Next Generation

Ernest Amos White 1882 - 1963

Ernest Amos White was born on 2 January 1882 and was one of thirteen children of which only five survived. He was the son of Henry White and Annie Letts. Situated amidst attractive bushland, 23 km north of Maryborough, Dunolly is a small town of 750 people which began as a gold mining town with a population of 45 000. Its historic main street still retains some attractive old buildings from its boom days.

The area is now given over principally to farming though gold mining is still popular in the area. People re-live the gold rush fever of the 1850's using modern prospecting methods by hiring a gold detector or pan whilst enjoying the wonderful landscape that surrounds Dunolly. More gold nuggets were found in and around Dunolly than anywhere else in the world. A replica of the Welcome Stranger (worlds largest alluvial nugget) can be found at the Dunolly Museum, whilst a monument stands at the site of the 'big find' of the 1860's at Moliagul. The 'Hand of Faith' nugget was found at Kingower, 30 km’s north of Dunolly in 1980. It weighed 875 troy ounces and was found using a metal detector.

In 1909 Ernest was living at Nicholson and on the 1914 Electoral Roll, Ernest, a farmer, and his wife Millie (nee) Field were listed as living at Lower Nicholson near Bairnsdale in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. At this time I am presuming that Ernest’s mother Annie may have lived with them prior to moving to New Zealand as she is listed on the same electoral roll as living at Lower Nicholson and at the time her husband Henry White had passed away. There were other Whites also living in the same region in 1914, Amos and wife Ellen (nee) Williamson, James, Robert John.

Ernest eventually moved from Bairnsdale to Gormandale where he stayed for awhile. Ernest and Millie’s son Charles remembered the train journey from Bairnsdale to Rosedale where they left the train to travel to Gormandale after some time they moved onto Yarram where Ernest purchased land from the Hawthorn Bank Estate. The property was on Pound Road which is now known as Pound Road east. The house on his property was originally a doctor’s house that was moved from a place called Lily’s Leaf on the Tarraville, Sale Road. It was moved by bullocks and rolling the house over logs until it reached its destination. When he purchased this property, some family members with a sense of humour named Ernest the 'Squire of Hawthorn Bank'.

Ernest later operated a mail run which had previously been operated by a variety of contractors over the hills between Yarram, Rosedale and Traralgon. The early run from Rosedale to Yarram was carried on with horses and jinker. The trip over the rugged tracks took one day each way, a trip which would take barely one hour each way today.

An early contractor on this run was Ernest Amos White who used a buggy and pair. Ernest later acquired a 'T' Model Ford. This must have been a tremendous novelty to all along the route as well as revolutionising the mail run. For the first time mail was delivered along the route inside one day. It is also reported that the hardy 'T' carried as many as nine passengers! While he was carrying out his duties as a mail man his wife Millie nee Field ran the dairy and pig farm and brought up eight children.

My Marsh Gibbon Names

I am tracking 18 Surnames

Butler - Flaxman - Holt - Hook - Judge - King - Mansell - Miller - Ollyffe
Parker - Sare - Scott - Smart - Spiers - Templar - Whale - White - Young

To make connections with my Marsh Gibbon Names please email Margaret on margaret.m45@gmail.com

Marsh Gibbon - James White

James White (1840 - 1926)

James was listed in records within the Bairnsdale district as a 'Gentleman'. This usually meant that this person had land. James never married and was well known at the time in the area of Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia .

Like his brothers he most likely pursued the gold in order to purchase property. It is imagined that he also started out at Dunolly, Victoria, Australia where his father Thomas and step mother Fanny had settled. James is burried in the Bairnsdale Cemetery. He was the eldest of Thomas White and Mary Whale. The parents of Thomas were Thomas White and Mary Spiers.

Marsh Gibbon - Henry White

Henry White (1842 – 1911)

Henry is the 2nd of three brothers who were born in Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England. He was listed in the 1851 census with his two brothers and his father Thomas. His mother Mary Whale had passed away in 1846. The 18 year old was listed in the 1861 census as living in the parish of Ambrosden in Oxfordshire, England and worked as a servant and baker to Rowland and Mary Hening. It appears that Henry’s father Thomas, his second wife Fanny (nee Coles) and his young brother Amos aged 16, sailed to Australia on the “Utopia” in 1861.

The evidence on the shipping records suggests that Thomas went back to Buckinghamshire to collect Henry and bring him back to Australia on the “Suffolk” in 1869 as the shipping records indicate.

Henry married Annie Louise Letts in Dunolly, Victoria , Australia on 7th November 1870. Henry was listed as a miner at this stage. It seems that the brothers and father Thomas followed the gold because Dunolly was a very important gold area. It is assumed that they were successful in some small way that set them up for their future because they were all successful men.

Annie and Henry had twelve children of which only five survived. The times were very hard, and they did not have the facilities we take for granted today. Annie had three children in January 1880, twins Nellie and John who lived one day. Another child Mary born in December lived only one day. How very sad for Annie and Henry. Henry and Annie eventually moved to Nicholson Park area near Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia where Henry’s brother Amos was living. Two of Henry and Annie’s surviving sons Charles and George went to live in New Zealand. His other son Ernest started out in the Nicholson Park area and his two sisters also lived in Victoria.

