B60 - Joseph Walker & family, 1843

Joseph Walker was born in Darley, Yorkshire, England on 22 Aug. 1843, the 8th child of Thomas and Ann (born Swale) Walker.

Joseph attended the Quaker Boarding School at Rawden from 1852 to 1856 with his brother Charles. It is believed that they were sent to school at such a young age because their father died in 1851, and the reason they went to Rawden was possibly because their uncle, John Walker, lived there. In 1856 Joseph was sent to the Friends Boarding School at Ackworth, where he remained until 1858. When his father died in 1851, Joseph inherited, as "Tenants in Common" with his brother Charles, "Hanging Slade" farm of Hampthwaite Parish. By 1861 Joseph was living with his cousin Benjamin at Hay-a-Park. When he reached age 21, in 1864, he and Charles sold Hanging Slade farm and went to Canada to join their 2 older brothers, Thomas and Spence and sister, Sarah. However, when they arrived in the U.S.A. Joseph decided to take an extended tour through out the States of Illinois and Wisconsin, travelling to many towns and villages by train, boat, horse and mostly on foot. A partial copy of his journal (or letter) is attached to this biography, in which he describes many of his experiences. From this it is known that he was in Illinois in Nov. 1864. Following this journey he traveled on up to the Norwich area in Ontario, Canada, which was then known as "Canada West", to join his brothers. By March 1865 Joseph had started work for Henry Sutton for a period of seven month's at $19 per month. He describes his work in a diary, (presently in the possession of Adrian Walker of Australia) as follows:- cutting and splitting wood, tapping trees for sap, boiling the sap for sugar and ploughing oat stubble; often in temperatures around zero degrees.

On 16 May 1866 Joseph attended his sister Sarah's wedding in Norwich as verified by his signature on the wedding certificate, and was back in England by Aug. 1866 as he signed an Indenture (attached), in the City of York, in England on the 23 Aug. 1866, for the sale of land to his brother. The Indenture reads in part:- ...made the 23 Aug. 1866 between Joseph Walker of Ellenthorpe Hall, in the North Riding of the County of York .... and Thomas Walker of North Norwich Township, Canada Province... for the sum of $4300 ... one hundred acres, the north half of Lot 4, concession 1, of said Township. The York Monthly Meeting Membership records show that he renewed his membership on 13 Mar. 1867, as a farmer at Ellenthorpe Hall, near Boroughbridge, where his mother, one or two sisters,(probably Rachel and Elizabeth), and his eldest brother, Robert, were now living. Jessie Walker (daughter of Joseph's brother Thomas) reports in her "Family History" of 1939:- " Joseph's intention was to return to England to get married and bring his bride out to Canada. However, owing to health problems and the very harsh Canadian winters, they decided to remain in England".

On 16 Apr. 1868 Joseph married Sarah Ellen Webster at the Friends Meeting House in Harrogate, Yorkshire. Sarah Ellen was born in Poynton (Manchester), Cheshire, England on 20 July, 1839, daughter of John and Rachel Ann (born Wetherall) Webster of Storthwaite in Wensleydale. It would appear that Sarah was already a close friend of the Walker family as she signed Elizabeth Jane Walker's Will, as a Witness, in Jan. 1864. Elizabeth was a daughter of Joseph’s uncle Benjamin (1799). Sarah Ellen had an older brother, John and a younger sister, Emma who later married Joseph's cousin, Edwin Walker. Sarah Ellen attended Ackworth School from 1851 to 1854. The Ackworth School records show her mother as deceased at the time Sarah was attending. According to the Quaker York Monthly Meeting records Sarah Ellen went, as a servant in 1860, to live with Benjamin Walker (1837), Joseph’s cousin, at Darley and was still with him in 1862 when he removed to Hay-a-Park. She remained with Benjamin until her marriage to Joseph.

