Family Robertson
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Family Robertson
Robert Robertson, father of William's wife, Annie, was born in 1828 and lived at Thoresby, Lincolnshire prior to his Marriage to Elizabeth Betts at Great Grimsby, Lincolnshire in 1852. That same year Robert and Elizabeth left their home and started a new life in a new country, with a new family, as en route to Australia, their first child was born, John William Robertson.
Francis (Frank), the Robertson's second child was born in 1855. Frank later lived at Penola, South Australia.
1857 saw their third child and third son, George Robertson, born at Ipswich, Queensland.
Alfred, the Robertson's fourth son, was born in 1859 at Portland, Victoria.
Two years later, in 1861, the Robertson's fifth offspring but their first daughter, Eliza Ann, was born on 29 April, at West Sinclair near Heywood, Victoria. Eliza (or "Annie" as she was known) worked at the Hope family home, where she met and married William Bryce Hope. She died 18 June 1892 at Powers Creek, Victoria, seven months after their fifth child was born.
Thomas Robertson, their sixth child was born 25 September 1863 at Byaduk, Victoria.
The Robertson's seventh child, Charles, was born 31 August 1865, while the family still lived at Byaduk. he later married Jane (Jenny) Haines. Charles and Jenny had 7 children, namely Violet Mary, Robert (Roy) who married firstly Mabel Astbury and secondly Nellie Burns, George, Fred (married Mary Elizabeth Hicks), Annie Elizabeth (born 1903 and married Keith Sauerbier), Alice (married Robert Pauhl) and Victor (married Flora Burns).
It was Violet Mary Robertson, the eldest child of Charles and Jenny Robertson, after whom William Bryce Hope's poem "Violet" was written. Violet was born in 1889 and attended the Edenhope State School but left school at an early age to assist her mother on the farm. Violet firstly married John Barrett, in the Willunga Catholic Church (South Australia) by Father Smith, but they parted ways shortly afterwards when Violet refused to turn Catholic. John remarried.
Later, Violet married Gerald Ward at his home in McLaren Flat, South Australia, by the Rev. Tillbrook, a Methodist Minster. Gerald and Violet only had one child, a son born twelve months after their wedding, Dick, who was baptised in the Edenhope Church of England church; although Gerald had 3 children from a previous Marriage. The four children, Dick, Rex, Lyn and Aileen all attended the McLaren Flat school. Dick Ward later attended Prince Alfred College (Adelaide) and played football for the Sturt Football Club. Sadly, not long after his engagement to Vance Warner, Dick contracted TB and died before they could be married. He is buried in the McLaren Vale cemetery.
After Gerald Ward's death, Violet met and remarried her first husband, John Barrett. They returned to Edenhope and had 16 happy years together before John died at the age of 85 years and Violet 2 years later. John and Violet Barrett are buried in the Edenhope cemetery.
V I O L E T
A promise to a lady made
A gent must not forget
And so these lines I write for you
My charming Violet.
I trust you'll ne'er be like the flow'r
And that your sun will set
Without your ever looking blue
My fair, young Violet.
May you be like your namesake fair
In sweetness, nor regret
E'er ..... to take the bloom away
My happy Violet.
May prudence guard your every step
And kindly fate ne'er let
A shadow fall upon the life
My dear young Violet.
In fairness ever be arrayed
Deceit ne'er cast it's net
Upon the path or March the life
Of dear young Violet.
In goodness glow, in sunshine live
And joy and fortune met
Be with you aye and Mark the path
That's trod by Violet.
Written by William Bryce Hope
1 August 1906
Note: the poem had been folded for many decades and when unfolded, several creases had worn away, we were able to work out all the words except for one part in Verse 3.
Coleraine, Victoria was the birthplace for Robert and Elizabeth's eighth child, Robert George Robertson who was born on 6 October 1867. Robert, who remained a bachelor, lived at Edenhope with his widowed brother, Tom.
Mary Robertson (1870) who later became Mrs Charlie Johnstone of Mortlake, Victoria was also born at Coleraine.
The Robertson's tenth and last child, James, was born at Coleraine as well, in 1872. He died 23 July 1943 at Edenhope, Victoria, at the age of 69 years and had married Sarah Whittingham, formerly Marr. Sarah's first husband, John Robert Marr (1859-1890) and her second husband, James Robertson were cousins. Sarah Whittingham, who was born in 1864, died 18 December 1944. James and Sarah Robertson had at least two children, Arthur James Robertson and Florence Robertson, who was born 1 April 1899 and married Hector Clark. Florence died in March 1985. Ironically, Arthur also married a cousin, Jessie Haughton Munn. (see chapters, "Marr" and "Munn" for further information).
HOPE stemmata: from Ancrum to Apsley