Marsh Gibbon - Amos White

Amos White (1846 - 1932)

Amos selected his first 50 acres on the Nicholson (1) about 1872. They lived at three different sites on his holding which was then known as Glenfern. We remember only the present home, even though it is much changed from our childhood years there. Mr Charles Kennedy and family, present owners, say a pear tree still survives at site two. A huge light wood tree, which the 1965 fires destroyed, was found to have grown up through the old stone fireplace, which was the bark home Amos White first brought his wife and young son to. The other six children were all born at Nicholson Park.

As adjoining families moved away, Amos White purchased their properties, increasing his acreage to 320 acres. They commenced dairying, having plenty of milkers (2). The family all lived there only moving out to find work during drought etc. The three boys turned to timber work, as bridge timbers and sleepers were in demand with railways going through to Orbost (3). The elder girls had a Cook House made from sacks sewn together and they cooked for the workers at Bruthen, potatoes, pumpkin etc. All being grown at Nicholson Park as no doubt were the butter and eggs.

Several sawmills had commenced operations in the area, so timber buildings took over from the previous bark dwellings. Also, with relevant galvanised iron and tanks, peole were able to build on higher ground.

The timber for the Waterhole’s School was cut and donated by the White family. The sawmills were always situated near water for the steam engines which powered them.

Emily (Mrs Stanton), was the only member of the family to have children. They had moved back to Nicholson Park after Amos passed away, and it was here that her husband Reg was killed by a falling tree while getting wood. After that she moved to Granite Rock with her seven children. Mrs Betty Bowden is the only descendent to still be living in the area (4).

Obituary
“ A very old colonist and resident of the Waterhole’s district for the past 60 years in the person of Mr Amos White passed away at his home at “Hillcrest”, Sarsfield Road on Sunday last in his 89th year. The late Mr White was a native of Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England, and was one of three brothers to come to Australia in 1861. Amos along with his father Thomas and step mother Fanny (Coles) sailed to Australia on the 'Utopia'. Soon after his arrival he turned his attention to gold mining, including Ballarat which was flourishing at the time. He was also at the Palmer River Queensland, and the New Zealand rush. Later he was active in the Nicholson River area when it was producing good values. Subsequently the late Mr White engaged in farming pursuits in the Nicholson and Waterhole’s districts and at Sarsfield Road with success. He was of a very genial disposition which made for him many staunch friends. He is survived by a widow and family of three sons, Robert, William and Amos and four daughters, Queen, Alice, Millie (Mrs Stanton) Yea, and Maud.

Accompanied by his wife and one son the deceased arrived at Nicholson from Ballarat per medium of horse and dray before any roads were in existence or any railways in Gippsland. The late Mr White was predeceased by two of his brothers, James (miner) and Harry (baker) (5) both formerly well known in Bairnsdale.

The funeral took place in the Bairnsdale General Cemetery on Monday when the Rev. J. E. Stannage conducted the burial service.”

Ellen died 11 years later, 13th August 1942 at the property at Sand Hill known as “Hillcrest”.

I suspect that Thomas may have gone back to England to get his son Henry and travelled back to Australia on the Suffolk in 1869 (6).

Notes:

1. Nicholson reference is the Nicholson River between Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance, Victoria, Australia.
2. Plenty of milkers could mean the actual number of cows or there were many hands to do the work.
3. Orbost is a timber town past Lakes Entrance in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.
4. This was in Harry's correct name was Henry.
5. This is making assumption based on the shipping records.

Source: “Up The Clifton Creek” was put together by the Clifton Creek Primary School. First published in 1988 at the school. Amos granddaughter Betty Bowden had a large input into the information and photographs.

Marsh Gibbon the town

"This parish, on the Oxfordshire border, covers 2817 acres, nearly the whole of which is permanent grass. The soil and subsoil are clay; the principal crops produced are wheat, beans and oats. The parish, which is watered by the River Ray, lies low, varying from 255 ft. above the ordnance datum in the north to 204 ft. in the south.
Marsh Gibbon village is large, its main street extending nearly a mile in length. Many of the cottages date from the middle of the 19th century, when Sir Henry Acland, bart., master of Ewelme, together with the Ewelme trustees, greatly improved the condition of the village. It had suffered from a long suit in Chancery, from the In closure Act and non-resident landlords, but under his care the houses were re-built, modern sanitation introduced, and a dispensary and reading room started."
(Editors of The Victoria Histories of the Counties of England)

Marsh Gibbon

Marsh Gibbon is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is close to the border Oxfordshire about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Bicester.

The village name comes from the English word 'marsh', describing the typical state of land in the area due to the high water table of the Aylesbury Vale. The affix 'Gibbon' derives from the family name 'Gibwen', the lords of the manor here in the twelfth century. In manorial rolls of 1292 the village was recorded as Mersh Gibwyne, though earlier (in 1086) it was known simply as Merse.

Typical with other villages in proximity to both Oxford, Marsh Gibbon was largely wiped off the map in the English Civil War. A particular skirmish took place here in 1645, the ground works of which still remain to this day at the manor house. The parish church of Marsh Gibbon is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin.
Source: Wikipedia