A number of people have found evidence of their descendancy from Walter Butler and his ‘mistress’ Eliza Dwyer. According to evidence, Walter separated from his wife, Margaret Dunn around February 1832, eight years before her premature death, and began a relationship with Eliza Bodecin, the married youngest daughter of Michael Dwyer.
They had 3 or 4 children in NSW and Tasmania.
It has proved to be very difficult establishing where they were living at any given time.
Issue of Walter Butler and Eliza Bodecin nee Dwyer (information from BDM records)
1.George Walter Butler
Birth: bet. Feb and April 1837- Tasmania or South Creek?
Death: 6 February 1919 Rookwood Asylum Sydney (aged 81 years)
Marriage: Catherine Gordon 21 January 1861, Crabby Creek, Rylstone NSW, issue 7
Father: (death cert.) Walter Butler, 'canvasser'?
Mother: (death cert) unknown
(Death cert. named wife as 'Mary Dwyer', probably confusing wife with mother of that name)
2.Cecilia Ann Butler
Birth: 24 August 1838 South Creek Sydney; Baptized: 10 October All Saints Liverpool; abode South Creek (St. Mary’s), Sydney (Catholic Registers of All Saints Liverpool- SAG Reel 0012, frame 184)
Death: 12 May 1912 Gundagai, NSW (aged 77 yrs)
Marriage 1: John Morris- 31 May 1856 Albury, NSW- Issue 2
Marriage 2: William Hardwick -5 Dec 1867 in Wagga Wagga NSW- issue 6
Father: (Bap. Cert. & marriage cert.) Walter Butler, cabinet maker
Mother: Eliza Bodecin alias Dwyer
3. Robert William Butler
Birth: 12 July 1839 South Creek or Sydney; Baptised 10 October 1839 All Saints RC Liverpool- abode South Creek, Sydney (Catholic Registers of All Saints Liverpool -SAG Reel 0012, frame 184)
Death: 19 May 1888 (aged 50- death cert.) Grenfell NSW (NB. death cert. states birth in Tasmania)
Partner: Mercy A. Glazier c. 1858 Binalong South Creek, NSW- issue 1
Marriage: Elizabeth Edwards 27 Oct 1863 Forbes, NSW- issue 11
Father: (Bap. record.) Walter Butler, cabinet maker
Mother: (Bap. record) Eliza Bodecin alias Dwyer (death cert.- Mary Dwyer)
4.? John Butler
Birth: unknown (c.1840)
Death unknown
Marriage: unknown
John’s existence is only known
through family stories that said he was a butcher at Cowra, and as it would
appear that he was born about 1840, may have been the son of Walter and Eliza. Notably,
a John Butler (als. John Butter), butcher, who lived at Cowra, was married,
aged 35 in 1873 to Mary Adelaide Clarke and had 3 children. According to his marriage
certificate, he was born at Blaney (c.1838) and named his parents as Thomas
Butler and Margaret Cullen (information supplied by himself), clearly
incorrect, so, he could have been mistaken for this claimed unknown brother
named John, by family researchers.
Other children attributed to Walter and Eliza in the past
It has been extremely
difficult to ascertain if there were more children of Walter and Eliza due to
widely conflicting BDM records, the only constant being Eliza Dwyer.
For many years, it was
thought that they also had a son named William Butler, no baptism record found; marriage record named no
parents; death certificate stating he was born in Waterloo, Sydney and was aged
75 when he died 31 January 1920 (b.c.1844) at Mortlake Sydney, father named as ‘George Butler, general labourer’ and mother ‘Eliza Dwyer’. However, an obituary in the Cowra Guardian, stated
that William Butler was "a native of the Carcoar District and came to reside in
this (Cowra) District over 50 years ago", and that he was 76 years of age.
A daughter named Susannah Butler was also thought to be their child, although
her BDM records varied considerably: Birth: 12 Aug 1848 Carcoar; Baptised 14
May 1849 Carcoar NSW; Death: 10 May 1939 Bathurst. Marriage 1: Dionysius
Williams- 6 March 1866 Carcoar- issue 7 children; Marriage 2: William Simpson-
1 July 1895 Bathurst- issue 8 children
However, her baptism
record named her father as ‘Walter Butler, labourer’ (he was
never a labourer, but a wealthy man and a skilled cabinet maker and publican),
her mother as ‘Eliza
Doyle’ (notably, Eliza’s
mother’s maiden name, possibly indicating an attempt to disguise her own name);
her 1st marriage named no parents; her 2nd marriage
record named father as ‘William Butler’ and
mother as ‘Eliza
Dwyer’; and her death record
named father as ‘Unknown
Butcher/Batcher’ and
mother as ‘Eliza
Dwyer’.
Notably Susannah was born
at, and was later married at, Carcoar, indicating a long residence there. As
William’s obituary also stated he was a native of Carcoar, it would seem that
Eliza was living in Carcoar in the 1840’s, for what reason is yet undetermined.
Another of Eliza’s
daughters, Jane
Eve Butler married Edward Palmer, a
shearer, at her sister Susannah’s house in Carcoar in December 1870 and died
one year later in December 1871, aged 23 (b.1848), possibly indicating she was
Susannah’s twin (although baptism record not found); mother named in death
certificate as ‘Eliza
Dwyer’, father ‘not listed Butler’. Her marriage record did not list any
parents. She had had an illegitimate baby who was born and died in 1869.
The discrepancies in the
later BDM records contrasted strongly with the unequivocal stated information
on the records of Cecilia and Robert which clearly named the parents as ‘Walter Butler cabinet maker and
Eliza Bodecin als Dwyer’,
leading to speculation about the parentage of the later three claimed children.
The other fact that was
difficult to dismiss, was that, by the time of the birth of these children,
Walter had abandoned Eliza and the first three children, and had moved to
Melbourne, marrying an English minister’s daughter, Frances Edwards, in October
1841, after the death of his first wife Margaret Dunn in late 1840, and had six
children in quick succession. He had established a flourishing business running
a pub in Williamstown and buying ships (for whaling and carrying cargo), so it
is highly unlikely he would have undertaken a very long, time consuming, and
complicated journey from Melbourne to Sydney by ship, hiring a horse and riding
over the Blue Mountains to Bathurst and then to Carcoar (250 kms), which would
have taken him away from his wife and infant family and business for over a
month, just to visit his ex-mistress and family, and impregnate her on two/three more
occasions. The scenario did not make sense. In January 1842, the Police Court
Business report in the ‘Sydney Gazette’,
revealed that Eliza Bodecin had filed a suit against Walter Butler “for neglecting to support his
illegitimate children, which was dismissed, there being no parties present”. It is interesting that she was using her
legal married name, as she did for their children together, whereas she had
reverted to her maiden name for her other children. One would question why she
did not turn up for the case.
DNA testing to prove parentage
The only way of solving
this mystery was through DNA testing, using the DNA tests of a descendant of
Walter’s eldest son by his 1st marriage to Margaret Dunn, as the
test comparison measure. This descendant (labelled ‘R’) had undertaken an
autosomal DNA test, and a YDNA test which is more accurate as the Y chromosome
is passed down the male line virtually unchanged for thousands of years, and assigns a haplogroup which is a genetic population of people who share a common ancestor along the paternal line, thereby, two males of different haplogroups are not related.
The
YDNA test had also proven Walter was the son of Laurence Butler as his YDNA
matched a descendant of Laurence’s second son Lawrence Jnr.
The results of the
autosomal tests proved interesting. There were several descendants of George, Robert,
William and Susannah who all shared DNA with each other, proving they shared at
least one parent, namely Eliza Dwyer. However, the paternity question was not
so clear cut.
Walter’s descendant by his first family (ie from son Francis George Butler's line), labelled 'R', shared 26cM with a descendant of Robert. Another descendant of Walter's first family (R's 3rd cousin, labelled 'RK', also from Francis George's line) also shared 18cM with this descendant of Robert, thereby proving that Robert was sired by Walter Butler. And while 'R' did not share any DNA with either of George Walter's two known descendants, his cousin 'RK' shared over 30 cM's with both of George's descendants, thereby proving Walter sired George Walter by Eliza. By default, their sister Cecilia, born in between George and Robert, was also sired by Walter.
However, ‘R’ and his 3rd cousin 'RK' shared no autosomal DNA with any of the other descendants of Eliza’s
children, William or Susannah.
To make this apparent DNA
result absolutely unequivocal, a YDNA test was conducted on one of the direct
male descendants of William Butler. And this time the result was
unquestionable. Laurence Butler and son Walter’s YDNA haplogroup was established as I1(I-M253) whereas, William’s
descendant’s haplogroup was found to be R1B (R-M269), which means they were in
no way related paternally. By default, we can safely assume that Susannah and Jane, while
proved to be the children of Eliza, were not sired by Walter Butler either.
The difficulty now, is trying to find the sire of William, Susannah and Jane, and this can only be solved through DNA matching.
One has to feel great pity for both of the families that Walter abandoned. It was so difficult for women in those days when they lost their partner and breadwinner, for whatever reason, especially when trying to raise infant children, and it is not surprising that Eliza, still a young woman, would find another partner. The reason she gave them the same Butler surname is unclear, but probably so that her children had the same surname.
History of Eliza Dwyer and first husband Peter Bodecin
Eliza Dwyer was born in 1812 at Cabramatta Sydney, daughter of Michael Dwyer (known as the ‘Wicklow Chief’- Irish Rebellion 1798) and Mary Doyle.
