The Booth Family.
From Yorkshire to the Diggings.
ANN BOOTH AND WILLIAM CLARK.
WILLIAM CLARK was born on the 26th. October, 1845 in Hobart, Tasmania. Mother - MARY RUSSELL, Father - ALEXANDER CLARK (Superintendant of the New Wharf).
According to William's death certificate, he lived in Tasmania for 19 years and the remainder of his life in Victoria. This would mean that, about1864 William left Tasmania for Victoria where he was employed as a miner in Creswick.
On the 9th. February, 1871 William married ANN BOOTH in the Presbyterian Church, 54 Drummond St. Ballarat. Ann's brother, Bradley, acted as a witness at the wedding. William and ANN had a family of six children -
William had some narrow escapes in the mines at Creswick. This probably prompted him to change his job. In August 1879 William, Ann and his four children left Creswick and moved to Echuca. William was employed as a tally-clerk on th wharf by Messrs. Cramsie, Bowden And Co., Shipping agents. William never lived to see the birth of his sixth child, Benjamin, because he was accidentally killed. His accident was reported in many newspapers.
on the 19th. September, 1879, William Clark was knocked off the wharf by a sling of palings. He had sustained a compound fracture of the left thigh and his left arm was broken in two places. He was taken to his home in Hare St. Echuca. The next morning he was taken by train to the Sandhurst Hospital, Bendigo, but he died in conveyance between the railway station and Sandhurst Hospital. An inquest was held at the Bendigo Hospital on the 18th. September. The final outcome was death by accident, death caused by shock. William Clark was buried on 19th. September, 1879 in an unmarked grave at Echuca Cemetery. After eight years of marriage and at the age of almost 34 years William Clark met his end.
ANN BOOTH was born at home at 62 Lowerheadrow, Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England on the 21st. December, 1851. Mother - MARY HIRST, Father - BENJAMIN BOOTH (blacksmith). Ann was the first daughter and third child of Benjamin and Mary. Altogether she had four brothers - BRADLEY, HENRY, BEN and BENJAMIN, and two sisters - ELIZABETH and SARAH JANE. Henry, Ben, Sarah Jane and Benjamin all died in their childhood.
On the 5th. August, 1859, aboard the "VaterSmidt", Mary and her two children (Bradley and Ann) migrated to Victoria, Australia. They joined her husband who came out three years prior on the "Salem" on 7th. May 1856. Very little is known of Ann's childhood. She lived in Creswick prior to her first marriage and this is where she met William Clark.
William's death must have been a time of great tragedy for Ann. It would have been a time when she depended heavily upon her faith and the help of God for without this she would have been defeated. Ann was to suffer more tragedy when three of her children died, of diphtheria, in the same week. Ada Lillian died 26-8-1880 at Echuca. Charles Bradley and Emily Grace died 30-8-1880 at Echuca. They are all buried next to their father in unmarked graves in Echuca Cemetery.
On the 12th. April, 1881 at the residence of Bradley Booth (her brother), at Creswick, Ann remarried according to the rites of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. Ann was 29 years old and her second husband was 48 years old, a widower and a minerby proffession. JOHN JOHNS and Ann had a family of four daughters. Once again Ann was to confront tragedy. While her husband was working in the mines at Broken Hill, New South Wales, he got an infection in his leg. This must have developed into gangrene, because a year later surgery was performed, at Creswick, to amputate the leg. As a result John Johns died on 18-2-1890.
Again Ann was left alone with young children to care for. The eldest son, William Henry, went to work in the mines when he was about 12 years old to help support his mother, brother and stepsisters.
Wherever Ann lived she was always popular and well loved. She was always going out visiting people and never had a bad word to say about anybody. In later years Ann went to stay with her sister, Elizabeth Robinson, in Sargood St. Coburg, Victoria.
Ann died at her house on the 2nd. December, 1935, aged 83 years. She is buried in a marked grave in the Fawkner Cemetery. Written by Linda Brown.
