Arthur Richard Davis (1882 - 1965)

Born 18 Mar 1882 in Templeton Road, Islington, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Eliza (Coleman) Davis — married 5 Aug 1905 in Congregational Church at Isleworth in the District of Brentford County Middlesex

Descendants

Died 6 Jun 1965 at age 83 in Parkes, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

Arthur Davis was born in Middlesex, England.

Arthur Richard Davis was born in Templeton Road, Islington, Middlesex on 18 March 1882 to Richard Davis and Emily Carrington.^[1]

The story as told by son Robert is that his father, Arthur related that he had courted his wife by riding to meet her on Wimbledon Common. The later naming of his house on Parkes as “Wimbledon” certainly would indicate some significance in the name. Perhaps he proposed there on a visit but Wimbledon Common was some distance from their respective homes at the time of their marriage.

Arthur Richard Davis married Mary Eliza Coleman in Congregational Church at Isleworth, Middlesex on 5 August 1905.^[2] They had the following children in England:

1. John William (Jack) Davis born Q2 1906 registered Brentford Middlesex
2. Sidney Davis born Q1 1908 registered Brentford
3. Edith Emily Davis, born 9 July 1909 at 62 Hamilton Road, Wimbledon
4. Arthur Frank (Jim) Davis, born 14 August 1912 at 106 High Street, Merton Wimbledon

Between his marriage and the birth of Edith he has changed occupations from being a Carpenter to a Master Greengrocer (following on from one of his father’s occupations) and moved from Isleworth/Brentford area across the Thames to Wimbledon/Merton. Hamilton Road is off High Street and 62 is at the High Street end of it. The house at Hamilton Street is a 2 story attached terrace with one room and a hall in width and a bow window both stories and it has a yard out the back. They then moved to High Street, which is a shop with dwelling above.

In the 1911 England census, Arthur & Mary were living with their children at 106 High Street, Merton in the Wimbledon district. Arthur was a Fruiterer and Greengrocer own account, Mary was assisting in the business.^[3]

First Name	Last Name	Age	Status	Birth Place
Arthur	Davis	29	Head	Middlx Wandsworth, London
Mary Eliza	Davis	28	Wife	Middlx Isleworth, Middlesex
John William	Davis	4	Son	Middlx Isleworth, Middlesex
Sidney	Davis	3	Son	Middlx Isleworth, Middlesex
Edith Emily	Davis	1	Daughter	Wimbledon, Surrey

This would indicate that perhaps things were not going so well for the family to the extent that apparently on a whim, or was it planned, it was suggested that Arthur sign on to work his passage to Australia. He left the family behind and on his own he sailed from Southhampton on the “Rangatira” arriving in Sydney on 20 March 1913. The ship’s record list him as a General Seaman.^[4]

The story he told his children was that on embarkation he saw an advertisement on the wall for a carpenter at Burrawang Station, North West of Parkes. He saved money for the passage of the family. On 4 February 1914 Mary and the 4 children boarded the “Geelong” in London and they arrived in Sydney on 4 April 1914. They settled in Parkes and rented a house in Gapp Street. The story is that grandfather first approached a butcher in the main street whose shop front needed repair and offered to repair it for the cost of materials and thus established himself as a carpenter/builder. He then purchased land in Hooley Street (previously called Cabbage Flat) and built a 3 room brick house with no windows doors or ceiling which were added later.

They then had 6 more children, all at Parkes:

• Marjorie Davis (twin) born 20 June 1916
• Richard (Dick) Davis (twin) born 20 June 1916
• Charles Edward (Charlie) Davis born 22 December 1918
• Alan Davis born 9 September 1921
• Robert Davis born 9 November 1922
• Leslie Stanley (Stan) Davis born 9 December 1925

Their next house he built for the family was called “Whyworry” in Clarinda Street. It still stands. Then in December 1925 they moved into the family home “Wimbledon” at 78 Orange Street. Robert recalled at the age of 3 carrying his own chair into the new house. Arthur started working with other carpenters then on his own. Jack and Sidney went into the building trade as well. The depression came and there was no work and he was still paying off “Wimbledon” such that Arthur opened a small grocery shop in Main Street on the site of the present Coles. Jack tried to run it but Arthur’s only income was the “dole” in January 1932. There was a big fire in Parkes and the McGlynns shop burnt down and there was no money to rebuild so they operated the store in the old picture theatre. Jack did work house painting. In 1935 McGlynns called tenders for a new building and Arthur had 25 pounds and won the contract, obtained a loan from the Bank of New South Wales, they stood him 3 months wages and Bill Ashwin supplied the timber until the first payment and he was back at work. When he won the contract grocery was sold to Jack Pepper. He did not collect twopence in the pound wage tax as he didn’t have the heart to. He was sued for it and had to pay it. The job took about a year but it was work. Subsequently he built the Commercial Bank of Sydney Building, the Presbyterian Church, Birches Store, Cambridge Hotel, several hotels and extensions to the hospital and a number of houses throughout Parkes and nearby towns, such as Forbes, Dubbo and Narromine. His joinery shop/workshed and ‘factory” was located on land at the rear of “Wimbledon”.

He died in Parkes, New South Wales on 6 June 1965.^[5][6]

Sources

1. ↑ GRO Reference: 1882 J Quarter in ISLINGTON, Volume 01B, Page 356, Mother's Maiden Name: Carrington
2. ↑ UK Marriage Registration for Arthur Richard Davis & Mary Eliza Coleman, Brentford district, Volume 3A, Page 363, September quarter of 1905
3. ↑ "England and Wales Census, 1911," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XW8Y-VQP : 8 July 2019), Arthur Davis, Wimbledon, Surrey, England, United Kingdom; from "1911 England and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 14, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.
4. ↑ Mariners and ships in Australian Waters, RANGATIRI of OF SOUTHHAMPTON, R D LOWDEN, MASTER, http://marinersandships.com.au/1913/03/127ran.htm
5. ↑ NSW Death Certificate 32733/1965 for Arthur Richard Davis
6. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #123547752

• The Davis Ancestry. Prepared by Michael Davis – May 2011