesdale were still committeemen. Jack Clydesdale was a member of the Dromana football team that won the 1939 premiership. Jimmy Clydesdale was a leg spinner not afraid to give the ball a bit of air in a purple patch for Dromana following WW2 and was a good half forward for the footy team at that time.
James Jnr and Martha lived in Lyndhurst in Pier St and raised their family there.
Photos of James and Julia Clydesdale are on P.157 of Dreamtime of Dromana which contains more family details.
My transcription of the 1864 and 1865 rates shows no entries for James Clydesdale. In 1864 he may have been living in the hut that Peter Pidota had for his workers near the Carrigg St corner. In 1865, he could have been living at Maryfield working for Mary Ann McLear. Later he and Julia had a house on the survey (Safety Beach) near Clyde St before moving to the Bittern Rd property. Postscript. James Clydesdale should have been assessed in 1864. See the birth deails for Emma given previously.
Rate assessments transcribed follow.
1879. James Clydesdale, farmer, 50 acres, Kangerong.
1900. James Clydesdale, 48 acres Kangerong.
1910. Alexander Clydesdale, labourer, Dromana, 48 acres and buildings, Kangerong.
James William Clydesdale, Dromana, one lot and buildings.
Martha Elizabeth Clydesdale, Dromana, 20 acres, part 4 of 3.
1920. Robert Clydesdale, Dromana, land and buildings, Pier St, part crown allotment 4, section 1
Harry Clydesdale, Dandenong, half acre, Pier St, ditto
Alexander Clydesdale, Dromana, half acre and buildings, section 14, Dromana.
CONNELL.
Extract from my THE FEMALE DROVER: A HISTORY OF MOOROODUC.
James Connell received the grant for allotment 12 near the boundary with Kangerong and Bittern parishes. It was possibly Anthony or James whose rates on 50 acres and a hut in Dromana were paid for him by Wilson at the deathknock on 20-1-1865. The rate collector didnt know much. As well as not knowing the given names of Connell and Wilson, he didnt realize that the name Dromana only applied to land west of McCulloch St.
Colin McLear tells us the following. The Connells were tenants on Jamiesons Special Survey in 1851 or shortly thereafter. (Anthony Connells block was probably near the one later occupied by Henry Wilson.) A descendant of Anthonys was a silent partner of Jack Rudduck in Mornington Station in the Kimberleys in the 1950s. Mornington Station was near Fitzroy Crossing 300 miles inland from Derby.
The Connell and White children were among the pupils of a school that operated near the Hickinbotham Winery site in the early 1850s. This school may have closed when the teachers wife died or because two private schools had been opened in Dromana by Quinan and Nicholson. Its closure was probably the impetus for the establishment of a school in Moorooduc.
Anthony Connell was obviously the forerunner of the Connell family in the area. He received the grants for allotments 27 and 29, totaling 337 acres, all or part of which became the rifle range.
In 1910, James Connell, a farmer of Mornington, was leasing 238 acres (lots 3-6 of Bruces) and James Connell, a farmer of Tuerong, was leasing 230 acres (lots 1,2 of Bruces.) This land was just south of Ellerina Rd in the parish of Kangerong. I presume that would be James senior and James junior. Bruces was the northern section of the Survey fronting the Sea Lane, which is now called Bruce Rd, and is the boundary between Kangerong and Moorooduc parishes.
Anthony Connell's grants in the parish of Moorooduc, crown allotments 29 and 27, with a frontage of 1680 metres on the east side of Three Chain Road (Old Moorooduc Rd) from opposite No. 235 to opposite the Vineyard Lane corner (the south boundary of the Tuerong pre-emptive right)consisted of nearly 338 acres and had a Balnarring Rd frontage of 310 metres at the north east corner.(Melway 151 J8 to 152 A-B 6.) In 1873 Anthony was granted C.A. 11A bounded by Gillett Rd on the north, which is now the Tuerong Reserve.(152 C6.) When the property was sold, Connells were the auctioneers.
A Connell family living in Red Hill in the 1890's must have lost their rabbit's foot. Firstly their little girl was badly burnt as a result of her brother playing with matches (Mornington Standard 18-4-1895 page 2) and then Mr Connell was in hospital receiving treatment for his eyes by the end of 1896(M.S. 24-12-1896, P.3.)
Two young Davey girls of Marysville, Frankston (Davey's Bay)had collected donations as a Christmas present for the distressed family and the donations were to be forwarded on to Mr (H.P.)Davey of Forest Lodge, Red Hill.
The family was referred to in the first article as living near Red Hill so perhaps they were near Merricks North and Forest Lodge. As Henry Pearce Davies was involved as secretary of the Balnarring sports committee (My DISCOVERING DAVEY journal)it is possible that this family was in the parish of Bittern where J.(John?) Connell had a grant across Balnarring Rd from Anthony's. My journal also reveals that the hospitalised father was William Connell.(Mornington Standard 12-11-1896 P.3 and 10-12-1896 P.3.)
Cr Davies asked the council to provide some relief for the family and H.P.Davey pointed out that the father had previously been unable to work for six months before his eyesight problems emerged and the large family, with the oldest child only 15, was living on bread and water. (Mornington Standard 17-12-1896 P.3, F&K SHIRE.)
Evelyn Connell, daughter of Mrs Connell of Red Hill, died on 24 April, 1910 from pneumonia at the age of 19 and was buried at Mornington Cemetery. She was one of a set of triplets. (Mornington and Dromana Standard 30-4-1910 P.2.) Miss R.Connell was a member of the Red Hill Literary ans Social Club, rendering items along with Charles and Mrs Thiele, Tom Sandilants' wife, H.McIlroy, W.Simpson and Mr Prosser (sic).(Mornington Standard 29-8-1903 p.3.)
In 1900, William Connell was assessed on 8 acres Kangerong. The man who first appealed for help for William's family, A.E.Bennett, was living on Kent Orchard at the time. Kent Orchard, later owned by the Huntleys was on Kentucky Rd (Melway 191 H 1.)
Although no details were given, Evelyn Mary (Evie) Connell who died on 11-12-1900 might have been the mother of Evelyn (above) and thus Mrs Connell of Red Hill and William's wife.
COUNCILLORS.
The following councillors represented the area near Red Hill. This list was compiled from LIME LAND LEISURE (History of the Shire of Flinders) over a year ago so I have missed some names such as Cr (Andrew?) Haig (see RAILWAY OPENING entry.) Keith Desmond Holmes 1965-1973; John Baldry 1890-1901; John Caldwell 1875-6; Edmond James Callanan 1895-1903, John Davies 1894-1914; Arthur Ralph Ditterich 1961-4; Alf Downward 1888-93; (G.G.A?)Downward 1956-9; Herbert Downward 1916-9, Alf Head 1880-8; John Oswin 1887-9; William Oswin 1902-5; Robert Wighton 1875-6. Alf Downward sat for many years simultaneously on three Shire Councils (Flinders, Frankston and Hastings and Mornington, which had been formerly been the west riding of F&H.)
(See HOLLAND, CHAPMAN entries.)
CRAIG AVON LANE. See Bittern-Dromana Rd entry.
DANIEL.
In 1879, Charles Daniel, farmer was leasing 60 acres from B.Ringrose. This was the same land, 18B Kangerong, on which Arthur E.Hill was assessed in 1900. (See HILL entry.) Charles may have been the pioneer of "Narbonne" in the Shire of Bulla, two of whose descendants were Shire Secretaries.
DAVEY.
The first time I saw this name in ratebooks, I wondered if there was any connection with the Frankston pioneers. Tonight I have examined this possibility. Many websites about Frankston provide identical information about James Davey having a run south of Olivers Hill along the Daveys Bay coast and old man Davey (named as William on one site) building a house on Olivers Hill. Strangely I seem to be the first person to wonder if the two were related.They were, as shown by the Kessell family tree re the pedigree of Davey, Frankston Mornington. William, because of whom Olivers Hill was first named Old man Davey's Hill, was born in 1795 in Cornwall and was buried in lovely Frankston in 1880.(His father James, was buried in an obviously less lovely place called Mousehole, Cornwall!)
His son James, born in 1820, who married before leaving Cornwall, died on 13-7-1884 at Frankston. It might have been his grand daughters, Ethel 16 or Elsie 6, and Fanny 6, who were the Misses E. and F.Davey of Marysville, Frankston reported as having collected money for the destitute Connells of Red Hill. The really interesting thing is that the money was to be sent to Mr Davey of Forest Lodge, Red Hill. This was H.P.Davey who was the light and life of Red Hill for ten years before moving to St Kilda and working for Sands and McDougall in Melbourne.
DAVIDSON.
Extract from my VILLAGE SETTLEMENT journal.
W.DAVIDSON. 74k of 17 acres opposite Centrepoint (north east quarter of Melway 191 A7.)
W.Davidson was assessed in 1902-3 (see 74i.), but the rate collector was confused.Unless my transcription was faulty, the Davidson block was not mentioned in "Around Red Hill" written in August, 1902. By 1919, 74K was occupied by Mrs Frances Edwards.
Mrs Davidson was "Dolly" Nash, who could not move one of her arm and always had it clad in a stocking.Mr Davidson's sister married a Cavanagh from Balnarring.(Keith Holmes.)
A very confused entry in the 1910-11 rates indicates that rates on a property were to be written off. The property, of 60 acres, 18A Kangerong, seems to have been leased by Jonathon Davis and to be the estate of William Davidson, care of Mrs Edwards of Red Hill. The land,on the south corner of White Hill and McIlroys Rd, had been granted to Henry Dunn and formed all or part of his "Four Winds". The block was almost square with its western boundary extending to a point opposite Tumbywood Rd.
DAVIES/DAVIS.
Rate collectors often confused these two surnames.
Margaret Davies was the grantee of 13 A and B, Kangerong of 129 acres 3 roods and 31 perches, east of Andrews Lane, the Kindilan Society land being its eastern part and indicating the northern extent of her land. It seems to have been granted on 28-8-1877 but there is no mention of her in the 1879 rates.
In 1919, assessments were recorded in the centre riding for the following Red Hill residents.
Jonathon Davies, 28 acres and buildings, part crown allotment 19 Kangerong; Henry Davies, 42 acres and buildings, part C.A.10B, Kangerong; Frederick Davies, 33 acres, part C.A. 10B, Kangerong.
In 1910, the record shows basically the same Red Hill residents:
Frederick Davis, orchardist, 35 acres Kangerong; Henry Davis, labourer, 43 acres Kangerong; Mrs Fanny Davis, orchardist,4 acres and buildings; Jonathan Davis,orchardist, 28 acres Kangerong.
The 1900 assessment read: Frederick Davis 35 acres K; Henry Davis 43 acres K; James Davis 4 acres and building K; and Jonathan Davis 28 acres K.
One might safely assume that the family's surname was DAVIS but it's better to be safe than sorry.Jonathan Davis was recorded in the 1879 rates and thankfully the rate collector gave good detail, although property loctions were not given. Jonathan Davis, labourer, owned two properties. He owned and occupied 280 acres, Kangerong and James Davis, labourer, was renting a building and four acres, Kangerong from him. It is my guess that the 280 acres consisted of 10B, Kangerong of nearly 172 .5 acres (granted to Robert Caldwell who was not assessed) and 97 acres of Charles Golding's grant on the other(northern) side of Tumbywood Rd, Golding retaining only 130 of its 252.7 acres.
The family became involved in the community quickly, especially the Wesleyan congregation. Jonathan Davis was an original trustee of the church which was erected on land donated by James Wheeler near the post office in 1884. The first wedding to take place after the first service on 25-1-1885 was that of Jonathan Davis and Elizabeth Kemp. The first christening was that of their daughter, Henrietta Charlotte. (T.R.H. page 31.)
"Around Red Hill", an article which appeared on page 2 of the Mornington Standard of 30-8-1902, gives the following details about the Davis farms. Jonathan Davis had 40 acres facing the Port Phillip side with 6 acres of young (fruit) trees. He was also dairying on 60 acres leased from Mrs Strong.
(The 1900 assessments reveal that Mrs Maude Strong was leasing the 60 acre farm from trustees. This 60 acre farm may have been "Four Winds", Henry Dunn's grant at the south corner of McIlroys and White Hill Rds; it might have been purchased from the Strong executors by William Davidson, a Village Settlement pioneer who had died and whose rates were to be written off, the rate collector being unaware that Edward Bowring was assessed on the same property, 18A Kangerong. The only other 60 acre property in 1910 was Alf Harrison's and this was a mistake because 27B Kangerong on Dunns Creek Rd east of Harrisons Rd actually consisted of just over 63 acres. Maude Strong's 60 acre farm was not the Ringrose battleaxe grant (18B) south of the "Four Winds" grant, which was occupied in 1900 by Arthur E.Hill.)
The article stated that James Davis had 5 acres under fruit and that F. and H.Davis, who were between Mr Hill's and Arkwells' (hence about Melway 190 J1), were mainly growing potatoes, with a yield of 10 tons to the acre, but also maize, peas and strawberries.
A search for DAVIES, RED HILL revealed that there was a Davies family of Red Hill, but this was a very old property called Red Hill Farm near Woodend! A search for DAVIS, RED HILL confirmed that DAVIS was definitely the surname of these Red Hill pioneers. The end of 1904 was not a happy time for the family. Jonathan Davis had suffered from a serious illness for five months and was in a critical condition when the Red Hill residents organised a Jonathan Davis relief fund. (Mornington Standard 19-11-1904 page 5, 3-12-1904 page 2.)
It is my guess that James Davis was the father of Jonathan and that Mrs Fanny Davis was his mother.
DOWNWARD
Alfred Downward's land in the local area was mainly at Tubbarubba and there would be much information about him in books such as The Golden Plains of Tubbarubbarel. Despite his efforts at representing the residents of the peninsula, it is amazing how many of them thought his surname was Downard.
The following is verbatim from the Parliament of Victoria website.
Downward, Alfred
Born 1847 (Melbourne, Victoria)
Died 26 June 1930. (Mornington)
Parents: Edward and Elizabeth
Marriage: 1879 Hawthorn, Josephine Kerr; 1s. 2d.
Occupation: Grazier
Religion: Church of England
Education: Prahran and from 1855 Mornington
Career: Worked on father's sheep farm at Balnarring; from 1874 ran sheep on his own selection at Tubbar Rubba; took great interest in land settlement and development of the Peninsula. Member Flinders and Kangerong shire council for 25 years, president 1890-1892; also councillor and president Mornington shire.
House Electorate Start * End *
MLA Mornington October 1894 November 1929
Unseated and re-elected Jan 1895.
Other seats contested: Mornington 1877, 1886, 1889, 1892
Appointments: Minister Water Supply and minister Agric. 31 Oct 1908-8 Jan 1909; minister Mines, minister Forests, minister Public Health and vice-president Board Land & Works 29 Nov 1917-21 Mar 1918; president Board Land & Works, commissioner Crown Lands and Surveys and minister Immigration 18 Nov 1924-20 May 1927
(Argus 28-6-1930 page 20.) MR ALFRED DOWNWARD. DEATH AT MORNINGTON. FORMER STATE MINISTER.
The death occurred last night of Mr Alfred Downward, who represented Mornington in the Legislative Assembly for 35 years. He retired in October last year. Mr Downward, who was aged 83, held portfolios in three Ministries. He was a member of the Country Party.
Mr Downward became seriously ill following a chill he received when attending the funeral of the late Mr Henry Tuck, an old friend, at Flinders, last Saturday. The funeral will leave his residence, Redwood, Mornington, at half past 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon for Mornington Cemetery.
