I wrote this article for the Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries newsletter, Raves From the Graves and it was published in the April 2024 issue. I am not related to the family, however, as I discovered, the 'original' Follets, Joseph and Harriett, came from South Petherton in Somerset, as did my 3x great grandfather, Jacob Lawrence, who came to Victoria in May 1849. The reason I started researching the Follett family is because I came across a report of the Golden Wedding of William and Mary Follett of Cheltenham in the Koo Wee Rup Sun in July 1924 and wondered what their connection to Koo Wee Rup was, and the research led to this story.
There
are many members of the Follett family buried at the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery and the Cheltenham Memorial Park. As one of their obituaries
noted - The name Follett is synonymous
with Heatherton and Cheltenham, and quite a large family bearing the same name
resides throughout these townships and at Mentone. (1)
Joseph and Harriett (nee Hill) Follett arrived in Geelong on the Victory on December 24, 1852, with their two sons. Joseph was 26, Harriett was 23, James was three and William was one year old. Both Joseph and Harriett could read and they were members of the Church of England. They had come from South Petherton, in Somerset. Florence Chuk, in her book The Somerset Years: Government assisted emigrants from Somerset and Bristol who arrived in Port Phillip/Victoria 1839-1854 notes that the Folletts, were an old family in this market town: a Mary and Robert ffollett were listed in the Hearth tax records of March 6, 1670. Mrs Chuk also writes that at the time South Petherton was a market town where approximately half the workers were tradesmen or craftsmen of some kind or other, while others were employed on the land. (2)
Joseph’s uncles - his mother’s brothers - Simeon and Thomas Male had already migrated from South Petherton, having arrived with their families on July 23, 1841 on the George Fyffe. The Males settled at Brighton where they were saw-millers. Thomas died, aged 43 on October 13, 1856 after he was thrown from his cart and is buried at the Brighton Cemetery in a double grave with other family members, including his wife Eliza (nee Dunstone) who had died the previous December from childbirth at the age of 41. Simeon died in 1868, aged 61 and his wife Esther (nee Laver) in 1855, aged 45. The brothers are the source of the name Male Street in Brighton. (3)
It is more than likely that this family connection to the Male Brothers influenced the decision of Joseph and Harriett to settle initially in Mordialloc. The 1862 Moorabbin District Road Board rate books list the Folletts in Centre Road, where they took up market gardening and dairying, and later in the Heatherton / Cheltenham area. Joseph and Harriett had seven more children in Victoria - George (1854), Mary (1857), James (1860), Harriett (1863), Charles (1865), Joseph (1867) and Sarah (1871). (4)
Sadly, as was all too common in those times, four of the children died young - James, the eldest child who had been born in England, was found drowned in a waterhole on October 22, 1856, aged 8; Harriett died at 16 months old; Joseph died at the age of two; and Sarah died at the age of eleven. The four children are buried at the Brighton General Cemetery in the same grave as parents, Joseph and Harriett. Joseph, died on November 17, 1889 aged 63, at Boundary Road, Dingley. Harriett, died May 17, 1915, aged 86. (5)
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The Moorabbin News of May 22, 1915 published this short obituary of Harriett Follett -
The death is announced of Mrs. H Follett, relict of the late Joseph Follett. The sad event took place on Monday last at the residence of her daughter in Old Dandenong Road. Deceased was a colonist of 62 years and had been gradually failing for some years. She was 87 years of age at the time of her demise. Mrs Follett was the mother of Mrs Besant, William, George, James and Charles Follett. Her remains were interred in Brighton cemetery on Wednesday, where a large number of friends and relatives attended. Messrs Rose Bros., had charge of the funeral arrangements. (6)
Of the five surviving children of Joseph and
Harriett, four were buried at the Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery. By my calculations they
also had 37 grandchildren of whom 21 are buried at the Pioneer Cemetery and three
at the Cheltenham Memorial Park. (7) We will look at the lives of the five
surviving children.
William, who had came out with his parents as a one year old married Mary Elizabeth Taylor, of Berwick on July 2, 1874. Mary was the fifth child of John and Emily (nee Tyler) Taylor, and was only one year old when her mother died in 1853. (8)
William was a market gardener and they had ten
children, all the births were registered at Cheltenham – Joseph William
(1875-1950), Edward John (1876-1907), George (1878-1950), James (1880-1961),
Elizabeth Emily (1881-1881), Albert Thomas (1883-1942), Alfred (1885-1885),
Alexander Robert (1887-1967), Harriett Emily (1887-1957) and Ellen (1889-1889). (9)
The golden wedding of Mr and Mrs Wm. Follett, of “Seaview,” Balcombe Road, Cheltenham, was celebrated at their residence on Wednesday, July 2nd, and was attended by forty relatives of the family, including five sons and one daughter, 23 grand children and one great grandchild. The ceremony was more interesting by reason of the fact that on that day Mrs Follett celebrated her 73rd birthday.
