William Norman Fullerton (1847 - abt. 1886)

Born 16 Aug 1847 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Phoebe Josephine (Fleming) Fullerton — married 15 Dec 1870 (to 1885) in Queensland Australia

Descendants

Died about 1886 at about age 38 in Hunter, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

William was born in 1847. He passed away in 1885.

(As written in 'The Fullerton Family' family tree research, compiled by Jacqueline Fullerton, 1993)

WILLIAM NORMAN FULLERTON

1847 - 1886

Fourth son of Rev. James and Mary nee Jenkins

WILLIAM was bom 16 August 1847 in Pitt Street, Sydney, and at the age of 23 he married 24 year old Phoebe Josephine Fleming in Ipswich, Qld, on 15 December 1870. Phoebe was born at MacDonald River, near Windsor in NSW. They had five children, the last born died, and the remainder were all educated at boarding school, the girls in Brisbane and the boys in the Blue Mountains in N.S.W.

William lived in Bundaberg for some years, initially employed as a bank manager. In 1880 he was recorded as a bank manager, living at Quay Street, Bundaberg, on the birth certificate of his youngest child. He retired early, to become a cane grower, during which time he employed a housekeeper and several kanaka servants, then later returned to banking.

He first appeared in the Qld Post Office Professional and Trades directories in 1889, listed as the bank manager of the Royal Bank, with his private address as Bourbon Street, Bundaberg, and also as a freeholder, of the same address.

By 1903 there were two entries for William, one as a bank manager of Bundaberg, residing at Bourbon Street, and one for his son, W. J. M. Fullerton, (Moreton) who was then 29, also of Bourbon Street. Both Williams's disappeared from the directory in 1910, then re-appeared in 1912 in Rockhampton.

William senior remained in Rockhampton, living for some time over the bank's premises in Quay Street, together with his son and his unmarried daughters Jessie and Mary. He later moved with Jessie to a house in Lions Creek Road called Woodville which he rented from a Mr Ellwing until he died. His son Moreton remained living on the bank premises, together with Mary. After their father's death Jessie moved to Sydney to live, with Moreton joining her later, and Mary purchased a house in Brisbane.

William retired at the maximum retirement age, with the event being recorded in the Social Gossip column of a weekly newspaper, The Queenslander on 20 May 1922:

"Mr. W. Fullerton, who just retired from the management of the National Bank of Australia at Rockhampton, had a service record of over 50 years as a bank official.

He entered the service of the Bank of New South Wales in Ipswich in the early ‘70's, afterwards being transferred to Bundaberg as manager. But he retired in 1883 to take up cane growing.

In 1887, when the Royal Bank of Queensland started in Bundaberg, Mr. Fullerton was appointed manager, and in 1888 he established a branch at Rockhampton.

In 1906 Mr. Fullerton took up the management of the Rockhampton branch, and in 1917, when the amalgamation with the Bank of North Queensland was effected, he still retained management, and early this year, when the business became merged into the National Bank of Australia, he remained on.

His retirement was due to the fact that he had reached the age limit - 74 years."

Another entry appeared just three months later in the same columns, reporting his death on 17 August, one day after his 75th birthday.

His death certificate details were recorded by his son Moreton, and noted that he died of "cardiac cystitis and exhaustion."

His grand daughter Phil, who attended his funeral, together with her aunt Jessie and her father Joseph, (William's son) remembers it as one of the largest funerals held in the town, with the procession winding from his home in Wandal Road, (also known as Lions Creek Road) to the gates of the Range Cemetery.

In addition to serving as a bank manager for many years, he was also chairman of the Base Hospital as well as being on the board of several committees.

The Rockhampton Morning Bulletin of 19 August 1922 reported thus:

"The late Mr. William Fullerton who died at his residence on the Lions Creek Road, on Thursday last, was a well known figure in banking circles, for he had to his credit no less than half a century of service in this profession. The deceased gentleman started on his career at a very young age, and in the late seventies occupied a responsible position in the local branch of the Bank of New South Wales.

A considerable part of the late Mr. Fullerton’s life was spent in Rockhampton and in 1888 he established a branch of the Royal Bank of Queensland in Rockhampton. He was absent from Rockhampton for some years, but in 1906 he returned and was appointed manager of the bank, a post he retained right up to May last, when he retired, having reached the age limit.

Mr. Fullerton saw some important changes in the affairs of the bank, first when it amalgamated with the Bank of North Queensland and subsequently became known as the Bank of Queensland, and later by a further amalgamation, the National Bank of Australasia took over the business of the bank. Mr Fullerton continued to act as the manager until his retirement.

A man of unassuming ways, but highly courteous and approachable, and had a very large circle of friends and admirers. In public service he was chiefly noted for the service he gave to the General Hospital Committee, of which he was a member for about ten years, acting as hon. treasurer for most of the time.

Mr. Fullerton’s wife pre-deceased him about twenty years ago. He is survived by two daughters, Misses M and J W Fullerton and two sons Messrs W. J. M. Fullerton and J. C. N. Fullerton (Dalma Scrub).”

He had stated to his family that he wished to be buried without fuss, in a pine coffin in an unmarked grave. A search of the sextant’s records from the Rockhampton Southside Cemetery, reveals that he was buried in the Presbyterian Section 12X, Grave no. 2084 on 18 August 1922.

William’s wife Phoebe died of pneumonia on 4 January 1900. It was noted on the registration of her death that her mother was Phoebe McInnes and her father was Joseph Fleming.

William and Phoebe had five children:

Phoebe Mary “Mary” was born in Queensland on 4 February 1872.

William James Moreton “Moreton’ was born in Qld on 27 March 1874.

Jessie Winifred was born in Queensland 19 April 1875.

Joseph Capel Norman, born at Bundaberg in Qld on 28 October 1878.

George Adderton was born on 19 April 1880 and died 9 months later on 6 January 1881.

Sources

• https://australianroyalty.net.au/family.php?famid=F11748&ged=purnellmccord.ged

"Australia Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XTDX-PYW : 28 January 2020), William Fullerton, 1847.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/160409881/william-fullerton