Following the rebellion, Dwyer and his gang hid in the Wicklow Mountains conducting guerilla raids until he surrendered in 1803 under terms of self-exile. After three years incarceration in Kilmainham Gaol Dublin, he was deported to NSW, he and his wife and the two eldest of their six children reaching Port Jackson in the ‘Tellicherry’ in Feb 1806, the remaining children left with relatives in Dublin. He was allocated 100 acres of uncleared land fronting Cabramatta Creek.
Michael Dywer's Land grant at Cabramatta, next to his cousins and fellow Tellicherry State Prisoners
(Lands Dept PMap MN05-14066201)
Lands Dept map showing grant near Horseshoe Pond near Warwick Farm
NB. only 'Priddle Street' name remains today
Active in the Catholic community, and having had several brushes with the law, he was appointed chief constable of Liverpool in May 1820 and dismissed in October for drunken conduct and mislaying important documents. After a short term in jail in 1825 he contracted dysentery and died. His body (along with his wife Mary), was moved from the Devonshire Cemetery to the Waverley Cemetery in 1898 and a large memorial was built in his honour and to honour all 1798 Rebels.
Michael Dwyer
Dwyer Memorial at Waverley
After the death of her father in 1825, Eliza and her sister Brigid went with their mother to work as housekeeper for Fr. John Joseph Therry, the Catholic priest. Mary had been described as a beauty, and quite possibly her daughters were also considered beauties.
Eliza married Peter Bodecin, a 34 year old George Street cabinet-maker in 1827- she was only 15 years of age, and the marriage was probably arranged by her mother. Bodecin had arrived in the colony from France in 1820 on the ‘St Michael’. They had two children- Mary Ann in 1828 and Mark Henry on 21 November 1829.
They are first recorded in the 1828 Census: Peter Bodicin 35, CF (Came Free), Elizabeth Bodicin 16, BC (Born in Colony), and Mary Ann Bodicin 3 mths, BC, were living in George Street Sydney.
When Eliza’s brothers, John and Peter arrived from Ireland in January 1828 on the Marquis of Huntley, Peter was employed by Peter Bodecin as a wool sorter. Her other brother James (born in the colony), was also employed by Bodecin. They both resided with the Bodecins. On the voyage, the Dwyer brothers became firm friends with John O'Sullivan who would marry their sister Brigid in Goulburn in 1837. Two other sisters, Esther and Mary Ann arrived in the Colony in October 1828 on the Sir Joseph Banks. Their mother Mary Dwyer nee Doyle would live with Brigid and John O'Sullivan in Goulburn until her death in Castlereagh Street Sydney in June 1860, and was buried with Michael in the Devonshire Street Cemetery and reinterred with her husband in Waverley Cemetery in 1898.
Peter Dwyer
John Dwyer
In January 1832, Walter Butler was listed in the Sydney Directory as a cabinet maker working in Castlereagh Street (records taken in 1831).
On 11 February 1832 (p3), just three months after the baptism of his second son to Margaret Dunn, Walter placed an advertisement in the Sydney Monitor- it signalled the end of their marriage:
CAUTION
The PUBLIC are hereby cautioned against giving any trust of credit to my Wife MARGARET BUTLER, as I will not be responsible for any Debts she may contract
WALTER BUTLER
On Saturday October 13, 1832, the following advertisement appeared in the ‘Launceston Independent’:
CAUTION:
Whereas my wife, Eliza Bodecin, having left me and her two children, and is supposed to be living with a man named Walter Butler, a cabinet maker in Launceston, I hereby give notice that I will not be answerable for any debt or debts she may contract.
Peter Bodecin
Witness: T. Johnson
October 6th 1832
A ‘Mr and Mrs Butler’ travelled on the ‘Nereus’ from Sydney to Launceston in June 1832. This was not necessarily Walter and Eliza as there were several Butlers living in VDL at this time.
The Launceston Advertiser has a ‘Mrs Butler’ travelling from Launceston to Sydney in March 1833 on the “Ann”, and Walter and Lawrence Butler (Walter’s brother) travelling to Sydney in June 1833 on the “Warrior”. So it would seem they returned to Sydney in 1833.
6 Dec 1833- Peter Bodecin, Green Man, on list of persons who have obtained a license to retail wine and spirits in the Buckinghamshire division of the island (viz. Van Diemen's Land).
(Hobart Town Courier 6 Dec 1833 p3)
On 31 January 1834, P. Bodecin was assigned land at Glenorchy (7 miles from Hobart).
25 June 1834- Chapman v. Bodecin- sheriff will cause to be put up for sale the premises called the Green Man on the New Norfolk Road, etc unless this execution be previously satisfied. (Hobart Town Courier 4 July 1834 p2)- NB. must have been satisfied as Bodecin still occupied the Green Man in April 1835- Colonial Times Tues 7 April 1835 p2 has sale of Land and House at Glenorchy for a stone dwelling and land bounded on the south by “land in the occupation of Peter Bodecin, etc.
In ‘The Australian’, Sydney July 25, 1834, Peter Bodecin was named as a passenger on the Red Rover, from Hobart Town to Sydney on 12th Inst.
Sydney Herald, Thurs 18 Sept 1834, p2
Shipping Intelligence
From Hobart Town on Monday last, having left that place on the 11th Instant, the schooner ‘Currency Lass’, Captain Taggart, with five tons of potatoes. Passengers, Mr E. O’Brien, and Master Bodecin.
Sydney Gazette Tues 21 Oct 1834 p2- Shipping Intelligence
Departures
For Hobart Town, on Saturday, the schooner Currency Lass, Taggart master. Lading, sundries. Passengers, Mr and Mrs Thompson, Mrs Bodecin and child, and Masters Daniel and Thomas Cooper.
Had Eliza split with Walter Butler and was she returning to her husband in Hobart to try a reconciliation? If so, it must have been brief. Notably, her first child with Walter would not be born until early 1837, indicating a conception in 1836. From October 1833, Walter was trying his hand at hotel keeping, having bought the licence for the Manchester Arms in Sydney. He had given up the licence by October 1834 and returned to Hobart by January 1835. Walter and Eliza must have reconnected sometime in 1836.
After April 1835, there is no information on Peter Bodecin until 1839.
The Colonist, Sat 16 Feb 1839, p.2
Departures
Bessy, schooner, Watson, for Port Phillip, sundries. Passengers: Messrs Bodecin, Turtle, Reeves.
By 1839, Peter Bodecin was living in Melbourne with his son.
In the 1841 NSW
Census for District of South Melbourne; Town/Parish-Pentridge; County Bourke- Peter Bodicin (Ancestry.com)-
Peter has
only one of his children with him, Mark Henry, so the daughter, Mary Ann, must
have stayed with Eliza until she was of a suitable age to join him before
marrying in 1847 to carpenter John Wall in Melbourne.
Census Info:
Place of Residency- Vine Farm, Merri Creek
Person in Charge of house- Mr P. Bodicin
Owner of House- Mr P. Bodicin
No. of Residents-5
No of Free persons-5 (all males)
Dwelling house- Wood/unfinished/inhabited
Male, aged seven and under fourteen-1 male child
Males aged over 21 and under 45- 4
Religion- 1x Church of England and 4x RC
Occupation- 5x employed in agriculture
Peter was very closely tied to the Catholic Church and, in fact, helped found St Francis Church in Melbourne and the first Mass was celebrated in his home in 1839. He was described as a “zealous French Catholic” and “pious”. He applied unsuccessfully for a publican’s licence in Melbourne in 1841.
Port Phillip Patriot, 22 April 1841 p1
Annual Licensing Meeting for purpose of granting publican’s licenses:
The following new applications for licenses in Melbourne were refused;
P. Bodecin, Venetian Hotel, Lonsdale Street
See Chapter 5 of this blog for more detail about Peter Bodecin.
(Mark) Henry Bodecin and his father were witnesses to a marriage document in 1842. No more was heard of Peter Bodecin or of Mark Henry after that date, although he may have been the 'William Henry Bodecin' known locally as 'Sydney Bill', who died aged 26 in Adelaide- the coronial enquiry about his death appeared in the South Australian Register, Adelaide, Thurs 4 Aug 1853, p3. (See chapter 5 of this blog for details)
The Bodecin’s daughter Mary Ann Bodecin married carpenter John Wall in Melbourne in 1847 (Reg no. 390 & 40098) and settled in Wangaratta Victoria. John and Mary Ann Wall had ten children:
1. Helen born Cori Geelong VIC. (2934/1848); 2. Sarah b.1853 Victoria (7134/1853); 3. Jane Esther*;4. George Alfred born 1859 Wangaratta VIC (16622/1859) died 1936 at Bourke NSW (24017/1936) married Eliza Jane Houghton at Bourke NSW in 1896 (7051/1896) issue 8; 5. Ellen*; 6. John Joseph b. 1863 (23494/1863), d. 1865 at Wangaratta Victoria (5688/1865); 7. William Arthur born 1866 at Wangaratta (18454/1866) died at 11 months (4936/1867); 8. Mary Elizabeth born 1867 Wangaratta (188 60/1867) married Herbert H. McArtney 1893 at Bathurst NSW (2134/1893) issue 3; 9. Arthur Joseph*; 10. Joseph John born 1871 at Wangaratta (12923/1871) died at age one in 1872 (8256/1872).