Mr Downward was the oldest member of the Legislative Assembly when he retired. On many occasions he successfully contested the Mornington seat against newcomers, and several times was returned unopposed. Before entering Parliament in 1894, Mr Downward took an active part in municipal affairs, and in one year was the President of both of the shires which covered the Peninsula at that time.
The article goes on to mention the three ministries were those of Tommy Bent, Bowser and Allan, that Alfred was a noted amateur rider in his youth and that the Deputy Leader, in expressing his regret, stated that much of the Peninsula's development was due to Alfred.
Alfed's residence in Mornington, Redwood, was so named because of a natural stand of Redwood Gums at the western end of Downward St. Pitt St and Downward St were named after two of Alfred's daughters, the last members of the family to live in Redwood, Mrs Pitt being a widow and Ivy Downward a spinster. There is much more detail about Redwood and Red Gum Flat(Melway 154 D2) near the end of my THE FEMALE DROVER:A HISTORY OF MOOROODUC. Joan Downward has the newspaper article about the Redwood Gums and much information about the Downward family's earlier involvement in Tasmania. (If you would like the extract from The Female Drover or to get in touch with Joan, send me a private message.)
Some of Alfred's land on the east side of Bulldog Creek Rd was formerly reserved from sale and was the site of the Tubbarubba diggings. Bulldog Creek Rd was supposed to run south to Myers Rd and was the eastern boundary of Jamieson's Special Survey. The northern 1000 acres of the Survey belonged to the family of John Bruce, son in law of Big Clarke who owned the rest. By 1900 Alfred and Caroline Downward were leasing much of the Clarke land and when it was sold circa 1907, they bought many of the lots. In 1910, as well as their land in the East Riding(parish of Balnarring), Alfred Downward owned 270 acres (lot 12 Clarke's) and Herbert Downward 120 acres (Clarke's) and 508 acres (lots 16, 17 Clarke's.)
Lot 12 was on the north side of Dromana-Bittern Rd with its south west corner over the road from number 665 and its north east corner at the bend in Wallaces Rd in Melway 161 C3. Lots 16 and 17, 508 acres 1 rood and 37 perches, were on the north side of Wallaces Rd and west of Bulldog Creek from 161 C-F 2 north to where an eastern extension of the south boundary of the Martha Cove waterway through McKenzies' Junction meets Bulldog Creek (north east corner of lot 16.) The north west corner of lot 17 is at the middle of the top of 151 C12.
The 1919-20 rates specify Herbert's 120 acres as being part 9A and 24,Kangerong and the 1910-11 rates(assessment number 114) specify that the 120 acre block was on "Clarke's".
The 1910 entry reads "Caroline Downward,owner C.Downward, 120 acres pt.9A,24 .. (the ditto under Clarke's in the previous entry.)
Here's a question for you. How can you make "Crown Allotment" look like 9A? The rate collector knew the answer. He wrote C/A but with a longer slash that he joined to the top of the C. It had me puzzled until I had been transcribing rate records for about two weeks in August 2010. However two years later I had forgotten his clever trick! I spent ages writing about lot 24 in Clarke's subdivision, including the fact that Caroline could only have owned 30 acres of it. But I couldn't account for 9A; and then the penny dropped!
It should have been read as "part crown allotment 24" and the dittos were a careless error. Thus I had wasted two hours. However, the rate collector's carelessness has led to the BITTERN-DROMANA RD entry and detail about the Downward land east of Bulldog Creek/Junction/Red Hill Rds. Details of Caroline (later Herbert's) 120 acres are given in the BITTERN-DROMANA RD entry.
DOWNWARD LAND IN THE EAST RIDING.
The Golden Plains of Tubbarubbel gives detail of the names of the various farms and family members.
1900-1.(All in the parish of Balnarring, west of Balnarring Rd.)
Alf 716 acres, Caroline 176 acres, Emma 500 acres, Herbert (Maria crossed out)400 acres,
John Campbell Downward 22 Bal. 312 acres. (See below re J.C.D.)
1910-11. Alf 356 acres Bittern (east of Balnarring Rd), Alf 240 acres Balnarring, Herb 176 acres Balnarring, Emma 500 acres Balnarring.
J.C.D. There was a John Campbell associated with Dromana, circa 1861 and the building(with William Cottier) of the original Rye Hotel a few years later,and perhaps another ,or the same, who was a trustee of Mt Martha Park which was reserved for the Governor's mansion, and another or perhaps the same, who was still associated with the northern area of our shire circa 1890. Sorry I'm so vague but I'm not spending hours just on the off-chance that any of the above was connected with the second given name of John Campbell Downward.The connection could just have easily been the daughter of a pioneer in Tasmania. (A surname used as a child's second given name was usually its mother's maiden name.)
John Campbell Downward was granted crown allotment 22 Balnarring on the north east corner of Stanleys and Merricks Rds. Consisting of 312 acres 2 roods and 23 perches and granted on 23-9-1873, it is indicated by Melway 191 D-E 3-4. Its north west corner was opposite Kentucky Rd and its south east corner was near 40 Stanleys Rd.
There is some information about the Downward grants in the parish of Balnarring, east of Bulldog Creek Rd and the Survey, in my Red Hill Grantees journal. (Also about Alfred's disputed election but I forgot to give the source from Trove. Anyone interested could try these for starters. Argus 13-12-1894 page 6 and 30-11-1894 page 3 and Mornington Standard 20-11-1894 page 3.)
In the late 1930's the Downwards sold their Tubbarubba land, lot 1 (Glengala) and lots 2,3,7 and 8 to John Sherwin. (THE GOLDEN PLAINS TUBBARUBBAREL by Mary Karney.)
EATON.
Colin McLear states that Abraham Griffith was a Quaker from Philadelphia and master of a whaler who settled on the Survey in 1855 and farmed with the Eaton brothers. His wife's name was Rebecca. She was the executrix of Watson Eaton and the grant for the 150 acre grant which he had selected before his death in 1877 (west of the Red Hill end of Eatons Cutting Rd)was issued in Rebecca's name.I will not repeat the information in "A Dreamtime of Dromana" unless the book cannot be borrowed by Eaton researchers and a request for it appears in comments. In 1865, Watson Eaton was leasing 210 acres of the Survey from Big Clarke. Who, and where, was his brother? He was probably a "Race Owner" at the goldfields, certainly in some year that I can't recall, at Creswick.
For the information of those unfamiliar with Victoria's gold mining areas, a race was a channel that carried water from a dam to where other material needed to be washed away (in a cradle etc), leaving the heavier gold, like large-scale panning. At Blackwood, surveys for races were done by a woman and the Byers back track follows an old race to O'Brien's Crossing.
Colin didn't know the name of Watson's brother, so naturally it did not appear in LIME LAND LEISURE (a copy of Colin's notes!) I did bother to find out. He was back in Dromana by 1888 as revealed by the trades directory: Bernard Eaton, gold miner, Dromana.The mine was of course at Tubbarubba and his former neighbours, now east of Moat's Corner, were working for him.
The Eaton legend, as revealed to Colin by Maude Eaton or perhaps his own family, has it that Watson had undertaken part of a medical degree before leaving America, but at an inquest he stated under oath that he had never been to university or received medical training. The memorial, now in the Dromana museum, shows that the lack of a piece of paper did not affect his expertise or his patients' appreciation. There may have been a third brother who came out and became a librarian in Melbourne. Benjamin Eaton,librarian, who appeared to be paying the rates of Maude Eaton (a spinster), may have been that brother's son.
EDWARDS 1919 Bal.
EMMOTT 1919
FIRST ANNUAL SHOW AT RED HILL. (Frankston and Somerville Standard 7-4-1922 page 3.) Make notes re Committee and lady helpers.
FOREST Ewen 1919. (FORREST?) As his name was inserted at the end of the assessments, this Red Hill resident must have arrived recently. He was assessed on 22.5 acres on ?A, possibly 12A, like W.McRoberts.
FRITSCH. (See Gotliebson.)
Andrew Fritsch was granted 24B, Kangerong of almost 103 acres and Charles Fritsch about 44.5 acres adjoining it on the south across a now-closed part of Dunns Creek Road that joined Myers Rd near the present No. 8 Myers Rd. Andrew's grant is indicated by Melway 161 G 8-9 and H 8. Charles Fritsch's grant's north east and south east corners are indicated by the locations of numbers 8 and 5 in Myers Rd.
Rate collectors had a spot of difficulty spelling the surname and in 1919 Edward Fitsch was assessed on 40 acres and buildings, part 24 Kangerong. In 1900, Charles Fritsch was assessed on 100 acres and buildings, Kangerong and 40 acres, Kangerong. In 1910, Edward Fritsch and the Freehold Assets Co. were assessed on 140 acres (total of the above) as well as some confusingly described land that included E.Caldwell's grant (Melway 159 K9 to the south boundary of the Hillcrest Quarry land.) The assessment refers to 390 acres, five sevenths of (3 written backwards)part 4 section 3 and 196 acres, part 4 section 3. Caldwell's grant, crown allotment 4 of section 3 Kangerong, consisted of 297.5 acres!
It is possible that the Fritsch and Bowring families had come from Collingwood where members of both families were on its council.
(Mornington and Dromana Standard, 4-3-1911, p. 2.) Mr E.Fritsch's five roomed house was destroyed by fire while he was at Sorrento.The year, 1911 was an eventful one for Edward Fritsch. His house burnt down and while he was squaring timber to rebuild it, he cut the calf on one leg to the bone, requiring nine stitches (MS 5-4-1911 p.4.) Edward Fritsch married Miss Warnecki (Sheila Skidmore spells it Warnecke) of Balnarring.
The wild dogs that attacked Mr Downward's sheep near Dunns Creek in 1909 must not have been aware of how good a shot E.Fritsch was with his rifle. Two of them were dispatched.(M.S. 22-6-1907 p.2. and Mornington and Dromana Standard 22-6-1907, p.2, Sorrento.) The woodchop at the Dromana Show in 1907 by the scratch man, Fritsch. (M.S. 23-3-1907, p.3.
The last rate record available on microfiche is 1919-20 so trove is invaluable for information after that time. Sheila Skidmore described how slow and late trains made the Red Hill producers turn to road transport. Mr E.C.Fritsch, Red hill fruitgrower, gave evidence in support of the application of E.W.Price and W.Milburn of Red Hill South to carry produce to Melbourne. (The Argus 18-11-1938, p.2.)
On 15-3-1937, E.l.Fritsch was granted 52B and 51D Balnarring, of 16 and 27 acres, which were northeast and southwest of a railway station just east of Tonkin Rd (Melway 191 K8 and 192 A8.) Today the Peninsula equestrian trail follows the western and southern boundaries of this land instead of cutting through it diagonally toward a spot about 57 metres from the south east corner.
GOBBLIEBSEN 1919 (Huntley worker scalded in bath, written as Gobblietsen.)
In 1919, Mrs Charlotte Gottliebsen was assessed on 100 acres and buildings, part Crown Allotment 24 Kangerong.
I am guessing that Charlotte was a widow and a descendant of Andrew William Fritsch, the grantee of 24B Kangerong, consisting of 103 acres 3 roods and 3 perched but called 100 acres when Charles Fritsch was assessed on it in 1900. C.A.24B fronted Myers Creek Rd from No.8 Myers Rd nearly to the Wallaby Downs entrance.
It is likely that Edward Gottliebsen who worked at Percy Huntley's Rosslyn just east of Craig Avon Rd.(Melway 161 K10-11) was related to Charlotte. The following appeared on page 18 of the 4-6-1925 under the heading: Red Hill. Edward Goleitsen, who is employed by Percy Huntley, orchardist, Red Hill, was preparing for ahot bath, when he fainted and his arm went into the boiling water. It was some time before he was found and his hand and portion of his arm were severely scalded. He was removed to the hospital. Bill Huntley said this happened on Rosslyn in a hut set aside for the victim's use.
J.Journeaux sold his grant, crown allotment 15 Balnarring to the Gottliebsons. This fronted Tubbarubba and Myers Rd (approximately Melway 161 K 7-9 to 162 B 8-9)and later One Chain Rd was built to give access to subdivision blocks. The now-closed section of road between Dunns Creek Rd and Myers Rd in Melway E-J 7 was called Gottliebsons Lane. Two Gottliebson sons married Fritsch sisters one of whom was due to give birth in 1907. (That was a pretty good guess I made above, wasn't it?) Mrs Gottliebson must have had Mrs Grayden lined up to be the midwife and a son had been delivered on 27-8-1907.
GIBSON 1919.
On 8-6-1869, the Flinders Road Board assessed William Gibson on 190 acres in the Balnarring Division. This was 78A Balnarring on the north corner of Stanleys and Red Hill Rds, of a bit over 190 acres.
Walter Gibson bought William Cottier's grants, C.A. 9 and 10 of section 1, Kangerong and established Glenholme. Extensive detail of Walter's arrival, landholdings and genealogy are available in A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA. Walter had a brother named Thomas who died in late 1900. I read on trove that William Gibson had found a body on his brother Walter's property at Dromana.
Therefore, it is likely that two grantees of Wannaeue land in 1911, on either side of Purves Rd near Whites Rd, were at least related to Walter. Thomas Henry Gibson was granted, on 20-5-1911, 28A1 of nearly 70 acres and 28 F of 51 and a bit acres, north and south, respectively of Waterfall Gully Rd, a total of 121 1/4 acres.The land ran 360 metres north and 264 metres south from the corner of Waterfall Gully Rd.
J.W.Gibson was granted 24 Wannaeue of 114 acres 1 rood and 26 perches.It had a frontage to the east side of Purves Rd from Whites Rd to Wilson Rd.
Thomas Henry Gibson of Northcote was assessed on his 121 acres in 1900-1. By 1910 he was a milkman of Balwyn and by 1919, he was living at Canterbury (in Melbourne's east.) James William Gibson, dairyman of North Melbourne, was assessed on his 114 acres in 1910 and had recently moved to West Brunswick from North Melbourne in 1919 but now had a total of 320 acres, described as crown allotments 26, 26A, and 27. (Chapman's "Seawinds" which included allotment 27 of 128 acres bounded on the north and West by Seamists Rd. Melway page 170 C-E 1-3 roughly.)
In 1919,James William also had his grant of 114 acres but had added 33 acres of 25A, 89 acres (24C), and 147 acres (23A1 and 24D.) Lot 25A was Peter Watson's grant fronting Heath Lane (190 A 2-3) and Arthurs Seat Rd. Lot 24C was also a Peter Watson grant whose south west corner is at the right angle bend in Whites Rd (in 171 G4.) Both 23A1 (of 62 acres which had its north west corner at the right angle bend in Whites Rd) and 24D (of 84 acres at the north corner of Purves and Whites Rds) were granted to J.Bayne.
Also in 1919, L.M.Gibson of Coburg had 28 acres (part 27B1 Wannaeue), which was John Hopcraft's grant of nearly 86 acres, fronting the west side of Mornington-Flinders Rd at 190 D7-8.
