I will now endeavour to record the little I can of my grandfather of whom I have never seen as Charles had passed from this life on the 15th December 1927, eleven years before I was born.
Charles Williams was born at Cheltenham 3.00am, July 3rd 1855.
At the age of two together with his parents and other members of the family, left their home at Cheltenham aboard their bullock dray and made their way across the ranges to their allotted land at Callington.
It was here near Callington, that Charles Williams was brought up during his years of childhood.
Charles received his schooling at the Callington school, at what year he left school we do not know, but Charles was 11yrs of age when his father received his fatal injuries. After his father's death he remained on the farm helping his mother until the year 1878 when the farm was sold Elizabeth moved to Fullarton.
It was then that Charles was to find work in the mid north of the state as a farm labourer, and while in the Hamley Bridge area that he was to meet and then to marry the daughter of a farmer , Emma Bartlett. The marriage took place in the home of Emma's parents at Stockyard Creek on July 1883, witnesses being G.H.Williams (Brother of the groom) and Thomas Bartlett, (Father of the bride).
My grandfather Charles was to begin employment with the S.A. railways on 3/5/1887, in the Quorn area, as a maintenance worker and it was in this work that he was to spend the rest of his working life.
Charles and Emma as a result of this occupation were required to move to different parts of the state, living mostly in railway cottages on the side of the rail road tracks.
Charles and Emma started their married life at Dalkeith (A council locality name) about 3 miles from Balaklava, then moving to the Quorn area, Brinkworth, Dry Creek, Sutherlands, arriving at Sutherlands in 1904. It was here at Sutherlands two years later that my father was born, being the youngest in the family and where the young Williams family attended school.
From here they moved to Lyndoch, then last of all to Nuriootpa. Charles Williams in statue was about 5' 10" in height, said to have been a man of only a few words, even tempered and a likeable man, and said to be lacking the harshness of his father George.
I am unable to mention very much about my the personal interests of my grandfather but I do recall my Aunt Nell telling me of her father Charles "the railway man" often talking of the early labour movement.
My grandfather was afflicted with cancer, and it was this dreaded decease that eventually took his life.
My grandfather had to suffer with this terrible pain for well over twenty years, as this terrible disease gradually ate away at the side of his face, however out of all this he was not a man to complain, after much medical treatment and two operations all to no avail he passed away while in the Adelaide hospital on 15th December 1927, one year after he had retired from the railways.
Now lets go back to Williams history at Sutherlands, Charles and Emma after arriving at Sutherlands during 1904 were to spend 10 years in this area, although not in the same home, first they were to set up home in the old railway cottage, about two miles on the Morgan side of the township, a home that even in those days was regarded as of sub standard quality, the home was small and built of lime stone, with concrete floors and surrounded by mallee scrub, it was here that my father Roy was born.
The nearest nabours to the Williams at this place were the Theile family who were farmers on the other side of the line, and we are told the story of the Williams children going over to the Thiele home were Mrs Theile would hand out huge slabs of German cake.
I can just imagine my father being the youngest toddler in the family together with the other members of the family enjoying this treat.
Most of the inhabitants of this area were of German descent, the German language being freely spoken in these parts and even taught in the schools. Some of the older Williams children attended a German Sunday school.
Charles was his home with water by means of a small red tank on the side of the rail track, relying on the Morgan train stopping on the side of the railway line each day to refill each fresh supplies of water. It was from here that Grandmother would take the water for the house hold use. Gran would boil the clothes in kerosene buckets on an open fire outside, so this was the type of life my grand parents were to endure.
This were the times when Charles and Emma would have seen the common sight of men carying their swags, many heading towards the river in search of work, some calling in for hand outs.
Grandfather as a maintenance worker used to travel along the line in this area by means of a three wheel tricycle worked manually the type commonly used by railway men at the time.
It was in the year 1910 that new railway cottages were built in the small township of Sutherlands and it was into one of these new homes, clean wooded floors and near to the school that the Williams family was now to move. The children were now even able to boast of coming home for lunch. It was four years later that Charles received notice from the railways of a shift to Lyndoch, that almost broke the heart of Gran, it was said the tears ran down her cheeks as she saw the old dirty home that they were to move into.
It was during their time at Lyndoch, on the 4th August 1914, that war was declared, an event that two of their sons to Europe in the Australian forces, on their return their eldest son George (So named after his grandfather) was to suffer permanent disability as a result of contact with the poison gas used in the conflict.
Charles and Emma did not stay long in their home in Lyndoch but in May 1917 moved to 5th street Nuriootpa where Charles had purchased his own home together with a number of adjoining allotments which I understand where resold for thirty pounds each which enabled him to pay of the homestead allotment. It was here that my Grandparents lived their last days in retirement after resigning from the railways on the 13/3/1926.
I can well remember although young in years the time when we would visit Gran. I recall the cellar along side Gran's home and how dad would take down there to fossick through the old things that were stored there. I remember the old gas lamps that dad allowed us to take home and how I tied this old lamp onto my peddle car, the Rosella parrot that gran had in the little round cage near the door, which us children after gran's death brought home. To my disappointment while at uncle Fred's on holidays it died on my 10th birthday. I recall the little white silky hens and cocky little bantams that gran had in the fenced of yard at the bach of the block. I am sure that gran would have known each one by name.
It was my elder sister Betty, who reminded me of the old gramophone that gran had and that us children used to play, also the jar of boiled lollies that she always kept in the kitchen cupboard for the grand children who came to visit, and of the jar where she kept the three pence pieces which she gave to us children who ran the errands, (The jar is still kept by my sister Betty) my sister recalls grans favourite dish, mashed potatoes, and of her black silk coat she wore when she went each fortnight to collect the pension cheque from the post office. Betty tells the story of sneaking into grans bedroom to see the large collection of hankies that gran kept in her draw, and of Johnson the baker from Angaston calling delivering lovely fresh buns.
This was the home at Nuriootpa where gran was to finish her days for on the 20th July 1945 at the age of 83yrs she passed peacefully away as a result of heart failure while being held by her daughter Ruby and son Fred. She was laid in her husband's grave at Cheltenham on the 23rd July 1945.
Children from this union where:
Edith May (Mrs Hymphrys), Eva Annie (Mrs Thiele & later Mrs Heidrich), George Bartlett,
Fred Stanley, Ruby Ethel (Mrs John), Nellie Gertrude (Mrs Herbst),
Emma Florence (Mrs Fritzpatrick), Roy.
C
Charles Williams. 3/7/1855 - 15/12/1927