(* ref. George Cargeeg, The Rebel of Glenmalure-a history of Michael Dwyer, Hesperian Press W.A. 1988, p52)
It would appear that Peter and Eliza were quite unsuited, and he would have been appalled and humiliated by her subsequent behaviour. It may have been part of the reason for his move to Melbourne, as well as his insolvency problems in Sydney and VDL.
Eliza’s liason with Walter Butler
In 1825, at the same time that Eliza was living with her mother, who was working as housekeeper for Father Therry in Sydney, Fr. Therry was taking responsibility for Walter Butler and his siblings, as their mother Ann had recently died. Fr. Therry had been appointed by Walter’s father, Laurence Butler, in his Will dated November 1820, to be guardian of his three children. So it is probable that the two families would have been in contact at that time. (Interestingly, Father Therry moved to Hobart in 1838.) Eliza married Peter Bodecin in 1827 and Walter married Margaret Dunn in 1825.
As Walter’s father, Laurence, was also given a life sentence for his participation in the 1798 Irish Rebellion, he and Eliza would have shared this same bond.
The Launceston Advertiser has a ‘Mrs Butler’ travelling from Launceston to Sydney in March 1833 on the “Ann”, and Walter and Lawrence Butler (Walter’s brother) travelling in June 1833 on the “Warrior”. So it would seem they returned to Sydney in 1833.
Master Bodecin was named as a passenger on the Currency Lass from Hobart Town to Sydney in September 1834 (Sydney Herald, Thurs 18 Sept 1834).
Eliza travelled to Hobart in October 1834 under the name Mrs Bodecin accompanied by one of her children on the Currency Lass (Sydney Gazette Tues 21 Oct 1834 p2), probably 'Master Bodecin'..
Sydney Gazette, Tues 21 October 1834, p2
"Mrs Bodecin and child" departed Sydney for Hobart Town on the Currency Lass
Her husband Peter Bodecin had returned to Sydney from Hobart in the previous July on the Red Rover (The Australian 25 July 1834 p2). Although no shipping record has yet been found, it would appear that Peter Bodecin returned to Hobart this same year.
The first children of Walter and Eliza- George, Cecilia and Robert- were born before the death in 1840 of Walter Butler’s wife, Margaret Dunn, at the young age of 31. Between 1832 and 1837, Walter and his siblings sold their inherited properties in Sydney and Walter sold some land he had been granted in Shoalhaven, so by 1837 he was well cashed up.
In the “Sydney Gazette” 3 October 1833, a list of Public Houses transferred at the Police-office on 1st October, included Walter Butler, to the ‘Manchester Arms’ in George Street (transferred from John Gorrick who now had the ‘Bee Hive’), and brother Lawrence Butler to the ‘Goldsmith’s Arms’ Pitt Street (formerly Henry Charles Dedman). The 1834 Sydney Directory had Lawrence advertising his hotel, the ‘Goldsmith’s Arms’ in Pitt Street, and Walter was listed at the ‘Manchester Arms’ in George Street. Interestingly, in March 1834, Lawrence advertised for a stolen watch (valued at £15, reward £5 ) that had been stolen from him while at the ‘Goldsmith Arms’, yet he gave his contact address as at the ‘Manchester Arms’. In 1834, the ‘Manchester Arms’ was used as a Court of Inquest as reported in the ‘Sydney Gazette’: 21 January 1834- “Inquest held on Friday last at the sign of the ‘Manchester Arms’ George Street”; 25 March 1834- “A regular “fives Court” has been established at the ‘Manchester Arms’”; 6 May 1834- “A Coroner’s Inquest was held at the ‘Manchester Arms’ public–house, George Street”. This choice of venue for holding Coroner’s Inquests indicate that the venue was of a first class establishment, and would be the first sign of Walter’s future commitment to community involvement. The licence appears not to have been renewed at the end of the first year.
On 17th, 22nd 25th, 29th July 1834, Walter and Lawrence placed adverts in The Australian in relation to their inherited farm in the District of Petersham:
CAUTION
ALL PERSONS are hereby cautioned against trespassing on the Land of the Undersigned, situate in the district of Petersham, adjoining the farm of C. Windeyer, Esq. and any person or persons found cutting wood burning shells, &c. on the said land without our written authority will be prosecuted as the law directs.
WALTER BUTLER
LAWRENCE BUTLER
Lawrence placed several adverts in the “Sydney Gazette” during the month of May and on June 2nd the following year 1835. As Walter was not named on these advertisements, it would suggest he had returned to Hobart in 1835.
The following report in the ‘Sydney Gazette ‘Tues 20 January 1835 (p4) probably refers to Walter:
Native Ingenuity-
A cabinet maker in Hobart Town, named Butler, who is a native of the elder colony, has lately constructed a wooden chain, several inches in length, without a joint in any link, the whole being cut out of the solid piece of wood, only three inches square.
Shipping News, ‘Sydney Gazette' 19 April 1836, had Walter’s brother Lawrence Butler travelling to Launceston on the Tamar. Again in 1837, Lawrence left Sydney for Hobart Town on the 'Francis Feeling' on 5 Feb 1837, and returned on 15th April 1837 on the same vessel. (Sydney Gazette 7 Feb, and 22 April 1837)
The Government Gazette 1833-1850 has the following entry:
Postal 12/5/1836 GPO Sydney[i]
List of letters detained in the GPO and not forwarded in consequence of the Ship Postage required to be paid thereon previous to their dispatch not having been received.
BUTLER Mr Walter, George & Dragon, Elizabeth Street, Hobart Town
The Colonial Times, Tues 13 Dec, 1836 p6
William Bartlett was sentenced to 7 years transportation for stealing a bucket, the property of Walter Butler.
There are shipping records which have them travelling between Sydney and Tasmania in 1837:
Sydney Herald, Mon 4 Sept 1837, p2- Shipping Intelligence
Arrivals
From Hobart Town, on Friday last, having sailed the 26th ultimo, the schooner ‘Marion Watson’, Captain Shaw, with sundries. Passengers, Mr Walter Butler, Mr Cameron, Mrs Cameron, Mrs Ramus and servant, Mrs Shallis, etc
The Colonist (Sydney), Thurs 16 Nov 1837, p7- Shipping Intelligence
Arrivals
November 9- ‘Schah’ (schooner), Hayle, from Hobart Town 2nd instant. Passengers, Mrs Jones, Mrs Bodecin, and three children, Messrs Raine, Muther, Campbell and Shribbs.
The question that arises is:
Who were the THREE children travelling with Mrs Bodecin in 1837- one child by Walter Butler, viz. George born early 1837, and her two children by Bodecin?
They appear to have settled in South Creek where two of their three children were baptised in 1839 at South Creek/St Mary’s, before Walter moved to the young settlement of Melbourne by 1841.
Mr Walter Butler was named on a list of unclaimed letters in August 1839 at the Sydney Post Office. [ii]
Another unclaimed letter was listed in October 1841 for: Butler, W. South Creek, and, Butler, W. care of W. Lovett. (This may also refer to a William Butler who had land at Prospect.)
So, it would appear that the Butler brothers were travelling back and forth between Tasmania and Sydney during the period 1832-1837.
In a newspaper article in Hobart in 1856, when Walter was standing for the local elections as an alderman, Walter states that he was living in Tasmania 16 to 18 years before, and he was well known by many old residents of Tasmania- that places him there in the 1838-40 time-frame. In another article, a gentleman named Harbottle stated also in 1856, that he had known Walter in Tasmania 20 years ago.
In The Australian Tues 12 February 1839 (p3), the following case was reported:
Campbelltown Quarter Sessions:
Mr Nichols appeared on behalf of Mr Walter Butler, who appealed against the conviction of Major Phelps, Police Magistrate of Liverpool, and Colonel McKensie, J.P. The appellant had been fined ₤30 and costs for a breach of the Licensing Act. Upon the conviction being read, Mr Nichols submitted that it must be quashed for uncertainty, inasmuch as it charged a double offence, namely- selling and retailing, or, permitting to be sold and retailed. The Court held the objection to be fatal, and quashed the conviction.
George Nichols, the solicitor, was a close friend of the Butler brothers and often represented them in Court, usually with positive results. The case above confirms that Walter was running a pub in the Liverpool area, close to South Creek, before 1839.
In December 1839, Walter was arrested and charged with the theft of a horse, sixteen months previously, and faced Court at the beginning of 1840 charged with horse-stealing.
During the Court case, George Nichols stated that Walter had “for some past lived on his (Nichol's) brother’s farm”. George’s brother Isaac had 800 acres at South Creek, specifically bordering Rope’s Creek, now Mount Vernon. Another witness said Walter had been living there for about three years.
Isaac Nichols farm at South Creek
NB Selkirk Ave in SE corner for reference point in next map
same area today- NB Selkirk Ave in SE corner
The area west of Cabramatta, was first called South Creek because European settlement was originally on the banks of South Creek. The name St Mary's, named after the Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene (built between 1837 and 1840 and consecrated 1840), was in use in the early 1840's. Mount Vernon is actually about 8 kms south of St Mary's, between South Creek and Rope's Creek, but bordering Rope's Creek, in the Parish of Melville. (Capitol Hill Drive at Mount Vernon is in the centre of Isaac Nichols' land.)
'South Creek' is where Walter and Eliza were living when their children Cecilia and Robert were baptised 1839, and Cecilia’s marriage records state she was born at South Creek, and George's death certificate stated he was born at St Mary’s (although he may have been born in Hobart- maybe he was baptised at St Mary's, record not yet found).
These two court cases do indicate that they were living at South Creek at the time of Robert's birth in July 1839.
