The Robertson - Croll family connection

This page documents the relationship between the Croll and Robertson families of Geelong who had a continuous relationship from the mid 1800s in Geelong, connected by marriage and the Presbyterian church. It includes several additional families including the Brown family.

For the details of the origin of William Croll and his wife Jean Hutcheson in Scotland, click this link.

Some of the details about the New Zealand side of the Croll family has been published here with approval from Rob Burrowes - http://www.burrowes.org/FamilyTree/.

For details of two brothers David Croll and Charles Croll who settled in Warrnambool and Stawell respectively, the sons of Arthur Croll and Elizabeth Davy, see this wikitree site - https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Croll-311. The link erroneously states that a brother of David and Charles Croll brother, William Croll born in 1819, is the same William Croll below; as can be seen, the William Croll described on this page was born in 1811 and had a different set of parents.

From 1834 - William Croll and Jean Hutcheson

William Croll (1811 - 1861) married Jean (later Jane) Hutcheson (1811 - 8 January 1858, Geelong, Australia) on 14 December 1832 in Dundee, Scotland (Ref 282 220/97- see link to the Scotland story above for the image of their marriage certificate and other details). Jean was the daughter of Charles Hutchinson and Ann Barclay.

They had the following children in Dundee, before departing for Australia:

The family were recorded at Blackness Road in Dundee/Angus in the 1841 census (Ref 282 42/19), just before they left Scotland.

1841 - William Croll and family migrates to Australia

The William Croll (born 1813) and wife Jane (nee Hutcheson) and their young family travelled to Victoria, Australia, as assisted or bounty passengers on board the William Nicholl which left Leith, Scotland, on 4 September 1841, arriving in Melbourne on 9 February 1842. Jean was listed as Jane on the shipping list.

The passenger manifest of the William Nicholl dated 9 February 1842 shows the following (the amount on the far right is the bounty):

William's brother, Andrew Croll (born 1814) appears to have arrived in Australia around the same time but his arrival date has not yet been found. He is recorded at Corio in the 1860s - see below.

William and Jane/Jean Croll had more children after arriving in Australia, listed below. According to a family document, the family settled in Spencer Street Melbourne where their children William and Ann were born.

1847 - William Croll and family move to Geelong

William Croll and family moved to Geelong in 1847, where their children Charles and Robert were born). William set up the Geelong Vulcan Foundry in Little Malop Street, Geelong and his skills as an engineer were apparently very well known.

In 1851, William raised funds for the United Presbyterian Church, becoming one of the first Elders of that church. The Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer of 6 October 1853 noted that the foundation stone of the United Presbyterian Church was laid at McKillop Street, Geelong on 3 October 1853. It also noted that William Croll was elected as an elder, along with Alexander Gellatly, Nathaniel Paton, and Charles Pringle.

February 1851 - William Croll and the United Presbyterian Church

The Geelong Advertiser and Intelligencer of 6 October 1853 reported the the following:

On the 23rd February, 1851, a small and feeble, yet devoted and heroic band, holding the above principles, consisting of William Croll, Mr Nathaniel Paton, Mr Robert Paton, Mr Alexander Anderson, Mr John Phillip, and Mr Robert Falla, with his wife and daughter, met with the Rev AM Ramsay of Melbourne in the house of Mr Croll when, after praise and prayer, and the reading of the Word of God, conducted by Mr Ramsay, the desirableness of a United Presbyterian Church being planted in Geelong, was warmly expressed, and a resolution unanimously adopted, that a public meeting of the Presbyterians of the town, approving of the voluntary principle and favorable to the organisation of a United Presbyterian Church, should be called, on an early day, to consider the matter more fully.'

1852 - Isabella Burns Croll (1834 - 1913) and John Robertson

John Robertson was a Scottish migrant who arrived in Melbourne in 1849 and made his way to Geelong. They likely met through mutual Scottish connections. He married William and Jane Croll's eldest daughter, Isabella Burns Croll (26 December 1834 - 1913) on 25 November 1852 in Geelong (Vic BDM 23773). They had eleven children from 1855 to 1875 (documented in the link).

John and Isabella Burns Robertson (nee Croll) at their 50th wedding anniversary in 1902.

From 1852 - Annie Beaton

Annie Beaton enters this story as the wife of John Hopkins senior in Neerim, and the mother of John Hopkins junior who married Haidee Thompson (nee Croll).

