William “Burly Bill” Lucas (1852-1904)
a family story.
The following story has been most carefully researched, not withstanding the complications. John Fripp, who has very kindly shared this unusual family story was assisted by DNA tests as well as the usual research methods. William Lucas must have been a very hansom figure of a man, so its a shame no photo of him exists.
William Lucas was the son of James Lucas and Isabella Matthews. He was born on the 11th March 1852 in New Town, Tasmania and was the second last of at least eleven children born to James and Isabella Lucas. William’s father died in 1862, when William was only ten. Like his elder siblings before him, he soon found himself fending for himself. The family home was a mere two-roomed cottage at the corner of Albert Road and Main Road, New Town, a near northern suburb of Hobart.
Despite a couple of newspaper reports recording a young lad of William’s name and age
getting into mischief, firstly in Hobart and not too much later in Launceston, we lose track of
him until age twenty one. He then having impregnated the fifteen year old daughter of the local
Police Sergeant, William marries Jane Quinn in Fingal, Tasmania in 1873. He recorded his
occupation as miner.
In this retrospective record, The Centenary of Portland (North-Eastern Tasmania) 1834 to
1934, of his time in the north-east of Tasmania and specifically as a resident and Councillor
of St Helens, Councillor P W Steel, who in his early life was in close touch with the oldest residents, and from them gleaned a wealth of information relating to the early history of the district …Since 1880 he has been prominently engaged in almost every interest associated with the district’s activities.”
The following are quotes from this document. With regard to the township of Weldborough (formerly Thomas’ Plains“. During the early period the place fairly boomed, and amongst the earliest arrivals were: J. Quinn (policeman), W. Gould, W. Lucas (the best built man that ever appeared in Portland, his proportions being perfect)” p.26,
and from the section on axemen and athletes on p.32,
“Bill Lucas was the champion boxer of all time, also a good all round sport. A model of a
man in physique, he was never known to start a quarrel, but upon the other hand was a
noted peacemaker at all public gatherings.”
His daughter, Isabella Jane Lucas, was born in Fingal, before the growing family moved to George Town near the mouth of the Tamar River.
After the arrival of two more children, William suffered a case of wanderlust and ends up being apprehended for abandoning Jane and the children. He dutifully returned to the family, now living in St Helens on Tasmania’s east coast, another two children arrived. Unfortunately Jane’s little sister,
Catherine is also on the scene and in 1886 she and William, much to the consternation of
the rest of the Quinn family, produced another little Lucas.
William and Catherine, with youngest Lucas in tow, sensed it might be a good idea to find a new
home in a new state. They re-appear in the record living adjacent Prospect Reservoir to
the west of Sydney, NSW, and soon thereafter continue the conception and delivery of
more little Lucas’s. A total of six surviving (Catherine as mother) Lucas offspring are produced.
William and Jane never formally divorced and it appears he took the marriage certificate to
his new abode, for the births of the three male offspring are registered with NSW BDM,
recording Jane Lucas as the mother. The first of William and Catherine’s offspring was
recorded in the official Tasmanian Register in a letter from Catherine while in Saltwater
River, Tasmania, before heading north to NSW. The two NSW female births were never
officially registered.
William, in 1897 and for whatever reason, soon after his final contribution to the growing NSW population decided to follow the exodus to the Western Australian Goldfields. As soon as he is off the scene Catherine has all her children baptised into the Catholic Church in Granville, NSW, thereby creating a record of sorts. For the baptismal record, Catherine states her name as Catherine Quinn. The Lucas’s were Anglican and the Quinns were Irish Catholic. The catholic registration was more than likely one in the eye for William.
William settled in Nemesis Street, Kanowna, Western Australia and provided blacksmithing services to the mining community there. While a patient at the White Feather Hospital, William Lucas, on
the 12th April 1904, died a most unpleasant death, of valvular heart disease and stricture
of the urethra causing uremia, more than likely a prostate problem. For his forthcoming
death certificate William had declined to provide any details of his remarkable marital and
paternal achievements. (This was noted on the certificate).
His obituary from the Kalgoorlie Miner 14 Apr 1904 reads:
Death of Mr Wm. Lucas. – After lingering for fully three years, Mr William Lucas died at the White Feather Hospital, Kanowna on Tuesday evening. Deceased, who was about fifty-five years of age was one of the fields pioneers. It was only his robust constitution that kept him alive so long, as his complaint, which was a form of diabetes, was exceedingly acute. The funeral, which took place yesterday afternoon, was largely attended, and the cortege included several Tasmanian’s, who were acquainted with “Burly Bill” (his sobriquet in Hobart) for many years.
Catherine died in Sydney in 1919 and is buried in Rookwood Cemetery. For seven or eight years Jane cohabited with William Gould, one of William’s friends from New Town, who had accompanied him to the tin-mining town of Weldborough. Jane and William (II) also continued procreating and in 1896 once the statutory seven years of William’s desertion had elapsed Jane and William Gould married and continued producing offspring into the late 1890s. Jane died in 1932 and is buried in the General Cemetery at Weldborough, Tasmania.
William’s Death Certificate is as follows:
LUCAS William, 56yrs, d 12 Apr 1904, at the White Feather Hospital, Kanowna, Occ: Blacksmith, Cause: Stricture of Urethra, Chronic Cystitis, Valvular disease of the heart, Father: not known, thought to be Charles LUCAS, Born: Tasmania, in WA 9yrs, Marriage details unknown, patient refused to give any particulars, Reg North East Coolgardie 12/1904, b 13 Apr 1902, ANG, Buried Kanowna Cemetery. H/S (The records say he has a headstone but none has been found)
By John Fripp – Great-grandson
(probably one of many, many descendants)
Moya Sharp
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