Notably, Walter was found Not Guilty of the charge of horse stealing.
As discussed in Chapter 5 (re Walter and Eliza), a witness stated that, in mid 1839, Walter was living in Sydney with "the late Richard Roberts". Roberts was a childhood friend of Walter's, and, as reported, died a tragic death at about the same time that Walter was living with him in George Street. It is unknown if Eliza was with him when she gave birth to son Robert, as she may have gone to Sydney for the safe birth of her baby.
Between February 1840 and March 1841, Walter, and possibly Eliza, moved to the young settlement of Melbourne. (Robert Butler’s son said the family lived for a short time in Victoria before returning to Goulburn. However, there is no evidence Eliza went to Melbourne, where her husband and children were also living.)
Walter was living in the new settlement of Corio, outside Melbourne, in March 1841, as he advertised his cabinet-making skills. (Geelong Advertiser March 27, 1841)
The descendants of Walter and Eliza’s family believed that Walter was thought to have ‘been a sea captain for a time’. Walter had a close association with shipping. In his early years he was thought to have been employed outfitting ships. In 1844-1847, Walter was investing in whaling expeditions near Melbourne, and in the period 1848-c.1853, he owned three ships (detail of which is given later), and he was associated with owners of shipping, which may have led to his future working relationship with mariner Captain Bowden in Tasmania and Williamstown, and Charles Toby, the owner of the ship “City of Hobart”. Toby would be a close associate of Walter’s when he moved to Hobart, and Walter would travel frequently on this ship. Bowden was the ship’s captain who offered Walter the licence for the Ship Inn in Williamstown in 1841. (Walter applied for the license in Dec 1841 and retained the license until his last application in May 1853).
Walter met and married Frances Jane Catherine Edwards (daughter of Rev. Edwards of Kilmerston, Somerset England) in late October 1841, at which Bowden was a witness. (Bowden, the owner of the Ship Inn, had been refused a licence as he was convicted of sly grogging between Hobart and Melbourne.) Walter and wife Frances had five children in Williamstown , in 1842, 1844, 1847, 1849, 1851 and a sixth child in Hobart in February 1854, having moved to Hobart in 1853.
In the Sydney Morning Herald Sat 21 January 1843 p2,
POLICE COURT BUSINESS: Eliza Bodicin v. Walter Butler for neglecting to support his illegitimate children, was dismissed, there being no parties present.
This case further indicates that Walter had left Eliza well before 1843. The fact that neither attended the Court, would also indicate that neither Eliza nor Walter were in Sydney at that time.
Timeline
YEAR EVENT
1807/08 Walter Butler, born Sydney, son of Laurence Butler
1812 Eliza Dwyer, born Sydney, dau. of Michael Dwyer & Mary Doyle
1824 Walter & siblings orphaned-under guardianship of Father Therry
1825 Michael Dwyer dies- wife and daughters live with Father Therry as housekeepers
1825 Walter marries Margaret Dunn- 2 children: Francis George 1829
: Thomas Lawrence 1831
1827 Eliza marries Peter Bodecin- 2 children: Mary Ann b.1828
: Mark Henry b.1829
1828 Walter listed as a carpenter, and lodging with Wm. French, a labourer, in Cumberland St
Jan 1832 Walter listed in Directory as cabinet maker in Castlereagh St
Feb 1832 Advertises that he is no longer responsible for Margaret’s debts
Walter leaves wife Margaret and begins relationship with Eliza
June 15 1832 Walter and Eliza travel to Launceston on the “Nereus”
1832-27 Walter and siblings sell inherited property in Sydney, leaving them very wealthy
Oct 1832 Peter Bodecin advertises in “Launceston Independent” that wife
Eliza living with Walter Butler, a cabinet maker in Launceston
May/June 1833 Walter may have advertised cabinet-making business in Launceston
1833-1834 Walter returns to Sydney and has licence for the “Manchester Arms”
1834-37 Walter & siblings sell inherited property in Sydney
1834 Peter Bodecin travels to Hobart; license for the 'Green Man' on the New Norfolk Road; then returns to Sydney in July 1834
Oct 1834 Mrs Bodecin and child travel from Sydney to Hobart on Currency Lass
1835 Walter praised in Hobart for carving a continuous chain from a small block of wood
1836 Unclaimed letter Sydney-Walter Butler at ‘George and Dragon’, Elizabeth St, Hobart Town
1837 Son George Walter is born, probably in Hobart
1837 Walter returns to Sydney from Hobart Town on the Marion Watson on 25 August 1837; Mrs Bodecin and 3 children travel from Hobart to Sydney on the Schah 9 Nov 1837
1838 Daughter Cecilia Ann born 24 August 1838 at South Creek;
1839 Son Robert William born 12 July 1839 at South Creek
1839 Son Robert and daughter Cecilia baptised 10 October 1839 at All Saints RC Liverpool
Feb 1839 Walter charged with breaching the Licensing Act at Liverpool
July 1839 Unclaimed letter for Walter Butler- Sydney
1839 Peter Bodecin living in Melbourne with 2 children
Nov1839 Walter charged with horse stealing near Liverpool. Case reveals Walter living for past 3 years near Liverpool/South Creek
Feb 1840 Acquitted of charge of horse stealing
circa 1840 Son ? John born- place and date unknown
April 1840 Walter’s wife, Margaret Dunn dies in Sydney
March 1841 Walter now living in Corio, Melbourne, advertising his cabinet making. Eliza possibly went with him. Their relationship possibly ends sometime before October 1841- Eliza probably returns to Sydney.
Oct 1841 Walter remarries -Frances Jane Edwards, dau. of Rev. W. Edwards, in Williamstown- 6 children: Edmund b.1842, Louise b.1844, Frederick b.1847, Arthur b.1849, Frank b.1851, all in Williamstown; son Ormond b.1854 Hobart
Nov 1841 Unclaimed letter for W. Butler, South Creek
Dec 1841 Walter applies for publican’s license for the ‘Ship Inn’, Williamstown, Melbourne- he renews it each year until his last application in Feb 1853
1843/44 Eliza's son William born Liverpool or Waterloo, Sydney, or "in the District of Carcoar" (death record in January 1920; aged 75/76; and his obituary in the Cowra Guardian 1920)
January 1843 Eliza Bodecin v. Walter Butler, in Sydney newspaper- "Police Court Business", for neglecting to support their illegitimate children.
1840-1849 Eliza appears to be living in Carcoar
1848/49 Daughter Susannah born August 1848 Carcoar; baptised May 1849 Carcoar
1848/49 Daughter Jane born NSW (death record; 1871 aged 23 ie. b.1848- Susannah’s twin?)
1852 Family sources say that Eliza & family living in Goulburn near her sister and mother- maybe only the elder children living there
1852 Robert and George leave to work for Thomas Marsden in 1852
1853 Family story- William had to leave school due to poverty caused by father’s ‘death’.
1853 Walter Butler & wife, Frances and children move to Hobart-buys land in New Town Rd- he is "independently wealthy" with income of £1050 p.a. from property investments in Williamstown
Feb 1854 Son Ormond christened Feb 1854 in Hobart, at newly built house, Newbury House
1858-61 Walter elected as Alderman in Hobart Council; living in Newbury House,
1861 Walter Butler licensee of ‘Ship Inn’ Collins Street Hobart
1866 Walter’s wife Frances dies at Collins Street (Ship Inn)
1870 Walter Butler dies in Liverpool Street, Hobart- Licensee of ‘British Hotel’.
Dec 1870 Jane Butler marries in Carcoar- Jane living with sister Susannah and her
husband- no sign of mother Eliza at wedding
Unknown Eliza dies, possibly at Goulburn, or Carcoar, or Bathurst
Births of Eliza’s Children
Eliza ran away with the father of the children in 1832, and had these children in NSW and Tasmania. It would appear that she travelled back and forth between Tasmania and NSW a number of times. It would also appear that she tried a reconciliation with her husband, Peter Bodecin, in Hobart in 1834, before returning to Walter Butler two years later.
Family sources say that the family was living in Goulburn when the elder two boys left home to work at Marsden in 1852. It is possible that the elder children were raised by their grandmother Mary
Dwyer and their aunt Brigid and uncle John O’Sullivan who resided in Goulburn
together, as it appears that Eliza was living in Carcoar when she gave birth to
William, Susannah and Jane, where they appear to have grown up and married, with William continuing to live in the area between Carcoar and Cowra.
According
to family legend, the family was left in dire straits when the children’s
father died around 1853, and as a result, William was forced to leave school. It
is possible this death refers to the father of William, Susannah and Jane.
It is unknown whether Eliza remarried or what became of her.
Walter & Eliza were undeniably the parents of the first three children, George Walter (als George Robert), Cecilia Ann, and Robert William, as the baptism records of Cecilia and Robert clearly name ‘Walter Butler and Eliza Bodecin alias Dwyer’ as parents, abode named as South Creek. [iii] Cecilia’s marriage record also names Walter Butler, a cabinet maker, as her father and Eliza Dwyer as her mother [iv].
Baptismal record of Cecilia and Robert
A number of records also associate Robert with his brother George, often referred to as the “well known Butler Brothers of Piney Range in the Grenfell district”, as also described in Cecilia’s obituary as her brothers. [v] Her obituary in the “Gundagai Independent” May 15, 1912, however, does not mention any other siblings, and, there is so much confusion over the parentage of the other four claimed children, viz. John b.c.1840, William b.c.1842/3, Susannah b.c.1848, and Jane b.c.1848/9, more proof is required to sort out the parentage of these four children.
