Robert James married Mary Ann Butler on January 1, 1866 at the Wesleyan Church in Newington, which is now a suburb of Ballarat. Robert was a 24 year old miner, the son of Charles and Martha (nee Thomas) James and had been born in Blackford, Somerset. Mary Ann, was 19 years old, the daughter of Thomas and Mary (nee James) Butler and had been born in Bridghampton in Somerset. (1)
The Butlers had arrived in Geelong on the Sir Edward Parry on October 23, 1852 with Mary Ann who was their youngest child and four older children. Mary Ann’s mother, Mary, had been born in Blackford, and as she had the same surname and birth place as her future son-in-law it is likely that Robert and Mary Ann knew each other in England and were possibly cousins. (2)
After their arrival in Geelong the Butlers were employed by Miss Anne Drysdale and Miss Caroline Newcombe, of Coryeule, Moolap. These pioneering women gave their name to the towns of Drysdale and Newcombe. (3)
Robert and Mary Ann had eight sons in various towns throughout Victoria, the first in Moolap and the next three in Clunes, but by the mid 1880s they had settled in Geelong. The children were - William Butler (1866-1894), John (1868-1939), Charles (1870-1947), Joseph (1872, died aged 19 days old), Robert (1878-1918), Thomas (1879-1956), George Edward (1886-1915) and Arthur Bertram (1889-1949). Mary Ann died in Geelong on August 9, 1901 and is buried the Western Cemetery Geelong, with her first born son William, who died in November 1894. (4)
After the death of his wife, Mary Ann, Robert James purchased part of the Richfield Estate at Mordialloc which was auctioned in 1901. This land was formerly the Richfield racetrack established around 1887 by Alfred Bradshaw, and it was the first racecourse in the Mordialloc area. Tom Sheehy notes in his book Mordialloc-Chelsea: Aspects of History that Bradshaw was offered £18,000 for the property during the land boom, and even though the property had cost him only £40 he was too concerned with the need for paddocks to rest horses in to give serious consideration to profits. (5)
Main Street, Mordialloc, c. 1910 - how the town would have looked when the James'
family owned Richfield.
Image: By the Creek: a Mordialloc History (6)
When Richfield went to auction on May 16, 1901 it was described as 253 acres of grand onion and potato land, and was sub-divided into farms of 13 to 30 acres. (7)
The sale of the Richfield Estate in 1901
The Age, May 11, 1901 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article190033972
The James’ family purchased 165 acres of the property, which had an address of Wells Road, Mordialloc, for £20 an acre. (8) Robert and his six sons farmed there until they sold in 1909. The reason for the sale was that Robert had died on June 12, 1905 aged 62, at St Arnaud Hospital. It would be interesting to know why he was in St Arnaud, as his death certificate lists address as Mordialloc, however son Thomas was born in St Arnaud so there was a connection to the town. Robert was buried at the St Arnaud Cemetery. (9)
Assets of Robert James as listed in his Probate papers.
Probate and Administration Files (VPRS28),
The homestead and haystacks on the Richfield property.
Detail from sale flyer State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/169848
In 1909, the Richfield property was advertised as 11 choice intense culture farms of rich black Carrum land it was for many years the property of James' Bros and that for years it had upheld its reputation of being the best farm in the district. It was auctioned on September 29, 1909 and was divided into ten farms of around ten acres and one of 66 acres which included the homestead (located on the corner of Wells and Edithvale Roads). The land that was sold reached an average price of £31/9/ per acre. (11)
The sale of the Richfield Estate in 1909
State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/169848
The James’ Brothers (with the exception of Charles) then moved their farming enterprise to Manks Road in Koo Wee Rup. The five brothers, either separately or in partnership with one other brother purchased 380 acres on eight different titles. (12) Sadly, George died on September 11, 1915 when they were at Koo Wee Rup, aged only 29 and was buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery. (13)
George James' death notice
The Argus, September 13, 1915, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1559412/386726
Between 1918 and 1920 the James’ brothers sold all the land on Manks Road and, apart from Arthur, left the area. The brothers held a monster clearing sale on July 21, 1920.
James' Brothers clearing sale July 21, 1920
Koo Wee Rup Sun, July 8, 1920 p. 1
After the sale of land one brother did remain in Koo Wee Rup, the youngest one, Arthur and his wife Elizabeth, who took up a farm on Rossiter Road in Koo Wee Rup. (14) Arthur died on May 7, 1949 in sad circumstances as the Dandenong Journal of May 11, 1949 reported -
While watching his son play football for Kooweerup last Saturday Mr. Arthur Bertram James, farmer, of Rossiter Rd., Kooweerup, collapsed and died. Deceased, who was very well-known, was 59 years of age and is survived by his wife and three sons, John, Alan and Frank. (15)
Arthur James'death notice
The Argus, May 9, 1949 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22727315
As a matter of interest, Arthur’s son John, known as Jack, had a shoe shop in Koo Wee Rup and I can honestly say that every pair of shoes that I owned during my school days would have come from Mr James’ shop in Rossiter Road.
Jack James' shoe shop
Koo Wee Rup Sun, January 27, 1965, p. 4.
What happened after they left Koo Wee Rup?