RESUME WHEN NLA OVERCOMES TECHNICAL PROBLEMS-ROAD FRONTAGES ETC, BODY FOUND BY BROTHER WILLIAM ON WALTER'S GLENHOLME ETC
GRAVES. Charles Graves was one of the tenants on Jamieson's Special Survey (Safety Beach to Bulldog Creek Rd) after Henry Dunn's lease of the whole survey had ended in 1851. Mary Ann McLear was another tenant , calling her farm "The Willow". Graves became a hawker ( called Graves the tinker in George McLear's accounts book), buying merchandise in Melbourne and selling it all over the southern peninsula.George McLear often accompanied Charles and in about 1854 when they called on the Cairns family at Little Scotland (Melway 170 B10) one of the blonde boys was complaining, "Ae cunnae crruck a whee whup yet." In 1859, he bought Monahan's grant, directly over Pt Nepean Rd from the Dromana Drive-In and extending to Boundary Rd. After having it fenced by the Rhymers (after whom a street in Safety Beach is named), he sold it to Mary Ann McLear, his partner in the hawking business.Charles became a shopkeeper at Shoreham and somewhere in my transcriptions of rates, I have a note (completely unrelated to the information I was seeking) that Charles had about 200 acres in that area. There is much detail of the dates and prices re Charles buying and selling the property that became Maryfield in Colin McLear's "A Dreamtime Of Dromana". If anyone researching the Graves family cannot borrow the book,let me know in the comments space below, and I'll supply the details.
Burials in the FLINDERS CEMETERY.
HAIG 1919. In 1919-20, Andrew William Haig was assessed on 122 acres and buildings, crown allotments 17A and 17B, Kangerong. In 1910 Andrew and William Haig, farmers of Red Hill, were assessed on 190 acres in Kangerong. The Haig family was not assessed in 1900 and the only property of 190 acres was occupied by Henry Davey; I presume that this was H.P.Davey and the property was "Forest Lodge." I also presume that Forest Lodge mainly consisted of 23A and 23B of 156 acres granted to J.Davey and located at Melway 160 F-G 10-11, fronting Junction Rd.
17A and B Kangerong, granted to Francis Windsor, and located between Melway 191 A-B 2 and McIlroys Rd with the western boundary being a extension of Andrews Lane and the eastern being an extension of the eastern boundary of the Kindilan Society land.Therefore Red Hill's first cricket pitch, first used on 27-1-1923 in a match against Main Ridge and laid out on the property of Andrew Haig in McIlroys Rd (The Red Hill) would have been located at about 209 McIlroys Rd.
E.Haig was a member of the team which won the premiership the following season, playing at the Recreation Reserve.
Janet Wiseman and Andrew Haig were among the earliest players for the Red Hill Tennis Club which first played at Wildwood (Melway 190 G5) and then the recreation reserve.
See the RAILWAY OPENING entry re Cr Haig.
HALL Herbert Alfred, Middle Brighton, 1919 Bal.
In 1919, Herbert Alfred Hall of Middle Brighton was assessed on 20 acres and buildings, 74B, Balnarring. 74B, known as "Glenbower" adjoined the Village settlement blocks on the west side of Prossors Lane and was directly
across Arthurs Seat Rd from the Recreation Reserve.
HANSON 1887, 1919 Bal, MOAL.
HARRISON.
A.Harrison was granted 27D Kangerong, a battle axe block of 63 acres in (what seems from the microscopic and written-over script) to be 1910. The 1900 rates record that Alfred Harrison had 60 acres in the parish of Kangerong but as the owner column seems to have been blank in almost every assessment, it cannot be determined if he owned it or was leasing it from the Crown. In 1910 the details were the same and Alfred's occupation was recorded as "Labourer". In 1919, Mrs Mary Harrison of Dromana was assessed on 232 acres, crown allotments 7 and 7A. The rate collector was fond of using dittos but in this case had not written anything to specify the parish.
Luckily the Kangerong parish map shows Mary Harrison as the grantee of crown allotments 7 and 7A in that parish, which total 231 acres 2 roods and 21 perches. The grant seems to have been issued on 4-8-1937.
Alfred Harrison's grant fronted 290 metres of Dunns Creek Rd with its eastern boundary being the Dromana-Red Hill boundary and it had a 20 metre wide access to where Bald Hill Creek crosses Harrisons Rd near the north east corner of the Recreation Reserve at Melway 160 J 7.
Mary Harrison's grant adjoined that of George McLear (116 acres east of a southern extension of Collins Rd,which is now part of Arthurs Seat State Park)with crown allotment 7 going east to Eatons Cutting Rd and 7A continuing east to the part of Tumbywood Rd shown as a dotted line reaching Boundary Rd at the south east corner of Melway 160 E 9. Mary's land adjoined Watson Eaton's selection at the Dromana-Red Hill boundary (in Melway 190 C-E 1.)
On page 5 of the Frankston and Somerville Standard of 18-3-1933, Thomas Robert Carter of Footscray gave notice of an application to mine stone on 4.5 acres of crown allotments 7 and 7A Kangerong. It was Crown land occupied by Mary Harrison. I wonder if Thomas is still digging away with the help of his great grandchildren at Melway 160 D 12?
Marriage. WHITE-HARRISON. Ernest Victor (late A.I.F.)fourth son of Mr and Mrs Robert White of Main Creek and Emma Frances, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs Alfred harrison of Dromana were married at the Methodist Church in Dromana on March 21. Present address, "Roselands" Main Creek, Dromana. (Argus, 23-4-1921, page 13.)
A CARTER KILLED. A fatal accident occurred yesterday afternoon near Dromana.A lad named William Harrison, aged 16, was driving a load of gravel for a contractor of the Flinders and Kangerong Shire, when he slipped off, and the wheel passed over his head, causing instantaneous death. (Argus, 31-3-1904, page 6.)
C.H.Harrison of Dromana was listed as wounded on page 7 of the Argus of 27-8-1918. W.J.Harrison of Dromana was repoted as ill on page 22 of the 7-12-1918 issue.
Colin McLear's snake story. In closing his history, Colin told of how Mrs Harrison had chopped off her finger to stop the poison from a snake that bit her at the wood pile from killing her. The snake was discovered to have been a piece of barbed wire!
HARVEY
John McIlroy, son of W.J.McIlroy, and Miss Sophie Harvey were married at the Red Hill Methodist Church on Monday, 2nd October. The bridesmaids were Miss B.Purves (Main Creek), the bridegroom's sister, and Misses Lily and Muriel Harvey (both of Essendon and nieces of the bride.)W.McIlroy was best man and E.Harvey groomsman.
(Mornington Standard 7-10-1905 page 2.) Their engagement was mentioned in Personal Pars. on page 2 of the Mornington Standard of 22-11-1902.
Extract from my journal about the VILLAGE SETTLEMENT.
T.HARVEY.74h, 20 acres fronting Arthurs Seat Rd from the general store to the Mechanics Rd corner.
In August 1902, Mr Harvey of "Fernside" had a 9 acre orchard which was a model of neatness, 5 acres of strawberries and gooseberries, passionfruit bearing heavily and Japanese plums.
In 1902-3, F.Harvey was assessed on 74H. By 1919, 74H was occupied by Samuel L.Holland.
Keith Holmes recalls Ethram Harvey. Ethram may have been the son of Thomas Harvey, who was building a house on the block occupied by Edward Bowring in 1902 and was probably the grantee of 74h. Edward Bowring married a Harvey girl according to Keith Holmes, so he may have married the daughter of Thomas Harvey.
In the 1910-11 assessments, E.Harvey and Joseph Harvey, Red Hill farmers, were assessed on 213 acres (23b and 23b2 Wannaeue) and 144 acres (24 Wannaeue) respectively. It would seem fairly easy to locate these properties but the rate collector did not help much. James W.Gibson, the grantee, had 24 Wannaeue of 114 acres so Joseph Harvey could not have been there. E.Harvey's land was actually 23B (about 153.25 acres) and 23A (almost 60 acres), both granted to William Hillis. Access to 23A was via Wilson Rd at its south west corner and this allotment went north halfway to Whites Rd (roughly Melway 171 H6.) Crown allotment 23B was west of this, with frontages to Whites Rd and Main Creek Rd (roughly 171 J-K 5-6.)
Joseph Harvey might have had 24B, of 145 acres, granted to Nelson Rudduck of Dromana or 24D and 23A1 of a combined 146.7 acres but John and James Bayne, Shoreham graziers, still had their grant so Joseph must have had 24B. The north east corner of this strangely shaped allotment was in Heath Lane (the original end of Main Creek Rd) 70 metres from Arthurs Seat Rd and the road frontage continued south 227 metres to roughly the site of the Miceli Winery (Melway 190 A3.) There it met 24A of 50 acres, granted to J.Pierce but occupied by James McIlroy of Red Hill. which fronted Main Creek Rd and the eastern 425 metres of Whites Rd. Joseph's block fronted the next 425 metres of White's Rd, from which point the western boundary headed nor nor west to, roughly, the top left corner of Melway 171 J3.
Also in the 1919-20 assessments, T.J.Harvey of Healesville had 25 acres, part 25A, Wannaeue. Crown allotment 25A, granted to Peter Watson and consisting of almost 83 acres was on the south side of Arthurs Seat Rd(roughly Melway 171 J 1-2 , K2)and had a frontage to the northern 70 metres of Heath Lane; it was north of 24B which Joseph Harvey had occupied in 1910.
HEAD 1919 Bal.
Alfred Head was granted 71B, Balnarring, consisting of 116 acres 2 roods and 22 perches, on 5-5-1874.This allotment has a frontage of 1360 metres to the south side of Stony Creek Rd and 3346 metres to Mornington-Flinders Rd. On 26-5-1884, Alfred received the grant for 71A of 83 acres 1 rood and 18 perches on the north side of Stony Creek Rd and fronting Mornington-Flinders Rd, with frontages of 882 and 386 metres respectively.
The eastern and northern extents of the allotment are indicated by Pardalote Rise.
In 1919, Alfred Head seems to have been leasing 71B (116 acres) from the Jarmans. Norm Prossor (Sid Prossor's father and the son of Henry Prossor) had 43 acres of 71A and Wallace Jarman the remaining 40 acres. It is possible that Alfred Head in this case was Alfred Charles Head, only son of the 1874(or earlier) pioneer.
"Around Red Hill", the August 1902 article, referred to Alfred's property as Fern Valley*. Interestingly, it gives his name as A.C.Head so Charles was probably his second given name. Alfred had a 15 acre orchard but concentrated mainly on vegetables, mainly peas, beans and potatoes for which he finds a ready market at Sorrento in Summer. He also has success with his hay crops. (No doubt the hay went to Stringer's Store to be sold to cabbies who competed with Coppin's tranway for the Amphitheatre trade as well as conveying passengers along the White Road (Pt Nepean Rd) to Canterbury etc.) The Cairns of Maroolaba and the Pattersons of Final had this contract while they had a contact at the store, but Alfred may have had a more influential contract after whom Lentell Ave (Melway 157 A5) was named.
(* In his letter, in the capacity of Returning Officer, congratulating George McLear on his sixth successive election as F&K Shire auditor, Alfred gave his address as "Musk Creek". The two tributaries of Musk Creek start at Melway 190 F6 in the southern part of Joseph Pitcher's grant and join in Alf's 14A, flowing through Alf's 14B before emptying into Stony Creek on William Hopcraft's grant.
While researching THE FEMALE DROVER:A HISTORY OF MOOROODUC, I read in a heritage study that Alfred Head had leased Dalkeith Park (Melway 150 H8 to 151 C8), the farm later owned by Mr Vale whose daughter, Mrs Jackson, used the property for her equestrian event and race horses, hence Jackson's Hill climbing towards Range Rd from the Mornington turn off.
The Argus reports of sheep sales indicate that Head and Brady were occupying Dalkeith Park on 29-9-1897(P.7) and Alfred alone later (31-1-1900,P.5 and 5-8-1903, P. 8.) Why was Alfred in partnership with Brady? True, the Bradys' Mount Evergreen (Melway 190 A-B 9-10) was not far from Fern Valley (190 E-F 7-8 roughly) so they were neighbours. The Mornington Standard of 11-11-1897 has a marriage announcement on page 2 that explains the relationship between the two families.
Marriages. BRADY-HEAD. On Tuesday 2-11-1897 at Dalkeith Park, Mount Martha, Obadiah W.Brady, second son of the late Obadiah Brady of mount Evergreen, Rosebud, to Mary Elizabeth Rosetta, eldest daughter of Alfred head Esq., Fern valley, red hill.
And that contact at Stringer's Store (probably a highly valued customer, rather than an employee):
(Argus 7-12-1901, P.9.) Marriages. HEAD-LENTELL. on 19-11-1901 at St John's Church, Sorrento, Alfred Charles, only son of Alfred Head, Red Hill, Dromana, to Emma Mary, youngest daughter of James Lentell, Sorrento, late of Richmond.
Alfred Head was a councillor for the centre riding of the Flinders and Kangerong Shire by 1881 and was re-elected unopposed in 1886 (South Bourke and Mornington Journal 18-8-1886, P.3.) FULL DETAILS OF COUNCILLORS AND THEIR TERMS CAN BE FOUND IN LIME LAND LEISURE. Alfred was appointed to the Board of Advice for the centre riding of the Shire (Argus 11-7-1885 P.10.)
Alfred Head was one of the trustees of the Red Hill Wesleyan Methodist Church whose first services were held on 25-1-1885; interestingly, Nelson Rudduck was also a trustee. Sounds like a law-abiding, God-fearing, responsible man doesn't he? So I reckon the following might concern his only son, Alfred Charles.
(Mornington Standard 11-4-1908 page 2. LOCAL AND GENERAL. Dromana Court. At the last sitting before Messrs N (Nelson) Rudduck and G.(George) McLear J.P.'s, Mr Fulton, Shire Secretary, proceeded against Alfred Head of Red Hill for wilful damage to the road known as Eaton's Cutting by trailing timber or heavy material. Alfred was fined ten shillings and had to pay three pounds twelve shillings and sixpence in costs.
Two children from the Head family were enrolled at the State School when it opened in 1873 in the old schoolhouse at the end of Arkwells Lane.
HIGGENS 1919 Bal.
HILL.
An article entitled "Around Red Hill" on page 2 of the Mornington Standard of 30-8-1902 described Mr Hill's property. Up the hill from the post office (710 White Hill Rd at Melway 160 K 12) was Mr Hill's property on about 12 acres on a well-situated slope with a 6 roomed house.mr hill was presently at St Kilda.
The 1900 rates reveal that Arthur E.Hill was assessed on 60 acres, 18B, Kangerong. This allotment of 59 acres 3 roods and 14 perches, granted to R. Ringrose, was bounded on the east and north by lines extending Andrews Lane and Tumbywood Rd until they meet. (Approximately Melway 190 K 1.) The 12 acre block in 1902 would have been a part of this 60 acre block.
HILLIS.
See the end of the RINGROSE entry(rates information and comments.)
Extract from Dromana, Rosebud and Miles Around on Trove.
GOODBYE OLD FRIENDS. (Mornington Standard 19-9-1895 page 2.) A large crowd attended the funeral of Mr Hillis, an old resident of Red Hill. Mr C.Roberts of Main Creek, another old resident, also died recently.
William Hillis (referred to by Colin McLear as Hill which was possibly his nickname) whose surname was often written as Hillas, had Summer Hill at Main Creek north of Wilsons Rd and land adjacent to Henry Dunns Four Winds on the top of White Hill near the McIlroys Rd corner. (The Butcher, The Baker, The.)
Roberts Rd at Main Ridge follows the short cut the Shands took from their saw mill to Red Hill. (Keith Holmes.)
HINDS.
