William DAVIS married to Martha ORME/HOLMES 1/2/1869, Collector, NSW

[majm]

Hi there,

I can confirm that there are many instances of Aboriginal men on the NSW Electoral Rolls from about 1858.  Definitely many on the 1870s and later rolls.   

Cheers,  JM

 

[majm]

 

"In 1858 the franchise was extended to all adult males who had lived in an electorate for the preceding six months and were either British citizens by birth or had been naturalised for five years and had lived in the colony for the preceding two. Police, serving members of the armed forces, paupers and prisoners were barred from voting. The property qualification was retained and allowed a man to vote in every electorate where he had the necessary property. In 1893 the property vote was abolished as well as the six month residence requirement, which in effect gave the vote to itinerant workers and shearers and, in 1902 the vote was given to women."

http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/guides-and-finding-aids/short-guide-1/short-guide-1

Any person, regardless of their parents ethnicity, maritial status etc, born in any colony/state of Australia was automatically considered a British Subject by birth.   

It has not always been compulsory to enrol to vote.     and there is plenty of evidence to show that Electoral officials, particularly from Federation until early 1960s were selective in how they went about encouraging people to enrol. 

 http://www.aec.gov.au/indigenous/files/history_indigenous_vote.pdf 

ADD
http://guides.sl.nsw.gov.au/content.php?pid=367120&sid=3112777 

"Aboriginal people of New South Wales have been eligible to vote since 1858. Few Aboriginal people were aware of their right to vote so it's surprising how many actually appear on the earlier rolls. It's only since 1984 that all Aboriginal people have been required to enrol to vote.

Read more about the history of the Indigenous vote or the electoral milestones for Indigenous Australians on the Australian Electoral Commission’s website."


Cheers,  JM

[jemappelle]

Thanks for that information majm. 

[majm]

I am still looking for your William and Martha 

Cheers,  JM

[wivenhoe]

Possibly a sister to Martha ORME?

Goulburn Evening Penny Post 29 Oct 1935
Obit for Frances WADE d.  26 Oct.........74yrs...youngest and only surviving daughter of late Mr and Mrs HOLMES....born Bungendore.....married late George WADE....one time manager of Willeroo Station...

NSW BDM
birth
7589/1861  ORME Frances parents William / Ellen  @ Goulburn

marriage
2881/1877  WADE George  m.  ORME Frances   @  Goulburn

death
25204/1935  WADE Frances  parents  HOLMES 74yrs   @ Goulburn

[judb]

Obit for Frances WADE, nee HOLMES is here, includes a list of her children.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/103387625

Judith

[knows a lot]

WILLIAM DAVIS  (c1840 – c1892)
MARTHA ORME / HOLMES  (1850 – 1924)

William Davis married Martha Holmes (Orme) on 1st February 1869, in the school house at Collector NSW. William’s year and place of birth were recorded as unknown and his parent’s names were not shown. No birth record located. Later documents reveal William was aboriginal and probably born circa 1840 at Burrawang (located west of Robertson near Sutton Forest and Mittagong). His full name probably was William George Davis or possibly John William Davis.  His wife’s birth name was Martha Orme and born at Jacqua (near Bungonia) on 18th October 1850 and she was christened at Bungonia Church of England on 18th April 1851.  Martha’s mother (Ellen Peters) was possibly part aboriginal and Martha’s father (William Orme) was an ex convict, born in England.

On the 13th October 1866, a Nicholas Thomas had been charged with committing rape on the person of Martha Davis, wife of William Davis, a ploughman at Willeroo. On Friday, 19 October 1866, William Davis and Martha Holmes (Orme) were brought in custody to the Goulburn Police Court as unwilling witnesses in that case. William told the court that Martha was not his wife, but was living with him and her proper name was Holmes.  Martha deposed that no rape had taken place. The prisoner was discharged. (See transcript at bottom of page 15 - Goulburn Herald newspaper column dated 20 October 1866).

When William Davis eventually married Martha in 1869, he was recorded as a shepherd/labourer and Martha as a domestic servant and both shown as residents at their employer’s large sheep station called “Willeroo”(adjoining Currowang parish). William Charleston and Elizabeth Cooper (both of Willeroo) were the witnesses . They also were the couple married prior to William and Martha’s marriage. (The Cooper family were the owners of Willeroo). William and Martha were their witnesses and their signatures were recorded as “his X mark” and “her X mark”.  This revealed that both William and Martha were illiterate.

In June 1873, a William Davis was arrested at “Currawong” by police from Collector and charged with possessing several items of property belonging to the late John Cusack of Muttbilly (located near Breadalbane).  Any subsequent gaol sentence or fines arising from the charge, are unknown. In August 1873, a daughter’s baptism record, shows William as a shepherd and living at Currawong (another sheep station, also owned by the Cooper family and it was located next to Willeroo).  About 1880, William and Martha moved to Molonglo (another large grazing property, east of Queanbeyan and 40 kilometres south of Bungendore). In 1861, Molonglo had been absorbed into another property called Carwoola.
 
Whilst at Molonglo, William and Martha apparently befriended another (unrelated) Davis family who were residents of an adjoining property located at Primrose Valley. They were James Davis (who was a free settler from England and born circa 1842) and his wife, Mary Davis (nee Mundy) who was born on 2nd August 1853 at Bumballa. (A family story stated James Davis was born in Wales). Mary Davis (nee Mundy) may have been part aboriginal due to many members of the Munday and Mundy families of southern NSW are of aboriginal heritage. Mary Davis died on 1st November 1886, age 33, at Primrose Valley.

[knows a lot]

In February 1883, Martha gave birth to Victoria Davis at a railway works campsite (probably the Bungendore to Captain’s Flat line). Victoria and her parents were recorded as residents at that campsite.  In December 1883, Martha was summoned to a magistrate’s court at Bungendore and was fined 2/6 for neglecting to send a child to school.
 
