John Owen Jones Jr (1867 - 1928)

Ancestors Descendants

Contents 1 Biography 2 School Days 3 Sources 4 References

Biography

while his parents and family were moving from the Bendigo area to Alexandra, Victoria. Later, after spending time gold prospecting and mining at Woods Point, Alexandra and Spring Creek, he moved to Gobur as manager of one of the smaller mines in the area, where he met and married Margaret Downey Cumming in 1897. Like his father, John Owen Jr operated as a farmer, prospector and miner but, unlike his father, had little success.

John Owen and Margaret Downey moved to Spring Creek, near Fawcett, and established a property called "Merlwood" (now a B&B called "Mittagong") . Their early living quarters were less than comfortable, being in a barn or shed. Later they lived in the house with a long verandah at the front where, it is said, that many snakes would appear at the sound of the music the family played on the verandah. In 1908, a school near Koriella was closed and the buildings were moved (in 1910) to Fawcett, on a two-acre site in the NW corner of Allotment 104C, donated by John Owen Jones Jr. John Owen and Margaret Downey's five children attended that Fawcett State School. (see "School Days", below.)

John Owen and Margaret Downey separated in 1916 and the Spring Creek property was sold. John Owen moved to New Zealand where he lived for a time with his brother (Fred) Joseph Jones and worked in the horse-racing industry. Margaret Downey (and the children) moved to Melbourne.

John Owen returned to Melbourne a little over one year later, where he lived with his sister Ruth Browning at 49 Rathmines Road, Auburn, until he passed away in 1928.^[1]

School Days

State School Concert at Spring Creek. (Wednesday 23 December, 1908)

A State school concert was held at the above place on Wednesday last, and was well patronised. The first part of the programme was almost entirely in the hands of the children. The juvenile chairman (Master Ivor Jones) and the performers were children of the Spring Creek school. They carried out their parts well. The programme consisted of choruses, which sounded very sweet in children's voices, games performed by the toddlers, various recitations, songs, dialogues, and club swinging. Other much appreciated items were piano solos by Mrs Elliott. a song by Mr V. Elliott, and a farce. entitled Wanted, a Conjurer. by Messrs Graham and Popple. The following is the programme :- Chorus, Rule Bitannia, Children; game. Red Riding Hood, Children; song, Please Come and Play in my Yard, M. Graham ; recitation, Mary's Lamb, W. Parsons ; violin duet, N. Gray and L. Cumming; recitation, The Hills for Me, Jack Jones ; chorus, Winter School Song. Children; address; trio, Another Christmas Day, Olive, Ness, and Eileen Andrews; recitation, The Merry Mice, Mabel Andrews ; club swinging, C. W. and I. Popple and L. Cumming; game, Three Bears, Children ; round, Come Mirth, and Hark, the Happy Birds, Children; recitation, My Dog, Dolly Popple ; dialogue, The Disinfecting Doormat, G. Parsons, W. Popple and L. Cumming; violin solo, L. Cumming; recitation. Death's Final Conquest, M. Seaton; chorus, Home Sweet Home, Children; round, Good Night." ^[2]

Sources

• Peter Knowles

• Ian Jones, "Memories of Buxton"

References

1. ↑ Department of Justice, Victoria, Australia - BDM Online
   [ https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history ]
   Birth: registered 1867/12102
   Marriage (1): registered 1892/1806
   Marriage (2): registered 1897/1244
   Death: registered 1928/6702
2. ↑ State School Concert at Spring Creek. (1908, December 25). Alexandra and Yea Standard and Yarck, Gobur, Thornton and Acheron Express (Vic. : 1908 - 1949), p. 3. Retrieved September 20, 2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57484139