Illa May (Holley) Endacott (1911 - 1976)

Born 1911 in Wellington district, New South Wales, Australia

Died 6 Mar 1976 at about age 65 in Cunnamulla, Queensland, Australia

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Biography

Illa May Holley was born in 1911 in the Wellington district of New South Wales.^[1] Her father was James Holley and her mother's first name was Louisa Johnson.^[2]

Illa absconded with Roy Endacott who abandoned his wife and three daughters. There is no record of any divorce from the first wife or any marriage between Roy and Illa but Illa started using the name "Endacott" and lived with Roy as his wife.

The Births, Deaths and Marriages records for New South Wales show Roy as the father of an unnamed female infant who was born and died in 1933 at Miandetta near Nyngan, New South Wales.^[3] Roy and long gone from the life of his legal wife^[4] and it is believed that the child was born to Roy's now de facto, Illa May Holley, but Roy chose to register his legal wife as the mother of the child. It is not known why he did this, other than embarrassment about having a child to a woman who was not his wife.

The deceased infant child of Roy and presumably Illa was buried at Rosehill, a farm that still existed at Miandetta in the 21st century. This suggests that Roy had been employed on this property.

Nothing further is known at this time. It appears that the couple moved to Cunnamulla in Queensland and lived there, raising Roy's second family.

Although it is thought she had been a resident of Queensland and using the name Endacott for some time, Illa returned to New South Wales to change her name by deed poll in 1953. The following notice was published in the New South Wales Government Gazette:

NOTICE is hereby given that I, Illa May Endacott, of Wellington, in the State of New South Wales, heretofore known as Illa May Holley, have by deed poll dated the sixteenth day of September, one thousand nine hundred and fifty-three, executed and lodged in the office of the Registrar-General in the State of New South Wales, renounced and abandoned my surname of Holley and have assumed and adopted the surname of Endacott and intend on all occasions hereafter and in all deeds, documents, actions, proceedings, matters and things to use the name of Endacott in lieu of my former name of Holley.

—Dated at Wellington, this sixteenth day of September, one thousand nine hundred and fifty-three. I. M. ENDACOTT.^[5]

When her father died in Wellington, New South Wales in 1952, Illa was identified in a newspaper obituary as "Illa (Mrs. R. Endacott, of Cullamulla, Q.)"^[6] Only a New South Wales newspaper could mis-spell the name of the town! However it is apparent that she was well known as "Mrs Endacott" long before the deed poll change-of-name. In view of the timing, one year after her father's death, it is probable that the deed poll was necessary for legal identification purposes in order for her to receive a portion of her father's estate.

In addition to the infant girl who had died at Miandetta, near Nyngan in New South Wales, Roy and Illa were parents of one son and one daughter in Queensland.

Illa Endacott died on 6 March 1976 in the Cunnamulla District Hospital.^[7] Roy and Illa's graves are located together in the cemetery at Cunnamulla.

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales birth registration 47493/1911
2. ↑ parents names recorded on death registration
3. ↑ New South Wales death registration 1933/003789
4. ↑ personal communication with one of Roy's daughters
5. ↑ Private Advertisements, Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales, Sydney, Fri 25 Sep 1953 [Issue No.168], Page 3128 accessed at Trove, National Library of Australia Thanks to Ian McMurtrie for locating and sharing this item.
6. ↑ Obituary, Wellington Times, Wellington NSW, Mon 21 Jul 1952, Page 3 accessed at Trove, National Library of Australia
7. ↑ Queensland death registration 1976/C/2310 and on gravestone in Cunnamulla cemetery