The record of Annie Hopkins' death notes that she was born to Angus Beaton and Elspeth Wilson and was 89. This means she was born around 1840. (Vic BDM Ref 8754). An Angus Beaton and family arrived on the Marco Polo as assisted passengers in 1852. Assuming this is the same family, the family group was:

Note that another Beaton family arrived in 1852, comprised of John and Catherine Beaton and several children (Donald, 21, John, 19, Malcolm, 16, Angus, 14, Mary, 6; John, 2, Sarah, 1). It appears they also had a daughter named Annie Beaton who married James Durie in 1874. This Annie Durie died in Ballarat, aged 20 in 1875 (The Ballarat Courier, 18 March 1875 (Vic BDM Ref 4323, which notes her parents as Angus [sic] Beaton and Catherine McKinnon.)

According to The Star 28 April 1863, Francis George Saunderson died at his home, Doveton Street, Ballarat, caused 'by an attack of apoplexy, brought on by disease of the heart of several years' standing'; the article notes that he had a paralytic stroke in 1860 and never completely recovered. He was 32 and a native of London. Annie and Francis had two children, but these do not appear to be recorded in the Vic BDM records; likewise there is no obvious deaths for children with the names Saunderson/mother Beaton.

It seems possible that John Hopkins senior met Annie Saunderson (nee Beaton) (born around 1839/40) in Ballarat and they entered into a relationship and had children, including John Hopkins junior. However, no marriage record has yet been found, or a birth record for John or any other children from 1870 to 1885. The closest match in terms of names and children appear to be John Hopkins and Mary Anne Anderson who had several children including a John Robert Hopkins, born 1868 at Woodend (Vic BDM Ref 6359).

From 1853 - Robert Brown and Jessie Baird

James Campbell Brown and his son Charles Naples Brown are connected with the Croll/Robertson family from the 1890s (if not before).

Janet Brown was the daughter of Samuel Baird and Helen Kean. She was baptised in Dalrymple on 28 March 1828 (Ref 588/30/35). See this link for details of her parents and siblings.

At some point the family decided to migrate to Australia. Robert and Janet Brown are likely the two people with those names and one or possibly two children in the group of 12 Browns who arrived in Victoria, Australia in October 1854 on board the Black Eagle. The passengers included: Three Janet Browns (aged 26, 26 and 29), Thomas Crossen Brown (aged 12), Winifred Brown (aged 22), John Brown (aged 23), James Brown (aged 26), John Brown (aged 33), Douglas Brown (aged 4, son of Robert and Janet baptised in 1849), Matthew Brown (infant) and another unnamed infant Brown who may be their child Margaret Brown.

Robert and Janet Brown had three children in Victoria from 1855:

After the death of Robert Brown, Janet re-married William Ford in 1868, see below from that date.

1854/1855 - Arrival of unrelated brothers David Croll and Charles Croll

David and Charles Croll were the sons of Arthur Croll who was born around 1787 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Click the link for more information about this family.

David Croll, his wife Isabella, and their daughters Christina (born 1851) and Ann (born 1853) left Scotland as assisted passengers on the ship the Indian Ocean. Ann died on the journey. They arrived in 1854 in Warrnambool, Victoria where they lived and had children. David and Isabella Croll's daughter Christina Croll (born 1851 in Scotland) married Richard Worland in 1873 in Warrnambool.

Charles Croll (1823 - 6 October 1891 (The Age 7 October 1891)) and his wife Janet Henderson ( - 14 June 1904, Hawthorn (Vic BDM Ref 5123, The Argus 15 June 1904)) on 26 May 1854 in Edinburgh. They travelled to Queensland first, arriving at Moreton Bay on the William Miles in 1855 (NSW Assisted Immigrants Index 1839 - 1896, Reels 2137, 2472). By 1857 they had made their way to Warrnambool where his brother David Croll lived. Charles and Janet Croll lived in Stawell. Charles worked as a tailor and gold miner.

Click the link above for more details on this Croll family in Victoria.

1854 to 1856 - William Croll's Vulcan Foundry

The Argus (Melbourne) of 12 June 1854 included the following notice about the foundry, indicating that there had been some problems:

Mr William Croll has again got his foundry, in Little Malop Street, into good working order. Owing to the general difficulty experienced since the diggings commenced of procuring competent workmen, this foundry has not been in active operation. It is pleasing ot know that Mr Croll has made another fair start, and I hope he will be liberally supported.

In 1856, he provided the machinery for a steam flour mill at Mount Moriac, later dismantled in 1879. It became a landmark because of its superior equipment. In 1857 his foundry cast a 300 lb Alarm Bell for the tower of the newly formed Fire Brigade.