Sheila Skidmore stated on page 49 of THE RED HILL that Will Hinds was the first local enlistment in the Great War. She said that his family lived on a farm at Merricks. The death notices for Will (Argus 26-10-1915 page 1 and 30-10-1915 page 13) and his father James (Argus 22-8-1923 page 1) indicate that their farm was "Seven Oaks", Red Hill. The location of this farm, when discovered, will be written only in the SEVEN OAKS entry.
James Hind, the husband of Elizabeth Hinds of "Seven Oaks", Red Hill, and father of Rob, Will (died on active service), Jessie, Jim, Effie and Jean, died at the age of 66. As Will's death notice states, James and Elizabeth had come to "Seven Oaks" from Somerville. Will's grandfather was Robert Hind of Birregurra. Will's brother Rob wrote a nice verse in the notice of 30-10-1915.
The Hinds had not yet moved to Seven Oaks in 1906 and the children seem to have gone to a Presbyterian Sunday School at Mornington Junction(Baxter.) At a social celebrating the church's anniversary recitations were rendered by the pupils, including Robert, Will and James (although the reporter had the same trouble interpreting scribbled notes as I do and gave Hirons, Hines and Hinds for the surnames.) Mornington Standard 7-6-1906, page 2. It is possible that the family was at Frankston or Baxter before moving to Somerville as Robert Hinds appeared in a fundraising concert for the Frankston State School (M.S. 7-7-1906, page 2.)
A court case in which young Robert Hinds appeared as a witness reveals that Robert was living at Baxter and attending the local school. (M.S. 28-10-1905 page 6.)
James Hinds' "Seven Oaks" consisted of 26 acres, part 79A and part 80C Balnarring. 79A of 115 acres had been Alfred Ernest Bennett's "Seven Oaks Farm" but it was subdivided by the shire when it changed the route of the Bittern-Dromana Rd in Kangerong; it used to meet Junction Rd just north of Craig Avon Lane, which was part of the original route. "Seven Oaks" was north of the new intersection.
Bill Huntley told me that his father, Percy, whose Homestead "Rosslyn" (212 Bittern-Dromana Rd) was a stone's throw to the east, drove James Hinds to the Melbourne Hospital when he became ill.
Now that I have a Balnarring parish map that I can read, I have discovered that James Hinds was granted 80C Balnarring of 17 acres 1 rood and 34 perches on 16-9-1916. This land fronted 705 metres of Junction Rd, with its south west corner opposite No.10 Junction Rd,and is indicated by the top third of Melway 161 H-J9. Bill Huntley said that James definitely lived on the south corner of Craig Avon Lane in a cottage that had probably been built by A.E.Bennett. This still stands but has been extended. I asked Bill if the house was on 9 acres as the rate collector recorded a total of 26 acres in 79A and 80C (see above.) Bill is adamant that this cottage was on "about 28 acres" ; it was purchased later by Doug Cairns, a good friend of Bill and the later-to-be-famous young artist, Arthur Boyd, who started his career at 62 Rosebud Parade, Rosebud in 1936.
However it is possible that the house was originally on only seven acres and James Hinds added about 21 acres later. When A.E.Bennett leased his Seven Oaks Farm homestead, originally described as being on 10 acres,to Cr William Oswin in 1904-5, Oswin was assessed on a house and 7 acres.
HIRST.
Francis Hirst was leasing the Ringrose 60 acre grant in 1874. See the Arthur E.Hill entry for its location.
HOLDING.
Sources have given the name of the first teacher at Red Hill State School as Richard Holding.
This would have come from Education Department records, so I have no reason to dispute it unless there was a transcription error. The grantee of 72A Balnarring seems to have been Robert Henry Holding (see BLAKELEY entry), so if the teacher's name was Richard, he must have been the grantee's son.
HOLLAND 1919 B&K
Cr S.Holland has been appointed Justice of the Peace at Red Hill.(Argus 31-1-1924 page 12 COUNTRY NEWS, Mornington.)
HOLMES
Norman Prossor married May Holmes, the daughter of William and Emily Holmes.(Sid Prosser, their son, and brother of Norma Bright.)
Extract from my PENINSULA DICTIONARY HISTORY.
HOLMES.Source: Keith Holmes.
Keith believes that there were two completely different Holmes families associated with the Red Hill area but there could be some link back in the old country and extensive genealogical research would be needed to prove that there was no connection, as in the case of Henry William Wilson of Dromana and George Wilson of Shoreham Rd.
1.The Kangerong rates for 1864-5 and 1865-6 reveal that Holmes was assessed on 140 acres; he would have been occupying the land under licence from the Crown. The Kangerong parish map shows that J Holmes was granted lots 15 A and 15 B of 104.3.34 each (six perches, about the size of the cricket pitches area on the M.C.G., or 150 square metres, short of 105 acres.) It is likely that he had settled on one of these blocks and the rate collector had written 140 instead of 104. Once a mistake like this was made, it would be carried on for years, because rate collectors would basically copy the previous years details and make alterations if they received knowledge of a sale or new lessee.
15 A and B were at Melway 191 E-F 3 and extended south from the Kangerong Conservation Nature Reserve to Red Hill Rd with the south west corner being just north of Rosebank Cottage. The northern half appears to have been granted in the 1870s and the southern on, possibly, 3-7-1873. The northern half was granted to J.Holmes & Co. The 7-9-1867 assessments show that the other partner was Lawrence Weadson. Holmes is not recorded in the 1879-80 rates but it is pleasing to see that the rate collector now calls the original property 105 acres. It must have been at about this time that the first Holmes pioneers left Red Hill.
John Huntley, gardener, owned 105 acres in Kangerong. Keith Holmes confirmed that he was on land granted to J.Holmes. This was the southern half, which now includes the VINES OF RED HILL land. In 1900, Mrs Mary Huntley was assessed on the 105 acres; John had died and Mary was a widow. She was not assessed in 1910 and Keith Holmes explained why. Jack Shand, the son of Alex Shand of Main Ridge, married Mary and after living on the 105 acres for a while longer, Mary and Jack moved to Merricks North, where for some reason, Jack was then called Peter. Perhaps his second name was Peter and there was a cousin called Jack already living in the new location.
The northern half was being leased by gardener, William Kemp, from Wadesson and Holmes executors in 1879.Kemp received a grant of 100 acres on the east side of Bowrings Rd on 3-2-1904 and was occupying it by 1900, by which time 15 B seems to have passed to the Freehold Interest Co but was occupied by Carl Smith by 1910.
1 or 2 or neither. The O.T. dam (Melway 160 B 12) was built by the company that marketed Kia Ora products, and their on-site manager was a man named Holmes. They grew tomatoes and passionfruit. (P.178, A Dreamtime of Dromana.)
2.Keith Holmes recalled how the 1890s depression and a fire led to his family settling at Red Hill. His grandfather, William Alfred Holmes, was farming west of Horsham but hard times forced him off the farm and he found work as a carpenter with the Victorian Railways. The depression had probably resulted in one of the Sheehans also seeking work with the railways and at that time he was the stationmaster at Murtoa. John Sheehan owned land on the western side of Wisemans Deviation, (which led to the steep former end of White Hills Rd being called Sheehans Rd) and his sister, Emily, went to Murtoa to stay for a while with the station master who was thought to be their uncle.
While she was there, William happened to arrive at Murtoa to perform some work and it must have been love at first sight. It was probably not long before William made a trip to Red Hill and the altar. William possibly had no family ties where he was living; his brother, James Andrew Holmes was at Cavendish in the Western District. He had married a Miss Montgomery, a descendant of a convict who had settled nearby when he got his ticket of leave. When he was burnt out, James came to Red Hill and bought Parrys block in the village. This 19 acre block is west of the junction of Perrys (sic) Lane and Arthurs Seat Rd and extends just over halfway to Prossors Lane.
I had thought that Emily Sheehan's relative was the station master at Murtoa because he just happened to be posted there, but it is likely that he had been there for years. Sheila Skidmore tells how her great grandfather Sheehan had married in Adelaide and set off in his bullock dray (a wedding present) in search of land, eventually selecting land at Murtoa and staying there for 15 years before moving to Red Hill. It is possible a brother had made the trip with them or joined them later.
HOLMES & WEADSON (WADESSON?) WADESON! Somewhere in rate records not transcribed, while researching another pioneer, I must have seen something that left me with a suspicion that J.Holmes,grantee of 208 acres at Melway 191 E3, (with Vines of Red Hill at its s.w. corner and adjoining the Kangerong Nature Conservation Reserve), was a Sorrento resident. Trove indicates that he was probably J.T.Holmes, the prime mover in an attempt to get a fish company going there and prominent in the move to get a railway to Sorrento. It is possible that his wife was Susannah whose handbag was lost on an "omnibus" in Melbourne and that William Holmes of Sorrento was his brother. There is not one mention of Laurence Weadson on trove.
The reason that Lawrence Weadson was not mentioned on trove is that his name was Lawrence Wadeson.
His death notice appeared on page 1 of the Argus on 10-5-1876. He died at his farm at Kangerong, aged 62, as a result of injuries received through his horse running away.
As stated in comments, John Holmes was a (market) gardener. He and Lawrence shared 15B Kangerong of whose 104 acres John had 50 acres in 1874.
HOPCRAFT
HOWARTH 1919.
Time for a confession. My name is Ray Gibb. I married Valerie Joan Howarth and Peter Warren of Rye, descendant of pioneering Harcourt orchardists, married her sister, Roslyn. Peter's EXPRESS BIN HIRE supplies the wheelie bins for the Red Hill Market. But what has this to do with the crime of the century?
The 1919-20 rates reveal that Thomas and James Henry Howarth of Bowden St, Castlemaine had 30 acres, part crown allotment 8 Kangerong. Crown allotment 8, of 116 acres 2 roods and 35 perches and granted to George McLear, is that part of Arthurs Seat State Park east of a southerly extension of Collins Rd (Melway 160 C11.) The 1917 assessment shows that they had recently moved from 6 Brady St, Richmond to Bowden St, Castlemaine.
In 1925, the Howarth brothers sold their 30 acres to Mr R.Steele of St Kilda. (Frankston and Somerville Standard, 21-1-1925 page 1 RED HILL.) It is likely that the 30 acre block was used partly as an apple and pear orchard. The proceeds no doubt helped to build James Howarth's heritage listed homestead at Faraday (Everything that's happening on my doorstep: Faraday, Victoria 3451.)The farm combined apple and pear orchards, sheep grazing and dairy farming.
Valerie and Roslyn's father was Jim Howarth, who used to ride his pushbike from Faraday to Castlemaine Tech. to develop the skills that saw him as a radio technician/operator in the Air Force and the prime mover in bringing television to Castlemaine. Jim's older brother, Rex, and younger brother, Lester (who was known as Joe) remained on the farm. The girls were Lorraine, Ailsa and June who married Roy Portwine, Russell ? and Dave Hoare respectively.
Rex married Iris McInnes from Bendigo. They had four daughters, the youngest of whom, Susan, was too young to attend school in 1972. The Faraday school only had six pupils in that year, all girls. In the mid 1960's The Faraday, Franklinford and Fryerstown schools used to combine for excursions to the city; Franklinford had a gender imbalance of the opposite extreme and was jokingly called Franklinford Boys' College.
Three of the girls at Faraday in 1972 were Robyn, Jillian and Denise Howarth. With their teacher and three schoolmates, they were kidnapped on 6-10-1972. (EMOTIONS RUN HIGH 30 YEARS AFTER CRIME OF THE CENTURY,which has a photo of the school. -GOOGLE " Faraday, Howarth.")
The saddest thing about my research is that, despite the claim that Harcourt was the centre of Australian apple-growing until Tasmania claimed the honour, there is no detail on the internet about the pioneers or when the industry started there.
HUNTLEY.
Bill Huntley is 94 years old and today (3-9-2012), I had my first conversation with him. Here are some of the things he told me. The original Huntley, his great grandfather, emigrated from Kent to New South Wales in 1835. Not liking that very much he soon moved to Victoria and having a fair bit of money bought land at Brighton and (as the family legend has it) 208 acres at Red Hill.The land referred to is that detailed under HOLMES and WADESSON above and John Huntley senior must have held the land under a depasturing licence. The 1865 assessment states that Holmes had 140 acres but it would have actually been 104 acres being either 15A, containing Vines of Red Hill and Darling Park Vineyard and granted to J.Holmes or 15B, between there and the Kangerong Nature Conservation Reserve, granted to Holmes and Co. It was more likely the former allotment. By 1879, John Huntley, gardener, owned the southern 104 acres, 15A, and William Kemp was leasing 15B from Holmes and Wadesson.
Mary Huntley married John Shand, who was called Peter to distinguish him from another John Shand. Bill told me that the Shands had moved away (to Gippsland etc) in about 1920 which would explain why David Barker had replaced William Shand on Alexander Shand's grant in 1919. (See BARKER.) As mentioned in itellya's DAVID MAIRS journal, David Taylor Mairs married Louise Huntley. David, known as Lee was a champion of the rifle and was employed by I.C.A. to demonstrate all over Australia how great their bullets were at killing clay pigeons.
As mentioned in the Mairs journal, Mairs Rd was probably the closed road between Disney St and Somers Rd, the northern end now called Pearce Rd. What is now called Somers Beach was originally known as Mairs Beach.
Coming from Kent, the Huntleys who established an orchard of about 40 acres on Kentucky Rd (Melway 191 H1)naturally called it Kent Orchard. Two Huntley houses still stand about 50 metres apart just east of Craig Avon Rd (Melway 161 J11; they are Rosslyn and Kentucky.
In the east riding assessments in 1919 (Assessment number 3001), Percy Huntley of Red Hill was assessed on 60 acres, part crown allotment 14A. This allotment of 121 acres 2 roods and 13 perches was granted to J.Davey and is fairly well indicated by Melway 161 K 10-11, with its south west corner being at the bend in Craig Avon Rd.Rosslyn and Kentucky homesteads are on this allotment and only about 50 metres apart.
Another phone conversation with Bill Huntley tonight made it clear that the east half of 14A was Rosslyn and the eastern half was Kentucky. Bill thinks that Kentucky's name came from Peter (i.e. John, who married John Huntley's widow)Shand, who visited America, or one of the Huntley girls who was a journalist there.
Kent Orchard was at Melway 191, J2 south of the bend in Kentucky Rd. Bill is going to take me for a history tour of Merricks North next week.
POSTSCRIPT. The tour revealed that the Kentucky homestead is now 214 Dromana-Bittern Rd and the Rosslyn homestead is number 212.
Bill also told me about William Huntley, son of John Huntley senior and brother of John Huntley Junior. William (or his wife) must have died young because Tommy Bent and Elizabeth (nee Huntley) adopted William's daughter, Ada; at the time they had no children but not long after, Elizabeth Hannah Bent was born (in 1866.)
(See BRIGHTON below.)
At this point, I should give you Bill's lineage. John Huntley and Catherine Evelyn (Hegarty) were his great grandparents, John Huntley and Mary (Hope) were his grandparents and Percy William Huntley was his father.
Bill talked about Dolly and (I think, as I was not making notes at the time) Trudy, which I took to be nicknames. I thought that I should do some genealogical research so I googled MAIRS, HUNTLEY. Bill's great grandfather appears to have been John Huntley who married Catherine Evelyn Hegarty and their only children listed were Elizabeth b. 1843 Melbourne and Rosina b. 1860 Brighton. This confirms Bill's claim of the early arrival in Victoria and that he bought land at Brighton.