Mr Follett arrived in this country in his youthful days, and resided at Heatherton, where he entered upon gardening pursuits. His marriage to Miss Mary Elizabeth Taylor, of Berwick, was celebrated at the Church of England, Melbourne, by Rev. A. Turner, and they drove from Heatherton to the church, as in those days a district train service was unknown. Twenty-five years ago Mr Follett retired from gardening and removed to Balcombe Road with his wife to spend the evening of their lives in the neighbourhood of two of their sons.
A pleasing feature of the celebration was the receipt of many letters and telegrams of congratulations from old residents of the district. On behalf of the family a presentation of a clock was made to Mr and Mrs Follett, senr. (10)
If you want to know why this report was published in the Koo Wee Rup Sun it was because two of William and Mary’s children lived there at the time – George and his wife Charlotte; and Albert and his wife Violet (nee Besant, his first cousin). Charlotte met with an unusual accident in 1924, as the Koo Wee Rup Sun reported in June –
On Thursday morning last Mrs J. Macain, of Kooweerup, while attending to domestic duties, had the misfortune to run a darning needle into her right hand. She was conveyed to Dandenong, where under X-rays, the needle was discovered deeply imbedded in the flesh. She had to undergo an operation to have it extracted, and it is pleasing to record she is making satisfactory progress. Only the previous week Mrs G. Follett, of Kooweerup, met with a similar accident, and had to go to Dandenong. She is also making rapid recovery. (11)
William died on October 5, 1929 at his home, 250 Balcombe Road, Mentone aged 78; Mary died on April 15, 1930, at a private hospital in Cheltenham, aged 78. They are buried together in the Pioneer Cemetery. Nine of their ten children are also buried at the Pioneer Cemetery (Alexander was cremated at Springvale). (13)
Also buried at Cheltenham was Mary’s
father, John Taylor. His short obituary was in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal of September 19, 1906 - Mr John Taylor, a very old resident of
Berwick, died at the residence of his daughter, Mrs Wm. Follett, Balcombe Road,
Cheltenham, on Sunday week. Deceased had reached the old age of 88 years. (14)
George was the first child of Joseph and Harriett to be born in Victoria. He married Mary Louise Porter, in 1881. Mary was the daughter of James and Hannah (nee Davey) Porter. They were also from South Petherton, having arrived in Victoria on the Mooltan on August 2, 1853. They took up farming at Centre Road, and are listed as a neighbour to Joseph Follett in the 1862 Rate Books for the Moorabbin District Road Board. Hannah Porter, actually gave evidence at the inquest of 8-year-old James Follett, when he drowned in the waterhole in October 1856, and she was the one who pulled his lifeless body out of the water. (15)
George and Mary had seven children, all the births were registered in Cheltenham - Sarah Ann (1882-1883), Walter Charles (1884-1950), Herbert George (1887-1957), Hannah Mary (1888-1889), Frederick (1890-1966), Lillian Hannah (1892-1892) and Hilda May (1893-1893). As you can see, the four little girls died tragically young, and they are all buried at the Pioneer Cemetery. (16) Their deaths naturally had an effect on Mary and on December 15, 1896 she was admitted to the Sunbury Lunatic Asylum as mentally [she] was the subject of chronic mania. Mary was still in the Asylum when she died on January 23, 1915 of pulmonary tuberculosis, at the age of 53 years of age. (17) Such a sad life for her, for George and her three boys, who essentially grew up without their mother being actively present in their lives.
George died three years later on February 7, 1918. His obituary in the Cheltenham Seaside News of February 9, 1918 was very informative -
With tragic and startling suddenness Mr. G Follett passed away at his residence, Cheltenham, last Thursday morning. He retired as usual on the night previous and was taken a cup of tea by his house keeper, Mrs Lucas at 7 a.m., on the day mentioned.
