William Watkins (1824 - 1891)

Born 1824 in Monmouthshire, Wales, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Susannah (Williams) Watkins — married 1852 in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 1891 at about age 67 in Inglewood, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

Birth

William was born about.. he was the son of William Watkins 1799–1836 and Hannah Flower 1801– ^[1]

Marriage

He married Susannah (Williams) Watkins (1824-1891) in Cardiff, Wales in 1852 ^[2]

Immigration

The newlyweds immigrated to Australia arriving in Victoria on November 12 1852 aboard the ship "Helen". William was listed as aged 27, and an agricultural labourer from Glamorgan. Susannah was aged 23, passage was assisted and the couple were indentured to Mr McArthur in Belfast. Victoria, ^[3] Children included:

Emily Watkins 1855–1918 ^[4]

Edwin/Edmund Watkins 1856–1935 ^[5]

Elizabeth Watkins 1857– ^[6]

William Watkins (1860-1916)

Charles Watkins 1862–1881 ^[7]

Richard John Watkins (1864-1905)

Mary Watkins 1865–^[8]

Death of Spouse

Susannah passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in 1879 at the age of 52. ^[9] An inquest was held into her death where it was determined that the cause of death was heart degeneration. :
INQUESTS. Mr. Strickland held an inquest yesterday at the residence of the deceased, Thompson's Gully, near Inglewood, on the body of a woman named Susannah Watkins, aged 52 years, who died suddenly on the 23rd inst. From the evidence of William Watkins, husband of the de-ceased, it seems she appeared to enjoy good health. At night on the 23rd, after they had retired to bed, she complained of pains in the chest, to alleviate which a mustard plaster was applied. She did not think her illness serious, but in about an after she expired. No doctor had been sent for, as it was not considered necessary. Dr. Hearn deposed that he had made a post mortem examination of the body. The cause of death was syncope, due to fatty de-generation of the heart. She was liable to die at any moment. The jury returned a verdict accordingly. ^[10]

Death

He passed away in 1891, believed to have commited suicide: ^[11]

INGLEWOOD. [BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.] (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Sunday. 15th February. SUPPOSED SUICIDE OF AN OLD RESIDENT. — This afternoon a man named William Watkins, 66 years of age residing on Kingower road, it is supposed committed suicide by drowning himself in the Unity Consols dam. It appears that deceased left home about 12 o'clock, and went to his son-in-law's, handing to his daughter-in-law a writing desk, which she had made a present to him some years ago. He returned home but left again shortly after one o'clock, and as he was not seen about the place during that afternoon his son-in-law and a young man named George Nixon had a walk into the scrub, and passing the dam noticed deceased's hat on the bank, while the body was floating in about four feet of water. Information was conveyed to Constable Smith, and the body removed to his late residence. It is presumed that the body was in the water for three hours, and, notwithstanding the short space of time, the crayfish had already attacked it. Watkins was a very old resident, of a retired disposition, and leaves a wife and large family to mourn their loss. An inquiry will be held to-morrow morning, when additional facts will, no doubt, be disclosed^[12] The suicide of William Watkins may be related to unmanageable debt. He is reported in the paper earlier in the year, the defendant of a legal action to recover money, which was stated to be a large sum for a miner by the magistrate: . Nixon and Sons proceeded against William Watkins for the recovery of £40 16s 1d, goods sold and delivered. Mr. Lamont appeared for the claimant, and Mr. Horan for the defendant. The latter admitted the debt, and asked for time. He said that the defendant, who was a working miner, had nothing available, but was willing to pay up to the last penny. Mr. Lamont replied that it was a large sum to be contracted by a working miner. If any proper security could be given to show that Mr. Nixon would receive his his money, the defendant would not be dealt harshly with. Mr. Lamont understood that the furniture in the house had been removed in a clandestine manner, and the defendant had gone away. Mr. Horan informed his worship that the furni-ture was not tho property of the defendant. It had been purchased by a resident of Sandhurst, who held the receipt, and who had removed it in fear of litigation. The defendant, he said, intended to remain here. He asked for three months to pay the debt. In answer to the police magistrate, Mr. Lamont wished an open verdict, so that they could do the best they could to recover the debt. A verdict was entered accordingly, with £2 7s. costs, ^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ Monmouthshire, Wales, Anglican Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1551-1994 NameWilliam WatkinsBaptism Age0Record TypeBaptismBirth Date1826Baptism Date21 May 1826Baptism PlaceMonmouth St Mary, Monmouthshire, WalesFatherWilliamMotherHannahPage number191 Ancestry Document Viewer: Baptismal Record
2. ↑ FreeBMD. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
3. ↑ Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839-1923. Public Record Office Victoria; North Melbourne, Victoria; Register of Assisted Immigrants from the United Kindom (refer to microform copy, VPRS 3502); Series: VPRS 14 NameWilliam WatkinsNationalityEnglish and WelshArrival Age27Birth Date1825Departure PlaceGravesendArrival Date12 Nov 1852Arrival PlaceVictoria, AustraliaShipHelen Ancestry Document Viewer: Passenger Manifest
4. ↑ Birth Record: # 2429 / 1855 Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages: Victoria, Australia
   (Name: Emily WATKINS); (Place: SANDHURST, VIC); (Mother: Susanna WILLIAMS); (Father: William WATKINS).
5. ↑ Birth Record: # 10401 / 1856 Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages: Victoria, Australia
   (Name: Edwin WATKINS); (Place: SANDHURST, VIC); (Mother: Susan WILLIAMS); (Father: William WATKINS).
6. ↑ Birth Record: # 16902 / 1857 Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages: Victoria, Australia
   (Name: Elizabeth WATKINS); (Place: SANDHURST, VIC); (Mother: Susannah WILLIAMS); (Father: William WATKINS).
7. ↑ Birth Record: # 15050 / 1862 Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages: Victoria, Australia
   (Name: Charles WATKINS); (Place: INGL, VIC); (Mother: Susan WILLIAMS); (Father: William WATKINS).
8. ↑ Birth Record: # 22637 / 1865 Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages: Victoria, Australia
   (Name: Mary WATKINS); (Place: INGL, VIC); (Mother: Susannah WILLIAMS); (Father: William WATKINS).
9. ↑ Death Record: #8156 / 1879 Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages: Victoria, Australia
   (Name: Susannah WATKINS); (Place: NOT STAED, VIC); (Birthplace: CARDIFF); (Mother: Mary OWENS); (Father: John WILLIAMS).
10. ↑ INQUESTS. (1879, July 26). Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918), p. 3. Retrieved November 27, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88214903
11. ↑ Death Record: # 2230 / 1891 Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages: Victoria, Australia
    (Name: Wm WATKINS); (Place: IWOOD, VIC); (Mother: Hannah FLOWERS); (Father: William WATKINS).
12. ↑ . Death of Mr. William Watkins. (1925, December 4). Collie Mail (Perth, WA : 1908 - 1954), p. 5. Retrieved November 27, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article256075667
13. ↑ INGLEWOOD. (1891, May 27). Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918), p. 3. Retrieved November 27, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article88962416

• Ancestry research

Research Notes

There is only one death registered for a William Watkins in Victoria in 1891 where the age matches - parents Hannah Flower and William Watkins. The other potential death for 1891 was at Bendigo.