It is unlikely that the Huntleys suddenly decided to be orchardists upon arrival at Port Phillip. When I googled Kent Orchard, I found websites from Kent in England where Dr Ian Huntley has a dental practice at Orchard House and R.K.Huntley is at Orchard Cottage! No doubt Catherine's husband had learnt all about orchards in Kent before he left.Brighton was a market gardening area with Somerville's Henry Gomm and his mate Tommy Bent being prominent exponents; no doubt there were many orchards there too. (See BRIGHTON below.)
No doubt John Huntley, who married Mary Hope, was a son of John and Catherine. Bill said that he moved to Red Hill when their house at Brighton was burnt down. John had died by 1900 because Mrs Mary Huntley was assessed on 105 acres (probably 15A.) The 1902-3 rates record that Misses Mabel, Louisa and Laura Huntley were assessed on 105 acres and buildings, Kangerong (e.g. 15A.) In 1910, John Shand who married (Mary? ) Huntley was farming 15A and Carl Smith had 15B.
John and Mary Huntley had the following children, all born at Brighton, possibly at Grandma Hope's place:
Gertrude Annie b.1874; Mabel b.1877; Louise b. 1879, Laura Sarah b.1881; Herbert John b.1883; Percy William b.1887. (Note: I had earlier named the boy born in 1883 Percy John instead of Herbert John.)
The pet names for Mary's children are given in the SHAND entry re John (Peter) Shand. One of them, Lyn, was apparently born after Perce and married Phil Vansuylen. Lou married D.Marsh. Gertrude must have been Sis.(P.S. No she wasn't! Mabel was Sis, according to Bill Huntley, who told me something
I couldn't work out where Mary Huntley came from until I googled SHAND, HUNTLEY.Keith Holmes had told me that Jack Shand, son of Alexander Shand, had married John Huntley's widow, Mary. (Mary had been a widow in 1900 when she was assessed on 15A but of course once she remarried her husband was assessed and she was once again a nobody in the chauvinistic custom of the day.
BRIGHTON. In an idle moment I googled HUNTLEY, BRIGHTON. W.T.Huntley was a councillor. W.Huntley and James Hope, gardener, Brighton were two of the directors of a Tommy Bent company which just happened to own land on the route the railway to Pascoe Vale would take. John Huntley senior was struck by a train at North Brighton station in 1883 when his impatience got the better of him and was badly injured; he was taken to the residence of his daughter, Mrs Bent. My guess that Mary Hope had met her beau at Brighton seems to be confirmed.
Could it be that John Huntley senior's daughter was married to the future Sir Thomas Bent, Premier of Victoria? She sure was! Sir Thomas Bent and Elizabeth Huntley (daughter of John Huntley and Catherine Evelyn Hegarty; b.1843, d. 1908) were the parents of Elizabeth Hannah Bent (1866-1947.) There was no record of John Huntley junior in the initial index but he was Elizabeth Huntley's brother (1847-1900)and therefore Tommy Bent's brother-in-law!
Elizabeth Huntley was obviously Tommy Bent's second wife and the second given name of their daughter, Elizabeth Hannah would seem to have been a tribute to Tommy's first wife, Hannah Hall.
Tommy faced huge debts circa 1892 and avoided bankruptcy by putting his assets in Elizabeth's name. He lost the seat of Brighton soon after and moved to Port Fairy to dairy farm, standing unsuccessfully for the seat of port Fairy in 1897. Returning to Melbourne in 1900 he was re-elected in the seat of Brighton in November, 1900. He was Premier of Victoria from 16-2-1904 until 8-1-1909.
(Wikipedia, which wrongly gives the name of the second spouse as Elizabeth Huntly.)
Herbert John, referred to as Jack in Mary Shand's death notice, moved across the Tasman Sea!
John Huntley (cricketer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Huntley (born Herbert John Huntley, 4 November 1883 28 March 1944) was an Australian-born New Zealand cricketer who played for Otago. He was born in Brighton and died in Tuapeka.
Huntley made a single first-class appearance for the team, during the 1912-13 season, against Canterbury. From the lower order, he scored 8 runs in the first innings in which he batted, and 7 runs in the second.
Huntley took bowling figures of 0-27, as Otago lost the match by an innings margin.
After I did some more rate research today in order to establish the locations of A.E.Bennett's "Seven Oaks Farm" and James Hinds' "Seven Oaks", I rang Bill Huntley to confirm my conclusions. They were correct and Bill went on to supply more fascinating information about the Huntleys.
John (Peter) Shand was a surveyor and was often away for six months at a time surveying in Gippsland, so Mary (nee Hope, and previously John Huntley Junior's widow) would have run Kentucky with the help of her son, Percy, who lived next door on Rosslyn. The Shands moved away from Main Ridge in about 1920, as Bill told me earlier, but he added that they had land at Warragul,Agnes and Buffalo.
Gertrude Anne the oldest daughter of John Huntley and Mary (nee Hope) had the pet name of Annie. She was a talented artist and musician. She carried her piano on drays etc, teaching music all the way from Red Hill to Perth. Wheter she embarked upon reaching Perth or not, she spent most of her life in Europe and married a Spanish Count, going by the title of Countess Huntley- D'Argola (the last word being a guess at the spelling.)
Her sister, Mabel, most likely given her pet name of Sis by Annie, spent most of her life overseas too, working as a journalist in America and becoming a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt, descendant of Johannes Roosevelt, who did not have to change her surname when she married a descendant of Jacobus Roosevelt,Frankiln D. Roosevelt, who became President of the U.S.A.
Alfred Downward who established "Glengala" (Melway 162 F-G8) also owned land in Kangerong west of Junction Rd. When Alfred died in 1930, he left his land near Tubbarubba to his son, Herbert who habitually burnt off his Tubbarubba land every year. Often Percy Huntley and his sons, Arthur(killed in the war) and Bill would have to interrupt their fruit picking on "Rosslyn" to fight Herbert's out of control fires. (P.31 THE GOLDEN PLAINS TUBBARUBBAREL by Mary Karney.)
JARMAN 1919 Bal. (See HEAD.)
Daisy Maria, wife of the late Wallace Jarman, died at Devonia, Flinders Rd at the age of 79.The names of their children are given in the death notice. (Argus 11-4-1955 page 14.) It would seem that Wallace Jarman had bought Alfred Head's Fern Valley and called it Devonia. Sheila Skidmore said that early Church of England services in Red Hill were held primarily for the Jarmans at Devonia.
JONES Edward. See the end of the BENNETT entry.
Percy Huntley (Bill's dad), took James Hinds to the Melbourne Hospital when he became ill. Unfortunately James did not return home. (See HINDS and SEVEN OAKS entries.
LESSING. (Hanson, Alpine Chalet, truck, Carrum.)
LEWIS A.H., 1919. (See WAR SERVICES HOME DEPARTMENT.)
LITTLEJOHN 1919.
Extract from my VILLAGE SETTLEMENT journal.
It is possible that Edward Bowring was related to John Bowring Journeaux, a grantee in Balnarring parish near Tubbarubba. Florrie Bowring married Herb Littlejohn . The first Littlejohns in the area were William Alfred and Frederick, sons of a convict who had settled in Brunswick after gaining his ticket of leave. They had land across the road from each other near Moat's Corner. After a while Fred moved to Coburg and William to Red Hill. William was a builder and was followed in this trade by his son, Herb, who married Florrie Bowring in 1935 but died at only 25.(Thelma Littlejohn, their daughter.)
Fred and William Littlejohn had lot 9 of 205 acres and lot 11 of 130 acres in 1919. Lot 9 is inside the curve of the Nepean Highway with the non-historic Bluestead Cottage at its north west corner (160 H3-4) and lot 11(160J-K 5) is north of Dunns Ck Rd to a point opposite No 665 with its frontage to the highway extending a little less than halfway to Wallaces Rd.
The Littlejohns were certainly in demand as builders. Jimmy Fenton, from whom Fenton Hall got its name, had them build a house on the south corner of One Chain and Tubbarubba Rds in 1918. They were bet a bottle of beer that they couldn't finish the framework in one day and of course they succeeded. (THE GOLDEN PLAINS TUBBARUBBAREL by Mary Karney.)
LOXTON (Edited extract from present pages 100-101 of "Peninsula Dictionary History".)
Sam Loxton (who recently died on 3-12-2011) was interviewed for an article about the famous underarm bowl incident on the last ball of a one-day international against New Zealand in 1981 (Sunday Herald Sun 30-1-2011.) Sam hadn't known how to respond to Greg Chappell's instruction to his brother, Trevor, to bowl such a (literally) low ball so he took Billy Sneddon's advice (as described above.) The article went on to say that, after delivering this spray to Greg, Sam left the ground and drove back to Red Hill where he lived.
S.L.Loxton became the owner of crown allotment 20B, no section, parish of Kangerong on 16-11-1939. Consisting of just over 106 acres, this block (indicated by Melway 161 B-C 10) was accessed via Bowrings Rd off McIlroy's Rd. S.L.Loxton, who was almost certainly Sam's father and known to Thelma Littlejohn's family as Sam, was a member of the committee of the Prahran Cricket Club from 1941 until his death in 1974. Sam Senior was an electrician but in 1956 he became the FIRST PRINCIPAL of the Melbourne Royal Arch. I presume that that would make him a Grand Master of a lodge, and this introduces another cricketing connection, as the first to occupy this position (in 1884) was the venerated Sir William John Clarke at whose "Rupertswood" at Sunbury the "Ashes" were created. There is also a Red Hill connection in that Sir William owned the Survey (Safety Beach to Bulldog Creek Rd) where many pioneers near Red Hill had made their start in the area (Henry Dunn, 1846-51, followed by the McLears, Watsons, Eatons, Clydesdales and so on.)
I will not provide details of Sam's sporting exploits here because they are available on wikipedia.
McILROY.
John McIlroy, son of W.J.McIlroy, married Sophie Harvey at Red Hill Methodist Church on Monday 2nd October. See full details at the start of the HARVEY entry. (Mornington Standard 7-10-1905 page 2.)
McINTYRE 1919
McKEOWN The McKeowns started out on 73 a and b Balnarring. EXTRACT FROM Peninsula Dictionary History. 73AB. (Lot 73A, was west of Stony Ck with its north east corner almost over the road from Sheehans Rd and extended east almost to Stony Ck. Lot 73B was between 73A and the Red Hill Village; the eastern boundary being over the road from the south east corner of the showgrounds.)
Granted to James McKeown, both 147.7 acre lots passed into the hands of the Sheehans. They comprised two farms, Wildwood (73A) and Glenbower (73B). Keith Holmes said that they were not of equal size and this was probably because the creek, east of the allotment boundary, was used as a border so that both farms had water access.
The McKeowns moved to Dromana and operated the Aringa Guest House, which must have been a decent size judging by the crowd which attended the At Home for Trooper E. McKeown in 1902.
WELCOME HOME TROOPER! (Mornington Standard 10-5-1902 page 2.) Trooper E. McKeown was escorted into town when he arrived home from the Boer War. There was then a reception in the hall, which was too small to hold the crowd. Among those present were returned troopers Allison and Purves. The McKeowns later held an At Home at Aringa attended by 72 people. During supper a surprise presentation was made to Mr F(rank?) Counsel for his cool -headedness, which prevented a tragedy. He was conveying the Caledonian Singers near the Red Hill cutting (Eatons?) when the bolt on the brake lever broke.
McLEAR 1919
McRAVEY Thomas 1863. In 1863, Thomas had 60 acres at Red Hill,of which he seemed to be the owner, and had cultivated one acre. He hasd later cultivated 3 acres but I cannot find my note concerning it.His name appears in the September 1864 assessments but I do not seem to have transcribed any details about him in the 1865 assessments.
Colin McLear, in A.D.O.D., reveals that Thomas was in the area by 1862 when his name appeared in George McLear's account book. In 1864, George had business dealings with James McRavey who must have been the brother or Son of Thomas. (The name is misprinted as McRary in the boo
McROBERTS W.1919. (Surname unclear; could be Roberts.) He seems to have recently moved to Red Hill from Main Creek,and settled on 30 acres of 12A, Kangerong.
MANNIX (See TREWIN.)
MARSHALL.
Extract from my VILLAGE SETTLEMENT journal. W.MARSHALL.74G, 19 acres at the east corner of Prossors Lane.
In August 1902, Mr Marshall was chiefly growing peaches and apricots,which did not seem to be as successful as the usual fruits. He was also growing vegetables and strawberries.(MS02)
At the Dromana Show in 1897, Mrs D.Marshall came second, behind Mr H.Prosser,a fellow Red Hill resident, in a category for vegetables. (MS 23-4-1897, P.3.)
In 1898, W.Marshall of Red Hill requested permission from the Flinders and Kangerong Shire to cut saplings in front of his property.(MS 29-9-1898, p.3.)
The largest strawberry patches were on the properties of J.McIlroy and J.Shand but those of W.J.McIlroy, Arkwell, Marshall and H.Prosser were fruiting heavily. (MS1-8-1903, p.3.)
Colin McLear says much about William Marshall in "A Dreamtime of Dromana". P. 27 William Marshall was an early tenant on Jamieson's Special Survey, living roughly near the intersection of Pickings Rd and Lansell Ave in Safety Beach. John and Mary Ann McLear had done well on the famous John Oxley's property at Cambden, N.S.W. and in 1846 moved to the River Plenty where they took up residence on the property of Mr Green, after whom Greensborough was probably named (and whose descendants might have owned Green's Bush near Red Hill.)
On Boxing Day,1849, John McLear, who had employed William Marshall as a groom for his horses, attended a race meeting, near the Plough Inn, Plenty, with William Marshall. John had won a bet but John Holland refused to pay up and tried to hit John with sticks and a whip, which William confiscated.One of Holland's mates hit the back of John's head and killed him. It would be likely that William would have accompanied the widow, Mary Ann, to Jamieson's Special Survey, especially if he had come with her from N.S.W.
William might have been already married upon their arrival in 1851 because he was one of a number of Survey tenants whose children attended a private school on the east side of the Nepean Highway about 400 metres north of Wallaces Rd (near the Hickinbotham of Dromana Winery.)
In 1863, he was leasing 70 acres from Big Clarke, which had shrunk to 60 acres in 1865, his house still of two rooms. His name does not appear in my transcription of the 1879 rates but I did not record assessments in Balnarring rates. Alex Marshall, the first postmaster in Red Hill in 1871 had been succeeded in this post by 1873 (see page 23 in summary.) It is possible that William, the groom and 1851 Survey tenant was born about 1825 and had sons named Alex and William in about 1850. This would have made Alex about 23 when he took on the post office and William about 40 when he bought 74G.
MOAT William 1863. By this first available assessment, William Moat had a house and 10 acres fenced. He received the grant (title) for about 60 acres on 13-5-1875.
MOORE Captain Billy. Sheila Skidmore stated that William Henry Blakeley and Captain Billy Moore purchased a two masted schooner named Fear Notto carry firewood from Dromana to Melbourne and return with provisions.The 1879-80 rates show that W.H.B.Moore, mariner, was assessed on one (house) lot and building, Dromana. John Moore, Inspector of Works, was assessed on 33 acres, Kangerong. The mariner was not granted a house block in Dromana Township (west of McCulloch St) and the inspector might have had the 34 acre crown allotment 3 of section A, Kangerong (less a one acre block on which Nelson Rudduck's Pier Store stood) on the west side of Pier St which ran from the beach road to Palmerstone Avenue.
MORRIS. See the end of the BENNETT entry.
MYERS 1919.
NASH.
Extracts from my VILLAGE SETTLEMENT journal.
