Thomas Flitcroft & Robert

Retired Farmer and his son

Job and Jane Flitcroft – Immigrants

Advertisements for the sale of the cottage and property at 3 River Street have not been found, but on 26 March 1923, No A929461 transferred from Mary Ann McCooey to Thomas Flitcroft. The Certificate of Title was produced and entered on 2 May 1923.

Thomas Flitcroft was the son of Job Flitcroft (parents William and Ann) and Jane Johnson (parents Richard and Fanny [or Frances] Whitfield). Job was born in Lancashire England in 1826 and Jane was born in 1824. Job aged 27 yrs and Jane aged 29 yrs immigrated to New South Wales arriving on 28 April 1853, on the ship the ‘Fortune’ with three children : George aged 5yrs, Fanny aged 3yrs and Thomas aged 5months.

The immigration record states Job was a farm labourer but it seems he had great skill with cattle as evidenced in an obituary of Ebb Cole from Jambaroo on the NSW South Coast who was a former employer of Job; ‘An old servant of the Cole’s named Job Flitcroft, had been at the cattle game in England, and he became their tutor.’ ¹

Jane Flitcroft died in 1883 and Job in 1891 both in the Kiama district. In addition to the three children who travelled with them to New South Wales there are registrations for another seven children. It includes what appears to be a triplets in 1861 who all died.

1. George 1848 – 1927
2. Fanny [Francis] 1849 – 1920
3. Thomas 1852 – 1925
4. James 1855 – 1926
5. Peter 1857 -1933
6. Sarah Ann 1858 – 1938
7. Female 1861 d 1861
8. Male 1861 d 1861
9. Male 1861 d 1861
10. Job 1862 – 1936

George remained on the South Coast and died at his residence at Albion Park in 1927, Frances moved north and married Duncan Cameron of Woodford Island and died in 1920 at South Lismore, Thomas died in 1925 at Yamba, James died in Granville in 1926, Peter died at his farm ‘Elvastock’ in Campbelltown in 1933, Sara Ann died in 1938 at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney and was ‘late of Lismore, and Job (Jnr) in 1936 in Brisbane.

The obituaries and death notices for the Flitcroft family of Thomas tells us a little about them, the family with many links to dairy farming and cattle breeding like their father Job.

Thomas Flitcroft & Jesse Amos

Thomas Flitcroft was born on 1 October 1852 in Lancashire England, his obituary tell us that ‘when a lad [he] came to the Clarence under engagement to the late Charles Munro of ‘Barnsdale’ Woodford Dale, and followed the various pursuits of farming for several years.’ ²

Woodford Island is the largest island in the Clarence River system with its own mountain range and nature reserves, it was originally named ‘Small Island’ after the family of John and Thomas Small original settlers and cedar-getters.

The farm known as ‘Barnsdale’ is in Woodford Dale on Woodfood Island. It is linked to Thomas Flitcroft’s farming life not only when he was young and found employment there and later in life became his farm. The obituary of Charles Munro in 1878 tells us about the history of the Munro’s and the farm ‘Barnsdale’, when his son Hugh Munro died in 1930 his obituary builds on that history and Woodford Island farms. The fact that Job Flitcroft skill with cattle and dairy farming was highly valued, it appears this knowledge was passed to his sons including Thomas who also was employed by Charles Munro. The Munro’s were also dairy and cattle farmers of Woodford Island and the Clarence River area.

On 1 October 1889 he married Jesse Amos. Jesse Amos was born in Maitland on 28 June 1885, the daughter of Robert Amos (born 26 August 1822 in Humbie, East Lothian, Scotland) and Euphemia Munro who was the daughter of Charles Munro and sister to Hugh Munro. This further explains the ongoing connection of Thomas Flitcroft to ‘Barnsdale’ at Woodford Dale. The map below indicates where the family of Jesse Amos and her mother’s Munro family had their farms. Robert Amos also had land adjoining the Munro’s at Woodford Dale but it was Hugh Munro who had the ‘Barnsdale’ farmhouse.

Of significance later in regards to the cottage in Yamba are the children of Robert Amos and Euphemia Amos nee Munro, the siblings of Jesse. There were ten children:

1. Jesse 1855 – 1926
2. Margaret 1857 – 1921
3. Catherine Elizabeth 1859 – 1942
4. Sarah Ann 1862 – 1926
5. Robert 1864 – 1961
6. Charles Alexander 1868 – 1916
7. Samuel 1870 – 1943
8. Christina Euphemia 1872 – 1957
9. Mary Ann 1895 – 1941
10. Florence Alexandria 1877 -1931

Sometime after they were married, Thomas and Jesse moved north to the Brunswick region and notes at the Mullumbimby Museum state; Next to Hocquard was Thomas Flitcroft (1852 Leigh, Lancashire – 1925 Woodford Island) who selected portion 131 (96ac) on 27 Sep 1883. He landed with his parents Job and Jane in 1853, and while they remained at Kiama he made his way to Woodford Island around 1870. From there he joined the gold rush to the Brunswick, managing to survive through to 1892 when he sold up and formally selected adjacent portion 121 (198ac) on 30 Nov 1892. But he quickly decided he’d had enough of felling and clearing and returned to Woodford with the wherewithal to acquire his original employee’s property. But he forfeited portion 121 and in May 1896 the Sheriff sold it from under him. Around 1909/10 his brother-in-law Robert Amos came from Woodford to acquire a 220ac property near Tyagarah Railway Station.³

Jesse Amos mother died in 1921 and there were obituaries and an article referring to the Pioneers Robert and Euphemia Amos, of note is that Robert Amos went to Sydney in December 1906, 15 years before the death of Euphemia and never returned.

