Excerpts taken from the Autobiography of Robert Neville : Kindly shared and supplied by Jo Middleton and Rachael O'Neile .
Born on February 10th 1903 at Clunes Victoria Australia. Others in the family were George Edward born at Creswick Victoria on April 17th 1896, and James born at Allandale Victoria on November 8th 1898.
George Thomas my father was born at Smythesdale, Wyndam or Gordon near Ballarat on January 23rd 1867. He was the fifth child of a family of seven born to my grandparents George and Elizabeth Neville. My grandfather George Neville had come to Australia from England sometime in the 1850’s around the time of the Eureaka Stockade rebellion. He had taken up land near Ballarat at Gordon and becoming settled had returned to England and married my grandmother Elizabeth and brought her back to Australia.
They then reared a family of seven children as follows; Fanny born November 20th 1857, William George February 20th 1860, Eliza Marion July 31st 1862, Elizabeth Jayne January 16th 1865, George Thomas (my father) January 23rd 1867, Edward John July 20th 1870 and Robert January 16th 1875
My grandfather was a blacksmith and carried on his trade at Gordon till his death in the 1890’s. My father worked in the blacksmith shop in his early youth then went to work in the bush on fencing contracts, railway construction jobs etc till he took up gold mining on the Victorian gold fields. Eventually in the late 1880’s he went to Broken Hill and worked in the Broken Hill mines where he met and married my mother about 1890.
My mother Louisa Sapiatzer was a daughter of German parents who had migrated to South Australia together with a large number of the Germans at the time of some religious persecution and rebellion in Germany. Many Germans at that time settled in the Adelaide Hills districts, others in the Barossa Valley and many others in the Mt. Gambier area. My mother was born at Kleinzig just outside of Adelaide on September 6th 1864. She was the youngest of a fairly large family.
Her parents died when she was at an early age and the family became scattered. One brother to West Australia, a brother and a sister to the Mt Gambian and Millicent area and two sisters to Queensland, one on the Mary River and the other at Cooktown. My mother went to live with her sister at Millicent and later went to work as a domestic on farming properties and eventually to Adelaide as a hotel cook. From there she was engaged as a hotel cook.
1926 Robert married Violet Morley in the St. Peter's Church, Broken Hill . The couple left Broken Hill and made their home in Adelaide.
1927 Robert's wife and child died, the baby was was stillborn and his wife Violet developed pneumonia and passed away a day later...
Robert had a turbulent few years after the death of his wife and child.
Robert had no desire to return to Broken Hill and the depression was becoming worse all the time. The unemployment was getting out of hand. he was getting to hate Adelaide and decided to go to Melbourne to get away from everybody and everything........................
......................................................Robert went to work on Kangaroo Island and did not return home for some time.
Eventually Robert did return to Adelaide and he met and married his future wife Doris Brenton, the couple married on the 25th July 1931, very quietly at the Methodist Manse Broken Hill, they had two girls, Vahola and Lyla .
The couple left Broken Hill towards the end of February 1933, land was available for settlement, and eventually settled near Toronto where they stayed. Dorrie made brooches which turned out to be quite a profitable business for them. Eventually Robert and Dorrie opened a shop and rented some flats out. They were doing really well.
For the first few years of retirement Dorrie was in good health and they spent many happy hours in the garden and really enjoyed life, Travelled in Australia before Dorrie’s health deteriorated to the extent that they could not travel.
Robert Neville died suddenly on the morning of the 11th July 1982 he was found dead sitting at his dinner table slumped over onto the table, he died at breakfast.
Dorrie Neville had developed Senile Dementia and was admitted to Carey Bay Home in the late 70’s, She died alone in that home on the 7th April 1987.
