My great grandfather William KNOPP [b.1859 in Pentridge (Coburg), Vic] was raised in Coburg and met and married on 26/1/1885 at Gore Street, Fitzroy, Vic a Jessie Elizabeth TAYLOR [b.5/9/1864 at 137 Johnson Street, Fitzroy]. Jessie was the daughter of Fanny and the late John Thomas TAYLOR but I will write their story in a TAYLOR journal.

William and Jessie had their eldest child Francis Lydia then moved to farmland along the King Parrot Creek at Flowerdale. They had a total of 12 children, the remaining 11 being born at Flowerdale and registered in Yea, Victoria.

There were seven girls and five boys.
1. Francis Lydia [b. 1885 in Melbourne m. Ernest Edward MILLEN at Flowerdale in 1903 d. 1962 at Mitcham, Vic] and had 3 children.

2. Jessie Florence (Florrie) [b.1887 Flowerdale m. Hugh WEIR (who worked doing autopsies at the RMH who was born in Carlton in 1886 and died 1952 at East Brunswick and is buried in the Fawkner Cemetery). Florrie died 9/5/1970 at Brunswick and she is buried also in the Fawkner Cemetery].

3. Clara Cath [b.1888 at Flowerdale m. 1/6/1910 to James Francis McDONALD at Flowerdale. James was born at Mt Egerton, Vic in 1868 and died 15/6/1958 while Clara had died on 22/4/1946, both dying in Wonthaggi, Vic and both buried at Bacchus Marsh, Vic. They had 6 children].

4. William [b. 1889 at Flowerdale, Vic m. 1915 to Estella May EVANS b. 1892 at Yea] William joined the Victorian Police Force on 17/12/1914 and joined up in 1915 to fight in WW1. He died in 1961 at Ivanhoe, Vic. William and Estella had 4 children.

5. James [b.1892 at Flowerdale m. 1915 to Julia Catherine SWINNERTON b. abt. 1895]. James and Julia both died in Bendigo, Vic, James in 1961 and Julia in 1946. They had 4 children.
First World War Embarkation Roll - James Knopp
James Knopp
Service number: 1515
Rank: Private
Roll title: 8 LHR [Light Horse Regiment] - 11 to 14 Reinforcements (October 1915 - January 1916)
Conflict: First World War, 1914-1918
Date of embarkation: 21 October 1915
Place of embarkation: Melbourne
Ship embarked on: SS Hawkes Bay

6. Mary Ann came next on 6/8/1892 at Flowerdale and died of burns at Prahan, Vic in 1895.

7. Arthur Leslie [b. 1894 in Flowerdale m. 1917 Elsie May RAWILLER. Arthur died at Inglewood in 1937].
First World War Embarkation Roll - Arthur Leslie Knopp
Arthur Leslie Knopp
Service number: 1189
Rank: Private
Roll title: 4 LHR [Light Horse Regiment] - Reinforcements [1-12] (December 1914 - November 1915)
Conflict: First World War, 1914-1918
Date of embarkation: 20 August 1915
Place of embarkation: Melbourne
Ship embarked on: HMAT Kyarra
Ship number: A55

8. Ethel May [b. 1898 at Flowerdale m. 1923 to George CHESSELL and d. 1962 at Parkville, Vic]. George and Ethel had 2 girls.

9. Albert Thomas [b. 1900 at Flowerdale d. 1/5/1976 at Bundoora, Vic]. Albert never married and had been an orchardist up around the Ouyen area in Victoria.
First World War Embarkation Roll - Albert Thomas Knopp
Albert Thomas Knopp
Service number: 68688
Rank: Private
Roll title: 1 to 17 (VIC) Reinforcements (March-November 1918)
Conflict: First World War, 1914-1918
Date of embarkation: 22 October 1918
Place of embarkation: Adelaide
Ship embarked on: HMAT Boonah
Ship number: A36

10 & 11. Hilda and Lily were twins, born 1901 at Flowerdale. Hilda married twice, first to Richard GRUNDY in 1919 and secondly to Ben MOULSDALE.
Hilda had 3 children to GRUNDY and one son to MOULSDALE. She died at Nhill, Vic on 31/12/1969.
Lily married William Cyril SIMPSON and they had one son. She died in Kensington, Vic in 1974. Extract from WW1 Roll of Honour:
War Grave Register notes: SIMPSON, Pte. William Cyril, 5418. 24th Bn. 4th Oct., 1917. Age 25. Son of John Thomas and Margaret Simpson; husband of Lily Simpson, of Homewood, Victoria.

12. Norman Harold [b. 1903 at Flowerdale d. 1978 in Melbourne]. Norman never married and had worked as an orchardist up around the Ouyen area.


Jessie Elizabeth died in the Yea hospital in 1907 and is buried in the old Yea Cemetery. Records were burnt during a fire in the Council Chambers circa 1923 but while the Shire had a listing stating she is buried there , they had lost in the fire all locations within the cemetery and on searching, many of the headstones were smashed and wooden markers rotted.

Great grandfather William was said to have been a hard man, very distrustful and had buried his money in the orchard while he lived at Flowerdale. Clara, my grandmother raised the young ones after her mother died in 1907.
Clara and James McDONALD, being my grandparents will be my next journal entry.