The obituary of Job Flitcroft indicates his close ties with his brother Thomas in farming in the Myocum/Brunswick region. Thomas took up land in the Brunswick region and in 1891 we find his name and land mentioned in relation to resumed land. In 1895 it seems Thomas was in difficulties in relation to a default payment of a mortgage with the land being sold by the bank to cover the default.

It is some time after this that Thomas and Jesse returned to Woodford Dale and farming there. In 1910 when his brother Job finally left the Mullumbimby area for Brisbane.

Thomas Flitcroft was also a well known cattle judge and was nominated in 1911 to judge cattle for the Lower Clarence Agricultural Society.

Thomas and Jesse Flitcroft had one son, Robert Alexander Flitcroft who was born 14 October 1890 at the farm at Roberts Creek, Woodford Island. On 16 August 1916 Robert married Beatrice Vivian Watts. They had four children:

1. Kelvin Lance ‘Dick’ 1918 – 1980
2. John Robert 1921 – 1921
3. William ‘Billy’ John 1925 – 1932
4. Donald Alex 1932 – 2015

Bert Flitcroft like his father was acknowledged in the newspaper article below as having ‘some of the best cattle on the Clarence’ as well as being a ‘progressive farmer, with an up-to-date soli, feed stalls, top-dressed paddocks, etc., and has developed a herd that is a distinct credit to hie enterprise.’ ⁴ There was also a small article about an unusual magpie nest he came across.

Children of Beat & Bert Flitcroft

Dick Flitcroft was involved with the local Grafton aerial club learning to fly there in the 1930’s and then enlisting in the RAAF in WWII.

Billy Flitcroft born on 22 April 1925 was just 7 years of age when he was helping his father on the farm in May 1932. Unfortunately he got too close to the charfcutter his father was operating and his clothes became entangled and he was killed.

Don Flitcroft died on 30 November 2015 in Maclean, his obituary was in the Daily Examiner on 4 December, 2015.

4 River Street, Yamba

An event that most likely influenced Thomas and Jesse Flitcroft to purchase the cottage at 3 River Street came about on 16 March 1907, when George Moore who had purchased the cottage at 4 River Street, Yamba from James Ryall sold his cottage to ‘Samuel Amos of Woodford Island Farmer’. Samuel was the brother of Jesse Flitcroft nee Amos. On 2 December 1930 the cottage transferred to ‘Mary Ann Amos and Florence Alexandria Amos of Yamba, Spinsters as joint tenants’. The two sisters took a mortgage out with Nellie Louise Conner on the property at this time. On 4 February, 1931 Florence Alexandria Amos died at the sisters cottage at 4 River Street. The Probate for her Estate was advertised and it appears Mary Ann was going to sell the cottage but withdrew it from sale on 14 November 1931.

The mortgage over the property was discharged on 14 June 1932. In the week before the 26 September, 1941 Mary Ann Amos died. Her small obituary tells that she continued to live in the cottage with her brother Alexander Amos. Her death resulted in the transference of the property to her brother ‘Samuel Amos of Bronte retired farmer’ as part of the administration of her Estate. The property was advertised in March 1943 at the same time as John Murphy advertised the sale of 3 River Street. The cottage was sold to ‘Elsie Maud Lattimer of Yamba, Married Woman’ on 31 March, 1943. On 29 June 1949 the property as transferred to ‘Beryl Wunderlich of Yamba’, then ‘Harold Woodford Lattimer of Yamba Pensioner’ on 25 October, 1963 at which time another mortgage was taken out of the property to ‘Olive Jean Collett of South Grafton’. This mortgage was discharged on 15 February 1966 before being transferred to ‘Beryl Wunderlich of Harris park, Widow’ on 17 February, 1969. On the 23 June, 1969 the property was sold to William James Thompson of Grafton⁵ who demolished the original cottage and built a new brick house. There are three photographs of the front of the original cottage taken from 3 River street in the early 1960’s.

3 River Street, Yamba

The fact that her brother had purchased the cottage at 4 River Street, Yamba and her two sisters were living there is what most likely influenced Thomas and Jesse to purchase the cottage next door at 3 River Street, Yamba on 26 March 1923. Thomas Flitcroft ‘Yamba Farmer’ purchased the cottage on River Street as he was retiring to Yamba. On 24 January 1924 the property transferred from Thomas to his son Robert Flitcroft of ‘Woodford Dale Farmer’ who retained the property until 16 June 1927.⁶

On the 22 of October 1925 Thomas Flitcroft of Yamba ‘Retired Farmer’ died, his wife Jesse died just a few moths later on 14 May 1925 ‘at her residence, Woodford Dale’ aged 70 years. It could be presumed the death of Thomas and Jesse was the catalyst for the sale of the cottage again in 1927.

John Murphy

References

1. _{Kiama Reporter and Illawarra Journal (NSW : 1899 – 1947), Wednesday 9 April 1930, page 2}
2. _{Daily Examiner (Grafton NSW) Saturday 31 October 1925, page 4}
3. _{Mullumbimby Museum: Early Settlement of Tyagarah and Ewingsdale PDF}
4. _{Daily Examiner (Grafton NSW) Friday 4 October 1932, page 4}
5. _{Certificate of Title Volume 1130 Folio 19 New South Wales Land Registry Services (NSW LRS)}
6. _{Certificate of Title Volume 1932 Folio 197 New South Wales Land Registry Services (NSW LRS)}