Peter Phillips has kindly shared this wonderful story of his Great Great Uncle John Joseph Williams:
John Joseph Williams was born on the 10th December 1855 in Creswick Victoria. His parents were John Williams (1822-1898) and Mary Ann CRAPP (1835-1920).
He married Sarah Jane EDWARDS, the daughter of Robert Edwards and Elizabeth Brown on 15 Apr 1876 in Sandhurst, Victoria. They had eight children, but only four would reach adulthood:
- Alice Maud Williams b. 27 Oct 1876, d. 1929
- Robert John Williams b. 20 May 1878, d. 1879
- John Joseph Williams b. 1880, d. 1881
- Anne Louisa Williams b. 1882, d. 1902
- Edward Charles Williams b. 1884
- Mary Elizabeth Williams b. 1886, d. 1888
- Olivia Hazelel Williams b. 3 Apr 1888
- Reginald George Williams b. 21 Dec 1891, d. 1892
At different times, John Joseph was a blacksmith, wheelwright, coach builder, mining consultant, mine owner, justice of the peace, legal manager, attorney and publican. He was a member, and often office bearer, for the Australian Natives Association, the Freemasons and various progress committees. He was prominent during the early days of Broken Hill and its proclamation as a municipality, and Williams Street in Broken Hill is named after him. He moved to the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia, most notably around Coolgardie and Leonora, during their establishment.
ANA conference, Perth; John Joseph Williams is front row sixth from the left, April 1900
Six months after the couple’s marriage in Sandhurst (Bendigo), their first child, Alice, was born in 1876 in Wahring (north of Nagambie) in Victoria. Alice became an auntie four months later when John Joseph’s parents had another child in Creswick. Their second child, Robert, was born in Mooroopna in 1878, and died there 11 months later. Child number three was John Joseph (jnr), who was born in Wentworth NSW, near Mildura, in 1880. He died about a year later in Menindee NSW, about 112 km south-east of Broken Hill. It was Menindee where the next two children, Anne Louise and Edward Charles were born in 1882 and 1884.
In 1886, Mary Elizabeth was born in Silverton NSW. This is about 26 km west of Broken Hill, where John Joseph is reported to have arrived the same year. Broken Hill was really starting to expand at this time, but the living conditions were poor, with choking dust storms, noxious fumes and a shortage of fresh food and water. Silverton had none of these problems, and so was a far better place to bring up a young family. For the next four years, most of John Joseph’s activities that we know of are centered around Broken Hill. By 1888 transport improved when the Silverton to Broken Hill tramway opened. But this was also the year of a typhoid outbreak that killed 128 people, and the year of the great Argent Street fire. Perhaps this was why in 1888, the couple’s 7th child Olivia Hazelel (spelling according to the birth certificate) was born in Tallygaroopna. By this time, John Joseph’s parents and remaining siblings had moved there from Creswick.
John Joseph however, was still active through to 1890 around Broken Hill, and we don’t know whether Sarah and the children ever returned to that area to be nearer John Joseph. It would be hard to leave the fresh air, clean water, plentiful food and close family around Tallygaroopna for frontier existence she had just left. The birth of the next child, Reginald George, in Collingwood in late 1891 may indicate that the couple wanted a break from that existence for a while.
But not for too long. Around 1892, the family headed west to the new goldfields opening up around Coolgardie in Western Australia.
It is apparent again that John Joseph and Sarah were often separated, because in mid-1895, with his address still listed as Coolgardie, John Joseph was very active in Menzies, about 150 km to the north-northwest.
Hot on the heels of gold finds at Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie, an area about 130 km to the north to be known as Menzies, was next. In early 1895, John Joseph Williams was elected president of the Menzies Progress Committee. It wasn’t until later that year, that Menzies townsite was officially gazetted.
John Joseph’s role in the development of the town was acknowledged by Mr Gregory, in his thank you speech after being elected as the first mayor in January 1896
In October 1894, the first claim was registered for gold prospecting at what is now known as Menzies. Withing six months, John Joseph Williams was president of the progress committee. In January 1896, the Menzies Miner newspaper (only the third edition of the newspaper) reported that Mr Herbert Beech went into mining business in connection with J. J. Williams & Co., before proceeding to take over that business.
As his business card shows, in 1897 John Joseph Williams was a ‘Land, Mining & General Commission Agent’ based in Coolgardie, with agents in Kalgoorlie and Menzies. He cleverly used his connection with the well known Broken Hill mining to enhance his reputation.
In the Western Australian Post Office directories of 1898 and 1899, he is listed as legal manager & attorney, with no mention of mining. Yet by May 1899 J J Williams was reported to be on good reef at Mount Stirling. This is in the Diorite King area about 50 km north-west of Leonora. Diorite King is now called Kurrajong. A lot of development work was going on in this area at the time and it attracted a lot of attention from the West Australian government. In January 1899, The West Australian newspaper reported that J J Williams spoke at a banquet in honour of HB Lefroy (WA Minister of Mines) and H Gregory (MLA), on the opening of the public battery.
