| A genealogical presentation of the life and times of the ancestors and descendants of William Henry Mathews (1880 – 1964) and his wife Sarah Louisa Florence Mitchell (1889 – 1972). |
| THE MATHEWS FAMILY LINEAGE |
| William Henry MATHEWS (1880 – 1964) William was born at 110 Nelson Road, Emerald Hill in 1880, second child to James Henry Alexander MATHEWS and Emma Rising GODDEN (1858 – 1946). It was the time when Emerald Hill, later to be named South Melbourne in 1883, was the trading hub and marketplace of Melbourne. William’s grandfather was one of Clarendon Street's earliest traders being a pianoforte manufacturer and tuner, his father likewise. William's mother was a milliner. William and his elder sister Emma Grace (1878 – 1993) attended State School No 2814 in Richardson Street, South Melbourne with William displaying an aptitude for study. He also spent time with his father in his workshop learning the fundamentals of piano manufacture and tuning. However, he clearly never aspired to be an artisan like his forefathers. He was nevertheless given a secondary school education at the prestigious Hawthorn College in Oxley Road Auburn, where music was listed as a priority in the curriculum. |
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William matriculated at Hawthorn College gaining a first prize in English. His other subjects included Mathematics and Science but NOT music. This was a commendable achievement given the traumatic death of his beloved sister Emma three years earlier and the move back to the family’s South Melbourne residence during his final years’ exams. |
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Grief was not new to William, having experienced the sadness of his grandfather Mathews’ death in 1890 at the age of 10. The death of his sister three years later was heartbreaking, but when this was compounded by the passing of his Godden grandparents in February 1895 (Daniel) and October 1896 (Susannah), William was devastated. BUT, what shook him to his absolute core was the sudden death of his father on the 28th of December 1896. At the age of 17, William was the only male remaining in the Mathews family, and apart from his mother his only relatives were 43-year-old auntie Alice (his father’s Canadian born elder sister; now Mrs Baskin-Rutherford) and her 15-year-old daughter Ada Lily Baskin. That number reduced to two when Aunt Alice died in 1901. William and his mother were now presented with a difficult decision in relation to the family's business. The competition in the trade was now quite fierce and William knew he did not have the skill or the expertise to make a go of it. He decided to walk away and successfully applied for a position with the Melbourne Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) [1] as an apprentice bookkeeper. This meant selling 108 Nelson Road and the liquidation of several expensive showroom pianos. |
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In 1899, William and his mother moved next door to 110 Nelson Road, then in 1901, when auntie Alice died, his nineteen-year-old cousin Ada Baskin joined them. Ada's mother (William's auntie Alice) had been a canny tradeswoman during her life - being twice married, first to a draper, then to a grocer. During this time she had accumulated significant assets in the form of a property at 53 York Street St Kilda West and blocks of land in Coburg. As was her wish, William’s mother was nominated as the executrix of her will which bequeathed an equal share of her York Street property called Roma to her sister-in-law Emma and her daughter Ada. The Coburg land lots were solely Ada's upon her coming of age. In 1905, when Ada qualified as a teacher and was posted to Wallup State School [2], 110 Nelson Road was sold and William and his mother relocated to 53 York Street. William quickly progressed at the MMBW, and with on-the-job training, took up responsibilities in the accountancy department. These skills became particularly useful when his cousin Ada died unexpectedly in 1908, leaving his mother as the beneficiary of Ada’s estate. William now became his mother’s bookkeeper, accountant, and property manager. This was the first of many moves for William, the next being necessitated by the interior renovation of York Street. Whilst his mother took up a lease at 16 Service Crescent Albert Park, William leased a property at 39 Fawkner Street South Yarra [3]. On 17th March 1909, twenty-nine-year-old William married nineteen-year-old Sara Louisa Florence MITCHELL (1889 – 1972), the fourth daughter of the late Marshall and Annie (nee COWEN), the ceremony held at 138 Greville Street Prahran, the home of Wellesley Russell Harris (the bride's brother-in-law). |
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They took up residence at 39 Fawkner Street South Yarra and it was here that their first child, William John “Jack” was born on the 30th of November 1909. |
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In 1910 William, Florence, and baby Jack moved into their refurbished York Street residence [4] and on May 11th of the following year their second son Russell Alexander was born. |
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The family’s time at York Street was short, deciding to place the property on the rental market. |
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Their next move was to 7 Docker Street Elwood [5], a similar style of property to York Street but with three bedrooms. Space enough for the arrival of their third child, Oliver Wellesley on April 1st, 1916. |
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It would seem that William had inherited his family's nomadic genes, for whilst he had achieved a very responsible and secure position at the Board of Works, his passion for property speculation resulted in yet another residential shift in 1921. Putting their Elwood residence on the rental market, William purchased a duplex at 92A and B Lewisham Road, Prahran Gardens [6] (renumbered 101 in 1924), a shop in Ormond Road, Elwood, and a country retreat in Daylesford; Elwood and Daylesford being placed on the rental market. During this period William also became keenly interested in the stock exchange, quickly creating a portfolio of profitable industrial shares. |
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1926 saw the family’s final move to St Kilda West, purchasing St Helens at 2 Church Square [7]. |
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This move coincided with their 14-year-old son Russell winning an entrance scholarship to Caulfield Grammar School in Balaclava to join his older brother Jack. |
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William and Florence had a very active lifestyle. William particularly focused on civil and financial matters. |
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Florence, besides raising three children, was a socialite with a keen interest in civic affairs. In 1934, along with fellow ladies of her weekly bridge group, she formed The Florence Nightingale Club, becoming its inaugural president. |
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In April 1935 William, after 35 years employment, took long-service leave and he and Florence embarked on a voyage to England and Europe. William could not commence his leave until the end of May, so Florence, together with her Florence Nightingale Club secretary Mrs H Creaser, set sail aboard SS Orsova on the 2nd of April 1935. William sailed the following month on the SS Balranald, a voyage which took in the ports of Adelaide, Fremantle, Colombo, Aden, Port Said and Malta before arriving [8] in Tilbury, London on the 20th of June. Based at the Imperial Hotel in Russell Square, London, the couple toured the United Kingdom and Europe for four months before returning home [9] via Fremantle aboard SS Bendigo. Florence continued her fund-raising efforts until 1937, when after three years as president she stood down citing poor health. |
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With his sixtieth birthday imminent, William considered retirement, but the outbreak of World War II changed his plans, classifying his position as an essential service employee. |
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William's service with the Board of Works ceased after the war but the 66-year-old kept busy administering his share portfolio and managing the family's considerable rental properties. For Florence, a quieter life was not an option. The arrival of their first grandson Russell Howard, on February 25th, 1941 to son Russell Alexander and his wife Freda (nee McGill) was greeted joyously but was soon balanced by the grief of the tragic death of child's mother nine months later. Florence became “Mother” to young Russell Jnr., a situation that extended through to his adulthood. William and Florence had five more grandchildren, twin girls, and a boy to Oliver; a son to William; and a second boy to Russell. Unfortunately, none of these children experienced a close relationship with their grandparents. At 80, William still managed to drive his beloved Vauxhall Cresta motor car to collect his monthly rents, whilst tuning the odd piano for family and friends. His death on the 11th of July 1964 was sudden and unexpected. Florence, although in poor health, survived him by another eight years. |
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