David Yates 1851 - 1920
- Liz Hardie
David Yates (1851 - 1920)
David Yates was born in Little Bolton, Bolton le Moors, Lancashire in about July 1851. He is the youngest known child and second son of William Yates and /wiki/spaces/HFHW/pages/6586468. Interestingly DNA results have shown that David only shares one parent with his siblings, meaning that it is likely that David is NOT in fact a Yates.
Irrespective of paternity, at the time of his birth the family were living at 15 Back Chorley St, Little Bolton and David's father William was a Blacksmith. As with most boys of this time David received a basic education, and is noted as a scholar on the 1861 census. By 1861 the family had moved to Great Bolton (initially 15 Cannon St and later 56 Pikes Lane - which later became Deane Rd).
David followed his father into the trade, and by the time he was 19 (1871) he was a fully qualified wheelwright. His father was unemployed at the time of the 1871 census, most likely due to an illness or injury, given that he passed away less than 12 months later.
David continued to be the primary breadwinner for the household until his marriage to Mary Hayes in Bolton le Moors, Lancashire abt June 1876.
Mary Hayes was the second known child and eldest daughter of John Hayes and Margaret Higson. She was born in Rumworth, Deane, Bolton le Moors, Lancashire in December 1850. She was christened at Deane on 2 March 1851.
David and Mary produced 9 children, 5 sons and 4 daughters between 1877 and 1895 :
- /wiki/spaces/HFHW/pages/2195667 - born 1876 ; married William Brown 1898 ; died 1940
- /wiki/spaces/HFHW/pages/2523416 - born abt 1879 ; married Marion Love Norris 3 Oct 1908 ; died 3 Aug 1939
- Walter Yates - born Feb 1881 ; married Sophie Smith 26 Jun 1907
- Anne Yates - born 29 Oct 1883 ; married Whistow John Burren 1906 ; died 1966
- Alfred Yates - born 22 Feb 1886 ; died 22 Jan 1923
- /wiki/spaces/HFHW/pages/3276807 - born 5 Jun 1888 ; died 24 May 1918
- Clara Yates - born 12 Jun 1891 ; married Norman Nason Feb 1914
- /wiki/spaces/HFHW/pages/2523419 - born 27 Oct 1893 ; died 10 Jan 1948
- Eva Mary Yates - born 4 Nov 1895 married James Bashford Bain ; died 1967
By 1881 with the birth of their third child the family was living at 149 Morris Green Lane, Middle Hulton. This is recorded on Walters birth certificate and the 1881 Census - which has Mary's father visiting them.
Some time not long after the census the family must have reached the decision to emigrate.
On 27th of June 1883 the then small family boarded the Rohilla at Gravesend (near London) for their journey to Australia. The Rohilla was a 1001 ton barque that was about 118m long. It was launched 27th Apr.1880 by Caird & Co, Greenock for the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co as part of a fortnightly mail service to Australia. The Rohilla had an iron hull, one funnel, three masts with a top speed of 14 knots. It was captained by John Hinks.
Onboard Rohilla were 392 immigrants travelling as part of the bounty scheme approved in 1882.
Under this scheme there was a specific focus on "Domestic Servants, Farmers, Farm Labourers, Vine Dressers, labourers, Mechanics and their families. By mechanics such as engineers, engine fitters, engine-drivers, railway carriage builders, carpenteres, bricklayers, stonemasons, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, shipbuilders and the like" . There was a requirement for
- Small Pox vaccination
- Character References
- trade Proficiency References
- Marriage and Baptism Certificates
The journey was 106 days long and nothing newsworthy occurred, but a Cholera outbreak at Ishmailia in the Suez meant the ship did not stop there, but proceeded straight through to Brisbane. It arrived at Cape Moreton in the evening of the 10th and came into the Bay at 8:00am on 11 October.
There were a number of stories of the arrival in the Brisbane Courier, including the one (right) regarding the placement of immigrants
On Monday, another contingent of 10 single tnen, per Rohilla, arrived, making a total of 45 single men, of whom 5 single men and 3 married couples yet remain open to engagement. All?the others (with the exception of 2 married couples and 2 single girls, who went to Toowoomba) have found employment at good wages.
A farms labourer (the only one of that clases) is to receive £52 per year and rations; but from £35 to £40 per year was the general figure.
