Yerilla Cemetery
The First Burial
Distressing Complications
From the Goldfields Morning Chronicle 26th March 1897 – On Monday morning 22 March 1897 Mr. Simon Elliott, age 63 yrs, manager of the Yerilla Claims died suddenly at GM Lease 64R. He was at work but died as a result of a rupture of the heart and was buried the next day. Death certified in writing Hubert Elliott, his son. Mr. S Anstell, Mine Manager, and brother Freemason read the service at the grave in the Yerilla cemetery. Two shifts had been employed digging but the grave was only half-finished when the cortege arrived. Ten hours of work had then been done into an ironstone conglomerate. The ceremony was gone through and the coffin was placed in the grave which later on was finished. A doctor from Niagara arrived in the evening with instructions from Warden Owen that the body be exhumed in order that a post mortem might be conducted. (Note:- there is no mention made of a post mortem on his death certificate.) A new cemetery site is to be chosen as the ground in the present one proved to be too hard. Mr. Elliott’s two sons were with him, Hubert and John, the rest of his large family remained in Ballarat. (Note: Catherine Elliott and her family then moved to the Goldfields and lived at 59 Hanbury Street, Kalgoorlie before moving to her daughter’s house in Trafalgar where she died in 1917, she is buried in the Kalgoorlie Cemetery.)
From the Goldfields Morning Chronicle 26th March 1897
Yerilla Town site map
ELLIOTT Simon was a mine manager who died from a ruptured heart. He was formerly the underground manager for the WA Gold Co. Born in Cumberland Victoria, the son of Simon Elliott. At the age of 40 years, he married Catherine BELL in Clunes Victoria. At the time of his death, he had only been in Western Australia for 2 ½ years. Their children at the time of his death were – Alice 21yrs, John Moore 19yrs, Violet 16yrs, Hubert 16yrs, May Ruby 13yrs and Lillie 10yrs Reg North Coolgardie 54/1897.
Also buried at YerillaCemetery:
Second cemetery, Reserve 4587 GPS:- 29° 28.29 by 121° 50.07 ‘3 burials’. Photograph By Jill Heather
BOASE unnamed male — d 18 Mar 1906, buried by father, Philemon Boase (Contractor), mother Ellen Elizabeth WOOSNAM. The couple had already lost another son, Phil Boase who died aged 16months in 1900 (he was born in Gippsland VIC) and is buried in the Coolgardie Cemetery. Their surviving children were James born Kalgoorlie 1901, John Born in Kurrawang 1902 and Annie born Niagara 1904. Their last child was also to be stillborn, a boy, on the 14th August 1911 and is buried in Kookynie Cemetery. Reg North Coolgardie 14/1906.
MARSHALL Thomas John — d about 14 Feb 1899, 26yrs, 12 miles from Yerilla on the Linden track – buried in the original Yerilla cemetery. Death certified in writing by William Marshall, his brother from Pendinnie. He was a miner who died of thirst having lived in Western Australia for 2 years. He was born in Richmond Victoria. Son of David Marshall (labourer) and Ann nee Noble. Reg North Coolgardie 9/1899.
MARSHALL Thomas d 1899- Photograph by Jill Heather
FERRIS William — d 12 Nov 1905, 42yrs, at Mt Catherine near Yerilla, Cause: Heart disease, verdict of the Coroners, buried Yerilla Cemetery. Born in South Australia but no family details were known. Reg North Coolgardie 50/1905.
Original Cemetery marker peg. Reserve 3738, no graves visible. 29° 30.11 by 121° 49.75 Photograph by Jill Heather
Note:- The ground in the original cemetery was very hard necessitating blasting almost from the surface. It took two men 1 ½ days to dig the first grave. Not much foresight was shown in the selection of this site for a cemetery and a new cemetery site had to eventually be chosen.
Further Reading: Yerilla by Alex Palmer, available from Hesperian Press
Moya Sharp
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