F.NASH was granted 74f, 19 acres south of Marshall's and 74(E1), south of 74f, containing 7 acres. Lot 74 E1 is now occupied by the house of Trevor Holmes whose cherry farm occupies part of Prossor's 74E to the south, the other part being owned by the Edwards family. Lot 74 F is indicated by the south east quarter of Melway 190 K5 and the north east quarter of K6.
In August, 1902, Mr Nash had 6 acres of the usual fruits and more cleared and ploughed. (MS02.)
The 1902-3 assessments show that F.Nash was assessed only on 74F and that 74E was vacant. Fred Nash must have bought 74 E1 of 6 acres 2 roods and 25 perches after this time and Henry Prossor his 12 acre share.
By the 1919 assessment Frederick Nash Snr was assessed on 8 acres (part 74E), 37 acres and buildings(74 F, 74G ) as well as 40 acres (lots 6 and 7,part crown allotments 73A, 73 B.) Mrs Emmie Nash was assessed on 20 acres (lot 5, part crown allotments 73A, 73B.) Frederick Nash Jnr was assessed on 25 acres, part 13B, Kangerong.
Crown allotments 73A and B, Balnarring, consisting of 107.5 acres each, were granted to James McKeown and became two farm of unequal size (according to Keith Holmes) named Glenbower, adjoining the Village Settlement, and Wildwood, adjoining William Henry Blakeley's 140 acres at a spot near the Sheehans Rd corner. Crown allotment 13B, Kangerong, consisting of about 70 acres, was granted to Margaret Davies and is now the Kindilan Society land east of Nashs Lane (Melway A 4-5.) The rest of 13B was occupied by Red Hill residents, R.Addicott and John E.Holland who both had 25 acre blocks.
W.MARSHALL was granted lot 74G of the Village Settlement, 19 acres at the east corner of Prossors Lane. By 1919 Frederick Nash senior owned 74G, which now houses the Greek church.
MYERS RD. See Bittern-Dromana Rd entry.
NEAVES George.
Extract from my VILLAGE SETTLEMENT journal.
G.NEAVES was granted 74j, 19 acres south of Parry's about opposite the Station Rd corner. (south east quarter of Melway 191 A 6 to corner of Arthurs Seat and Shoreham Rds.
In August 1902, Mr Neaves had 4 acres cultivated, mainly strawberries.
George Neaves was still on 74J in 1919. He had erected a building on it by 1902, according to that year's assessment. George's daughter, Eva, went to school with Ruth Holmes. (Keith Holmes.)
PARRY.
Extract from my VILLAGE SETTLEMENT journal.
T.S.PARRY. 74i, 20 acres south of Harvey's with its south east corner roughly across the road from the south boundary of the Red Hill South Community Reserve.(The south end of Perry Lane marks the mid point of the long frontage to Arthurs Seat Rd, stopping just short of the Shoreham Rd corner, with the block tapering to a western boundary in the middle of Melway 191 A6.)
In August 1902, Mr Parry had a two and a half orchard which had been planted in that year. The rate collector was a little confused in the 1902-3 assessments and had assessed Neaves on 74i (with Parry written above Neaves) and has assessed Davidson on 74J instead of 74K.
This block became "Kia Ora" a farm owned by a member of the Holmes clan (Keith Holmes.). The 1919 assessments seem to indicate that it had been bought by James Andrew Holmes; there was a house on the property which must have been built by Parry some time after 1902.
Should Perry Lane (191 B6) actually be Parry Lane?
PROSSOR.
Prossors Lane is named after Henry Prossor who bought several Village Settlement blocks on the west side of Prossors Lane as well as the southern 12 acres of lot E at the end of the eastern side. Sid Prossor told me that Henry had come to Red Hill from Boneo. The Wannaeue parish map shows that crown allotment 4 of section B, Wannaeue was granted to M.A.Prosser on 19-1-1916.Consisting of almost 319 acres, this land was bounded by Browns Rd on the north and Limestone Rd on the south and is indicated by Melway 170 H-J 12 and 253 H-J 1-3. The surname is spelled with the er ending but so is Henry's on the Balnarring parish map. Was M.A.Prossor Henry's brother?The 1919-20 assessments show that M.A.Prossor lived in Fitzroy and still had this land.
Extract from the VILLAGE SETTLEMENT journal.
H.P.PROSSER.74c? and d of 20 acres each fronting the west side of the second half of Prossors Lane. In 1902, Edward Bowring was assessed on 74C and the article said that Edward had been on the block for 12 months. He had planted 2 acres of orchard and also had 2 acres of strawberries as well as currants and raspberries. He'd been successful with summer vegetables. Thomas Harvey was building a 4 roomed house on the block (which was noted in the 1902 assessment, one of only four on the village settlement at that time, another being on 74D.)
Keith Holmes said that Edward Bowring was on the last block on the right but as Prossors Lane does not go to the south boundary of the village settlement as shown on the Balnarring parish map (because of an extremely steep slope), he could have been referring to 74C.
The 1919 assessments show that Henry P.PROSSOR was assessed on 74c as well as another 32 acres of settlement land. It appears that the rate collectors had finally discovered the correct spelling of the grantee's surname. And where was Edward Bowring? By 1910 he had moved to 18A Kangerong, 60 acres granted to Henry Dunn at the south corner of White Hill and McIlroys Rd. By 1919 he was on part 19 Kangerong slightly to the east and across McIlroys Rd, Bowring Rd being the east boundary of the 27 acre block.
Rates (in this shire) rarely had entries indicating the owners of land but it is likely that Edward was leasing in 1902 and 1910 but owned the 27 acres in crown allotment 19 (which must have included 8 acres of Red Hill township blocks, as mentioned by Sheila) at Melway 161 A11.
74D. Henry P. Prossor was assessed in 1902 on 40 acres on 74D, 74C obviously being leased to Edward Bowring. As mentioned previously Henry was assessed on 40 acres (74 E and 74C) and 12 acres (part 74E).C.A.74E was stated as being vacant in the 1902-3 rates and later was bought in two parts, the northern (74E1)of 7 acres by Fred Nash and the southern (74E) of 12 acres by Henry Percival Prossor. Therefore, the 40 acres consisted of 74D and 74C in 1919.
Also assessed in 1919 was Norman Prossor. He had 43 acres and building, part 71A1 Balnarring. This crown allotment, bounded on the west by Mornington- Flinders Rd, on the south by Stony Ck Rd, with its eastern boundary and northern extent indicated by Pardalote Dr, consisted of eighty three and a half acres so Norman's portion probably fronted Mornington- Flinders Rd with the western tributary and Musk Creek forming the eastern boundary; Musk Creek joins Stony Creek in 190 G9.One might ask why there was a 71A1 when there was no 71A. I believe that 71A was to be alienated in two parts, but the grantee, Alfred Head, bought both parts on 26-5-1882 after obtaining the grant for 71B,of 116 acres south of Stony Creek Rd, much earlier.
H.PROSSER.74(E), 12 acres at the end of Prossors Lane with the opposite boundary parallel with Shoreham Rd.
This land was still vacant in 1919, possibly because it was too steep. Fred Nash bought the northern 7 acres (74E1, now Trevor Holmes' Cherry farm) and Henry Prossor the southern 12 acres, part of which is now owned by the Edwards family, and about 8 acres (including the old homestead) by Trevor Holmes.
The name Prossor/Prosser means son of Roger, being a mutation from ap Prosser. (Prossor website accessed through Holmes genealogy website.) See 74 C and D for other Prossor details.
Norman Prossor married May Holmes, the daughter of William and Emily Holmes.(Sid Prossor, their son, and brother of Norma Bright.)
Henry Percival Prossor was at Boneo before he moved to Red Hill in about 1893. (Sid Prossor.)
Alexander Prossor was assessed on 49 acres and buildings, pt.73A Balnarring in 1919 (recently Charles William Ward.) This would have been on Glenbower to the west of the village settlements. W.A.Holmes had sold all but 149 acres of the 215 acres of Glenbower and Wildwood (73A and B). Norma Bright, Henry's grandaughter and Norm Prossor's daughter, told me that her Uncle Alexander was known as Harry.
Henry Percival Prossor was heavily involved in the operation of the coolstore. (See RAILWAY OPENING.)
Continuing Henry's habit of carrying off prizes at the Dromana Show (Mornington Standard 30-8-1902 page 2, Around Red Hill), Norm Prossor and Sons did well at the Red Hill Show in 1938. (Argus 27-10-1938 page 9.)
Norm Prossor's name seems to have been Percival Norman Prossor. His executors were Francis Claude Prossor, gentleman, of "Cooma", Commercial Rd, Mentone and Keith Bernard Ronald Prossor, orchardist of Red Hill. (Argus 9-2-1950, page 13, Legal notices.) The first executor seems to have been F.C.Prossor of Commercial Rd, Mentone whose elder son, Francis, was engaged to Joan Letts of Elsternwick. (Argus 8-18-1947 page 7.)
L.R.Prossor won many prizes at the Red Hill Show in 1955 and B.S.Prossor won a prize too. (Argus 28-3-1955 page 9, Fine Fruit at Red Hill.)
Fruit growers from all over the state assembled at Ringwood for a demonstration of fruit packing and some, including Henry Prossor, were photographed. (Argus 24-6-1925 page 17.)
PURVES. (Hanson, Sophie Harvey's bridesmaid etc.)
RAILWAY OPENING AT RED HILL. (Argus 3-12-1921, page 28.)
This detailed article adds a little to Sheila Skidmore'sdescription of the opening in THE RED HILL. The correct pronunciation of the pioneering name is recalled by the spelling of "Mowatt's" Corner. H.P,Prossor was the President of the Coolstore Co-operative Co. and S.Holland was its Secretary. Andrew Haig was a Flinders Shire councillor.William Calder, Chairman of the C.R.B., told the crowd how much had been spent on the roads.
RATTRAY James, 70A Bal. 1919. James Rattray had recently sold his 86 acres and buildings (70A, Balnarring) to Pezekian and Co. of Carlton, his name having been crossed out. Granted to William Hopcraft, the 89 acre allotment was between Mornington -Flinders Rd and Stony Creek with its north and east boundaries being the suburb boundary between Red Hill South and Main Ridge. The present Tucks Rd corner indicates its north west corner (having been deviated further north) and its south east corner was just north of the junction of Musk Creek and Stony Creek in Melway 190 G9.
Was W.Rattray, a Tasmanian who won the woodchop at the Red Hill Show in 1955 on his way to compete in Sydney, a descendant of James? (Argus 28-3-1955 page 9.)
RED HILL ENLISTMENTS. (Standard , Frankston, 5-7-1940 p.6.) Under this headline, it was stated that Red Hill had 13 officials and players who had enlisted for service. They were W.E.Craig, the President, Mt MacGregor, Vice President, Mr Manning, the goal umpire, and playersincluding Eric Pritchard, Stan White, R.Trewin, K and G.Skidmore, E.Salmon, C.White and P.Cleine. Young Cleine's father or uncle was a pacifist according to Shiela Skidmore and often argued with Charlie White during W.W.1 about the morality of warfare and I wonder if the team mate was Charlie's son.
RED HILL VILLAGE SETTLEMENT.
As if Red Hill wasn't a common enough name, there was a visit by the Premier to the Red Hill Village Settlement in 1893 but this one was between Drouin and Longwarry. (Argus 26-12-1893 p.6.)
RIGBY 1919
RINGROSE 1865. The illegible writing in the 1865 assessments led to me transcribing this name as Ringrove. The pioneer had 60 acres. The name of Mrs Ringrose appeared in George McLear's account book in 1865.
The Ringrose family evidently settled on its 60 acre grant (whose location is described in the entry for Arthur E.HILL)in 1865 but the rate collector didn't know much about them and failed to provide an initial for the surname which I guessed was Ringrove. The assessment of 1868 records the occupant of the 60 acres (i.e. 18B Kangerong) as Brian Ringrose.
It seems that this pioneer had been much concerned in public affairs at Smythesdale before coming to Red Hill, that is if his given name was Briant! After finding that Mr Ringrose was forever moving and seconding this and that according to a Ballarat newspaper, The Star, I came across an article on page 3 of the 23-5-1863 issue, which stated that Mr Briant Ringrose was the manager of the Great Trend Co. An advertisement on page 4 of the 18-2-1862 issue of The Star shows that Bryan Ringrose was the manager of the Reliance Gold Mining Company whose operations were to be at Scarsdale; however, he was later taken to court for not paying calls on his shares. After the accident mentioned below, Ringrose was taken to Scarsdale.
Mr Ringrose had been one of 18 men proposed by a meeting in 1861 for the municipal election of seven members. Smythesdale had much interest in communal activity and an exhibition was planned. In an article about the planning committee, an interesting item found underground by Mr Bryan Ringrose was mentioned. (The Star 19-9-1861.) Mr Ringrose was a member of the local Turf Club (13-9-1862 page 1s),and on the committee of the cricket club (1-11-1860 page 2). He was a manager or shareholder at several gold mining companies such as the Great Trend, the Reliance, the Mount Bute (The Star 3-11-1862 page 4)and, one would think, finally, the Cape Clear, where Bryan found he no longer had a nose for business. (Sorry Bryan, I deserve punishment for that one!)
It would be fortunate if our Red Hill pioneer had spent his previous time at Ballarat rather than in Tasmania (as Trove demonstrates) but not so fortunate if our Briant/Bryan Ringrose had moved to another mining company by November 1863; if so,he no longer had a nose. (The Star 25-11-1863 page 2.) This explosion took place at
Sprindallah where Bryan Ringrose had applied for a mining lease in 1861 but then withdrawn his application (The Star 5-11-1861, page 3.)
It would seem that Bryan Ringrose decided that a quiet farming life was better suited to a man who had been disfigured and moved to Red Hill within a year of his accident. After the article of 25-11-1863, there was no more mention of Bryan Ringrose of Smythesdale!
There is not yet proof that the Smythedale pioneer was also the Red Hill pioneer. I have not even found a Brian/Bryan Ringrose in genealogy websites apart from one in New Zealand. I have asked the historical society which covers Smythesdale if they have any record of Bryan Ringrose being still in that area in 1865. (See end of RINGROSE entry!)
Today, I traced the Ringrose grant year by year and these are my findings.
All entries relate to 60 acres of land in Kangerong.
2-9-1865. 1-9-1866. 1-9-1867. Ringrose (surname only) was assessed on 60 acres, Kangerong, a house being first mentioned in 1867 but probably there all the time.
5-9-1868. The given name, Brian, is recorded for the first time . The house had one room.
4-9-1869. The given name was altered with a stroke (/) to turn i into y. The house is not mentioned.
3-9-1870. There are no assessment numbers but the person to be rated is recorded as Bryan Ringrose.
2-9-1871. No Ass. No. After Bryan Ringrose's name that of William Hillas (sic) is written in inverted commas, probably indicating that William Hillis was leasing the 60 acres. William Hillis was not assessed on any other land.
7-9-1872. No Ringrose. No assessment numbers. William Hillis was assessed on the 60 acres under H. One would assume that he had bought the land but with these rate collectors it is dangerous to assume anything.
6-9-1873. No Ass.No. Under H, William J.Hillis is crossed out and Francis Hirst is written above it. The owner's name, Ringrose, is not forgotten as it was in 1872.
5-9-1874, 2-10-1875, 15-9-1876. Under H, Francis Hirst was assessed each time with the owner being, respectively: Ringrose, Bryan Ringrose and Blank! Had it been sold this time?