Researcher, the late Rena Butler (whose husband Keith was grandson of Robert), interviewed two of Robert Butler’s children who gave her the following information.
Rena spoke with her father in law, William Butler, between 1942 and 1946. (William, son of Robert, b.1873, d.1946, was 15 yrs of age when his father Robert died.) He would reminisce about the past and discussed the following:
“He (viz. William) referred to himself as a son of a bastard and when reprimanded, his reply was that he was one anyway, because his grandparents never married and his grandmother was the daughter of Michael Dwyer, the Irish Rebel and she had left a husband and 2 kids for a Butler. He thought they went to Tasmania for a time and then returned to Victoria and then to Goulburn. He said his Grandfather was a very cruel and sadistic man, and if the constabulary were looking for him, he either took to sea or would move on. One uncle thought him to have been a sea Captain for a time. His uncle and his brothers always maintained they were descendants of the Kilkenny Butlers.”
Settlement began in Goulburn in the mid 1830’s, and Eliza’s sister Bridget Sullivan and their mother Mary Dwyer lived in Goulburn, which is the reason she would have moved there.
William’s memory of his father 'as a cruel, sadistic man, often evading the law, is interesting. If this referred to Walter, as Walter and Eliza’s children were very young when Walter left the family, they probably grew up with a very warped view of their father, which they obviously passed on to their children. However, it also may have referred to Eliza's new partner and father of William.
Walter was charged with horse stealing in 1839/40 near Sydney, but was found not guilty and discharged. He almost immediately left NSW and settled in Williamstown near Melbourne that same year. However, after that, there are no further reported incidents of trouble with the law. As the newspaper reports attest, he did not tolerate fools easily and appeared to have quick temper.
However, as mentioned, this could also relate to the man who was father to William and Susannah, and with whom they may have been living in Carcoar.
The idea that 'Walter' was thought to have ‘been a sea captain for a time’, was basically correct. Walter had a close association with shipping. In his early years in Sydney he was thought to have been employed outfitting ships. In the period 1844-1847 he established a whaling station near Melbourne and outfitted ships for whaling expeditions, and in 1848-1854, he owned three ships (detail of which was detailed earlier), and he was associated with owners of shipping.
Rena spoke to Robert’s daughter Mary (born 1881, aged seven when her father died) who recounted:
“There were four Butler brothers, George, Robert, William and John. John had a butcher’s shop at Cowra; William went to the Carcoar district; George owned the corner block at Piney Range once, but went broke. There were two girls. I think Grandmother’s name was Eliza Mary, but our mother always referred to her as Mary. Our father was definitely born out of marriage, and I think only George and Robert were born in Tasmania. They lived in Victoria for a time, I don’t know what happened to Butler, but Mary and family lived at Goulburn and George and Robert came to Marsden from there. I don’t remember what happened to Mary, our father never told us anything, and I was too young to remember much about our father anyway.”
Interestingly, Mary said there were ‘two girls’- Cecilia and Susannah (Jane having died young).
Rena also said she was told by family members that the Butler family were all tall, erect men and women, and that John Butler married Mary Clarke and was a butcher at Cowra, then moved to Blayney and Bathurst, and was a tall and haughty man, but this has yet to be proved as the same John.
In fact, a marriage certificate for a John Butler, butcher at Cowra, and a Mary Clarke, lists different parents for John, viz. Thomas Butler and Margaret Cullen, and born in Blaney in c.1838 which makes that information unlikely.
The reference to Walter’s sons being “descendants of the Kilkenny Butlers” is very interesting and gives another indicator that Walter or Eliza had told her children that Walter's father was a direct descendant of the aristocratic Ormond line of Butlers from Kilkenny.
1.GEORGE WALTER BUTLER
It would appear that in the year 1837 (between 7 February and 12 April) Walter and Eliza's son, George Walter (also referred to as George Robert in some research articles), was born, probably at Hobart, but his death certificate states his birthplace as South Creek (later known as St Mary's) [vii]. Maybe he was baptised at South Creek.
George died of senile decay on 6th February 1919 aged 81 years, father named as Walter Butler, canvasser (?) ; mother unknown, wife named as 'Mary Dwyer', birth place: St Mary's (ie.South Creek)
As was common, the details on his death certificate were confusing, which may have been due to the fact that he had no visiting family at the Asylum, which may account for 'Mary Dwyer' (as she was sometimes known as in the family) being named as his wife rather than as his mother.
George was listed in the 1916 Cowra Electoral Roll in Park Street, and in the Cowra Hospital in 1917 before being transferred to the Rookward Asylum in April 1917 [ix] aged 80 (a R.C.).
George was buried in Rookwood Cemetery- Section M2 P 1982 on 8 February 1919.
Death certificate of George Walter Butler
Father: Walter Butler, canvasser; mother unknown
George Walter Butler's record at Rookwood Asylum
NB dates and ages indicate a birth c.1837
Veronica McNamara in her article “Beyond the Early Maps”, stated that George, known as George Robert Butler sold his holdings at Piney Range “to the Bristow Family, and then moved into the Cowra area.” (The Bristows were Robert's in-laws.) So, George Walter Butler of Cowra is most likely the same man as the George Robert Butler known by the family as the first son. Family stories recount that George was often in debt and that Robert had to bail him out. One of Robert Butler's descendants thought that George had gone to Western Australia at one point to escape debtors, but no records have been found to substantiate this, and it is difficult to find a time when he may have done this.
McNamara stated that in 1852, Thomas Marsden, (brother of Rev. Samuel Marsden), purchased the Occupation Licence on the Billabong Run, near Marsden (near Forbes), and erected a slab dwelling, and left George Robert Butler to manage the squatterage, and that his 14 year old brother Robert joined him there. The family may have come to know the Marsdens at South Creek where Samuel Marsden had a farm. (Although, the relationship is curious given that the Protestant Rev. Samuel Marsden hated Irish Catholics, and particularly Irish catholic rebels, with a passion.) McNamara also claimed that George lived on Billabong until the early 1860's when he struck out for himself (and we now know that he was in West Maitland by 1861). She then claimed that George took out a selection on the western slope of the Weddin Mountain, which he called Piney Range, while Robert continued to reside at Billabong, where he married Elizabeth Edwards in 1863 in the Presbyterian Church in Forbes. However, that selection appears to have occurred in 1876, according to the newspapers. What George did in the intervening years between 1861 and 1880 would appear to have now been discovered.
The following records would appear to relate to this George Walter Butler, and DNA evidence from descendants of George and Catherine's children Eliza and George Gordon, proves the link with Walter Butler and Eliza.
The NSW
Police Gazette 19 June 1878 p.222:
A warrant has been issued by the Gunnedah Bench for
the arrest of Walter George Butler
(sic), charged with deserting his wife
Catherine, at Gunnedah, on the 28th April last, leaving her
without the means of support. Butler is about 40 years of age, 5 ft 8 in high,
slender build, fair complexion, shaved on chin; supposed to have gone to
Sydney.
The NSW
Police Gazette 11 Feb 1880 p.55:
Vide Police Gazette p.222
George Walter Butler, charged on warrant
with deserting his wife, Catherine, has been arrested by
Senior-sergeant Brennan and Constable Lesmond, Queanbeyan Police. Remanded to
Gunnedah to be dealt with.
The Manaro & Bombala
Advertiser Wed 11 Feb 1880 p4, reveals
the story:
QUEANBEYAN POLICE COURT
Wed 4th February
Before the Police Magistrate
George W Butler, a mail coach driver
in the employ of Mr Pooley, was brought before the magistrate on a warrant from
Gunnedah, charged with having on or about the 28th of April 1878, deserted his
wife Catherine Butler. Sergeant Brennan said: I received the warrant late
yesterday evening; I then proceeded with Constable Lesmond in search of the
prisoner; we met him at the bridge going home; I told him that I had received
by this days mail a warrant to arrest him; he is charged with having, on or
about the 28th day of April 1878 at Gunnedah, unlawfully deserted his wife
Catherine Butler; he replied "There is some mistake"; I
said, "Do you know Catherine Butler"; he said, "I do, I lived
with her for some time"; I said, "Were you not married to her";
he replied, "No"; I then took him in charge; prisoner has for some
time been employed as a mail driver for Mr Pooley, and lives in a cottage near
the bridge with a female and two children; I pray that he may be remanded to
Gunnedah, there to answer the charge.
A warrant was then granted for the prisoner's conveyance to Gunnedah, there to
answer the charge made against him. The prisoner occasionally went under the
name of George BODDISON.
Queanbeyan Times
The last sentence, giving his alias as George BODDISON, would indicate that
this person is the son of Eliza Bodicin and Walter Butler.
The article also reveals that he worked as a mail coach driver for Mr Pooley and was living in Queanbeyan (near Canberra) in 1880.
A marriage has been discovered of George Walter Butler to Catherine Gordon on 21 January 1861 (2813/1861) at Crabby Creek in the District of Rylstone near Kandos south of Mudgee. Catherine Gordon was born in Scotland c.1839 and emigrated to NSW. (NB This is a common name and several women by this name emigrated to NSW in the 1850's according to NSW State Records)
The only other information given in the marriage record is:
Occupation: George- horse breaker, Catherine- domestic.
Usual residence for both- Crabby Creek;
Witnesses- Barbara and Alex McDonald (employers?);
Minister- Duncan Ross
On further investigation of the NSW BDM records, the
following issue of George Walter Butler and
Catherine were found (note the choice of the first two childrens’ names) :
1.MALE, b.