Shortly afterwards a peculiar bump was heard and upon Mrs Lucas entering Mr Follett's room, she found him lying in a helpless condition on the floor. Medical assistance was obtained, but deceased had passed away "to that bourn from which no traveler Returns” Mr Follett was an enthusiastic bowler and billiard player, and played both games as usual on Wednesday evening. He was 64 years of age, son of the late Mr J. Follett and father of Mr Walter Follett, Heatherton, Mr Fred Follett, now on active service, and Mr H. Follett at Koo-wee-rup. His wife predeceased him a few years ago.
He was born at Heatherton and has lived the whole of his life in the district. The name Follett is synonymous with Heatherton and Cheltenham, and quite a large family bearing the same name resides throughout these town ships and at Mentone. The late Mr Follett originally lived opposite the Heatherton State school, and later removed to the old homestead of his father in Boundary road. Some five years ago, he retired from a successful market gardening business after a strenuous series of years. He was taking things easy, enjoying his latter years in comparative comfort. Mr Follett was a good sport, quiet and unassuming, genial in disposition equally able to enjoy a joke against himself as to participate in one against his friends. He enjoyed nothing better than in exchanging reminiscences of the early days, and was always interesting to listen to - possessing a quiet shrewd sense of humor, and was always a gentleman.
The funeral leaves Mr Follett's late residence 'Oakwood,’ Pt. Nepean road, at 3 p.m. to-day. Owing to the suddenness of the death, a post mortem elimination was held by Dr. Morris on yesterday morning. After due examination a verdict was recorded that death was due to cardiac dilatation and degeneration. (18)
George and Mary are buried at the Pioneer Cemetery, as is their son Herbert; Walter is at Springvale and Frederick in New South Wales. (19)
Mary Besant (1857-1944)Mary, the daughter of Joseph and Harriett, married Alfred Besant in 1879. Alfred and Mary were market gardeners from Heatherton. Alfred was the son of Alfred and Sarah (nee Warry) Besant, and they were also a local farming family, with Alfred senior listed at Springvale Road in the 1864 Rate books and later at Kingston Road. (20)
Mary and Alfred had nine children, the births were all registered in Cheltenham - Everilda (1880-1972), Albert Alfred (1881-1962), Frank (1883-1950), Violet Harriett (1884-1966), Walter George (1886-1939), Charles Edwin (1887-1891), Ernest William (1890-1913), Elsie Sarah (1891-1979) and Harold Joseph (1893-1968). (21)
The 1900 Shire of Moorabbin Rate books list Arthur as owning 37 acres on Kingston Road, which was most likely Alfred senior; and Mary Besant as owning 7½ acres on Old Dandenong Road and leasing two other parcels of land from her brothers, both of ten acres and both with a house also on Old Dandenong Road. I presume some of her sons lived and farmed there. (22)
Two other of Mary and Arthur’s children are also buried at the Pioneer Cemetery – Violet and Walter; Elsie is at the Memorial Park and Everilda, Albert, Frank and Harold are all resting at Springvale. As a matter of interest, Harold was a City of Moorabbin councillor and Mayor in 1943/1944. There is a Besant Street in what was Moorabbin, but now called Hampton East, named after the family. (25)
Before we leave the Besant family, they have a very interesting connection to both the Queen and Oscar Wilde. Dorothy Helen Thelma Besant was born in 1910 to Frank and Matilda Besant, the son and daughter-in-law of Mary and Alfred Besant. Thelma, as she was known, worked for Cyclax cosmetics as a lecturer and demonstrator and the company suggested to the Royal Family that the then Princess Elizabeth might need some advice on skin-care and make-up. Thelma become the Queen-to-be's Cosmetician and Beauty Adviser – guiding her through the Coronation and years of public appearances. In 1943 Thelma married Vyvyan Oscar Beresford Holland, the son of Oscar Wilde. He had been born with the surname Wilde in 1886, but in1895 his mother changed his surname to Holland, after Wilde had been charged with “gross indecency.” Thelma and Vyvyan had one son and she died in 1995. (26)
James Follett (1860-1944)James married three times and had seven children – the births of whom were all registered at Cheltenham, apart from his eldest child who was registered at Mordialloc. James married firstly in 1885 to Marion Jack. They had two children Joseph Henry (1886-1961) and Marion (1888-1942). Sadly their mother Marion died in July 1888, at the age of 28, the same year her daughter was born. (27)
James then married Marion’s sister Helen in 1890. Helen gave birth to Albert James in (1892-1893) and two years later to daughter Helen (1894-1957). Tragedy struck the family again and Helen died on February 28, 1894, at Boundary Road, Heatherton, aged only 25. (28)