In addition to its immigrant cargo, it also had and extensive goods cargo as outlined below
Rohilla, barque, from London:
27 quarter casks and 40 cases wine, 200 cases milk, 10 quarter-casks rum, 1 case and 1 cask hard-ware, 50 hogsheads ale, 28 cases picture glass, 250 hogsheads and 35 half-hogsheads vinegar, 15 quarter casks acetic acid, 1 case show cards, 225 cases and 50 hogsheads beer, 2 tanks dates, 65 casks currants . 500 cascs and 20 quarter casks brandy, 6 cases furniture, 2 boiler end plates, 9 boiler sheet plates, 2 bundles joint plates, 2 boiler flues, 19 boiler stay tubes, 71 plain tubes, 12 stay rods, 6 machines, 4 iron plates, 5 cases tartaric acid, 5 cases crearn of tartar, 75 cases sardines, 10 kegs linseed meal, 5 barrels ginger, 20 crates bottles, 3 cascs bottling wire, 100 cases limejuice cordial, 10 cases Neave's food, 1 box and 1 case samples, 11 cases blacking, 6 fore rod wheels, 6 hind-rod wheels, 200 casks cement, 100 cases geneva, 10 tanks malt,
85 cases bottles, 150 tons pig iron, 19 cases sardines, 30 cases fish, 50 cases currants, 255 boxes candles, 3 cases stationery, 5 hogsheads holloware, 1 case confectionery, 13 cases axles, 35 cases groats, 13 casks and 1 case ink, 26 bales and 6 cases paper, 650 cases whisky, 1359 steel rails, 30 cases galvanised iron, and a quantity of cargo not described on the manifest.
Ex ROHILLA, fiom London
500 Cases Hennessy's Pale Blandy
100 tons No 1 Govan Pig Iron
10 Hogsheads Ashby's No 3 Ale
10 Hogsheads Ashby's No 4 Ale
It is unknown who engaged David upon his arrival, but apparently after disembarking the family immediately made its way to Ipswich where they initially settled at Wood End. At the time of their arrival Mary must have been heavily pregnant, giving birth to their 4 child within weeks of arriving in Australia.
It is known that David was working at Hancock's Sawmills, when in 1885 a fire at that establishment burnt all his tools, and forced him to cease work, there was over £10,000 damage. It is unknown where he secured employ next, but in 1897 he was working as a bridge carpenter on the Dugandan line (having moved the family to Dugandan) when a flood of the ? river lost him a position - which he had held for only about six months. In 1910 - at the time of Harolds accident - he is noted as working at Cossarts Saw Mill Boonah.
The family were living in Booval in 1889 when a newspaper articles notes that David offered assistance in a house fire.
From 1903 the family is recorded in the Queensland electoral records as residing at Railway St in Booval. By this time the family had grown to 9, with the two eldest boys both working in the mines. It is Railway St that Edward notes as his home address when he joined the AIF on 17 December 1915 (at the age of 27), and to here all effects were delivered after his death from a gunshot wound in April 1918. It is also to here that pension and memorial documentation were sent and signed for by Mary in 1922.
David died at home from "paralysis agitans" - which was another name for Parkinsons Disease - on 26 August 1920 after falling into a coma. His death notice indicates he had been suffering for a number of years.
On his probate notice he is recorded as a Sawmill Manager.
YATES.—
On August 26, after a long illness, David Yates beloved husband of Mary Yates, aged 68 years.
BEREAVEMENT NOTICES.
Mrs. D. YATES and FAMILY, of Railway-st, Booval, wish to sincerely THANK all kind friends for sending cards and wreaths and showing their sympathy by attending the funeral of their deceased husband and father, Mary, Yates, Booval.
Mary survived by 9 years, eventually passing away at the ripe old age of 78 on 21 April 1929.
One of the most respected residents of Booval, Mrs. Mary Yates (relict of the late Mr. David Yates) passed awayat her home in Railway-street, Booval,on Sunday. The late Mrs. Yates was born at Bolton, Lancashire, England,on December 28, 1850, and her marriage took place in the Old Country over 50 years ago. Three children two boys and a girl - were born to them at home, and, about 45 years ago, the family migrated to Australia aboard the sailing ship Rowella. After a journey lasting 17 weeks, they landed in Brisbane, and immediately travelled to Ipswich, first staying at Woodend. Except for a period of about six months, when she lived at Dugandan, Mrs. Yates spent her whole life in various sections of Ipswich. Her husband died some years ago, at the age of 68. The late Mrs. Yates was always a willing and generous giver to the English Church. She is survived by three sons - Williams Roscoe (Cairns), Walter and Harold (both of Booval) -four daughters - Mrs. E. Brown(Booval), Mrs. W. Burrem (Booval), Mrs. N. Nason (Booval), and Mrs. J. Bain (East Ipswich) - 22 grand children and five great-grandchildren. The funeral took place yesterday, the service being conducted bv Rev. F. B. C.Birch, of St. Paul's English Church,Ipswich.