During 1887, members of both unrelated Davis families were recorded at Captain’s Flat,  where James Davis had obtained a government land grant.  Members of both families were also recorded in the Cooma area in 1887 (due to birth of Mary Rodgers at Cooma (1st born child of Ada Ann Davis), plus marriage of Frances Ellen Davis to William Henry Smith at Cooma in December 1887).  In November 1887 at Bungendore, a William Davis was fined for being drunk and disorderly in a public place.  In 1890, children of William and Martha were recorded at Bungendore and a family birth also recorded in 1890 at Braidwood.
Archives of Braidwood Gaol show a William Davis imprisoned sometime between 1889 and 1892. The record does not reveal the term, dates or offence committed, but describes him as aboriginal, age 45, slight build, born in colony, free. He possibly was Martha’s husband and probably sentenced in 1889.

In 1890, some members of the family (including William) were recorded as labourers on construction of railway lines out of Queanbeyan. During the early part of 1891, most of the family of William and Martha (including the spouses of their eldest 3 children) then moved a considerable distance to the Kiama area. Also in 1891, Henry Penhall (see page 11) had moved his family from Tenterfield to Kiama. The moves to the Kiama region coincided with the commencement of new railway line construction from Kiama to Berry and then to Bomaderry (Nowra). That is the probable reason for the families moving to Kiama and they probably lived at railway campsites during the construction. Both the Berry and Bomaderry sections were completed in 1893.
 
At Kiama, another Davis family was already residing near the entrance of the Minnamurra River (6 kilometres north of Kiama) and had been residents there for several years.  Also, another William Davis was a landowner at Jamberoo (7 kilometres west of Kiama).  Possibly, one or both families could have been family related to our William and Martha.
Details of the 12 known children born to William and Martha Davis, are :-

William John Davis  - born at Willeroo in 1868.
Ada Ann Davis  - born at Willeroo 30 October 1869.
Frances Ellen Davis  - born at Willeroo  21 December 1871.
Emily Esther Davis  - born at Goulburn  22 August 1873.
Arthur Albert Davis  - born at Willeroo  6 November 1876.
Martha Helena Davis  - born at Willeroo  5 December 1877.
Amy Elizabeth Davis  - born at Willeroo 1879.
Richard Henry Davis  - born at Queanbeyan 1881.
Victoria Davis  - born at Queanbeyan 25 February 1883.
Sydney James Davis  - born at Queanbeyan  15 June 1885. 
Edward George Davis  - registered at Cooma 1887.
Annie May Davis  - born at Captain’s Flat  20 November 1890.

When William Davis reported the birth of the 6th known child (Martha Helena Davis), he stated there were 2 males and 4 females as previous issues and currently living. (Birth records reveal 3 previous female issues). There is possibly another daughter whose name and birth details are currently unknown, but William probably had inadvertently included Martha Helena as a previous issue.

[knows a lot]

William and Martha’s 4th known child (Emily Esther Davis) married at Kiama in 1891 to a Frederick Wagstaff.  Family verbal history revealed the name Frederick Wagstaff was an alias, due to Frederick already married to someone else. A daughter of Frederick and Emily, died in 1925 and her father’s name is recorded as Stephen W. Wagstaff.  Also in 1891, children were born at Kiama to three of the above Davis family members.

William Davis (father of above children) died sometime between 1891 and 1895. There is a record of a William Davis died at Berry on 27 November 1892 as a result of falling from a hay wagon. (Berry is located 30 kilometres south of Kiama and 20 kilometres north of Nowra).  The death certificate of that William Davis states he was age 50, aboriginal, parents unknown and born at Burrawang (located near Robertson). This William Davis probably was Martha’s husband.  The Davis family owned a similar bullock wagon, which was also used for transporting family members on their many travels. It is known that the bullock wagon was used when they moved from Goulburn and to Yalwal.

The next documented record of the family, reveals that prior to 2nd December 1892, the families had moved to the goldfields at Yalwal. (Yalwal is located 28 klms south west of Nowra). William Davis had been the provider for his family and his death would be the reason why Martha and her children then moved to Yalwal.

During the 1890s, Yalwal was a “booming” gold mining area.  The village comprised a
hotel, store, post and telegraph office, a school, police station, several homes and many miner’s tents. Martha Davis obtained employment as a housekeeper at the residence of the mine manager  and also worked as a midwife. The manager’s wife was interviewed many years later at Wollongong and she could not recall ever seeing the father of Martha’s children, nor of Martha mentioning a husband prior to Martha’s 2nd marriage in 1899.

The first documented reference of the Davis families at Yalwal, is the birth of Ellen Mary Davis at Yalwal on 2nd December 1892. (Ellen was the 2nd child to William John Davis and his wife Catherine Hayes). Another record reveals a W. Davis took out a sub-lease of a mine in the Parish of Ettrema on 21 December 1892.  That W. Davis would also have been William John Davis (above) who was born in 1868 at Willeroo, now 24 years of age and the 2nd eldest child of William and Martha Davis.

Martha Davis (Orme) had a 2nd marriage to Alfred Charles Howard on 7th June 1899 at St. John’s school church in Nowra.  Witnesses were Hugh Fletcher and Martha’s daughter, Victoria Davis. Alfred was age 30 and Martha was age 47.  Most Davis related families then moved from Yalwal to Wollongong during 1908. They included Martha and Alfred. Martha died at Russell Vale on 28th November 1924 and is buried in the general cemetery at Bulli.  Alfred and Martha were recorded as residents of Bellambi.  Alfred used to own horses and a sulky. His death was caused by a motor vehicle hitting the horse and sulky.