14-9-1877. No listing under H (Hirst) or R (Ringrove). Look at every assessment in Centre Riding for 60 acres Kangerong or Ringrose in "Owner" column. Job Sherwood was leasing the 60 acres from B.Ringrose.
27-7-1878. Job Sherwood still leasing from B.Ringrose. N.A.V. was 14 pounds. (I hadn't checked it previously but I did notice it had been 10 pounds earlier on.)
24-7-1879. Nothing under S. Nothing under R. Look through all centre riding assessments. Under D, Charles Daniel was recorded as leasing from B.Ringrose.
31-7-1880, 30-7-1881. Nothing under D. Check whole of centre riding again for 60 ac K or Ringrose in owner column. The property had been forgotten (see ASSESSMENTS entry) and at the very end it was noted, without an assessment number, that what looked like John Gawin was leasing from B.Ringrose. The 1881 entry was clearly John Galvin and he was a labourer but the owner column was blank. Had Galvin bought 18B Kangerong?
29-7-1882, 21-7-1883.(A.N. 276 and 275/150, in shire, in riding.) Occupant column blank but Bryan Ringrose was listed as the owner in both years. The 83-4 rates were paid by Mr Ellis on 26-5-1884. I think we can assume that Ellis meant Hillis.
19-7-1884. (Nothing near previous assessment numbers.) Check whole riding for 60 acres K or Ringrose in owner column. (A.N. 110.) William Kemp, orchardist, was leasing from B.Ringrose.
20-7-1885. Not one Kangerong property of 60 acres was listed. No Ringrose in owner column. This looks like it!
17-7-1886. I wrote nothing so the result must have been the same as for 1885.
16-7-1887. Between Rudduck (157) and Segrave (158) but with no assessment number or occupier name, Ringrose was listed as the owner. The rates were paid by Hillas (sic.)
Blank July, 1888. A.N.28. Ringrose in owner column.
Blank July, 1889. No 60 acres Kangerong assessed. Had it been absorbed into a large landholding or had the rate collector forgotten the property again? Hardly any entries in the owner column and no sign of Ringrose.
Blank July 1990. No 60 acres Kangerong or Ringrose. A retrospective examination re William Hillis made sense of a baffling entry in 1891. In 1890, William Hillis was assessed on 273 acres in Wannaeue and Kangerong; to the left of this description, in tiny numerals, 60 was written above 213 (A.N. 98.) One would assume that this meant 60 acres in Wannaeue and 213 acres in Kangerong but as I said before, with these rate collectors don't assume anything.
William Hillis was granted 23A Wannaeue on 12-11-1888 and 23B Wannaeue on 10-12-1885. The first consisted of 59 acres 3 roods and 34 perches and is roughly indicated by Melway 171 H, part J-6. The second consisted of 153 acres o roods and 36 perches and is indicated by 171 pt.J, and K, 5-6. With 40 perches making a rood and 4 roods making an acre, the total of these two allotments is 213 acres and 30 perches. Therefore the 60 acre block was in Kangerong. Segrave's 60 acres were in Flinders and the only other 60 acre block, apart from Bryan Ringrose's 18B Kangerong, was Henry Dunn's "Four Winds" but this had become 233 acres years earlier.Therefore the land on which William Hillis was assessed in 1890 should read: 60 acres, 18B Kangerong and 213 acres, 23 AB Wannaeue.
Blank July, 1991. William Hillas (sic) was assessed on 60 acres Wannaeue and Kangerong. Perhaps William had mortgaged his grants or they may have been sequestered so he only had Bryan Ringrose's grant but because the rate collector wasn't sure whether the 60 or the 213 acre land was in Wannaeue, he kept the Wannaeue and Kangerong tag.
Blank July 1992. William Hillis could have had 60 acres Kangerong (preceded by an ink blot that looked a bit like a one or 160 acres.
If our Bryan Ringrose was disfigured and not often seen in public, it seems that William Hillis was one of his few friends. The following is being placed here rather than in the HILLIS entry so that it can be seen in context regarding the information from the rate books.
Bruce Bennett states on page 22 of THE BUTCHER THE BAKER THE:
William Hillas (sic) owned land on the corner of Wilsons and Main Creek Rd (i.e. 23 AB Wannaeue) and 27 acres on the top of White Hill including Watermill Farm. He was named as a butcher in the 1884 rates and appears to have been Red Hill's first butcher.
While reading an extract from Joseph McIlroy's diary on page 19 of Sheila Skidmore's THE RED HILL, where Joseph mentioned staying the night at Mr Hillis's place while bringing a steer back from Frankston on 9-3-1881, I was thinking of the Wannaeue land and presumed that for some reason he had travelled via Eaton's Cutting. Now it is pretty clear that he had travelled up White Hill Rd from Moat's Corner and stopped near the McIlroys Rd corner. William Hillis may have been leasing S.P.Calder's much later grant. He could not have been on Bryan's 18B because John Galvin seems to have been there from July 1880 to July 1882.
I received the following reply from Margaret Roberts, Research Officer of the Woady Yaloak Historical Society. Dear ---, I have searched through all our records and I have reached the same conclusion as you. The Brian Ringrose who was at Red Hill is most probably the same one who was at Smythesdale/Browns/Scarsdale in the early 1860's. Did you notice there was also a Joseph Ringrose here as well? A brother or father maybe as they were involved in many of the same mining ventures.
As you have surmised I have found no records of either of them after the accident. The two doctors who attended the victims, Drs Foster and Saengar were two of the best doctors in the area. Dr Foster was at Piggoreet and would have been the closest doctor to the accident whereas Dr Saengar was at Scarsdale and would have been the next closest. Poor Dr Saengar was murdered in September 1865 by a deranged man in Scarsdale. Please note that Smythesdale has an S in the middle. I noticed that in your article on him in the Red Hill article you omitted it. Good history though, congratulations.
Thanks Margaret for all your trouble. Sorry about the missing S which I have now remedied.
ROBERTS
RUDDUCK (RE CHURCH, 24B W LAND, TUCKER VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS LINK)
Nelson Rudduck was one of the trustees of the Red Hill Wesleyan Church whose first service was conducted on 25-1-1885.He resigned as trustee in 1920. (THE RED HILL pages 31, 32.)
Nelson's father, Sam, had purchased "Karadoc" in 1858 during one of several visits to Australia. Rudduck, Ruddock and Karadoc are variations of a word, thought to be Celtic in origin,which meant red- breast. Nelson himself arrived in Australia in 1868. His name may have been chosen because his father had been born in 1806 at the time the body of Horatio Nelson was being carried down the Thames to its final resting place.
Nelson was very heavily involved in the community, Methodist Church and the Rechabites; the Rosebud Fishing Village block on which Rosebud's Methodist Church remains as a medical centre was granted to Nelson Rudduck and the land for the Dromana Bush Nursing Hospital (opposite the BP garage and part of Karadoc) was donated by the family.His son, Ern, built a store at Rosebud and continued his father's involvement as a Flinders Shire Councillor and a pillar of the Methodist Church.Another son, Harry, farmed at Boneo.
H.B.Simon (known as Simon the Belgian, or Frenchman) lived on Boundary Rd (Hillview Community Reserve and to the south, about Melway 160 B 9-10) and as Nelson passed by one day he noticed that the pioneer was about to fall because he was sawing off a branch between where he was perched and a trunk. I won't tell you what happened but let's visualise why Nelson was travelling along Boundary Rd. I think he was making one of his regular trips via Eatons Cutting (160 E 9-12) to Main Creek Rd.
Nelson Rudduck was granted crown allotment 24B, Wannaeue of 145 acres on 31-5-1881. This land is indicated by Melway 171 J-K 3 and K4, its western boundary bearing 345 degrees 21 minutes. On 4-7-1888, 17B Wannaeue,of 100 acres, was granted to J.S.Rudduck. The grantee was Jane Sophia (nee Chapman), Nelson's wife. This land went from Duells Rd to Kinwendy Rd (170 J 9-11.) H.N.Rudduck (probably Henry Nelson, Harry) was granted crown allotment 23 Fingal on 13-2-1938. Consisting of 163 acres, this land is indicated by Melway 259 G 1-3 and H 1-2 being north of Long Point Rd and west of Mornington Peninsula National Park.
It would be reasonable to assume that those along Nelson's route would have known him well, even if they were not Methodists and drank like fish!
Colin McLear's A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA has pages and pages of genealogical and biographical information about the Rudduck family.
SANDLANT. Extract from the VILLAGE SETTLEMENT journal.
C.A.74a was occupied by Tom Sandlant by 1902 but he was living elsewhere as there was no house on it.(FKR02) The block was heavily timbered but Tom had been busy clearing and planting four and a half acres of strawberries.(MS02) Robert Henry Holmes owned 74A by 1919.
SAWYER.
The Sawyer family was mainly involved with the area north of Ellarina Rd in the parishes of Moorooduc and Bittern but Fred Sawyer had land near the Hopcrafts and there was a marital connection between the families.
Extracts from my THE FEMALE DROVER: A HISTORY OF MOOROODUC.
RENOUF/SAWYER/GRIFFITH/PROSSER/COXSHALL/HOPCRAFT.
The Argus of 29-7-1916 reported the death of Sarah Renouf, the widow of Amise Renouf of Frankston, who died on 15-7-1916 at her daughters residence in Dromana. She was 95 and a colonist of 68 years. Strangely all of her children had the surname Sawyer, indicating an earlier marriage. Two of her sons had moved to the vicinity of Neerim but another two were pioneers of the locality known as Moorooduc and a daughter married into a prominent Dromana pioneering family. Her children were: L. and H.Sawyer (at and near Neerim), J.Sawyer(Moorooduc), F.Sawyer (Bittern), Mrs John Hopcraft and Mrs Jonah Griffith.
But what do the Prossers have to do with the Renoufs and Sawyers?
I googled Sawyer-Prosser on Trove in the hope of finding some details of the marriage. There I found information posted by somebody who must be researching the Hodgkinson family. It so happened that Sarah Renouf had been born Sarah Prosser and had married Isaac Sawyer.
THE SAWYER LAND.
Wannaeue.
In 1879 Frederick Sawyer was leasing 142 acres in the parish of Wannaeue from the Crown. There were only three Crown allotments of this size and Professor Hearn already had two of them. This left only 21B of 142 acres 3 roods and 1 perch, granted to Alex. Shand Jun. on 1-6-1909. This land is fairly well indicated by Melway 190 D9 and C-D10.
And guess who had the land north of his. John Hopcraft. Guess who had 178 acres (70 A and B, Balnarring) to the north and east of the start of Tucks Rd. William Hopcraft! Directly across the road (69A Balnarring) was Robert Henry Adams, whose gentlewoman wife, a Hopcraft girl, refused to live at Hopetoun House with the ungentlemanly old sea salt, Captain Henry Everest Adams. Both Frederick and Robert did not extend their licences and their land was granted, respectively, to Shand and M.Byrne. The Hopcrafts moved further south later and the Hansons occupied Williams beautiful house and called it Alpine Chalet. (Sources: parish maps, rates, marriage certificate of Adams-Hopcraft, Adams family legend, Adams Corner Ray Gibb, Memoirs of a Larrikin Hec Hanson.)
SAXTON 1919
SEVEN OAKS (HINDS, DOUG CAIRNS.)
SEVEN OAKS FARM.
This property was described as Seven Oaks Farm, Red Hill when A.E.Bennett married in the early years of the 20th century and as Seven Oaks, Red Hill by 1915 when James and Elizabeth Hinds were grieving the death of their son Willie in Egypt. I do not yet know its location.
SHAND 1919.
John(Peter) Shand married John Huntley Junior's widow Mary (nee Hope.) Apparently he was known as Peter and after being assessed on 15A Kangerong in 1910, it was operated by the Misses Huntley while Peter and Mary moved to Kentucky Orchard whose homestead still stands at 214 Bittern-Dromana Rd, just east of Craig Avon Lane. Although Keith Holmes(recently made a life member of the Dromana Historical Society)and Bill Huntley told me independently that John was known as Peter, Mary's death notice on page 13 of the Argus of 11-8-1917 (under SHAND)refers to her as the beloved wife of John Shand. Mary's children (all Huntleys) are referred to by their pet names: Annie, Sis, Lou (Mrs D.Marsh), Laura, Jack, Perce, and Lyn (Mrs Phil Van Buylen). {b] I'm almost certain that Lyn would have been Mrs Van Suylen because Mary Muir (a Vansuylen, who put me onto Bill Huntley in the first place) said she was related to Bill.
See the HUNTLEY entry regarding John's surveying in Gippsland and other Shands owning land at Warragul, Agnes and Buffalo in that area.
SHAW Major J.N., Barracks, Queenscliff, 1919 K&Bal
SHEEHAN 1919
Standard, Frankston, 25-10-1945 p.2. Mrs R. Sheehan who broke her leg recently is expected home soon. If she was Reg's wife she was formerly Miss Shaw, teacher at the Red Hill school, according to Hec Hanson, and her first name was Ann according to Thelma Littlejohn or Keith Holmes. (I forget which.) Reg Sheehan was a decent poet as demonstrated by his poems, "In Memory of the late Albert Cleave" and "Reunion". (Frankston and Somerville Standard 8-2-1929 page 8.)
SHERGOLD 1919
SIMON Henry Bernard 1863. Known as Simon the Belgian or Frenchman, Henry had 122 acres by the 1863 assessment.This probably included 3a and 3b of section 3 Kangerong (about 70 acres) fronting the north side of Boundary Rd that is now the part of Arthurs Seat State Park west of the line of Collins Rd (roughly Melway 160 A-B 10-12.) See ADOD for anecdotes.
SIMPSON
Thomas John, 20 acres pt. 75 A,B. Bal. 1919.
Mr and Mrs W.Simpson were farewelled. Mr Simpson, who had been the teacher at Red Hill for five years, had been transferred to Newham, near Woodend. (Mornington Standard 7-10-19056 page 2.)
SMITH Carl Jaby 1919
SMITH James, Shoreham, 20 acres pt. 75 A,B 1919 Bal.
SMITH AND STEVENS 1919
STRONG.
See the DAVIS entry re Jonathan Davis (in August 1902) dairying on 60 acres leased from (Maude) Strong who was obviously a widow by 1900. (Hopefully I will be able to find the location of this 60 acres which Mrs Maude Strong was leasing from trustees in 1900.)
TANNELL L., Footscray ( almost certainly Tassell . 1919 20 acres 75A,B Bal.
TASSELL
TAYLOR G.L., Merbein, 20 acres, 75A,B,Bal. 1919
THIELE. Extract from the VILLAGE SETTLEMENT journal.
C.THIELE. 74b, 20 acres south of Tassell's. (Bottom half of Melway 190 J-K 5 west of Prossors Lane.)
On Charles Thiel's block adjoining (Sandlant's), as well as 5 acres of orchard, strawberries, cape gooseberries, raspberries, wine berries and black currants had been planted. (MS02)Charles' 74B was one of four blocks on which a house had been erected in 1902. (FKR02)
The Ararat Advertiser of 24-4-1915 had this article on page 3.
Mr and Mrs Thiele, old residents of the Red Hill district, were driving towards Dromana on Sunday and it is believed that, when they were descending Eaton's Cutting from Red Hill to Dromana, the horse bolted. At a dangerous turn in the road, the wheel left the buggy and the occupants were thrown heavily to the ground, with the result that Mr Thiele's neck was broken and he died almost immediately. Mrs Thiele is now in a low condition, suffering from severe bruises and shock.
The death notice was on page 13 of The Argus on 24-4-1915.
