Albert Arthur Withers (1862 - 1929)

Born 14 Jul 1862 in Moyston, Colony of Victoria

Ancestors

Husband of Eliza Jane (Pidwell) Withers — married 1888 in Victoria, Australia

Descendants

Died 17 Jul 1929 at age 67 in Moonee Ponds, Victoria, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Maxine Dawes [send private message]

Biography

The son of two convicts, A.A. Withers led a complicated life that included some gaol time but also the founding of one of the earliest motorised tour companies in Australia.

Birth and Early Life

Albert Arthur Withers was born in Moyston in 1862^[1][2]. He was the son of Samuel Edward Withers and Anastasia Splain, both ex-convicts who had migrated to Victoria from Tasmania.

Criminal Activities

His first run-in with the the law was in 1885 where he was charged with housebreaking and sentenced to 12 months of hard labour^[3].

While working as an auctioneer in 1892, he was charged with receiving stolen goods and was sentenced to 12 months hard labour, an additional 15 months of hard labour cumulatively and then another 15 months of hard labour cumulatively^[4][5][6]. He carried out this sentence between 1892 and 1895, mostly at Pentridge, Melbourne.

After this time he appears to have turned his life around somewhat and had no further convictions.

Marriage and Children

He married Eliza Jane Pidwell on the 5th of March, 1888, at Stawell^[7]. This would have been after his initial conviction above. He had two children prior to his 1892 conviction, and another during his sentence. He then had three children at Elmore after his release, two further children in Longwood and his final child Ernest in St Kilda at 1904.

A full list of his children follows:

• Arthur William Withers (1888) in Ararat
• Edward Withers (1890) in Bairnsdale
• Sydney Edgar Withers (1892) in Ararat
• Peter Samuel Withers (1895) in Elmore
• Edith Violet May Withers (1897) in Elmore
• Alfred Percy Withers (1898) in Elmore
• Reginald Withers (1900) in Longwood
• Ivy Linda Withers (1902) in Longwood
• Ernest Albert Withers (1904) at St Kilda

Pioneer Motor Tours

Albert founded the AA Withers bus company in about 1905, which was renamed to Pioneer Tours in the early 1920s^[8].

The company ran tours through various parts of Australia.

As an example, this article describes a tour from Melbourne to Darwin via Alice Springs^[9].

After his death in 1929, the company became part of the Ansett group and later merged with Greyhound to form the modern day Greyhound bus company.

Death

He died in Moonee Ponds in 1929^[10][11] and is buried at Fawkner Memorial Park^[12]

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria State Government, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria. Link to search page : accessed 27 Feb 2023). Birth of Albert Arthur Withers Registration number 22718 / 1862.

   Father	Samuel Edward Withers
   Mother	Anastasia Splair
   Registration	22718 / 1862
   Birth Date	1862
   Birth Place	Moys, Victoria

2. ↑ Who's Who in Australia, 1927: "Who’s Who in Australia, 1921-1950"
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry au Record 1099 #63418 (accessed 27 February 2023)
   Name: Albert Arthur Withers; Volume Year: 1927.
3. ↑ Central Register for Male Prisoners 20371 - 20852 (1884-1885), Prisoner 20754 Albert Arthur Withers. Public Records Office of Victoria
4. ↑ Criminal Register: "Victoria, Australia, Police Gazettes, 1855, 1864-1924"
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry au Record 60885 #377722 (accessed 27 February 2023)
   Place: Victoria, Australia; Reference Description: AU7103-1895 Victoria Police Gazette 1895; Name: Albert A Withers; Age: 32; Birth Date: 1863; Year: 1895.
5. ↑ 1892 Newspaper: "Trove, National Library of Australia"
   Bairnsdale Advertiser and Tambo and Omeo Chronicle (Vic. : 1882 - 1946), Sat 30 Apr 1892, Page 2 : SALE ASSIZE COURT.
   Trove Article (accessed 27 February 2023)
6. ↑ 1892 Newspaper: "Trove, National Library of Australia"
   Gippsland Times (Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Wed 20 Apr 1892, Page 3 : SALE POLICE COURT.
   Trove Article (accessed 27 February 2023)
7. ↑ Victoria State Government, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria. Link to search page : accessed 27 Feb 2023). Marriage of Albert Arthur Withers and Eliza Jane Pidwell Registration number 617 / 1888.

   Husband	Albert Arthur Withers
   Wife	Eliza Jane Pidwell
   Registration	617 / 1888
   Marriage Date	1888

8. ↑ Greyhound Australia - About Us website here
9. ↑ 1927 Newspaper: "Trove, National Library of Australia"
   The Eastern Recorder (Kellerberrin, WA : 1909 - 1954), Fri 14 Oct 1927, Page 6 : Through Central Australia.
   Trove Article (accessed 27 February 2023)
10. ↑ 1929 Newspaper: "Trove, National Library of Australia"
    The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Wed 17 Jul 1929, Page 1 : MR A. A. WITHERS DIES
    Trove Article (accessed 27 February 2023)
11. ↑ Victoria State Government, Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria. Link to search page : accessed 27 Feb 2023). Death of Albert Arthur Withers Registration number 11275 / 1929.

    Father	Samuel Edward Withers
    Mother	Anastasia Splain
    Registration	11275 / 1929
    Death Date	1929
    Death Place	Moonee Ponds

12. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (no image)
    Find A Grave: Memorial #193614081 (accessed 27 February 2023)
    Memorial page for Albert Arthur Withers (1862-Jul 1929), citing Fawkner Memorial Park, Fawkner, Moreland City, Victoria, Australia (plot: Meth D 825); Maintained by Marion Gaylard (contributor 47812041).

• Source: S-2076294071 Repository: #R-2141495692 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Note: This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. Page: Ancestry Family Trees Note: Data: Text: http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=25172796&pid=507
• Repository: R-2141495692 Name: Ancestry.com.au Address: http://www.Ancestry.com.au Note:
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/193614081/albert-arthur-withers

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Timothy Baxter for creating WikiTree profile Withers-559 through the import of Tim Baxter Family Tree.ged on Apr 23, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Timothy and others.