John Joseph Williams was then associated with gold mining at Diorite King right up until his death in June 1902
John J Williams business card, 1897
John Joseph Active in the Australian Natives’ Association
John Joseph Williams was very active in the ANA. In 1897 he was the secretary of the Australian Natives Association in Coolgardie and in April 1900 he was elected first president of the ANA’s Leonora branch. He was once a member of the board of directors of the ANA in Western Australia.
In April 1900 he attended the fifth annual conference of delegates of the Western Australian branch of the Australian Natives’ Association in Perth. This was held in De Baun’s elegant and luxurious Palace Hotel, which was a far cry from the conditions he was used to around the mines. Newspapers often report of speeches by John Joseph at the various meetings, and that those speeches were well received.
The following is an account by the editor of the Mount Leonora Miner newspaper in July 1902 following the death of John Joseph Williams.
The following will be of interest to all who knew the late Mr J. J. Williams. On the evening of his death he was to have read a paper at the A.N.A. meeting. In the afternoon he was engaged on the paper when the doctor called and ordered him to bed, where death took place shortly afterwards:-
In dealing with the question of local government, I propose doing so from a national and not a parochial standpoint.
… [two full broadsheet newspaper columns of text follow, ending with] …
The ANA played a leading role in the movement for Australian federation in the last 20 years of the 19th century. It also provided sickness, medical and funeral cover. Membership in the ANA was restricted to men born in Australia, at a time when Australian-born people of European descent (not including Indigenous Australians) were rising to power in place of an older generation born in Britain.Nationalistic issues supported by the ANA included promoting the observance of Australia Day, afforestation, an Australian-made goods policy, water conservation, Aboriginal welfare, the celebration of proper and meaningful citizenship ceremonies, and the adoption of the wattle as the national floral emblem in 1912. With the Returned and Services League, it was also one of the last Australian pressure groups to support the White Australia Policy.
John Joseph Williams was proprietor of the Central Hotel on two separate occasions. In July 1900, the Kalgoorlie Western Argus reported:
He disposed of his interest in late May 1901 to a Mrs Lowes. His second interest in the Central Hotel was in June 1902, just a week before he died. His brother, Thomas Henry, helped manage the hotel on at least the second occasion.
To underscore how fast things were changing in the area at the time, when he first leased the hotel the town was known as Mt Leonora, but by the second time it had been proclaimed Leonora.
Central Hotel, Leonora, JJ Williams proprietor, Jul 1900
This is an obitua ry and report of the funeral, published in the Mount Leonora Miner newspaper, 21 June 1902.
On Tuesday afternoon a solemn silence possessed the town when the news got abroad that our esteemed townsman Mr J. J. Williams was dead. Friends who but a few hours before were speaking to deceased could not believe the news, and consequently a crowd soon gathered at the hotel, when the rumour was found to be only too true. Mr Williams had after lunch complained of feeling unwell, and called in Dr Wills, who immediately ordered the patient to bed, meanwhile prescribing some medicine. An employee was in constant attendance, and later on (about 4 o’clock) Mr Williams wished his rings removed, as his fingers were swelling. That was practically the last conversation deceased held, and immediately afterwards he (apparently) fell asleep, and a quarter of an hour later his attendant became suspicious of the sleep, and called in Mr Highman, who said “he’s dead!”. Corporal O’Halloran and the deceased’s solicitor (Mr Wilkinson) then took possession of the house and effects, pending the arrival of deceased’s brother from Diorite.
The deceased, who was 45 years old last December, was one of the best known business men on the fields. He was the first Mayor of Broken Hill (NSW) and, after facing various phases of business life, migrated to the West, eventually landing in Menzies, where he was closely associated with the progress of the town. Six or seven years ago deceased came farther north, and was among the first to prospect this district. He was for a long time manager of the Diorite King mine, subsequently leasing the Central Hotel, Leonora, which (after 12 months) he disposed of, but only last week he again took possession of the hotel.
The ANA owes its birth locally to the late Mr J J Williams, and in this society he took the keenest interest. He was the first man to agitate for the construction of the railway from Menzies, and at the beginning of the railway to Menzies from Kalgoorlie, delivered a forcible speech in favour of the line to Leonora.
The deceased was also a prominent member of the Masonic Lodge (Leonora).
The Funeral
The deceased was on Thursday accorded a Masonic funeral – each of the services being duly carried out, in which some 50 or 60 of the brotherhood took part.
At 12 o’clock the cortege moved away from the Central Hotel in the following order:- Members of the ANA, members of the Masonic Lodges, hearse, mourners, friends and sympathisers. In addition to the large number of foot men about 40 loaded vehicles attended. At the Miners’ Institute the coffin was taken from the hearse and Masonic rites observed, after which the cortege moved off to the cemetery. The funeral was the largest ever held in Leonora.
At the grave the Masonic service was conducted by Bro Huggins, RWM. The anglican burial service was also read by Rev Mr Trumble. The assemblage sang “Abide with me” round the grave, and the remains were lowered to their last resting place. The Pall-bearers were the RWM, PM, Wardens of the Lodge Gwalia, and other visiting Masonic Lodges. Numerous wreaths were sent. The funeral arrangements were carried out by Mr Semken, and speaks well for his ability as an undertaker.
Moya Sharp
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