1855/56 - William Croll purchases a steam saw-mill, sets up in Ballarat

The Age (Melbourne) of 21 July 1855, quoting the Geelong Advertiser, noted that William Croll, ironfounder 'was the purchaser of the steam saw-mill facing Corio Bay' and 'who, we believe intends carrying on the trade in all its branches'. It seems possible that this was the original saw mill run by his son-in-law John Robertson.

According to the Ballarat Star of 14 December 1861, William Croll of Geelong set up a Vulcan Foundry in Ballarat around 1856. The article noted that when Croll retired, it was sold to Messrs Robert Watson and partners.

1856 - Western Foundry, Geelong

The Western Foundry on Mercer Street, Geelong, was owned in 1856 by Steele and Rushall. It was at some point acquired by William Humble. There was also a Western Foundry in Ballarat from 1860, operated by William Higgins.

From 1857 - Link with Volum Brewery

A brewery that was established in Geelong by John Cumming in around 1848 was sold to Captain James Volum and renamed to the Volum Brewery. James Volum operated the brewery until 1875 when it passed into the hands of his brother, Andrew Volum, from which the Volum Brewery Co Ltd was established in 1887. As we will see below, Ann Morrison Croll was to marry Andrew Millar, a family that had a business relationship with the Volum family. See below from 1874.

For reference, Volum Brewery was bought by Ballarat Brewing Co Ltd in early 1953.

1858 - Death of Jean Croll (nee Hutcheson)

Jean/Jane Croll (nee Hutcheson) (born 1811, Dundee), the wife of William Croll, died aged 45 on 8 January 1858, in Geelong, Australia. (Vic BDM Ref 1792, father (only) shown as Charles Hutchinson)).

From 1858 - Early years of William Humble

The Geelong Advertiser of 22 July 1915 carried an article celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of Mr and Mrs William Humble, of Richmond House, Ryrie Street, where they had lived for 43 years. The article provides the following details of Humble's background and how he came to connect with William Croll.

In a sailing ship misnamed Electric - it took 118 days to do the trip - Mr Humble came to Australia from Richmond, in Yorkshire, in 1858, at the age of 23. He was alone, and had £5 in his pocket; but this amount proved ample for a man of his skill and ingenuity. He began work at Falton's foundry in Melbourne, but a desire to see the country induced him to travel by the citizen's steamer to Geelong, where he walked to Ballarat and back to Melbourne - a task that nobody would nowadays dream of doing. On arrival in Melbourne he learned of a vacancy at what was known as the Corio Foundry (Walker's), Geelong, and he came down to make pillar boxes for the Melbourne streets. At the end of the contract, he returned to Melbourne, but subsequently applied for and was given work at the Vulcan Foundry (which he now owns) at Geelong. In those days, Mr William Crowle [sic - Croll] was the proprietor. Other work presented itself, and he resolved to remain permanently here. He helped in the manufacture of girdirs for the Moorabool viaduct. Later, an agreement was entered into between Mr Humble, John Simmons, and Ward Nicholson (work mates) for the commencement of a foundry business which had its genesis in a shop, generously lent by Mr John Short, produce merchant, at the corner of Wellington Street, Kildare.

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From 1858 - George Croll (1837 - 1919) and Anna Maria Grundy

George Croll was the first son and second child of William and Jane Croll. He married Anna Maria Grundy on 15 October 1857 at Galaxy. They had the following children (some details from the Burrowes family page). According to the descendents in New Zealand, it seems the family likely moved to New Zealand around 1862/63 as their son Cecil Harry Croll was born in Geelong in 1862 and Anna Isobel died in Dunedin, New Zealand on 15 July 1863.

Anna Maria Croll (nee Grundy) died at Addington (NZ?) on 4 July 1909. George Croll died on 9 June 1919 at Lower Hutt, New Zealand.

From 1859 - Andrew Hutchinson Croll (1839 - 1897) and Mary Ann Poole (1840 - 1896)

Andrew Hutchinson Croll (1839 - 1897), the third child of William and Jane Croll, married Mary Ann Pool/Poole (1840, Banwell, Somerset - 20 December 1896) at Ballarat on 2 September 1859. They had the following children:

In the early 1870s, Andrew Croll was recorded as a lecturer in mechanical engineering (plan drawing) in Ballarat. (The Ballarat Courier of 24 July 1873 and other times also).