1861 (REF 9407) Maitland;
WALTER d.1862 (4131) West Maitland
The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser, Tues 25 Feb 1862 p1:
Deaths
At West Maitland, on the 19th instant, Walter Butler, only son of George Walter
Butler and Catherine Butler; aged 3 months and 3 weeks (ie. born early
November 1861)
The death certificate of Walter Butler gave the following information:
Death: 19/2/1862
Place: Church Street West Maitland
Age: 3 months 19 days
Place of Birth: West Maitland
Father: George Walter Butler
Occupation: horse breaker
Mother: Catherine Gordon
Place of Marriage- blank
Age at Marriage- blank
Informant: GW Butler horsebreaker, West Maitland, father of deceased
Length of illness: 10 days
Date & Place of burial: 21/2/1862, Wesleyan Burial Ground Oakhampton Rd
2.ELIZA, b. 28 May 1863
(13338) Nullo Mountain, District of Rylestone (Nullo Mountain State Forest about 15 kms east of Rylstone)
Father- George Walter Butler; horsebreaker,
Birthplace & Age- NSW 28 yrs
Mother- Catherine Gordon
Birthplace & Age- Scotland, 24 yrs
3.MATILDA,
b.1865 (15608) Tamworth, d.1882 (8633) Gunnedah
4.GEORGE GORDON,
b. 2 March 1868 (17579) Glen Quinn, District of Narrabri (Wee Waa)
Father: George Butler; teamster, born NSW age 31;
Mother- Catherine Gordon; born Scotland age 29;
George Gordon married in 1890 (5166) Narrabri
to Julia Teefy (b.1867 [10136] Hartley, dau. of Dennis and Julia Teefy):
Issue: (a) Ethel
May b.1891 (2401) Narrabri; m.1912 (6459) Moree to John H. Rogers; d.1960
(31934) Windsor
b) Errick G. W.
b.1892 (24407) Narrabri; d.1893 (9417) Narrabri (spelt ‘Eric’)
c) George
Reuben b.1896 (23712) Narrabri d.24 May 1971 (51367) Bankstown, Sydney (railway employee- lived Greenacre); married Ethel Maude McGregor 1915 (7201)-issue: 1.John M b.1916 Inverell (10184), d.1924 Sydney (16076); 2.Phyllis b.1917/18, m.1947 James O'Hanlon at Paddington NSW (22288); 3.Lorna J. b.1920/21.
d) Reginald J.
b.1898 (32776) Narrabri
e) Donald John b.1901 (14924)
Narrabri d.1980 (2339) NSW; m.1922 (13816) Sydney to Josephine Irene Ashby (b.1903[11374]
Coonabarabran)- issue: (1.) Dulcie J. d.1926 (5715) Redfern (2.) John Reginald d.1963 (38000) Walgett
5.WILLIAM ALEXANDER, b. 28 February 1871 (18873) Glen Quinn, District of Narrabri (Wee Waa)
Father- George Walter Butler, labourer, born NSW, age 34; (parents marriage 21 Jan 1861 Goulburn River)
Mother- Catherine Gordon, born Scotland, age 32
Probably one of the 'two sons deceased' by time of last son Walter's birth registration in 1878.
6. JOHN ROBERT,
b.1874 (15297) Narrabri; d.1898 (15654) Redfern; m.1894 (5194)
Narrabri to Margaret Anastasia Smith; she remarried 1901 (4325) Narrabri to
Albert Sydney Keen (b.1873- d.1947)
Issue of John Robert Butler and Margaret- 1. Ida Kathleen b.1897 (24069) Narrabri;
d.1982 (102413) Narrabri, m. 1921 (6412) Tamworth to John McDonnell
7. WALTER, b.1878 (22871) Gunnedah; m.1904 (8645) Bingara
to Charlotte May Hewitt (b.1888 [23744] Bingarra d.1977 [29356] NSW); issue:
1.
Horace V. b.1904 (30462) Bingara
2.
Ida Kathleen b.1906 (39736) Tingha;
m.1940 (7437) Sydney to George Wood
3.
Doris M. b.1909 (5344) Manilla
Birth Certificate information:
Birth: 8 November 1878
Place: Gunnedah
Father: George Walter Butler
Occupation: coach driver
Birthplace: Parramatta
Age: 45
Date of Marriage 1859
Place of Marriage: Goulburn River
Mother: Catherine Gordon
Birthplace: Scotland
Age: 39 (ie. b. 1839)
Previous issue: 3 males, 2 females living; 2 males deceased
Informant: Catherine Butler, mother, Gunnedah
Present at birth: Mary Roche and Mrs O'Brien
Registered 26/11/1878 Gunnedah
These birth records place George and Catherine at Maitland in 1861/62; at Nullo Mountain in the District of Rylestone in 1863 (near Kandos, about 150 km west of Maitland); at Tamworth in 1865; at Glen Quinn near Narrabri c.1868 to 1874; and at Gunnedah in 1876/78.
Map of NSW showing the above named places: Maitland, Rylestone, Tamworth, Wee Waa, Gunnedah and Narrabri
In 1873, the Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser, Thurs 6 Nov 1873, p.4 described a horrible accident involving George Butler of Narrabri. As George was living in Narrabri since before 1868 and was described as a 'labourer' in his son's birth record in 1871, the incident would appear to be relevant. (Notably, the place 'Tibbereena' is part of Narrabri):
NARRABRI
(From the Narrabri Herald Oct 30)
We are sorry to have to state that on Saturday last an
accident of a rather serious nature occurred to Mr George Butler whilst engaged
at Tibbereena, repairing the pithing stage at the killing yards. It appears
that Mr Butler was at the time, the accident occurred standing on a slab, which
being old and unable to sustain his weight gave way, precipitating him to the
ground, where he fell on his back, receiving in his fall a nasty blow in his
groin the rough end of the broken slab. It was at first thought that the spine
had been severely injured, and the rumours as to the critical state he was
lying in, were (fortunately they turned out afterwards to have been
exaggerated) very serious. We are glad, however, to learn that under proper
medical attendance the patient is progressing most satisfactorily, though it
must be some time before he will be fit for work again.
In 1876, the Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser, Thurs
14 Dec 1876 p6, described another dreadful accident that happened to
George Butler when working as a mail coach driver:
GUNNEDAH
(From the Namoi Independent Dec 7)
An accident which might have been attended with very
serious results happened on Saturday afternoon last, to a man named George Butler.
From what we can understand, the facts are these:
Butler was driving the Tamworth coach, and when near Dight’s paddock he noticed
that the near trace had become undone. He got off the coach to fasten the
trace, and while endeavouring to do so one of the horses kicked him on the
right ear, knocking him down, and the horses bolted at the same time, the
wheels of the coach went over his body. The poor fellow was badly cut about the
head. Two men named Webber and McGovern, who were standing near the Yellow
Bank, observed the horses galloping up without a driver, and had great trouble
to prevent them from going into the water. Webber, who was mounted, gave chase,
and caught them about half-a-mile further on. Fortunately the coach was
unoccupied at the time.
George appears to have continued in his job
as a mail coach driver for Mr Pooley, living at Queanbeyan in 1880, as suggested by his arrest in
1880.
Advert for Pooley's coaches in the Queanbeyan Age, Fri 26 May 1882 p.1
An article from A Visit to Sydney and the Cudgegong Diamond Mines, by A. Mackay, Melbourne in TJ Barker's, The Way It Was, Sydney 1965, describes "A Ride on the Mudgee Mail Coach, 1870":
The Mudgee coach starts with the passengers and mails over a road on which travelling in the daytime is wretched enough, but in the night is excruciating. I never before experienced anything like it.
The present coaches, which are said to be a great improvement upon those on use up to a recent date, are similar to the Victorian coaches of Cobb and Co. They carry six passengers inside and four or five outside, and are remarkably strong, as they require to be. As they carry the mails, they are bound to time, and the comfort of the passengers is a secondary consideration. The road has received very little attention in the way of making from anybody, and is just what a track over stony ground cut up for a score of years would be. For twenty or thirty miles it consists of sand and rocks intermingled, over which the coach is driven as fast as the horses can drag it. The result is a continuous series of jolts, which must be felt to be appreciated, and which in weak persons would likely cause internal injuries. During this period of suffering, if the wind follows the coach, there is a constant atmosphere of dust. A fellow passenger agreed with me that a sentence to travel to and from Mudgee in the mail coaches would be a far more effectual punishment than six months imprisonment. We had two females and two children amongst the passengers. After one stage, during which I sat on the box seat, when the coach drew up at the hotel, we found the children with their mouths cut and bleeding, and the mother crying bitterly. The driver was very civil and very sorry, but he pleaded that he was bound to time.
It is hard to say whether a seat inside or outside is preferable during the night. The driver has paths and shortcuts of his own through the forest, and the passenger on the box seat is constantly engaged in a mental calculation of the odds in favour of running foul of innumerable stumps which he sees flying past, or dashing headlong against the trees through which he can see no road until in the midst of them. The leader of the team, however, follows the twists and turns of the bush road with unerring accuracy; and though we graze the very bark of the trees, still on we go, frequently at full gallop, and the driver is quite unconscious of doing anything wonderful. He admits, however, when questioned, that there is risk of accident, but says he must face it and trust to fortune to get through.
The driver narrated some of his experiences with bushrangers, when sticking-up was rife some years ago.