Charles, who did not move to Koo Wee Rup, had married Polly Adams in 1910, and they had one son Keith. Charles was a carpenter and they lived at Mordialloc and later at 422 Centre Road, Bentleigh. He died on January 12, 1947 and is buried with Polly (who died in 1937) at the Memorial Park. (16)
Charles James' death notice
The Argus January 13, 1947 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22401699
Thomas had a farm on the Princes Highway at Dandenong and married Linda Aileen Roberts in 1937. He died on February 17, 1956, and was cremated at Springvale. They had no children. (17)
Thomas James' death notice
The Argus, February 20, 1956 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72536820
Robert had died at his brother John’s home on Point Nepean Road, Mordialloc on March 17, 1918. He was aged 39, was not married and, as we said, is buried with John at the Pioneer Cemetery. (18)
.JPG)
Which brings us to John, who died on January 19, 1939. John had an obituary published in the Koo Wee Rup Sun of January 26, 1939, which I came across when looking for something else and it was the catalyst for this research and story -
We regret to record the death of Mr John James, of “Manuka” 301 Beach Road, Mentone, who passed away on Thursday last at the age of 70 years. Although he had not been laid aside with illness, Mr James had not been well for some time, but his death was rather unexpected. He was quite well on Thursday afternoon and did not complain of feeling ill until Thursday evening, when he had a severe heart attack from which he did not recover.
Formerly a resident of the Kooweerup district, Mr James was married about 13 years ago to Miss Lillian Griffiths, of Dandenong. His wife survives him and there were no children of the marriage. Mr Tom James, well-known resident of Prince’s Highway, Dandenong, is a brother, and other brothers to survive him is Mr Arthur James, of Kooweerup, and Mr Charlie James, of Mordialloc.
The funeral which took place on Saturday, was very well attended, the remains being interred in the family grave in the Methodist portion of the Old Cheltenham Cemetery. The pall-bearers were Messrs H. Higgins, F.A. Singleton, H. Osborn, S. Norton, J. Nott, B. Vale, G. Halford, J. Wilson, E. Breen, and M.M. Dally. Rev. Clark of Mentone conducted the service both at home and the graveside, and the funeral arrangements were in the hands of Mr W.J. Garnar of Dandenong. (19)
We regret to record the death of Mr John James, of “Manuka” 301 Beach Road, Mentone, who passed away on Thursday last at the age of 70 years. Although he had not been laid aside with illness, Mr James had not been well for some time, but his death was rather unexpected. He was quite well on Thursday afternoon and did not complain of feeling ill until Thursday evening, when he had a severe heart attack from which he did not recover.
Formerly a resident of the Kooweerup district, Mr James was married about 13 years ago to Miss Lillian Griffiths, of Dandenong. His wife survives him and there were no children of the marriage. Mr Tom James, well-known resident of Prince’s Highway, Dandenong, is a brother, and other brothers to survive him is Mr Arthur James, of Kooweerup, and Mr Charlie James, of Mordialloc.
The funeral which took place on Saturday, was very well attended, the remains being interred in the family grave in the Methodist portion of the Old Cheltenham Cemetery. The pall-bearers were Messrs H. Higgins, F.A. Singleton, H. Osborn, S. Norton, J. Nott, B. Vale, G. Halford, J. Wilson, E. Breen, and M.M. Dally. Rev. Clark of Mentone conducted the service both at home and the graveside, and the funeral arrangements were in the hands of Mr W.J. Garnar of Dandenong. (19)
John James' death notice
The Argus, January 28, 1939 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12091279
John’s wife Lillian Griffiths came from an established Dandenong family who had arrived in the town in 1874. Her father Arthur, who died 1926 aged 79, was a blacksmith, operating first in premises at the corner of Lonsdale and Foster streets and later in Pultney street. Her mother, Rachel Susan Griffiths (nee Wright), died aged 84 in 1935. She was the mother of ten children of whom all except her son, Wallis, were still alive at the time of her death. Wallis had been killed in Action in France on May 3, 1917. Lillian died March 18, 1971 aged 88 and she buried at Springvale Cemetery. (20)
The James’ Brothers are representative of the many farming families who could make a living on their small farms in the Mordialloc region; farms which have now turned into housing, or in the case of some of the Richfield property, a retirement community that carries its name.
Footnotes
(1) James/Butler marriage certificate
(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), p. 174.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages. Mary Ann James' death notice, Geelong Advertiser, August 10, 1901, see here; Geelong Cemeteries Trust https://gct.net.au/resource/location/geelong-western-cemetery/
(5) Sheehy, Tom Mordialloc-Chelsea: Aspects of History (Standard Newspapers, 1970), p. 31-34.
(6) Whitehead, Graham & Gamble, Leo By the Creek: A Mordialloc History (City of Kingston, 2014), p. 107
(7) The Age, May 11, 1901, see here.
(8) As listed in Robert James' Will and Probate papers, held at the Public Records Office of Victoria https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/F341797E-F215-11E9-AE98-CD4882710A7C?image=1
(9) Robert James' death certificate
(10) See Footnote 7
(11) Richfield sale poster, State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/169848; Clearing sale at Richfield - Brighton Southern Cross, September 18, 1909, see here; Clearing sale results - The Australasian, October 9, 1909, see here; Property sale results - Geelong Advertiser, October 2, 1909, see here.
(12) Shire of Cranbourne Rate books
(13) Robert James death and funeral notice - The Argus, September 13, 1915, see here.
(14) Shire of Cranbourne Rate books
(15) Obituary - Dandenong Journal, May 11, 1949, see here; Death notice - The Argus, May 9, 1949, see here.
(16) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Electoral rolls on Ancestry.com; Death and funeral notice, The Argus January 13, 1947, see here.
(17) Death and Funeral notice The Argus, February 20, 1956, see here.
(18) Death and Funeral notice, The Argus, March 18, 1918, see here.
(19) Koo Wee Rup Sun, January 26, 1939, p. 1.; Death notice The Argus, January 28, 1939, see here.
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