Andrew Croll, of Clarendon Street, Emerald Hill/South Melbourne was reported as an engine driver and also insolvent in Melbourne newspapers in August 1877. The causes of insolvency wwere given as 'pressure of creditors and want of remunerative employment. He had £1 and owed £110 9s 6d.

At some point in his life before 1892, Andrew became a cripple; see the details below in 1892. Andrew Hutcheson Croll was admitted to and died in the Kew Lunatic Asylum, Kew, Victoria on 8 September 1897.

1860 - Geelong Vulcan Foundry advertises

William Croll regularly placed advertisements in the Star (Ballarat) and other local newspapers. The one on 26 November 1860, offered to supply and erect a range of machinery including steam engines and boilers, pumping and winding gear, quartz crushing machinery, flour mills, saw mills, tanning machinery, horse works, wool presses 'and all other articles connected with the trade'. The advertisement included the details of several items for sale.

1861 - Death of William Croll

The Star (Ballarat) recorded the death of the iron founder, William Croll 'on the 21st inst, at half-past 12 o'clock a.m.. at his residence, Ryrie Street, Geelong'. He was 48 or 49. (Vic BDM Ref 1923, records his parents as Andrew Croll and Isabella Burns).

William's wife had pre-deceased him in 1858. Despite having younger children aged from 11 (Robert), 15 (Ann) and 19 (William), his will appears to have left everything to the church or possibly to the then moderator Rev James Henderson and two others (who may have acted on behalf of the church).

The Herald of 27 April 1861 reported the outcome of probate cases heard at the New Court on 26 April 1861. It noted: 'William Croll to the Rev James Henderson, and - Baird, two of the executors named in the will, the third executor having renounced'. Baird may be Thomas Baird, an elder of the United Presbyterian Church in Geelong (Geelong Advertiser 4 July 1862). Both were members of the Mechanic's Institute of Geelong (Geelong Advertiser 15 January 1864).

Henderson was at the time a member of the Melbourne Presbytery of the United Presbyterian Church and Moderator of the Geelong Synod. From mid 1866, Henderson was the subject of a number of public accusations and a 'religious scandal', apparently involving the Geelong Protestant Orphan Asylum. The Bendigo Advertiser of 6 June 1866 refers obliquely to 'the graver charge of immorality' which was set aside because the testimony of the person 'was unsupported by circumstantial evidence of any kind and was considerably weakened by her prevaricating in her statements at different times'. The Geelong Advertiser of 8 June 1866 carried a letter from an anonymous author that referred to Henderson's two sides - the man of god and 'a person of whom we know nothing'. Henderson resigned as a member of the board by July 1866 (Geelong Advertiser 14 July 1866) and was eventually forced out of Geelong and settled in South Australia (Geelong Advertiser 21 March 1867).

1861 - Vulcan Foundry sold

The Vulcan Foundry was put up for sale on 30 April 1861 (The Geelong Advertiser, 30 April 1861): 'The whole of the Property situate in Little Malop-street, as in the occupation of the late proprietor for many years past, and known as the Vulcan Foundry, being part of Allotments 13 and 14 of Section 23, North Geelong, and having a frontage of Little Malop Street of 132 feet by a depth of 148 feet'.

The Star (Ballarat) of 22 July 1861 carried an advertisement fo the sale of Croll's Iron Foundry on Little Malop Street, Geelong.

1861 - Humble, Simmons and Nicholson form a partnership

Croll's Vulcan Foundry was taken over in 1861 by a partnership of William Humble (who was born in Richmond, England in 1835), John Simmons and Ward Nicholson (who had grown up in the foundry trade in Newcastle (UK) and arrived in Melbourne in 1857). Before taking over the Croll foundry, Humble and his partner John Simmons owned the Western Foundry opposite the Western Hotel near the Western Beach. Ward Nicholson was first employed at Ford's Foundry. John Simmons died in November 1864 aged only 33 (Geelong Advertiser, 10 November 1864).

From 1862 - Andrew Croll and the Phoenix Foundry

The Phoenix Foundry was established on Armstrong Street, Ballarat (opposite Eureka Street) by 1854 and was managed by Richard Carter.

'Mr Croll of the Phoenix Foundry' was noted in the Geelong Advertiser of 22 September 1862.

On 1 October 1862, William's son Andrew H Croll (born 1839) placed an ad in The Argus seeking 'an experienced hand to tend a blast furnance and clean castings - Apply to Andrew Croll, Phoenix Foundry, Geelong'. He may have been acting on behalf of the Phoenix Foundry or possibly worked there for a short period.