After their marriage Joseph and Sarah Ellen took up a 21 year lease on Poplars Farm (256acres) on the Hay-a-Park Estates, located near Ferrensby, just a short distance north of Castle Farm (279 acres) where Joseph's cousin Benjamin Walker (1837) had lived from June 1861. The Estate belonged to the Trustees of Lady Hewley's Charity. The properties of this Estate, some 9 farms were eventually sold by The Trustees on 17 Oct. 1918, by auction. It is known that Joseph and Sarah were still at The Poplars in 1881 as recorded by the Census Returns of that date. Joseph was a progressive farmer. He became a life member of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. His interest in soil fertilization resulted in a visit to Rothamstead, where John Bennet Laws was using animal charcoal treated with sulfuric acid, as a fertilizer. Laws patented "artificial manure" made from treating rock phosphate with sulfuric acid. Joseph was later to use this type of fertilizer on his farm in Australia.

Joseph and Sarah Ellen had 5 children, all born at The Poplars:-

With the exception of Robert see separate biographies for the children.

In 1883 Joseph and his family left the Poplars and moved to Ulley Hall near Rotherham, see below. This is authenticated by York Monthly Meeting Membership records which state:- Membership dissolved by Certificate to Balby Monthly Mtg. on 12 Sept. 1883. Shortly after this move Sarah Ellen's health began to deteriorate until finally the Doctor suggested a warmer climate. On 20 Mar. 1884 the farming stock and other effects were sold by auction and the family prepared to emigrate to Australia. A Sale Catalogue, which reads in part, "Messrs. Storing & Turner have received instructions from Mr. J. Walker who is giving up the above farm", lists the lots to be auctioned. Among these were 8 carts and 11 collars and a variety of implements including ploughs, seed drills, a winnowing machine, turnip cutters and slicers. Livestock sold comprised 180 sheep, 33 beasts, 18 horses, 12 pigs and 24 fowls.

On 30 Apr.1884 Joseph and Sarah Ellen, their five children and a Governess, Miss A. Stockdale, set sail from London on the S.S. Garonne out of Plymouth. An account of the trip was recorded by Emily, in her diary. She writes on the 10th June, "Dear Papa hurt his back very badly. He was up on deck before breakfast and looking landward when an outsized wave washed over the deck and knocked Papa down hurting his back against the side of the vessel. It was a great mercy he was caught in the rigging; I think it was which saved him from being washed overboard".

Upon arrival in Melbourne, or rather Williamstown, the family was met by Uncle Joseph Webster & Aunt Mary Ann, who, as stated by Emily in her diary, took them to their home at "Mayfield" to dinner. Joseph found a house for them at 558 Inkerman Road, Caulfield, Victoria until they were able to move to a dry hill farm at Gembrook. Joseph's sons, John and Frank, helped their father on the farm and the younger children attended the Gembrook School (the original building still stands and is now used as the Upper Pakenham Church Hall). Not only was the farm a disappointment but Sarah Ellen died of consumption (Tuberculos­is) on 8 Mar. 1886, at age 47 (for verification of this date see attached copy of Joseph's marriage to his 2nd wife, Charlotte). Joseph had paid a Specialist from Melbourne a hundred pounds to come to examine Sarah. The Doctor travelled by train to Pakenham where Joseph met him and took him to Gembrook by buggy. On seeing Sarah's condition the Doctor said there was nothing that he could do for her. She was buried at Pakenham cemetery.

Following Sarah Ellen's death Joseph began looking for a better farm. Through Mirboo, Mardan and Leongatha areas many settlers were cutting their first scrub and living in tents and bark huts. At Middle Creek he saw "Riverdale" for which James Champ was asking 6 pounds an acre, for 260 acres. Champ had fulfilled the Government conditions of putting up a boundary fence and sowing 3 acres of pasture. His title was dated 1879. He had been living there for almost ten years. Most of the boundary fence was dog-leg, chock and log consisting of about 20 chains of post and wire. One post, split out of a 12 inch messmate, was later taken out of the ground after 60 years. In addition to this Joseph also purchased about 90 acres of land from a neighbouring "Block Holder" to bring the total to 350 acres. White gum spars were so thick on "Riverdale" that it was impossible to fire a rifle bullet from the house to the outer boundary, a distance of five hundred yards. Paddy melon (small Wallaby) could be shot for dog tucker within two hundred yards of the house.

