Location: Willunga, South Australia, Australia

Surnames/tags: Jacobs Sibley Martin
Memories
The Jacobs Story, as presented by Mr. Arch Peters of Mount Compass, South Australia, for the Jacobs Family Reunion held at Willunga on 6th October 1973.
Mr. Master of Ceremonies, ladies and gentleman, or should I say, relations.
"We pass this way but once" is a quotation familiar to us all and one, I am sure will agree, is most appropriate on an occasion such as this.
To get to the start of it all we must go back 120 years or more, when a young man named James Jacobs, living in Cornwall, England, met a very attractive young lady named Sarah Edards. They became friends, then lovers and later married.
James's mother, before she married, was a Miss Sibley who had two brothers, Simon and Joe. There may have been others, but the two mentioned and James with their wives were destined to be closely associated all their lives. The three men worked together in the slate quarries, as their fathers and grandfathers had probably done before them.
At this time, thousands of people in the British Isles were emigrating to Canada, America and Australia, and these three must have got the fever, for they picked up their traps and sailed to America, which would have been a big decision to make. They settled in Pennsylvania and must have felt more or less at home, for they worked in the slate quarries situated in the area.
Sarah remained in England for a while and then crossed the Atlantic to be with her James. In the meantime they kept up correspondence and Uncle Simon, who was credited with being the scholar of the trio, sometimes helped James with his letters. A passage in one of the letters went something like this, "The anticipation of meeting you again, my dear, animates my every nerve." Two or three pages of this kind of talk must have been very convincing.
So here, in similar surroundings as those that they had left behind in Cornwall, they established a home. Three(?) children were born and then the Civil War broke out and not wishing to become involved, they picked up their traps again and set sail for Australia in the sailing vessel "Vermulen"(?) They came to South Australia, and still following the slate, found their way to Willunga in 1864. Their first home was in a two storied house (till standing) situated about 200 yards south of the local Catholic Church.
They were there for a short while only, then moved to the Delabole, close to the quarry of the same name. This was their home for the next ten years or so. Delabole Quarry was situated about two miles south of Willunga and the homes erected there on either side of the gully leading to the quarry, formed quite a small village.
The residents had their own little church, the ruins of which still stand, as do many of the old homes. There were no business places and all their groceries etc were procured from Willunga. During our grand-parents stay there, the family had increased by five. Then, for some reason or another, the quarry was closed and everybody moved out. Many settled in Beltunga and went to work in Martin's Quarry situated nearby. The Home occupied by the Jacobs family consisted of six small rooms and was previously owned by a Mr. Polkinghorne. Grandpa Jacobs built a large room onto the existing ones, which was always referred to as the parlour. Amongst the families living in Beltunga at this time were the Kernicks, Jacobs, Herrings, Sibleys (Simon and Joe), Arthurs and Males.
Before the advent of the forty hour week, the men worked until 4o'clock on Saturdays and would naturally think they had no time for anything else, but most of them acquired their own homes and a few acres of land. They were able to keep a cow or two, a few fowls, kill a couple of pigs each year. Thus they had their own milk, butter, bacon and eggs. They also managed to establish a small orchard and grew most of their own vegetables.
The men working in the quarries received from five shillings a day, and yet with the help of their good wives, managed to keep the wolf from the door and like the village blacksmith, looked the whole world in the face for they owed not any man. We must remember that, at this time there were no modern conveniences; telephone, wireless, TV, washing machines, tractors or motor cars. Everything was done the hard way.
About 1885, Grandpa Jacobs developed creeping paralysis. The first he noticed that he was unable to hang on to anything and then that he had to stay home from work. Slowly deteriorating, he lost his speech and could move only his eyes. Finally on the 11th June 1888, at the age of 58 years, he passed away and was laid to rest, in the Church of England Cemetery, situated about 1/2 mile west of Willunga, adjacent to the Aldinga Road.
In the early 1890s, Grandma married Mr. John Youlton, a widower who had worked in the quarries and was a respected friend of the family. This union lasted until about 1898 when Mr. Youlton died. By this time, or soon after, all the children but one had married and started their own homes. Grandma and Grand-daughter still lived on in the old home until about 1919 when Rita, the grand-daughter, also decided to marry.
Soon after this, Grandma sold the old home and went to live with her married daughter at Mt. Compass where in the month of January 1923, aged 88 years, she passed on, and was laid to rest with her first love, James Sibley Jacobs.
There were twelve children of this union, 9 of whom grew up and had homes of their own, all together 51 grand-children, 21 of which are still living. Thirteen of the grand-sons served in World War I and two in the Second World War. Five lost their lives.
This brings to a close, all I have to say, except for one more thought and I ask you to be patient for just a little longer.
Fifty odd years ago while Grandma was still living in the old home, she celebrated her 81st birthday. Some of her children and grand-children visited the home that evening to wish her Many Happy Returns of the Day. A happy time was spent during which I recited a few lines which I had put together a few days previously and which I have been asked to repeat here today, so here goes.
- Eighty one years, 'tis a good long span,
- More than the average, which is allotted to man,
- Yet Grandma has lived it and if it be God's will,
- This time next year, she will be with us still.
- In the prime of life, she first entered yonder door,
- With Grandpa Jacobs, who had gone before,
- Since then this roof has sheltered both youth and old age,
- And beneath it have happened, events that would fill many a page,
- In yonder garden, many fond lovers have walked,
- And in this very room, the same have talked.
- Pledged their love to be forever true,
- Then have departed, the world to go through,
- But they all look forward to time of coming back,
- Once more to walk up the old familiar track,
- And on entering the door, look for that dear old face,
- For after all 'tis only Grandma, that makes us love the place,
- The good times and pleasant memories, we may never forget,
- But while Grandma lives, she keeps them fresh and to her we owe the debt,
- And 'tis our duty one and all to remember this,
- And show her while we may, how much to us she is.
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