The Corner House Drapery and the Ordish Timber Yard, Dandenong East

This postcard of Dandenong 'East' shows The Corner House, on the corner of Walker and Langhorne Streets in Dandenong and the premises of E. Ordish, Timber Merchant, in Langhorne Street.  The photograph was taken around 1909. I am not sure of the boundaries of Dandenong East however State School No. 1403 Dandenong was known as Dandenong East from around the 1930s to the 1950s. The school is located on the corner of Foster and New Street. (1)

Postcard of Dandenong 'East' corner of Walker and Langhorne Streets.

The Corner House was a drapery, previously known as The Red House. The Red House, owned by George Dobson, was sold around March 1905 to Joseph Watts, who then held a Startling Clearing Sale. (2)

Startling Clearing Sale at The Red House.

South Bourke & Mornington Journal, March 29, 1905 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66142986

The following advertisements tell the story of  The Corner House. In May 1905, The Red House was renamed The Corner House and it advertised on a regular basis in the South Bourke & Mornington Journal.  Around March 1910, Joseph Watts sold his stock to Wilson brothers, the Big Cash Drapers, of Lonsdale Street, Dandenong. 

The Red House becomes The Corner House.

South Bourke & Mornington Journal May 17, 1905 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66143213 

Advertisement for The Corner House

South Bourke & Mornington Journal, October 7, 1908 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66148406 

Wilson Brothers acquire the stock of The Corner House.

South Bourke & Mornington Journal,  March 2, 1910 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66201406 

Wilson Brothers advertisement

South Bourke & Mornington Journal, March 24 1909  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66199784 

Who was Joseph Watts?  Joseph Eacott Watts was born in Bristol in England to Joseph and Martha (nee Eacott) Watts.  On July 30, 1873 he married Elizabeth Gittus and they had three children - Elizabeth (1874, died aged 1 month), William Henry (1875, died in Perth in 1937) and Frank Cecil (1877, served in World War One, returned to Australia in 1919 and I have no further information.) Elizabeth's father, Thomas Gittus, was a Councillor at the City of South Melbourne and Mayor in 1893/94. Sadly Elizabeth died, aged only 28, on June 7, 1882 at their home, Clifton Villa, Palmerston Crescent, Albert Park. She was buried in the St Kilda Cemetery, and her parents, Susan and Thomas, were later buried with her. (3).

Less than six months later, the 32 year old James married 22 year old  Elizabeth Charlotte Richardson on November 6, 1882 at the Presbyterian manse in East Melbourne.  She was born in Birmingham, in England, the daughter of William and Mary Anne (nee Newport) Richardson. James and his new wife, Elizabeth had six children - Ida Beatrice (1883, known as Queenie, married Robert Ernest Crooke in 1909 and died 1949), Netta May (1885-1974), Rupert Carlisle (1889-1967), Eric Clarence (1892-1966), Vera Eacott (1896-1989) and Jean Elizabeth (1902, married Frederick Middleton in 1926, died in Adelaide in 1983). (4)

Joseph and Elizabeth were listed in the Electoral Rolls from 1905 until 1934 at 20 Elphin Grove, Hawthorn, except for the 1909 roll where their address was Dandenong, which fits in with the time frame of Watts owning The Corner House drapery. Joseph died January 30, 1937 aged 86 and Elizabeth on November 10, 1952 aged 92 years old. Joseph and Elizabeth are buried at the Booroondara Cemetery, with their daughters Netta and Vera. (5)

 The other business in the photograph was the timber yard of E. Ordish. The first reference I can find of Ordish being in Langhorne Street was from the start of October 1908 when Joseph Watts began advertising The Corner House as being next to Ordish's Timber Yard 

 

The Corner House - next to Ordish's Timber Yard.

South Bourke & Mornington Journal, November 11, 1908 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66148572 

The first advertisement for the timber yard in the South Bourke and Mornington Journal was October 21, 1908, where Mr Ordish wishes to notify the public of Dandenong and district that he has opened large and commodious yards. A year later the firm became known as E.& J. Ordish. The brothers, Edgar and John, continued at the yard until at least 1912, but in 1913 J.W. Ordish was advertising as the oldest established Builder and Timber Merchant in and Dandenong. Plans arranged for Schools, Halls, Shops, Villas and all styles Farm Buildings. (6).