On New Years Day of 1887 Joseph and his son John arrived at Yinnar, in a spring cart pulled by one horse, after a trip of 3 days, from Gembrook. One day, a couple of years later, when Emily had been visiting Melbourne Meeting, she brought home with her a young English woman, Charlotte Edmunds. A short time later, on 19 Mar. 1890, Joseph and Charlotte were married at the Friends Meeting House in Melbourne. Charlotte was born on 17 May, 1862, the 4th child of Thomas (1831-1880) and Rebecca (1834-1925, born Hallett) Edmunds, in Tottenham, London, England. She later trained as a Nurse in Cornwall. In later years she became known as "Lottie" and was often referred to, as such, by Maria Walker of York in her letters to cousins in Canada. It would appear that a relatively short time later Emily went to live in Melbourne, John and Frank went west to look for gold and Nellie (age 13) was sent to Friends' School in Hobart, Tasmania, leaving Robert who was just 17, at home to help his father on the farm. A few years later Robert also left home to follow his older brothers to the gold fields in West Australia. Unfortunately he contacted Enteric Fever and died on 4 Sept. 1896, and was buried in the Boulder cemetery near Kalgoolie, West Australia.

Joseph and Charlotte had 6 children all born at Riverdale:-

Eric died of diphtheria at the very early age of 12 years.

See biographies for Charles & family Biog 107, also Martin & family Biog 106 and Robert & family.

In the early 1890's there was a severe depression in Australia. Vegetables were scarce in Melbourne, so with the addition of dissolved bone on the alluvial flats, bumper crops of cabbages were grown. They were packed into 4 bushel sacks and taken by wagon up through the bush to Whitelaws Track, thence to the Yinnar Station. With a herd of 35 cows, pigs and poultry, an orchard and a vegetable garden, Joseph decided to turn to dairying. Up till 1895 grass, oats and lucerne had been cut with scythes and put into sheds with hand rakes, horse and sledge. In 1896 a mower and horse rake were first used. Unfortunately, on a hot summer day in 1897, the wood and clay chimney of the original house caught fire and burned to the ground. Neighbours were wonderful in helping out with supplies of food, kitchenware and other things. Business Friends in Morwell raised the sum of sixteen pounds by subscription to help. It was not until long afterwards that a receipt turned up among old papers showing that the money had been paid to the Gippsland Base Hospital in Sale. As funds were low Margaret Ellen (known as Nellie) was recalled from school and the 2 boys, John and Frank returned from the West to help out.

Sometime later Joseph bought a ridging plough and a scarifier from England. In 1908 he purchased an eleven coulter grain drill and a 3 furrow disc plough. By 1911 he had an L.K.G. milking machine and a six Horsepower Hornsby petrol engine to operate it. However, it was a heavy task to carry the milk of 2 cows to the separator vat, so in 1917 a Ridd Pipe Line Plant was installed that greatly simplified the process. By 1923 the first tractor appeared at Riverdale, a steel wheeled Fordson.

Joseph Walker died on 30 Dec. 1925, at age 82, at Riverdale farm. He left his wife, Charlotte, what is known in Australia, as a "Life Tenant" to Riverdale (the right to live there for the rest of her life). After Joseph's death his two sons, Martin and Charles, worked Riverdale as a partnership with their mother. The farm continued to prosper on through the 1930's under their management.

On 17 May, 1935 Charlotte Edmunds died, at age 73. Upon her death the farm was sold to Martin and Charles and the proceeds were divided equally among Joseph's children. In 1940 the farm was divided between Martin and Charles. Martin's portion remained as "Riverdale" and Charles' portion was renamed "Drumrossie".

By:- R.B. Walker Eng. & H.L. Walker, Can., - Rev.- 28 June, 2003