William Davies (abt. 1833 - 1902)

Born about 1833 in Llangyfelach, Glamorgan, Wales

Husband of Margaret Davies — married 6 Jan 1866 in Congregational Manse Kadina

Descendants

Died 23 Nov 1902 at about age 69 in Wallaroo, South Australia, Australia

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Biography

William Davies was born in Llangyfelach, a village in Swansea, Wales. He is reported as living with his parents in the 1841 and 1851 Wales Census, with younger siblings David, Jane and Elizabeth in 1841,^[1] adding Catharine, John and Sarah in 1851, and giving his occupation as Smith's labourer.^[2]

William Davies migrated from Wales to South Australia.

He does not appear in the 1861 Wales census, and a smith named William Davies from Swansea of his age migrated to South Australia on the Glentanner in 1855.^[3][4]

Marriage

WIlliam Davies married Miss Margaret Davies on 6 January 1866 at the Congregational manse, Kadina, South Australia, Australia. He was 31, son of Shadrach Davies; she was 20, daughter if Thomas Davies.^[5]

Death

He died on 23 November 1902 at the age of 69.^[6] He had been a foreman blacksmith at the Wallaroo Smelting Works.^[7]

WALLAROO, November 25. An old and highly respected resident of the town in the person of Mr. William Davies died at his residence, Hughes street, on Sunday morning. The cause of death was cancer. Deceased had for many years held the position of foreman smith at the local works, and the funeral on Monday afternoon, which was a large one, was attended by the manager (Mr. T. C. Cloud) and under officials, as well as by over 100 Orangemen and some 40 Oddfellows. A widow and grown up family of five daughters survive him.^[8]

Research notes

No record has been found yet of what William did when he first arrived in South Australia as copper was not discovered in the Wallaroo area until 1860. The Glentanner appears to have carried a mix of Irish labourers; Welsh smelters, masons, carpenters and smiths; and Cornish and Irish miners. This suggests that perhaps they were contracted to work in Burra or Kapunda?

Sources

1. ↑ 1841 Wales census Class: HO107; Piece: 1419; Book: 3; Civil Parish: Llangafelach; County: Glamorgan; Enumeration District: 8; Folio: 27; Page: 11; Line: 1; GSU roll: 464328
2. ↑ 1851 Wales Census, Piece 2466, Folio 416, Page number 9, Household schedule number 37, Ancestry.com
3. ↑ Glentanner Plymouth to Port Adelaide 1855
4. ↑ GRG35-48-1-55-35 Glentanner emigrant list 1855 via Archives of South Australia accessed 22 November 2023
5. ↑ DAVIES, William, South Australian Marriage registrations index, Daly 64/410, accessed 22 November 2023 via Genealogy SA
6. ↑ DAVIES, William, South Australian Death registrations index, Daly 290/491, accessed 22 November 2023 via Genealogy SA
7. ↑ wife's obituary 1928: PERSONAL. (1928, February 25). The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), p. 12. Retrieved June 26, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55069952 "her husband, Mr. William Davies, being of Swansea. He held the position of a foreman blacksmith at the smelting works for many years"
8. ↑ The Country - Wallaroo (1902, November 28). The Register (Adelaide, SA), p. 6. Retrieved November 3, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article56597199