Name: NEVILLE Robt
Mother: , Louisa SAPPIATZER
Father: Geo
District: CLUNES
Year: 1903
https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm/indexsearch.doj > Victoria bdm
Scanned copy Marriage Certificate No: 8703
Marriage date 29 May 1926 Husband : Robert Neville Birth Place: Clunes, Victoria Age 23 Occupation: Labourer Father of Groom : George Thomas Neville, Mother of Groom : Louisa Sappiatzer
Name: NEVILLE ROBERT
Name: BRENTON DORIS M
District: BROKEN HILL
https://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/ > NSW bdm
Name: NEVILLE ROBERT
Father: GEORGE THOMAS
Mother: LOUISA
https://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/ > NSW bdm
Name: NEVILLE DORIS MAY
Father: JAMES EDGAR
Mother: OLIVE
https://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/ > NSW bdm
Rachael O'Neil has supplied some information on Louisa's family: Her family migrated to Australia in 1855 from Lausitz what is now Germany.
Jo Middleton, supplied us with the full copy of Robert Neville's Autobigraphy.
Siblings :
Surname: NEVILLE Forename: Geo Edw Mother: Louisa SAPIATZER Father: Geo Thos District: ALLANDALE Year: 1896 Reg No: 8151/1896
Surname: NEVILLE Forename: Jas Mother: Louisa SAPPIATZER Father: Geo District: ALLENDALE Year: 1898 Reg No: 23474/1898
https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history
Grandparents possible marriage in England ( Ely, Cambridgeshire )
Freebdm Uk - Marriage Index
Surname Given Name District Volume Page
Marriages Dec 1856
Neville George Ely 3b 1307
Parratt Elizabeth Maria 3b 1307
https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=BbToVot%2BQYQN%2BjAQeclhAA&scan=1
https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=5F4YjZbZhe%2FErW0qlqIe6g&scan=1
Uncles and Aunts and fathers birth
Surname: NEVILLE
Forename: Fanny
Elizabeth Maria PARROTT
father: George
District: GEELONG
Year: 1857
Reg No: 15487/1857
Surname: NEVILLE
Fosrename: William George
Mother: Elizabeth PARRATT
Father: George
District: SMYT
Year: 1860
Reg No: 2740/1860
Surname: NEVILLE
Forename: Eliza Marian
Mother: Eliza Ma PARROTT
Father: George
District: BROW
Year: 1862
Reg No: 17606/1862
Surname: NEVILLE
Forename: Elizabeth Paine
Mother: Elizabeth PARRATT
Father: George
District: BROW
Year: 1865
Reg No: 5209/1865
(Robert's father )
Surname: NEVILLE
Forename: George Thomas
Mother Elizabeth Maria PARRATT
Father: George
District: SMYTHESDAL
Year: 1867
Reg No: 4832/1867
Surname: NEVILLE
Forename: Edward John
Mother: Elizabeth Maria PARRALT
Father: George
District: GORD
Year: 1870
Reg No: 16139/1870
Surname: NEVILLE
Forename: Robert
Mother: Elizth Maria PARRATT
Father: George
District: GORD
Year: 1875
Reg No: 2795/1875
https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history
Roberts mother's parents : Surname Sapiatzer
Possible passenger list on the Alice Brooks from Melbourne 55-12-01 ex brq Bielefeldt & brq Asa Sawyer from Hamburg
SAPIATZER Friedrich Georg, Anna MAROSKE, Georg, Martin Georg, Marie, Elis, J Fried arrived 1855-12-07 on Alice Brooks from Melbourne 55-12-01 ex brq Bielefeldt & brq Asa Sawyer from Hamburg
SAPIATZER Georg, Anna MAROSKE, parents of child born 1857-07-09 named Mena at Hope Vy
SAPIATZER Georg, Anna MAROSKE, parents of child born 1860-03-25 named Wilhelm at Hope Vy
( SAPIATZER Wilhelm M father: George SAPIATZER District Highercombe Reg No: 19/52 Year 1860 /https://www.genealogysa.org.au/ )
[ familyhistorysa dot org/shipping/passengerlists.html } ( Link no longer active )
http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/alicebrooks1855.shtml
Possible birth of Robert's mother in Adelaide
Surname: SAPIATZER
Forename: Anna Louise
Se: F
Father: George SAPIATZER
District: Adelaide
Reg No: 31/424
Year: 1864
https://www.genealogysa.org.au/
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