Andrew Croll, of Geelong, an ironfounder, was reported insolvent in the Geelong Advertiser of 25 March 1863. He appears to have lived in Ballarat and remained connected with the foundries there - see below from 1873 for further references.

The 'one time part proprietor' of the Phoenix Foundry, Richard Carter, died on 16 February 1883. (The Argus 17 February 1883).

The Phoenix Foundry in Ballarat ceased operations in July 1906 (Ovens and Murray Advertiser 14 July 1906).

1863 - Ann Morrison Croll marries Andrew Millar

Ann Morrison Croll (1846, Melbourne (Vic BDM Ref 11694/5) - 1926), the fifth child of William and Jane Croll, married Andrew Millar in 1863 (Vic BDM Ref 1957). They had the following children:

It is not yet known if Andrew Millar is the same person, an engineer, who:

If he is the same person, he would have been 44 when he married Ann, and Ann would have been 43, her son Maurice died the same year (1889) and her youngest surviving child James was 13. It is not yet known if she re-married.

From 1863 - Andrew Croll of Colac

Andrew Croll, son of Andrew Croll and Isabella Burns, was the brother of William Croll.

It is not known exactly when Andrew Croll, born around 1814, arrived in Melbourne but he seems to have lived in the Colac area. His death record (see below) refers to 'daughters'. These children are likely to have been born from 1835/40, and would have married from 1860/1870. The only marriages for Croll women in that period who are not part of Andrew's brother William's family would be the one for Elizabeth Croll who married William Smyth in 1865 (Vic BDM Ref 3181).

According to the Geelong Advertiser of 7 November 1863, Andrew Croll sued John Willis at the Colac Court of Petty Sessions for damage to his garden by pigs.

It appears (from the newspapers of the time) that Andrew Croll was also a boat builder. The Geelong Advertiser of 8 October 1864 refers to 'a fine pulling boat built by Mr Croll'; the same newspaper of 3 December 1864 notes that the boats 'Leisure Hour' and 'Warrion' were built by Mr A Croll of Colac'.

An Andrew Croll of Colac was noted in the Geelong Advertiser on 9 April 1867 relating to a court case in which Andrew appears to have owed money to a T Butcher.

Andrew Croll, the son of Andrew Croll and Isabella Burns and brother of William Croll, died in 1879 - see below.

1868 - Janet Brown (nee Baird) marries William Ford

After the death of her husband Robert Ford, Janet Brown married William Ford in 1868 (Vic BDM Ref 3051). They had one child:

Janet Ford (nee Baird) died in 1910 - see below.

1869 - The Vulcan Foundry remembered in the news

The Geelong Advertiser of 16 September 1869 noted the following about the Vulcan Foundry:

... nowhere can more activity be seen that that which prevails at the Vulcan Foundry, in Little Malop Street. Some years ago the fires at this establishment were extinguished, the hammer was not heard ringing merrily on the anvil, silence reigned around, and portions of old rusty boilers and other machinery scattered about in the yard, rank weeks growing between, served to make the place look a picture of desolation. Many times did we regret that a building erected at so great a cost by Mr Crowle should stand as a monument of the injury done by freetrade and the reaction which followed the exciting gold fever. Well can we remember that satisfaction that it gave us when we heard that Messrs Humble and Co had taken the extensive premises, as we knew they were the very men to make the foundry take a prominent place amount similar establishments in Victoria. ... Messrs Humble and Co have received and executed orders for all parts of the colony. Engines, wool washing machines, stampers &c can now be seen with their trade mark in every direction'

The story of the foundry continues from 1900 - see below.

From 1869 - Henry Hobbs Barwon Foundry

The Barwon Foundry also plays a part in this story. Alexander Aikman (born 1867), who later worked in the Humble and Nicholson Vulcan Foundry (established by William Croll) from the early 1890s until around 1901 (based on letters of recommendation, see below), is also known from a photograph taken outside it to have worked in Henry Hobbs' Engineering Firm, also known as the Barwon Foundry, possible from the mid to late 1880s.

Henry Hobbs, who was born on the Isle of Wight in 1824, arrived to Australia with his wife, Ellen (nee Urry, the daughter of Barnabas Urry and Jane Jones) and two children Frederick Hobbs (aged 5) and Phoebe Hobbs (aged 1) as assisted passengers on board the Persian in December 1852. They appear to have first lived in Warrnambool, where twins Jemima and Harriet Hobbs were born in 1857 (Harriet died); in 1863 and 1866 two more children (George Hobbs and Henrietta Ellen Hobbs) were born at Ashby/Geelong West (which was at the time known as 'Little Scotland'); in 1867, their daughter Florence Ida Hobbs was born in Geelong.

