William White and Rose Anne Turner
William White was the 3rd of 12 children born to Patrick Francis and Eleanor (nee Wynne) White. He was born on 28 July 1845 at Lake Condah near Heywood, Victoria, where his parents were farming.
Little is known about William's childhood but he would have grown up with his siblings on the family farm.
As an adult, William also farmed, probably with his brother Frank, after they jointly took on the Codrington property previously owned by their father Patrick. This arrangement was challenged by their brother George Robert. That claim was ultimately unsuccessful but eventually William did not stay in the Codrington district.
On 14 August 1872, when he was aged 27, William married Rose Anne Turner, 18, in a ceremony at St John's Church of England, Belfast (Port Fairy). Rose Anne (recorded as Roseann in early documents) had been born in Belfast in 1853, the daughter of shoemaker George and Catherine (nee Roberts) Turner. Like William's parents, William and Rose Anne had 12 children.
At the time of the marriage, both gave their address as St Helens Station which was north of the early White family property at Yambuk.
William's father Patrick was reported to have transferred some 360 acres of farming land to William and his brother Frances (Frank) for 600 pounds prior to 1883, when Patrick died.
A brother, George Robert White, later challenged this arrangement alleging the sum was well below the value of the land and that the money had never been paid although William and Frank had taken over farming the land.
A court eventually resolved the case by ruling the transfer of land by Patrick to William and Frank was valid.
But William did not remain on the farm. He became known as 'Bullock-Hide-Bill' which suggests he was a bullock driver, perhaps in Western Victoria either on timber operations in The Grampians or working teams on district farms.
Electoral records showed the family moved around Victoria. From 1903 (when electoral records started) until 1912, William and Rose were shown as farming at Codrington and it was there that all their 12 children were born.
Between 1914-19, they were farming at Birchip. Later in 1919, Rose was living at Beulah with her daughter Alicia although there is no mention in the electoral roll of William.
In 1927-28 William and Rose were living in Ballarat but later the records show them farming at Nyah, near Swan Hill.
By the late 1920s, when William was in his 70s, they had returned to Ballarat.
Both were there at the time of their deaths - William died in 1929 aged 83, and Rose Anne in 1950, aged 97 (Ballarat Cemetery graves: William Roman Catholic E, Section 1, Row 2, Grave 34; Rose Anne F2, Section 23, Row 1, Grave 27).
Key family dates
| William White born 28 Jul 1845 Lake Condah, Vic - died 18 Apr 1929 Ballarat, Vic |
married 14 Aug 1872 Port Fairy, Vic | Rose Anne Turner born 21 Sep 1853 Port Fairy, Vic - died 18 Aug 1950 Ballarat, Vic |
Children -
1. Robert White born 1874 Codrington, Vic - died 27 May 1940 Perth, WA. He married in 1903 Catherine Murphy born 1871 Koroit, Vic, died 1950 Coburg, Vic.
2. Mary Ann White born 23 Apr 1875 Yambuk, Vic - died 6 Jan 1968 Ballarat, Vic. She married in 1906 William Pettingill born 1871 Yambuk, Vic, died 10 Nov 1909 Yambuk, Vic.
3. Charles White born 26 Jul 1877 Yambuk, Vic - died 16 Apr 1963 Melbourne, Vic. He married on 16 Jul 1923 Gwendoline Scholfield born 29 May 1894 Casterton, Vic, died 10 Aug 1965 Melburne, Vic.
4. Francis (Frank) White born 23 Aug 1879 Yambuk, Vic - died 2 Feb 1960 Birchip, Vic. He married in 1912 Ann Catherine Barry born 2 Feb 1886 Birchip, died 20 Aug 1968 Essendon, Vic.
5. Ellen Marie White born 4 Apr 1882 Yambuk, Vic - died 5 Mar 1944 Yallourn, Vic. She married in 1904 Cornelius (Con) Murphy born 4 Aug 1872 Tower Hill, Vic, died 1950 Yallourn, Vic.
6. George White born 31 Mar 1884 Tyrendarra, Vic - died 18 Jun 1958 Tempy, Vic. He married on 10 Apr 1908 Myra Egglestone born 9 Aug 1890 Stawell, Vic, died 10 Apr 1972 Woomelang, Vic. George and Myra White are the ancestors of all Australian descendents in this family line.
7. Joseph White born 1886 Yambuk, Vic - died 28 Apr 1970 Stawell, Vic. He married on 13 Feb 1925 Margaret May Risk born 6 May 1902 Bright, Vic, died 29 May 1972 Ballarat, Vic.
8. Alfred William White born 1888 Yambuk, Vic - died 1958 Ballarat, Vic. He married in 1916 Catherine Mary Barry born 1888 Narraport, Vic, died 1968 East Melbourne, Vic.
9. Catherine Rose White born 18 Nov 1891 Codrington, Vic - died 13 Jun 1973 Preston, Vic. She married in 1915 William Vincent Kearney born 1894 Kirkstall, Vic, died 1975 Port Fairy, Vic.
10. Sarah Maude White born 20 Sep 1893 Codrington, Vic - died 16 Aug 1963 Elsternwick, Vic. She married on 6 Sep 1919 Ernest Francis Toohey born 16 Feb 1893 Melbourne, Vic, died 25 Mar 1973 Melbourne, Vic.
11. Alice May White born 1895 Yambuk, Vic - died 6 Aug 1983 Ballarat, Vic. She married in 1922 Arthur Malvern Allison born 14 Jun 1892 Blackall, Qld, died 7 Jan 1953 Ballarat, Vic.
12. Alicia Louisa White born 21 Apr 1898 Yambuk, Vic - died 4 Apr 1997 Ballarat, Vic. She married in 1934 Thomas Augustine Grady born 23 Oct 1900 Spring Mount, Vic, died Oct 1969 Ballarat, Vic.
Further information
Parents of William White (Patrick and Eleanor White)