1389......November 3rd. 1887......PROCEEDINGS of inquiry held upon the body of Edward Booth at Creswick...Received at the Crown Law Offices, 5th. November 1887.....G. Patterson J.P.
Re Edward Collingwood Booth......Magisterial inquiry...
A magisterial inquiry was held by me, one of her majesty's Justices of the Peace, in and for the Southern Bailiwick of the colony of Victoria, on the 3rd. day of November, A.D. 1887, at Creswick in the said bailiwick, respecting the death of Edward Collingwood Booth, late of Creswick in the said colony, of no occupation.
Opinion.
I am of the opinion that, on the 2nd. day of November, 1887 at Creswick aforesaid, the said Edward Collingwood Booth died from loss of blood, result of wounds inflicted upon himself with a razor on the 31st. day of October, 1887, but that there is not sufficient evidence to enable me to determine what state of mind he was in at the time he inflicted the wounds.
G. Patterson J.P.
Martha Booth, sworn:
"I am the wife of John Booth, a miner living at White Flat, Creswick, the deceased Edward Collingwood Booth, was my husband's brother. He was a widower and boarded with my husband and myself. He had a cottage of his own, close to my husband's place in which he slept. I last saw Deceased where, at about half past six o'clock on Sunday evening, he was there walking up and down outside his own place. He was in our place for tea on Subday evening, he then seemed all right. I next saw Deceased, in his own cottage, at about 12 o'clock on Monday. I was sent for by my daughter. I went in and found Deceased lying in a pool of blood with his throat cut. I spoke to Deceased but he never spoke back again and I went out and sent for a Policeman and a Doctor. Deceased has been living with me for about a year and eleven months. He came to me from Daylesford Hospital where he had been for eleven months suffering from cateract. Deceased, since he has been with me, has not shown signs of despondency and has apparently been in good health but he was nearly blind and could only see a shadow of sunshine occasionally. Deceased had no means and was entirely dependant on my husband and myself".
Martha Booth.
Taken and sworn before me at Creswick this 3rd. day of November 1887.G. Patterson J.P.
Harriett Jane Booth, sworn:
"I am the daughter of the last witness. Deceased was my uncle and lived with my father and mother at Creswick. On Monday last, at about 12 noon, I went into my uncle's cottage. I found my uncle luying in his bed, undressed, in a pool of blood with his throat cut. He had nothing in his hand but on a chest of drawers, quite close to the head of his bed, was an open razor with blood on it. I did not speak to my uncle but ran out and called for my mother. I did not hear my uncle say anything. My uncle always seemed in good spirits and I was astonished when I went in and found him lying as he was".
Harriett Jane Booth.
Taken and sworn before me this 3rd. day of November 1887. G.Patterson J.P.
Robert Charles Lindsay, sworn:
"I am a legally qualified medical practitioner, living in Creswick. I knew the deceased for some years. I have not attended him lately. He was about 68 years of age. He was suffering from atrophy of the optic nerve and had suicidal tendencies: about 10 or 12 years ago I was called in and found that he had used a largechandler's knife and had severed some of the vessels in his arm. On Monday last, at about 11 o'clock in the forenoon, I was sent for and went to Deceased's house. I found, on arrival, that Deceased was lying on his bed, that the bed and floor were all bespattered with blood and that Deceased had his throat cut, almost from ear to ear. The windpipe was severed and also the muscles of the neck. I stitched up the wounds, dressed them and advised his removal to the hospital and beleive he was sent there and died last night. Deceased said to me "I do not wish to live, do not bother, I do not wish to live". In my opinion the cause of death was loss of blood, the result of wounds self inflicted producing shock to the nervous system ending in general collapse. I have not the slightest doubt but that the wounds were self inflicted".
Robert Charles Lindsay.
Taken and sworn before me at Creswick this 3rd. day of November 1887. G. Patterson J.P.
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