The opening of the large and commodious yards

South Bourke & Mornington Journal, October 21 1908 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/66148472

J. Ordish joins the business.

South Bourke & Mornington Journal, October 6, 1909 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66200820

By 1915 A.C. W. Bailey had taken over the yard.

South Bourke & Mornington Journal, October 21, 1915 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66188662

Edgar and John Ordish were brothers, the sons of Thomas and Mary Jane (nee Ward) Ordish. They were both born Dandenong - John Whiting Ordish in 1866 and Edgar in 1870. Edgar was a builder/contractor and John's occupation in the Electoral roll was listed as a labourer and later a timber merchant. (7).

John married Easter Louisa Blackmore in 1889. They had three children - Hazel (1890, married Albert Crump in 1913, and died 1973), Myrtle (1892, married Geoffrey Collins in 1940 and died 1949 ) and Frank (1895-1897). On January 15, 1915 John enlisted in the A.I.F. He said he was 44 years old, in reality he was nearly 50. John served in the Middle East but was sent home after a time in hospital due to an internal derangement of knee and discharged in July 1916. John died on August 26, 1922 at his home in Beena Avenue, Murrumbeena, aged 55. Easter died On June 12, 1946, aged 87. (8)

Easter Ordish's obituary.

Dandenong Journal, June 12, 1946 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article214794040

Edgar married Jemima Lillian Anderson in 1901. They had the one son, John 'Jack' in 1904. Edgar died on May 10, 1936 at his home 42 Scott Street, Dandenong. Jemima died on July 2,  1942, aged 71. Jack married Myra Vizard in the Dandenong Methodist Church on November 23, 1935. (9)

Edgar Ordish's obituary

Dandenong Journal, May 14, 1936 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article214739599 

Given the opening of Edgar Ordish's timber yard in Langhorne Street was in October 1908  and the sale of Joseph Watt's The Corner House business was  in March 1910, I believe we can safely date the photograph on this postcard to 1909 or a few months either side. 

There is one more element of the postcard - the sender and the addressee. The sender was possibly a Jane, I can't really decipher it. It was sent to Miss Lizzie Hawking, Kogan, Queensland. Kogan is a town west of Dalby and south of Chinchilla. I currently have no other information about Lizzie. 

The back of the postcard

Footnotes

(1) References to Dandenong East School - Dandenong Journal, December 25, 1930, see here; Dandenong Journal, May 21 1941, see here; Dandenong Journal, January 9, 1952, see here.

(2) South Bourke & Mornington Journal, September 14, 1904, see here.

(3) Watts/Richardson wedding certificate; Watts/Gittus marriage The Argus, August 12, 1873, see here; Indexes to Victorian and West Australian Births, Deaths and Marriages; First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 -  National Archives of Australia; Daley, Charles The History of South Melbourne (Robertson & Mullens, 1940); Elizabeth's death notice The Age June 8, 1882, see here and funeral notice The Argus, June 8, 1882, see here; St Kilda Cemetery records on Ancestry.com.

(4) Watts/Richardson wedding certificate; Indexes to Victorian and South Australian Births, Deaths and Marriages.

(5) Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com; Joseph death notice The Argus, February 1, 1937, see here; Elizabth death notice The Argus, November 11, 1952, see here; Booroondara Cemetery   https://boroondaracemetery.com.au/

(6) Advertisements in South Bourke & Mornington Journal on Trove; J.W. Ordish advertisement South Bourke & Mornington Journal, April 3 1913, see here.

(7) Indexes to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Electoral Rolls on Ancestry.com.

(8)  Indexes to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 -  National Archives of Australia; John death notice The Argus, August 29, 1922,  see here ; Easter's obituary Dandenong Journal, June 12, 1946, see here. 

(9) Indexes to Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Edgar death notice  The Argus, May 11 1936, see here; Jemima obituary Dandenong Journal, July 8 1942, see here. Ordish/Vizard wedding Dandenong Journal, December 5, 1935, see here.