All the Little Children – the Willis family

I’m sure many readers will know that there was a high child mortality rate in the early days of the Goldfields and all of the cemeteries both large and small will testify to this. However, there is one family, in one town, that surely must be one of the most number of children to one couple to die. It certainly is the most that I have ever come across.

Jabe and Mary Willis and their two surviving children, Thomas Warren and George Norman Willis – Photo take Kalgoorlie – Ancestry.com

James Jabez WILLIS was born on 18 Dec 1866 in Adelaide South Australia. He was the son of George WILLIS and Jessie nee BELL. In 1894, in Adelaide South Australia, James (known as Jabe) married Mary WARREN. The couple were to have ten children, but only two would live to adulthood.

Mary also had a daughter from a previous relationship, but I don’t think they were married. She was Mary Smith WARREN born SA in 1883. Mary came to Kanowna with Jabe and her mother where she stayed till adulthood. She married Edward GARVANTA, an Italian in Kanowna in 1902 before moving to Perth.

The Willis Children:

Jessie Ellen WILLIS born 1895 South Australia – Lived only a few days.
Thomas Warren WILLIS born 1896 South Australia – Survived
George Norman WILLIS born 1898 South Australia – Survived
Unnamed Male – Stillborn 1900 Born Kanowna WA
Hope WILLIS born 1901 twin lived 1/2hr Born Kanowna WA
Faith WILLIS born 1901 twin lived 1/2hr Born Kanowna WA
Florence Ruby WILLIS born 1902 lived 3 months born anowna WA
Robert Henry WILLIS born 1903 died aged 8 weeks born Kanowna WA
William Nelson WILLIS born 1906 died 21 days Born Kanowna WA
Edith Martha WILLIS born 1907 died aged 4 mths born Kanowna WA

Jabe Willis was employed in Kanowna as a Sanitary Contractor, and as you will see from the death certificates of the children below, the family lived on the Sanitary Reserve, No 7397, in Kanowna. I have often wondered when I came across these little children, if perhaps where they lived may have been a factor in the health of both the babies and their mother. I know that their first child also died, but it is amazingly common for a first child to die, it happened in my husband’s family three times. I had thought that perhaps the mothers of first babies were not very experienced, especially in a place without many other women, that is just my theory though. They had two boys, one after the other both born in SA and both survived to adulthood. Then as soon as the family arrived in Kanowna Western Australia ‘All’ of their next seven children died.

The Willis Children of Kanowna

WILLIS Edith Martha — 4 ½ mths, d 20 Nov 1907, at Kanowna, Cause: Gastro Enteritis, Father: James Jabez WILLIS (Sanitary Contractor), Mother: Mary WARREN, Born: Bayswater WA, Registered by father, Reg North East Coolgardie 18/1907, ANG, Buried Kanowna Cemetery.

WILLIS Faith — ½hr, d 30 Apr 1901, at Sanitary Reserve No 7397, Kanowna, Cause: Premature Birth (7th month), Father: James Jabez WILLIS (Sanitary Contractor), Mother: Mary WARREN, Registered by father, Reg North East Coolgardie 8/1901, ANG, Twin to Hope, Buried Kanowna Cemetery.

WILLIS Florence Ruby — 3mths 7 days, d 6 Nov 1902, Sanitary Reserve, Kanowna, Cause: Dysentery & Exhaustion, Father: James Jabez WILLIS (Sanitary Contractor), Mother: Mary WARREN, Reg North East Coolgardie 36/1902, ANG, Buried Kanowna Cemetery.

WILLIS Hope —   ½hr, d 30 Apr 1901, at Sanitary Reserve No 7397, Kanowna, Cause: Premature Birth (7th month), Father: James Jabez WILLIS (Sanitary Contractor), Mother: Mary WARREN, Registered by father, Reg North East Coolgardie 7/1901, Twin to Faith, Buried Kanowna Cemetery.

WILLIS Robert Henry — 8 ½wks, d 11 Dec 1903, at Sanitary Reserve No 7397, Kanowna, Cause: Bronchitis & Exhaustion, Father: James Jabez WILLIS (Sanitary Contractor), Mother: Mary WARREN, Reg North East Coolgardie 34/1903, ANG, Buried Kanowna Cemetery.

WILLIS unnamed male — d 16 Apr 1900, at Lot 337 Larkin and Doyle Streets, Kanowna, Cause: Stillborn, Father: James Jabez WILLIS (Miner), Mother: Mary WARREN, Registered by father, Buried Kanowna Cemetery.

WILLIS William Nelson — 21days, d 18 Jan 1906, at Kanowna, Cause: Convulsions, Father: James Jabez WILLIS (Sanitary Contractor), Mother: Mary WARREN, Registered by father, Reg North East Coolgardie 1/1906, ANG, Buried Kanowna Cemetery.

None of the Children have a headstone so we do not know their exact place of burial in the Anglican Section of the Kanowna Cemetery.

Jabe and Mary stayed in Kanowna till 1941 where Mary died on 3 April at the age of 76yrs. She is buried in the Kalgoorlie Cemetery. Jabe then moved to Geraldton WA with his two sons where he died on the 4 March 1962 at the great age of 95 years.

James Jabez ‘Jabe’ Willis in old age – Photo Ancestry.com

The follow additional information on the family has kindly been sent by John Pritchard:
Thomas Warren Willis later married Agnes MacDonald 17/03/1928 in WA and was awarded the Military Medal for actions during WW1. Agnes died in 1949 in Yandanooka WA but is buried in Karrakatta. Thomas died later in Geraldton in 1982 at age 86 years and is buried in the Utakarra Cemetery near Geraldton. They had three children, one child James Ardagh Willis on 24/01/1929 who passed away on 19/04/1996 in Perth age 67 years. The other two were Nonna and Jean as mentioned on his headstone which also covers the death of his Father James Jabez Willis.

Willis Family Grave in Geraldton WA

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Moya Sharp

Owner at Outback Family History

My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

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