Western Australia
Bagshaw
John BAGSHAW (1811-1890) born Barnborough, son of Richard & Rebecca (Nee Downend), he married 1837 Hannah MASON (1813-1877). Daughter Emma b.1838 Hickleton m. 1857 Martin STONE, b. 1826. Arrested for horse stealing and sent to Western Australia. They had 16 children. 1841 Rebecca b. Hickleton; died on board the SUCCESS in 1842.
Five more children were born in Western Australia to John and Hannah. John began as an agricultual labourer, then became a blacksmith, then a carter and finally a farmer.
Nelson
Joseph NELSON, b.1819 in Welton with Melton near Hull, Yorkshire. Son of William & Mary (Nee Reed).His father died when Joseph was 15 and his older brother inherited the family blacksmith shop. He enlisted into the British Army in 1842 and by 1844 he was in Gibraltar, where he married Ruth Jackson in 1848. As a member of the 20th. Company Royal Sappers & Miners he went to the Swan River Colony (Western Australia) - where he became involved in the convict built prison of Fremantle. Sgt. Joseph Nelson was put in charge of the Prison's Blacksmith Shop. He took his discharge from the army and stayed on in Australia when most of the other Sappers returned to England. He became lighthousekeeper of the civilain built Point KIng Lighthouse, where he and his family lived until 1867. He became a blacksmith for the farmers of Eticup, which included two of his sons, until his death in 1907.Poignant
Axel POIGNANT was born in Yorkshire. He emigrated to Perth in 1926, and found work as a portrait photographer. The Australian landscape attracted him and he left the studio to travel around and photograph flaura and fauna and the Aborigines, with whom he formed a close relationship. After WW2 he worked on the film "The Overlanders". He died in 1986.Spence/Turnbull
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Settlers of Margaret River, Western Australia
The Empire Settlement Act was passed by the British Parliament in 1922. This Act established immigration schemes between the British and Australian Governments to assist 'suitable persons' to immigrate to Australia. People were helped with fares, living allowances, training, employment and grants of farmland. The schemes did not attract the anticipated numbers and, of those who did go, many returned home disappointed.
The Group Settlement Scheme began in 1921 but the migration agreement with the British government was not signed until 1923 (made retrospective to September 1922) wherein the Western Australian government committed itself to settling six thousand immigrant families. The British migrants started to come after that date up until 1926. No new migrants came after that and the scheme was officially disbanded in 1930.
After 1926 the scheme no longer accepted new immigrants – i.e. the provision that 'gave' them free farms, oversaw their clearing, provided tools and then the house at a certain point. This is not to say that other emigrants did not come and take up abandoned Group farms after the scheme itself was finished but they would not received the benefits which accrued while the scheme itself was running and of course cannot be called Group Settlers.
Although a lot of the Group Settlers were returned British servicemen from WW1, this was certainly not universal. Many civilians emigrated too, and quite a lot of Australians from various parts of the country were attracted to the Scheme.
The 'Soldier Settlement' scheme was an entirely different program that came after WW2. It is true here also that many of these Soldier Settlers took up abandoned Group locations, but it was nothing at all to do with the Group Settlement Scheme.
P. Blond's book is highly useful, especially as he was a native of the area and always interested in its history. However, there are inconsistencies of the sort that occur in local communities always! Some of the people that he 'puts' on the groups were post-Group Settlement settlers.
Group 122, Treeton
The Group known as Treeton was Group 122. The town that grew up out of the Group Settlements clustered in that area was Cowaramup, an aboriginal word meaning place of the Cowara parrot.
The ADSETTS family and families of 2 of their children, sailed from London on 26 April 1924 on board the DEMOSTHENES of
the Aberdeen Line, bound for Albany (King George Sound):
Ticket 144: Mr John W Adsetts, Farmer aged 49, and Mrs Louisa Adsetts, housewife aged 44. Also their children: Alice
aged 16, Lewis D. aged 4, and Granville aged 18. Address - care of, Mrs Taylor, 29 Herbert Street, Mexboro, Yorks.
Ticket 145: Mr John Adsetts, Farming, aged 21, and Mrs Minnie Adsetts, Hwife aged 19. Address: 19 Hartley Street,
Mexboro.
Ticket 146: Mr Ernest Hodkins, Fireman aged 29, and Mrs Hannah Hodkins, H,wife aged 25. Children:
John H. aged 4,
and Geo L. aged 2. Address: 29 Herbert Street, Mexboro.
Adsetts G, Adsetts J A, Adsetts J W, and Hodkins E, are all named in the list of Group 122 Treeton settlers
In 1881 The Adsetts family lived at 101 Cemetary Road Mexbro' South Yorkshire:
- John ADSETTS head M 39 Beighton, Dbys Milk Seller
- Sarah ADSETTS wife 26 Ranskill, Notts.
- Selina ADSETTS daughter 13 Adwick, Yks.
- Alice ADSETTS daughter 11 Adwick, Yks. ,,
- John W. ADSETTS son 6 Retford, Notts. (See above who went to Western Aust)
- Arthur ADSETTS son 3 Mexbro
- Hannah ADSETTS daughter 1 Hartington. Married Ernest Hodgkins
Charles E. HOBSON farmer, 26 2 Dearne St, Darton, Barnsley sailing 31/1/1923 from London to Albany - Diogenes
Joseph POPPLEWELL miner 32 24 Dickinson Terr. Featherstone 22/4/1924 from London to Albany - Diogenes with wife Jane 31; son Harold 11; dau. Jean 9.
Thomas PRICE Police Constable 30 6 Oxford St Leeds 1925 London to Albany - Diogenes with wife Margaret 29; son Norman 6 & son Lionel 7 months.
Group 122 Treeton
Settlers of Great Hope Valley
Settlers of Miamup
The following families from Rotherham were also found:
Fred V Birch, 28, Horseman, of 539 Fitzwilliam Road, Rotherham. 31 Jan 1923, ticket No 459, Themistocles, bound for Albany (King George Sound).
Wm Burton, 31, F'worker. Annie, 24, wife, of 59 Pitt St, Garrowtree, Rotherham. 21 June 1922, ticket No 409, Euripides, bound for Albany (King George Sound).
Alfred Hough, 20, Farmer, of 15 Furlong Road, Bolton-on-Dearne, Rotherham. 31 Jan 1923, ticket No 170, Thermistocles, bound for Albany (King George Sound).
J J Hunt, 22, Ironworker, of 44 Beartree Road, Parkgate, Nr Rotherham. 31 Mar 1922, ticket No 707, Orsova, bound for Fremantle.
Ticket No 855. W Naylor, 45, Joiner, W H Naylor, 23, Joiner, A Naylor, 20, Farm Lab. Ticket No 856. Mrs F E Naylor, 49, H'wife. All of 5 Walker St, Rawmarsh, Rotherham. 4 Jan 1924, Ormuz, bound for Fremantle.
Compiled from Passenger lists by Pat Bagnall. August 2009
