Patton Family Australia

 

Our Patton Family has a long history in Australia, starting with the arrival of William Patton in Australia in 1846, prior to the Federation of Australia in 1901, before the acceptance of the The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (indeed many family members voted in the series of referendums held at this time) and before the birth of this Great Nation, Australia.

William Patton (son of Robert, grandson of William) was born on 22 Sep 1828 in Kirkwall & St Ola, Mainland, Orkney Islands, Scotland, was christened on 28 Sep 1828 in Kirkwall & St Ola, Mainland, Orkney Islands, Scotland, and died on 17 Dec 1909 in Wandong, Victoria, Australia at age 81.

 

William’s father Robert was a “Writer To The Signet” (1797 – 1869, Solicitor), his Grand-Father William was a Baker in Kirkwall. His Grand-Mother was Annie Sinclair.

William’s youngest brother Edward (1845-1877) traveled to San Franciso where he was killed,

William’s youngest sister Agnes Burns Patton (1847 – 1937) married William Steell (1836 – 1917, Architect) & the son of the renowned Scottish Sculptor Sir John Robert Steell.

 

Residents of Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands north of Scotland have always had an affinity with the sea, so it is hardly surprising that William Patton ran away to sea.

The Patton Family were actually a wealthy family linked to the aristocracy of Edinburgh in Scotland. Regular movement between Edinburgh and the Orkney Islands was common, especially in the summer months.

Family tradition insists that he became a cabin boy aboard a ship, travelled to America and it was there that he was “pressganged” pressed into service for a year aboard a whaling ship. When the ship docked in Hobart, Tasmania William was able to obtain his freedom and with the lure of gold eventually made his way to Port Phillip on January 27, 1846 (Victoria). At the time Port Phillip was part of New South Wales as this was prior to Federation.

This was 9 years before the birth in 1854 of Edward “Ned” Kelly the notorious Victorian Bushranger. And 34 years before he was hanged at the Old Melbourne Gaol on the 11 November 1880 at 25 years of age.

The Rev. William Copeland married the 25 year old William and recently widowed Charlotte Palethorpe (nee Stafford) at his tent or cabin near where, on that very day December 20 1853, Governor Charles Joseph Latrobe was turning the first sod for the construction of the Yan Yean Reservoir.

 

The marriage certificate records that the ceremony took place at Castle Hill, Upper Plenty.  Thomas Palethorpe, Charlotte’s first husband had died 8 months earlier.

Nearby Whittlesea was surveyed but not as yet named and ‘Castle Hill’ referred to a minature fortress of wattle and daub built by mistake by two servants of John Bear.

Charlotte and William lived in Glenvale until 1870 when they moved to Dry Creek or Morphetts (a man by the name of F.G.Arkell suggested the title of Wandong for this area, and it was in 1876 that the railway station and post office were provided under this name.) where William worked on railway construction. William selected land on the Western side of the roadway, near the junction of the railway line with Magpie and Stump Road just south of the present Wandong store, and began the struggle to effect sufficient improvements to qualify for title.

His three sons Robert, William and Charles all worked in the forest splitting palings while William SNR built the first store (for F.G.Arkell) in Wandong.  The location is shown as [24] on the following town plan of Wandong.

 

 

Later he helped in the construction of the Comet Sawmill and Village. Both Robert and William JNR operated trucks on the timber tramway, a skilled and sometimes hazardous occupation. Towards the turn of the century traffic through Wallan was either horse or Bullock-drawn, with the occassional steam engine.

Edward John Butler recalls that “in the early 1920s he helped Fred Minchin break in bullocks for the team he used to cart firewood timber to Patton’s mill at the Wallan railway station….” the author goes on to describe the general Wandong township….. “The township centred on the railway station. On the western side, The Terra-Cotta Lumber works occupied the space between the railway reserve and the main road”.

An additional structure on this site was an early store (Jackson’s)….. today it is the residence of John and Joseph Davern.

Across the road from the lumber works was Ryan’s store, which was built by William Patton (perhaps it was originally the one built for Arkell)…..” All five surviving children of Charlotte and William married.

 

Some interesting events in William’s life were:

• Arrival: Stratheden, 27 Jan 1846, Port Phillip Bay, Australia.  It is believed that William may have either worked his passage or purchased a ticket aboard the Stratheden from Hobart to Port Phillip.

Stratheden arrived Port Phillip 27 Jan for newspaper report 29 Jan, barque, 429 tons, Bruton master, from Hobart 12 Jan, Passengers J Wemyss Manley Esq., Steerage Mrs Bradley and 3 chn, James Worthing and wife, James Seaton, John Mitchell, and 50 Pentonville exiles under the supervision of Dr H Baker,
RN Jan 1846 Reported Sydney Shipping Gazette Volume 3, Number 99 (7 February, 1846) page 39.

Arrival January 27, Stratheden, barque, 431 tons, Hunter master, from Hobart Town. Passengers JW Manley Esq, fifty men from the Pentonville Prison, four privates and one corporal of the 99th Regiment; seven in the steerage.

Source – http://www.oocities.org/vic1847/ship46.html?201714

• Residence: 1900, Victoria, Australia.

• Residence: 1903, Wandong, Mernda, Victoria, Australia.

William married Charlotte STAFFORD, daughter of Thomas Leonard STAFFORD  and Sarah MEWKILL, on 20 Dec 1853 in Castle Hill, Upper Plenty, Victoria. Charlotte was born on 8 Jun 1828 in Whissendine, Rutland, England, died on 10 Apr 1917 in Kilmore, Victoria, Australia at age 88, and was buried in Kilmore, Victoria, Australia.

Charlotte Patton (nee Stafford)

Charlotte Patton (nee Stafford)

 

William & Charlotte’s children, grand-children & great-grandchildren attended the Upper Plenty School and many descendants still live in the area.

 

 

TO READ MORE ABOUT OUR FAMILY HISTORY CLICK ON THIS LINK

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Sources:

Wandong references:
Pretty Sally’s Hill: A History of Wallan, Wandong and Bylands – J W Payne. 160p. Illustrated. Index. Lowden Publishing Co. 1981. 0909706700

Tall Timber and Tramlines: An Introduction to Victoria’s Timber Tramway Era – Light Railway Research Society. 60p. Illustrations. Maps. Light Railway Research Society. Surrey Hills, Victoria. 1974. Contains excellent photographs of the huge saw milling operations at and near Wandong.

The Plenty: A Centenary History of the Whittlesea Shire – J W Payne. 234p Illustrated. Index. Lowden Publishing Co. 1975. 0909706433. A massive historical project, based on materials of the J W Payne collection now held in the Lalor Library.

Other References:
Personal interviews, actual historical documentation, microfische research & investigations by Gary Ian Patton (1962-).

Other Contributors:
Christine Sommerville (nee Daffy)(1952-2009) & Doug Hutchinson (1940-1995), Lindy Cox, Anne Ranse, Marian Patton & E. Bromilow

 

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