THEILE (sic).On the 18th April (accidentally killed) at Red Hill, Charles August William , dearly beloved husband of Lena Thiele. (Interred 20 April at Dromana.)
This notice tells us Charles' full name and that of his wife but unfortunately does not reveal his age,
descendants, parents or siblings. There may have been no children."Old residents of Red Hill" in the above article could be a reference to age rather than time spent in the area.
There is a possibility that Charles was a descendant of Doncaster pioneer, Gottlieb Thiele, who planted the first orchard in that district in 1853. After arriving in 1849, Gottlieb set up as a tailor in Melbourne before spending time at several places including Red Hill .GOTCHA! These places were on the diggings and this red hill was near Castlemaine. (The Argus 8-5-1953, p.19; Box Hill-Doncaster Centenary. Their Gold grew on trees.) A photo of Gottlieb accompanies the article. With the area being so close to Melbourne, available land for orchards would have been snapped up quickly, so Gottlieb's descendants would have had to look elsewhere after a while, and no doubt the payment terms on the Red Hill Village Settlement would have been reasonable.
The assessments of 28-11-1914 show that the name of Thiele Charles had been written for assessment number 892. The surname had been crossed out and replaced with White. On 9-11-1915, Eden White, a Main Creek farmer, was assessed on 74b. By 1919, Herbert Alfred Hall of Middle Brighton was assessed on 74b.
Charles Thiele must have received a good education. He sang a ballad in I ntalian, accompanying himself on the guitar at a meeting of the Red Hill Literary and Social Club.Mornington and Dromana Standard 29-8-1903 page 4.)
THORNYWORK 1919
TREWIN 1919 Bal
Standard, Frankston, 4-10-1945, p.1. The M.P.S.L. eh? Was this soccer? Harry Trewin is pictured being presented with a trophy for the best and fairest in the MPSL. Further investigation revealed that it was footy. Doug Dyall, the M.P.N.F.L. historian told me that it was the Mornington Peninsula Social League which operated during the war to raise funds towards the war effort. Judy Patching, famous Olympics administrator, who played in Rosebud's first premiership in 1933 before serving 14 years in the navy, was one of the players.
The Courier-Mail, Brisbane 6-8-1953 p.2. Harry Trewin was obviously as good at critical reading and Arithmetic as he was at footy. His letter headed Fast Ferry pointed out a journalist's lack of mathematical understanding. The interesting thing was why Harry was reading a Queensland paper. Perhaps he had trained there.
Horsham Times 5-5-1953 p.2. BYERS-LANGLEY. Harry Trewin of Red Hill was the brother-in-law of the bridesgroom Donald William Byers of Kew.
The Argus 25-11-1942 p.2. Sergeant Robert Clifford Trewin, aged 25, was killed in action on November 3 in Egypt. He was the eldest son of Edgar and Margaret Trewin of Red Hill and the brother of Bess (Mrs Wilson), Marjory and Harry.
Standard, Frankston, 25-10-1945 p.2. RED HILL. Mr and Mrs Yuille Wilson have twin daughters. Mrs Wilson's parents, Mr and Mrs E.Trewin have had three grand-daughters in the past month,as Mrs C.White also had a daughter. (Mrs Wilson was Bess so Mrs White must have been Marjory.)
Standard, Frankston, 25-4-1946 p.8. Harry was not the only good footballer in the family. L.Trewin had been granted a clearance from Carlton to Red Hill. M.W.Mannix was also cleared from Richmond to Red Hill. The Mannix family was one of many which fished at Flinders in season before moving permanently from Queenscliff. (Lime Land Leisure.)
WARD Charles William (replaced by Alex Prossor recently on 49 acres of 73A Bal.) 1919
WAR SERVICES HOME DEPARTMENT. A.H.Lewis was assessed on 100 acres on crown allotment 20, Kangerong, his postal address being care of the Commonwealth Bank, Melbourne. Some of this land was probably the old Red Hill Township near the intersection of White Hill and McIlroy Rds where the Kangerong parish map shows a maze of tiny blocks west of Bowring Rd.
WALKER Ernest F., Main Creek, 14 acres and building, pt. 25a, W. 1919
WATSON E.M., 37 Epsom Rd, Kensington, former McIlroy land, 1919
WATSON H.G., Dromana, 233 acres and building (northern part of Appleyard's grant.) 1919
WHEELER
Argus 3-6-1897 p.1. James Wheeler, husband of Elizabeth Wheeler had died at the age of 51. A patient sufferer at rest.
WHEAT? Mrs Lavinia, Windsor, 25 acres 25b,W, 25 acres pt. 18a K. 1919
WHITE 1919(20b,W etc)
See HARRISON entry re White-Harrison marriage and "Roselands".
WILSON James 1919
WINDSOR 1863
WISEMAN 1863
YEATES (YATES) F.R., Buckley Park, Essendon, 135 acres, lots 1,2,3,12 pt. 75A,B 1919.Bal.It is possible that this man was related to (David?) Yates, the owner of the Racecourse Hotel in Keilor Village, who had a racecourse behind the hotel now partly occupied by the present primary school. Buckley Park was a farm of about half a square mile on the east side of Hoffmans Rd, Essendon (to about Hedderwick St) that had been granted to William Hoffman who named it Butzbach. This man might have been leasing it from the Croft family.
YOUNG
Allotment 21B, parish of Kangerong was granted to R.C.Young. Consisting of a bit over 121 acres, this allotment fronted the north side of McIlroys Rd but its south east corner followed Dunns Creek, adjoining crown allotment 22H, which is that part of the Kangerong Nature Conservation reserve north of McIlroys Rd. The northern extent of the allotment is indicated by Melway 161 E10.
Henry Coxon Young was assessed on a 5 roomed house and 12 acres, Red Hill, in 1863 but on 3-9-1864, Robert Coxon Young was assessed on a 5 roomed house and 21 acres. By 1865, the rate collector had worked out that the 5 roomed house was on 121 acres and T.Coxon Young was assessed.
In 1879 there was no assessment on any member of the family and no mention of a 121 acre property in Kangerong.
In 1853, Robert Coxon Young, architect, was living in a brick cottage in Geelong. (Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer 27-12-1853 p.7.) Another item on trove (to be completed soon) seems to indicate that Robert ran for the office of surveyor there. By 1860 the architect had become an attourney!
Messrs James and John Charles Young have commenced business as importers and general merchants, such business to be carried out by their authorised attourney, Mr Robert Coxon Young, at 49 Elizabeth St South, Melbourne.(The Argus 31-8-1860 p.8.) The business did not last long. It was probably not long afterwards that Robert bought allotment 21B from the Crown. If I am asked to do so in comments, I could do some more rates research regarding the Young family's tenure on the land.
By 1876, Robert Coxon Young, who had formerly been the surveyor at Ballarat East, was appointed Town Clerk there.
(The Argus 19-2-1876 p.8. Ballarat.) Catherine, the youngest daughter of the late Robert Coxon Young C.E., died on 30 May, 1901 in Ballarat. (The Argus 31-5-1901 p.1.) Catherine's father was dead but the name continued.
Robert Coxon Young was the only son of James Young (see 1860)and died at 356 St Kilda St Brighton in 1944. (The Argus 8-9-1944 p.2.)
on 2012-08-23 23:49:42
Itellya is researching local history on the Mornington Peninsula and is willing to help family historians with information about the area between Somerville and Blairgowrie. He has extensive information about Henry Gomm of Somerville, Joseph Porta (Victoria's first bellows manufacturer) and Captain Adams of Rosebud.
Comments
Information about the families listed in the surname list has just been copied from some of my other histories and pasted herein.
In the journal, under the entry for BARKER, I mentioned that the late Ray Cairns had told me that he knew of no connection between the Barkers of Boneo and Main Ridge but that I still suspected there could be a connection.
One of my sources for the dictionary history, which I have not yet used, is an article on page 2 of the Mornington Standard of Saturday, 30-8-1902, called "Around Red Hill". This was to be continued but I hadn't had a chance to follow this up so I vowed to do this tonight. The 6-9-1902 and 13-9-1902 issues continued the article under the headings of "About Balnarring" and "Around Flinders" respectively. They weren't of much use for my Red Hill research but Shirley Davies of the Hastings and Westernport Historical was delighted to receive the details.
The first property mentioned in "Around Flinders" was C.T.Cooke's "Clondrisse". Cooke had refurbished the fine old homestead, built by the late John Barker "some forty years ago." On Maxwell's farm stood Mr Barker's first homestead, "The Grange".
I had always assumed that when they weren't busy with their medical and parliamentary duties, Edward and John Barker would have lived at the homestead of the Boniyong run, probably a wattle and daub affair built by Maurice Meyrick. Having read about John Barker's two homesteads, it occurred to me that both homesteads probably had a fine sea view, a much better location than the featureless Boneo plain. Methinks my suspicion was correct!
MORE RATES RESEARCH.
My object was to find out if exhaustion had caused me to make an error regarding George Burston's assessment in 1919-20. It hadn't, so a marathon effort will be required to locate the 440 acres that were supposedly in crown allotments 28A and 28B Wannaeue. Perhaps Burston had part of the Arthurs Seat preemptive right. (See Smythe below.)
Rather than waste a trip, I decided to pinpoint the time of arrival at Red Hill of Robert Sheehan, William Alfred Holmes and John Huntley.
Sheila Skidmore claimed that her great grandfather Sheehan had arrived in 1885 and bought 73A and B, Balnarring from James McKeown. She was spot on. The 19-7-1884 assessments showed that James McKeown had 215 acres, Balnarring (i.e.73A and B.) The records of 20-7-1885 show that James was assessed on 250 acres Kangerong (which was William Grace's grant "Gracefield" south of Boundary Rd, east of Caldwell Rd and with Beverley St and Cloud St at its N.E. and S.E. corners.) It also shows that Robert Sheehan was the owner of 215 acres, Balnarring (i.e. Glenbower and Wildwood on 73AB.) Therefore, Robert had bought the property sometime between 19-7-1884 and 20-7-1885.
Assessment 314 in the 1898-9 record shows that F.(C?)Harrison was leasing 215 acres Balnarring from Robert Sheehan, Robert and John Sheehan occupying other land. The 1899-1900 assessment shows that Harrison had recently been followed as occupant of 205 acres 73 AB by William Alfred Holmes, and that the name of Robert Sheehan as owner had been crossed out. In 1900-1, William Alfred Holmes had been listed as the occupier and owner of 167 acres, 73 AB. It is possible that William and Emily had been living with her father before buying Glenbower and Wildwood.
If the 1899-1900 record is correct,it appears that Robert must have placed his land under the Transfer of Land Statute and sold a 10 acre block. It then appears that William Holmes sold another 18 acres before the next assessment and another 20 acres by the 1919-20 assessment, when William was assessed on 147 acres. In 1919-20 Fred Nash Snr and Mrs Emmie Nash had lots 5,6 and 7 on 73AB, totalling 60 acres. I have stated in the journal that, in 1919, Alex Prossor had 49 acres in 73A but this must have been 75A, south of the Village Settlement. I also believe that the rate collector had accidentally written 205 acres instead of 215 in 1889-1900 as there is no later record of a 10 acre block on 73 AB.
The first mention of John Huntley in the ratebooks was in the assessment of 5-9-1874. He was the occupant of 105 acres, which miraculously was specified as being 15A Kangerong. In 1866, John Holmes and Lawrence Weadson were joint occupiers of what was obviously 15B. I had regarded John Holmes as a land speculator but the records revealed that he was a true pioneer, a (market) gardener! On 1-9-1873, John Holmes was assessed on 210 acres and a 2 roomed house, so he was occupying 15A and 15B. By 19-7-1874 John Huntley had become the owner and occupier of 15A.
A FEW MORE SNIPPETS.
The assessments of 1-9-1866 reveal two bits of information about Red Hill pioneers.
It is logical to assume that the Red Hill Tassells were descendants of Edwin Louis Tassell of the Brokil Estate between the Martha Cove Waterway (Tassells Creek) and Ellerina Rd at Safety Beach. Colin McLear states that Big Clarke gave the northern 1000 acres of the Survey to his son in law as a wedding present but Charles Hollinshed claims that W.J.T.Clarke actually sold it at a profit. Tassell was leasing the 1000 acres from Bruces Executors in 1866! (The apostrophe has been left out as in the rate book.) Either the son in law died very young or Colin's folklore was wrong.
I have only seen Ringrose on the parish map (barely, with a magnifying glass), as a surname owning 18B Kangerong with no initial given and in the following extract from page 91 of A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA:
Mrs Ringrose 1865. The family lived in Red Hill on the east side of the Dromana Red Hill Road.
I haven't started the Ringrose entry yet but you can find the location of the 60 acre grant under the entry for Arthur E. Hill. The 1-9-1866 record indicates that Mrs Ringrose's husband's (or son's)name was Brian.
In ROSEBUD:FLOWER OF THE PENINSULA, Iasbel Moresby stated that Samuel Smythe, a Flemington tanner, built the second dwelling on Arthurs Seat, the first being the McCrae Homestead. She said that Smythe had bought 75 acres to establish a wattle plantation that was to be watered by opening up springs and built a hut for his manager. In view of the fact that the land in Wannaeue was granted later, I believed that Smythe must have been leasing the land from the Crown. The following shows that Isobel's folklore was correct (to a degree); Smythe did buy land.
The reason that Smythe bought land (but was not shown as a grantee) must be that he bought part of the Burrells' Arthurs Seat pre-emptive right of 640 acres whose southern boundary went (magnetic) east from the intersection of an extension of Parkmore Rd and Cape Schanck (Bayview) Rd (the freeway bend in Melway 170 H1) to the McCrae/ Arthurs Seat boundary at the bottom of 171 C1. The pre-emptive right became crown allotments 1 and 2, section B Wannaeue. Allotment 2 of 309 acres was south of a line joining the corner of The Avenue/Bayview Rd (Melway 158 K11) to the McCrae/ Arthurs Seat boundary at the top of Melway 159 C12 where the little red man is walking on the Two Bays Track. Smythe probably bought crown allotment 2 and 60 acres of allotment 2 on the inland side of Cape Schanck or Hobsons Flat Road, perhaps near the water tank and Parkes St.
Isobel said that Smythe's venture was short-lived and the rates confirm this. The Centre Riding assessments of 21-7-1882 show that Samuel Smyth(sic), manufacturer, was occupying 370 acres and buildings Wannaeue owned by S.Smith (sic.) Smythe was not mentioned in the assessments of 30-7-1881 or 21-7-1883. Smythe of course was a manufacturer of leather and the wattle was required for tannin which was extracted from the bark. Perhaps the name of Wattle Rd came about because of Smythe's plantation. Hec Hanson's MEMOIRS OF A LARRIKIN tells how many people supplemented their income by stripping wattle bark forty years later.
Sorry! Smythe's 370 acres would have been crown allotment 2 (309 acres) and 60 acres of section 1.
Proof has now been found that the same Barkers owned the Cape Schanck and Boniyong pre-emptive Rights. See the BARKER entry.
My Hartley family is connected with William Henry Blakeley as mentioned in the partnership of Blakeley and Hartley in the above entry. William Hartely is the brother of my ancestor John Hartley. https://www.myheritage.com/site-family-tree-208874131/hartley
My Hartley family is connected with William Henry Blakeley as mentioned in the partnership of Blakeley and Hartley in the above entry. William Hartely is the brother of my ancestor John Hartley. https://www.myheritage.com/site-family-tree-208874131/hartley