Marion and Helen were the daughters of James and Margaret (nee Henderson) Jack of Heatherton. They are also buried in the Pioneer Cemetery. James Jack’s obituary in the Brighton Southern Cross of June 3, 1911 reads –An old resident of Heatherton was removed in the death, of Mr. James Jack, which took place on the 21st May, at his residence, Jack Road, after a long and painful illness. The deceased gentleman, who had reached the advanced age of 85 years, was born in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland, and came to Victoria in l854; two years later he came to Heatherton, where he has resided since. He leaves two sons and four daughters, his wife having predeceased him five years ago. (29)
James Follett married again in 1906 to Emeline
Law, and had three daughters – Lillian (1906-1973), Elsie Anne (1909-1989) and
Emeline Jane (1911-2001). They farmed at Heatherton. James died in August 1944
at the Echuca Hospital; his short obituary in the Riverine Herald on August 19, 1944 noted that - Mr Follett, father of Mrs Coates of
Mathoura, who was over 80 years of age and had been in the Echuca Hospital for
some time, passed away yesterday. (30)
Mrs Coates was his daughter, Helen. James is buried at the Pioneer Cemetery in a double grave with his first wife Marion, his second wife Helen and their little boy Albert who died in 1893, aged 20 months. Also in the grave is his third wife Emeline, who died in 1948 and their daughter, Lillian, who died in 1973. (31)
Charles Follett (1865-1940)Charles was also a market gardener and lived in Mentone. Charles’ wife was Jane Morton Shanks Jack, the sister of Marion and Helen Jack, who had both married James Follett and died tragically young. Charles and Jane had four children - Margaret Isabella (1891-1943), Charles Arthur (1892-1969), Albert George (1893-1963) and Annie Eleanor (1898-1987). Charles died on January 15, 1940, aged 75 and Jane, two months later, on March 14, 1940, both at their home 5 Cremona Street, Mentone. They are buried at the Brighton General Cemetery, in the same grave as his parents, Joseph and Harriett. Of their four children Margaret and Annie are buried at the Memorial Cemetery and Charles at the Pioneer Cemetery; their brother Albert was cremated at Springvale Crematorium. (32)
Conclusion
The Folletts were a successful family, with strong connections by marriage to other local farming families and they made the most of the opportunities that the Colony of Victoria offered them. They were generational farmers producing food to feed Victoria’s increasing population and quietly contributing to the growth of the Cheltenham area. Follett Road in Cheltenham is named for the family.
Acknowledgement: Thank you to Graeme Follett, a grandson of Albert and Violet (nee Besant) Follett, for some family information and especially for the information about Thelma Holland and her amazing Royal career. Graeme also kindly supplied the family photos from his family tree on Ancestry.com
Footnotes(1) Cheltenham Seaside News, February 9, 1918, see here.
(2) Chuk, Florence The Somerset Years: Government assisted emigrants from Somerset and Bristol who arrived in Port Phillip/Victoria 1839-1854 (Pennard Hills publications, no date) - Follett arrival in Victoria, p. 199; Follett history in South Petherton, p. 199; South Petherton as a market town, p. 63.
(3) Chuk, op. cit., p. 63-64, 199; Thomas Male, report of inquest - The Argus, October 22, 1856, see here; Brighton Cemetorians database https://www.brightoncemetorians.org.au/ ; Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.
(4) Moorabbin District Road Board/ Moorabbin Shire Council Rate Books from Ancestry.com; Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages.
(14) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, September 19, 1906, see here.
(15) Chuk, op. cit., p. 241; Moorabbin District Road Board/ Moorabbin Shire Council Rate Books from Ancestry.com; Inquest Deposition files of James Follett at the Public Records Office of Victoria https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/9AD6FDAA-F1BB-11E9-AE98-CF53C50BA1D8?image=1;
(23) Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries database, https://www.focrc.org/
(24) Mary Besant's death notice - The Age, October 5, 1944, see here; Inquest Deposition files of Ernest Besant at the Public Records Office of Victoria https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/CA22ABED-F1C2-11E9-AE98-CB9968331161?image=1
(25) Friends of Cheltenham Cemeteries database, https://www.focrc.org/; Springvale Botanical Cemetery database https://smct.org.au/deceased-search; Harold - City of Moorabbin Councillor https://seha.org.au/shire-presidents-and-mayors-of-caulfield-and-moorabbin-councils
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