Rose Ethel (Bartlett) Endacott (1895 - 1978)

Born 1895 in Mudgee district, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1978 at about age 83 in Mona Vale, New South Wales, Australia

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This profile is part of the Bartlett Name Study.

Biography

Rose Ethel Bartlett was born in 1895 in the Mudgee district of New South Wales, probably in the Merrendee area, now known as Yarrabin. Her parents were John Bartlett and Mary Jane Finlay.^[1]

In 1917 Rose married Avelyn William Roy Endacott (known as "Roy")^[2] and they had three daughters, although only two had been born at the time of the following incident published in multiple newspapers in 1921. The mis-spellings of "Endacott" and "Merrendee" appear here as originally published. The Mudgee River has since been renamed the Cudgegong. Travel from Merrendee to Mudgee would not require a crossing of the river but newspapers have never been known for accuracy - it is probable that the crossing was of a flooded creek in the region.

FLOODS AT MUDGEE.

Stories of thrilling experiences at district creek crossings flooded by the long continued rains, and of hairbreadth escapes of travellers, continue to come to hand at Mudgee. Mr. and Mrs. R. Endicott, of Merrenbee, and their two little daughters were on their way into Mudgee to take one of the girls to the doctor. The party, which was in a large American buggy, with two horses, essayed to cross the Mudgee River where it intersects the main road. The crossing is regarded as, safe as long as the waters are not above the level of certain bushes growing on the banks. Mr. Endicott, having ascertained that the safety indication was present, put his horses at the pass, forcing them through the deep waters. When in the centre of the stream there was a sudden fall into a hole eaten out by the force of the flood waters. The buggy was heavily laden, and the water was up to Mrs. Endicott's legs as she stood in the buggy holding her little girls above the water. The buggy swayed ominously, and the affrighted horses plunged wildly. Endicott jumped out of the buggy, having first placed the sick child on his back, and swam through the swirling waters, and managed to reach the bank on the Mudgee side of the river. He then swam back to the buggy, which was commencing to yield to the force of the rushing waters and go along with them down the stream. One of the horses had, in its plunging, got its feet over the pole. Endicott lost no time in unbuckling and freeing the horses, and called upon Mrs. Endicott to give him the second girl, and to herself jump on to the back of one of the horses. She handed him the child, and then jumped to where she assumed the back of the horse would be, which was so deep in the water that little more than its head was visible. She landed safely on the back of the horse, which swam with her to the bank. The buggy, lightened of its load, though still heavily laden with luggage and produce, was carried some considerable distance down the river.^[3]

As this story shows, the life of a rural wife and mother was not easy.

Roy developed relationships with a number of other women and eventually formed a long-term relationship with a local girl named Illa May Holley, with whom he moved away, leaving Rose alone to raise their daughters. It appears that Roy's father, John Endacott was appalled by the behaviour of his only son and he stepped in to help his daughter-in-law and grand-daughters. Rose's young family maintained love and respect for the grandfather who was helping to raise them and he was affectionately known as "Daddy Jack".^[4]

The electoral roll for 1930 shows that Rose Ethel Endacott was residing at Yarrabin and her occupation was stated as home duties, which is consistent with her having young children to raise. In the 1933 electoral roll, she is shown as residing at Dulmore, Burns Road, Kellyville, again undertaking home duties. Kellyville was a small rural settlement on the outskirts of Sydney and she was living on the farm which her father-in-law was running at the time, although the same census describes his occupation as “retired”. (The original Burns Road was renamed Memorial Avenue in the twenty-first century and should not be confused with a later residential street of the same name).

The Births, Deaths and Marriages records for New South Wales show Rose and Roy as the parents of an unnamed female infant who was born and died in 1933 at Nyngan, New South Wales. However by this time, Roy and long gone from Rose's life. It is believed that the child was born to Roy's now de facto, Illa May Holley, but Roy chose to register his legal wife as the mother of the child. It is not known why he did this, other than embarrassment about having a child to a woman who was not his wife.

In the 1936 electoral roll, Rose is residing at the Stoke Hotel, Carcoar, New South Wales, where her father-in-law had taken over the licence. However "Daddy Jack" later moved back to Mudgee before dying in 1939, leaving Rose to fend for herself, although her daughters were older by then. In the 1943 electoral roll, Rose is shown as residing at 12 Helen St., Westmead, a suburb of Sydney, and undertaking home duties. However it is understood that she worked at some stage for the Howard Auto/Tractor company at nearby Northmead, possibly in the manufacture of weapons during World War Two. In the post-war years Rose was residing in Grandview Street, Parramatta. A local newspaper in Wellington NSW published the following item in January 1950: Mrs. E. Collins, of Thornton-street, returned home on Saturday last after an enjoyable two weeks' vacation spent with her mother, Mrs. R. E. Endacott, of Parramatta. Mrs. Collins' son, John, left to-day for a holiday with his grandmother also.^[5] In the 1954 electoral roll, Rose is shown as residing at Eade Vale, Euchareena (a small settlement located between Orange and Wellington).

Rose died in 1978^[6] at Mona Vale, a northern beach suburb of Sydney, where she had been residing with one of her daughters and son-in-law.

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales birth registration number 24595/1895
2. ↑ New South Wales marriage registration number 6510/1917
3. ↑ Floods at Mudgee, The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express, Fri 15 Jul 1921, Page 32 accessed at Trove, National Library of Australia
4. ↑ personal communication with Mary MacDonald, one of Roy and Rose's daughters
5. ↑ Gossip From Joan, Wellington Times, 16 January 1950, page 5 accessed at Trove, National Library of Australia
6. ↑ New South Wales death registration number 7008/1978