George and brother Robert first applied for a land lease in the Grenfell area in 1876:
Burrowa News Sat 16 Sept 1876 p4
PRE-EMPTIVE LEASES
The claims of the undermentioned persons to Leases of Crown Lands adjoining their respective freeholds have been approved pursuant to the Regulations of 27th August 1875, but subject to such modifications or amendments as may, on further examination, be found to be necessary.
Such leases will entitle the lessee to occupy Crown lands within the limits indicated by the said Regulations (extract from which is hereto appended for more convenient reference), or so much thereof as may be open to and not already under lease by pre-emptive right, and may not be exempted from conditional purchase in virtue of improvements, or notified as a reserve.
The amounts, as hereunder specified, will be for the period from 1st January to 31st December, 1876, and must, in each case, be paid in full before the lease will have effect. Credit will be allowed for the amounts already paid on deposit of the applications.
The leases will be renewable on the ordinary terms by payment of the rent for the ensuing year between 1st and 30th September.
DISTRICT OF GRENFELL
Robert Butler, Grenfell, 960 acres, in county of Bland, on Bland Road, Bogolong Run; rent, 30s.
George Butler, Grenfell, 240 acres, in county of Bland, on Barbigal Creek, rent 10s.
In 1882, 'George Butler, freeholder' is named on a petition by the citizens of the Grenfell District objecting to the proposal to make Grenfell a municipality. (Grenfell Record and Lachlan District Advertiser, Sat 1 April 1882 p3)
The next reference to George’s land in Grenfell
appears in the Wagga Wagga Advertiser (note he is now called George Robert, not George
Walter, unless it is a clerical error mixing his claim with his brother's claim):
Wagga Wagga Advertiser Tues 17 May 1887 p4
GRENFELL LAND OFFICE
May 12
Conditional Purchases
George Robert Butler, 100 acres, county
Bland, parish Yuline; commencing at the north-west corner of selector’s
conditional purchase 86-77 of 100 acres, and bounded by lines running west
about 21 chains to north east corner of J. Quirke’s conditional purchase 87-11
opf 320 acres, south along east boundary of said conditional purchase about 50
chains, east about 21 chains to west boundary of selector’s conditional lease
86-37, north to point of commencement.
The following reference is unclear whether it refers
to George or brother Robert (note Robert died 19th May 1888):
Cootamundra Herald Wed 2 May 1888 p3
CONDITIONAL LEASES
Notice is given that, in accordance with the
provisions of the 49th clause of the “Crown Lands Act of 1884”, the
Secretary for Lands has approved of the rents for the conditional lease granted
under the 48th clause of that Act, as particularised in the
following schedule, at the respective rates per acre stated therein. The leases
will commence from the respective dates of confirmation of the applications as
specified in the schedule hereto, and each year will consequently determine …..
etc, etc.
LAND DISTRICT OF GRENFELL
Robert George Butler, Grenfell 192 ½ ac, Yuline 2 ½ d., £2/0/2
Possible arrest and conviction of George Butler:
In the Police Gazette entry in 1878, above, George Walter was described as "about 40 years of age, 5ft 8 in, slender build, fair complexion". This description matches the Maitland Gaol Entries and Descriptions for the years 1865-1867 (see below) for a George Butler. However, the description also states that George Butler had lost his right arm above the elbow joint, and it is highly doubtful, in fact impossible, that he would have been capable of driving a mail-coach with one arm. Still, the record must still be considered as a possibility, as the crime was committed in the same area where George Walter was living at the time, and is therefore included below for the reader to determine. Maybe there was a mistake in the description, as the lost arm is not mentioned in the second Gaol entry description.
NSW Gaol Description & Entrance Books- 1865 (1818-1930; Roll: 2371)- page 217-218
George Butler, born in colony, age
28 (b. 1837)
Date of Admission: 1865
Gaol: Maitland (East Maitland)
Description:
Gaol ___ No.- 263
Name- George Butler
Arrival- Born in Colony
Year of Birth- 1837
Stature- Height- 5’7 ¼ “
-Make- Slight
Complexion- Fair
Colour of Hair- Brown
Colour of Eyes- Blue
Remarks- Scar inside left wrist; scar on
left eyebrow; scar on inside of left thumb, lost right arm from above elbow
joint; scar inside lower left arm
Education- R & W
NSW Gaol description & Entrance Books-
1867 (1818-1930; Roll: 2371)
George Butler, born 1837 age 30.
Gaol: Maitland (East Maitland)
Page 109-110
Description:
Gaol __ No.- 37
Name- George Butler
Birth- 1837
Height- 5’7 ¼
Make- Slight
Complexion- Fair
Hair- Brown
Eyes- Blue
Nose- med
Mouth- small
Chin- med
Remarks- vide 65/263
Education- R&W
Previous Reference- 65/263
The possible reason for George Butler's conviction is in the Police Gazette. Notably it stated that the case was 'Doubtful'.
NSW Police Gazette 1865 (Police Gazettes 1862-1930; Roll: 3130 Year 1865
p359)
Publication- 11 Oct 1865:
Stolen, on the night of the 23rd ultimo,
from the "Greyhound Inn”, Narrabri, the property of John Dunne, Narran River, a
lodger- Two sovereigns, one £5 and one £1 notes, has “W.N. Walford” written
across the back, a receipt for a horse, signed by “ __ Hill,” and witnessed by
“__ Foster.” £5 reward on recovery of the receipt. A man named George Butler is suspected. (Doubtful
case).
The theft occurred at Narrabri near Wee Waa where George was living by 1868, although his daughter was born in Tamworth in 1865, but they could have moved after her birth.
However, these last records must be considered speculative, especially considering the loss of the right arm. Notably some of the children of George and Catherine continued to live in the Narrabri District.
2. CECILIA ANN BUTLER
Eliza and Walter’s daughter, Cecilia Ann, was born 24 August 1838, and baptised 10 October 1839 with her brother Robert (as recorded in the Registers of All Saints Liverpool RC Parish), although her obituary in 1912 states she was aged 77 years. It is unknown for certain where she was born, but her baptismal record states their abode was South Creek, and her second marriage certificate and her son John Jones’ death certificate both state she was born at South Creek [vi]. South Creek was also the area where Rev. Samuel Marsden had a property- the boys would eventually be employed on his brother's Marsden property. South Creek is also not far from the Liverpool area where Walter was running a pub in the 1838/39 period.
Cecilia’s marriage certificates list Walter Butler as father, and Walter’s occupation as ‘cabinet-maker’, mother Eliza Dwyer. Her first marriage in May 1856 states that her mother Eliza "Butler" was a laundress - whether she was a laundress at Carobobale Station where Cecilia and her husband John Jones were working is difficult to determine.
Cecilia’s and Robert’s baptismal records also state Walter Butler and Eliza Bodison alias Dwyer as their parents.
Cecilia (Hardwick) Butler’s obituary in “The Gundagai Independant” stated that “Cecilia was a sister of the well known Butler Bros., of Piney Range, Grenfell District. She had been a great advocate of the Irish National cause, and her biggest regret was that she was not present at the time when her grandfather’s remains (i.e. Michael Dwyer) were removed from the old Devonshire cemetery to Waverley, some years ago.” This appears to prove that her mother Eliza was the daughter of Michael Dwyer.
part of Cecilia Ann Butler's first marriage certificate- marriage to John Morris Jones 31 May 1856
Father: Walter Butler, cabinet maker; mother Eliza 'Butler' laundress
Cecilia Ann's second marriage record
Father: Walter Butler, cabinet maker; mother: Eliza Dwyer
Part of Cecilia Ann's son John Jones' birth record in January 1858, stating her birthplace and age.
The Gundagai Independent Wed 15 May 1912 p4
Cecilia Ann Mardwicke nee Butler's obituary
Issue of Cecilia Ann Butler and John Jones (married 1856 Albury):
1. Female b/d 1856 Mundawadderra nr wagga Wagga
2. John Jones, b. 1858 (12650) Mundawadderra nr Wagga Wagga; d. 8 July 1924 Wyalong, married 1884 at Temora 1. Mary Ann Stevens West Wyalong d 1898) issue 4; married 2. Phoebe E. Stevens (1864-1929) in 1900 at West Wyalong- issue 2
3. Elizabeth A. b. 1860 (13011) Mundawadderra nr Wagga Wagga, d. abt 1866
Issue of Cecilia Ann and William Hardwick (b. 1841 Huntingtonshire Eng. ) married 5 Dec 1867 Wagga Wagga
1. Charles Henry, b. 1868 (17362) Wagga Wagga, died 23 Nov 1940 Wyalong, married 1. Christina Ferguson (d. 1899 West Wyalong) in 1896 Sydney- issue 2; married 2. Clara Kothe in 1901 Goulburn- issue 4
2. Eliza Cecilia b. 4 Nov 1872 (1009) Adelong, died 24 June 1902 Adelong, married George Thomas Kenney Cole (b. 1855 Great Yarmouth Eng., d. 1838 Gundagai) on 9 August 1890 Gundagai- issue 5
3. William Robert, b. 1874 (11998) Gundagai, died 1941 Parramatta
4. Emily May, b. 1877 (12820) Gundagai
5. Walter James, b. 16 Feb 1879 (14767) Mt Adrah, died 30 Aug 1946 Mt Adrah, married Mary Whiting (b. 1884 Sharps Creek, d. 1967 Tumult) on 21 Feb 1910 Adelong- issue 9
6. Edward Thomas b. 1881 (16551) Gundagai, married Gentilla Agnes Shields (d. 1954 NSW) in 1924 Newtown
3.ROBERT WILLIAM BUTLER
Second son, Robert William, was baptised on 10 October 1839 (Registers of All Saints Liverpool RC Parish) at South Creek, also known as St. Mary’s (see above)- his birth is recorded as 12 July 1839.
His death certificate,[x] states he died April 1888 aged 50 years, and also states he was born in Tasmania. However, records show that Walter was living in South Creek during the 1838-1839 period- according to the Court reports at Walter Butler’s trial for horse stealing in 1839/40, he had been living near Liverpool for the previous three years, and in February 1839 he was charged with a breach of the Licensing Act, in his role as an innkeeper near Liverpool. This would appear to indicate that Robert was born at South Creek as was his sister Cecilia.
Walter was a passenger on the ‘Marion Watson’ which left Hobart for Sydney in August 1837, and Mrs Bodecin and three children left Hobart for Sydney on the Schah in November 1837.
Robert William Butler 1867
Robert Butler's death certificate.
Notably no father is named, and mother was Mary Dwyer
As recounted above, 14 year old Robert went with elder brother George when George was employed by Thomas Marsden to manage Billabong Run on Bland Creek (previously known as Billabong Creek) near Marsden (then called Marsdens) in 1852. When George left, Robert continued to stay at Billabong and in 1858, fathered a child, Enos Glazier, whose mother was 15 year old Mercy Augusta Glazier under whose maiden name he was registered. She married two years later to Michael Anthony Brown and Enos became part of that family, being known as Enos Brown.
Robert married the 17 year old Elizabeth Edwards on 27 October 1863 at Forbes Presbyterian Church. She was from Crookwell, a housemaid at Billabong Station at the time, and managed the post office and the store adjacent to the hotel after their marriage. In 1862, he had built and opened the Bland Hotel on the Bushman's Lead, and later opened a store at Marsden, which was to become a thriving town and a popular rest place for passenger coaches passing through.On 26 Sept 1867 a Mr Cooke who was the postmaster at Marsden, resigned, and Robert Butler who purchased Mr Cooke's business was appointed postmaster, salary of £12 per year. Post office at Marsden destroyed by fire on 4 January 1868 and nothing saved. Following resignation of Robert Butler, John Young was appointed postmaster on 1 Sept 1875.
The Bland Hotel and Store was conducted by Robert from 1862 until 1875.
An advertisement in the Burrangong Argus, Sat 24 Feb. 1872
Bland Hotel and Store
Marsdens
Robert Butler
Good wines, Spirits, Ale, Porter, Liquers etc.
This Hotel is on the main Road from Forbes to Wagga Wagga and is besides only a few miles from Lake Cowal, which offers peculiar attractions to Sportsmen. Good boats for crossing the creek are kept and every accommodation and civility is afforded to travellers.
The bushranger, Ben Hall, was said to have patronised the Bland Hotel at the time. The Bland burnt down and Robert leased the Kurrajong Hotel at Bland until 1878 when they moved to Wheogo to manage the Welcome Home Hotel for his brother-in-law William Bristow (Elizabeth's half brother from her mother's second marriage).
In the year 1875, Robert selected near his brother George at Piney Range. On his selection he built an Inn and obtained the licence for it in 1880, called the Piney Range Hotel which opened in 1880, (recalled the Selectors Return Hotel at Piney Range on Marsdens Road. Lic. to April 1889 [Govt Gazette May 1888 p.3203]) which Robert held until his death in 1888 aged 50 years, and was buried in Grenfell Cemetery. Elizabeth remarried and lived in the Grenfell District until her death in 1932 aged in her mid 80's.
The Bland Hotel in 1867
Robert and Elizabeth had eleven children:
1. Elizabeth/Eliza, born Marsden 30 November 1864, married Robert Meldrum at Woolharra in 1886 (3466)- 6 issue
2. George Robert, born Marsden 2 June 1867 (11915)
3. Thomas Edward, born Marsden 17 June 1869 (13773), died Little Hartley, Lithgow 29 July 1922 (11173), married Hannah Bailes (1876-1935) at Newtown 1915 (9494)- issue: a daughter
4. Robert Walter, also known as Walter Robert, (and a twin who died after 17 days) born Marsden 2 June 1871 (7606), d. Grenfell 21 August 1953 (21750), married Florence Veronica Mayoh (b.1876 Wombat NSW, d.1934) at Grenfell in 1895 (5030)- issue 2 sons
NB Walter and Charles and William all married Mayoh sisters, daughters of William Nayoh and Elizabeth Huckle.
5. William Edward, born 15 May 1873 (8724) at Marsden, died Grenfell 21 June 1946 (17769), married Gertrude Mayoh (1880-1941) at Grenfell in 1899 (8194)- issue 5
6. Charles Henry, born Marsden 30 March 1875 (9126), died Grenfell 7 May 1942 (9518), married Clara Mayoh (1874-1952) in Grenfell in 29 Dec 1900 (1064), issue 4
7. Emily Jane, born Piney Range 20 April 1877 (9692), married 1. Ernest W. Smith(1874-1903) on 25 July 1900 (6258) at Grenfell, and 2. Joseph Mason at Sydney in 1908 (9977)
8. Cecilia Ann, born 29 May 1879 (11103) at Piney Range, died 15 November 1954 at Sydney, married James Christian Luthje (1876-1958) on 25 July 1900 (6257) at Grenfell, issue 4
9. Mary Ann, born Piney Range 9 Oct 1881 (16865), died Binnaway on 20 June 1972, married Robert Fraser (1880-1957) in 1904 (1218) at Grenfell, issue 5
10. John Frederick, born Piney Range 24 Sept 1884 (20157), died at Young in 1965 (25371), married Barbara Cartwright (b.1892 Crookwell) in 1913 at Crookwell (1369)
11. Elva Josephine, born 12 July 1886 (21624), died Sydney, married Reuben William Bollard (1890-1964) in 1916 (1006) at Newtown, issue 3
12. Clara F, born 12 July 1886 (twin to Elva), died before 1896
Map of NSW, showing Grenfell, Cowra, Carcoar, Forbes (Marsden)
Robert's son John Frederick Butler (1884-1965)
(Courtesy of Marina Hanstock)
4. JOHN BUTLER
A third son, John was reportedly born around 1840, place and date unknown. (There have been no records found on John as yet.) His existence is only known by family stories.
According to Robert’s daughter Mary, John was a butcher in Cowra, but this is unconfirmed. (NB. a marriage record for a John Butler, butcher of Cowra, and Mary Adelaide Clark, is unrelated, as parents named were incorrect, viz Thomas Butler and Margaret Cullen, and his birth at Blaney c.1838).
CONCLUSION
These Butler/Dwyer children spawned many issue between them:
Cecilia- 2 children by 1st marriage, 6 children by 2nd , total 8 children;
George- 7 children
Robert- 1 illegitimate child and 13 children by his marriage
Total number of offspring: 29 children
Plus Eliza's children by an unidentified father: William had 12 children and Susannah 8 children by 1st marriage, 7 children by 2nd, totalling 15 children.
Total number of these offspring: 27 children.
Resulting in Eliza leaving a large line of descendants.
This family’s frequent travelling does confuse the researcher, and makes it difficult to establish the whereabouts of this family at any given time during those years between 1832 and 1852, without further documentation.
The fact that Walter abandoned his first wife and their infant children, and committed such immoral behaviour, enticing a young woman to abandon her husband and infant children, to then abandon this poor woman with her three infants, was unforgiveable, and then to move so far away to the new settlement of Melbourne where he was unable to support his many offspring, before finally settling down with his new wife and family, shows a lack of moral upbringing, which could be partly explained by the loss of his father at a very early age, and his stepmother in his teens.
It all adds up to a very interesting family history.
My grateful thanks to Walter/Eliza descendants and researchers, the late Rena Butler, Marina Hanstock, Pat Douglass, the late Norena Potts, Robyn Thompson, Brian Allan, and the late George Cargeeg, for sharing their research with me over the years.
And to Jane Lambert and Raelene Mortimer for their valuable information on the DNA research.
[i] NSW Government Gazette 1836, p440, 12 May 1836 Postal
[ii] Government Gazette, 1839, p.915; The Colonist Sat 31 August 1839 p4 Unclaimed letters- Mr Walter Butler
[iii] Microfiche of Baptisms found by Pat Douglas 2001- records No. 25 Cecilia Butler, and No.26 Robert Butler
[iv] NSW Registry of BDM- 3174/1867- Cecilia Butler’s marriage to William Hardwick
[v] Gundagai Times May 14,1912 p2 c4
[vi] NSW Registry of BDM- 12650/1858 birth John Jones
[vii] NSW Registry of BDM- 1672/1919 death George Walter Butler
[viii] Veronica McNamara, Beyond the Early Maps, self published 1974
[ix] SRNSW- Rookwood Asylum Records; [6/4805]; Admission 12.4.17 History Folio 1097; Discharges 6/2/1919 (p.20977)
[x] NSW Registry of BDM- 9548/1888 death Robert Butler
[xi] NSW Registry of BDM- 4037/1920- death William Butler
[xii] NSW Registry of BDM -10507/1939- Susannah Butler’s death
[xiii] NSW Registry of BDM- 2062/1870- Jane Butler’s marriage to Edward Palmer
[xiv] NSW Registry of BDM- 3315/1871- Jane Butler’s death
...jpg)