At some point before 1869, Hobbs established a partnership with William Jasper De La Hant who may have earlier lived in Adelaide - The South Australian Register of 18 May 1860 notes the sale of land by De La Hant to another man. Perhaps he then headed via Warrnambool to Geelong and met with Henry Hobbs on the way. De La Hant, an engineer born in Paris in around 1808, died aged 61 in Geelong on 17 May 1869 (Vic BDM Ref 4181, spouse Rosanna Mobbs). The name seems to have been passed down: William Jasper De La Hant, son of the above man but mother 'Mary' and married to Susan Price died in Geelong on 15 November 1899 aged 56 (Vic BDM Ref 13861, Geelong Advertiser of 16 November 1899). Another William Jasper De La Hant, son of William and Susan (nee Price) died in 1947 in Geelong aged 66 (Vic BDM Ref 20578, The Argus 20 August 1947).

The Geelong Advertiser of 25 October 1869 carried an advertisement for the Geelong Foundry on Mercer Street, run by 'Hobbs and De La Hant', millwrights and engineers, and agricultural implement makers'.

The Geelong Advertiser of 6 September 1872 noted that the partnership trading as 'Hobbs and De La Hant' in the business of millwrights and engineers has been dissolved by mutual consent (presumably with De La Hant's son). The article noted that 'the business will henceforth be carried on by Mr Hobbs who will pay all debts, and to whom all debts due to the firm must be paid. Dated this 29th day of August 1872.'

The Geelong Advertiser of 19 November 1873 carried an advertisement for the Barwon Foundry, seeking 'old brass and cast iron'.

Both the Barwon Foundry and the Vulcan Foundry of Humble and Nicholson displayed their works at various shows including the annual Geelong Agricultural show from the 1870s. Both advertised in the Geelong Advertiser, often on the same day; for example, on 2 February 1881, the Barwon Foundry 'wanted known that cast iron plough shares may be purchased' at its factory, while the Vulcan Foundry 'wanted known' that it had for sale iron tanks and a second-hand eight-horsepower portable engine'.

Henry Hobbs was a well known Methodist and was, according to the Geelong Advertiser of 12 August 1918, 'one of the oldest members of the church who ... up to the time of his death remained a faithful member of the church. He was for years, a Sunday School teacher and, in 1874, was elected a member of the church committee.'

According to his obituary in the Geelong Advertiser of 2 August 1918, the Barwon Foundry 'at one time did a great deal of the machinery repairing for the various industries of this district'. He was married to Ellen Urry and they had several children, some of whom died. The surviving children by 1918 were: Frederick Hobbs (born about 1846), married Matilda Greenwood in Geelong on 27 December 1871; Rhoda Hobbs (born about 1851 on Isle of Wight) married (1) Edward Baron Nicholls in 1888, (2) Joseph Emile Le Griffon of St Kilda in 1901; Jemima Hobbs (born 1857, Warrnambool, twin to Henrietta Hobbs who died aged 3 in 1860)), married John Veitch, a saddler on 25 March 1882; Florence Ida Hobbs (born 1867, Geelong) married John McMahen of East Melbourne in 1890; Fannie Isobel Hobbs (born 1870, Geelong) married Thomas William Marks of Geelong in 1897);

See below from 1888 for a photograph of Alexander Aikman in front of the Barwon Foundry.

From 1873 - Andrew H Croll a lecturer in mechanical engineering

Andrew H Croll (born 1839), the son of William Croll, seems to have found another occupation by 1873 when he is recorded as a lecturer in mechanical engineering (plan drawing) at the School of Mines in The Ballarat Courier of 24 July 1873 and other newspapers.

In 1874, Andrew Croll was recorded as the manager of the Langlands Company's works and the former lecturer in the School of Mines in Ballarat. (The Wallaroo Times and Mining Journal, 30 September 1874).

His story continues in 1892 below.

1874 - The Millar/Volum connection

Captain James Volum was the captain of at least one ship, the Augustina, that was active in the 1840s.

James Volum and Andrew Millar were both named in a proposed request for land for a paper mill to be established at Fyansford in 1874. (PROV, Land Selection and Correspondence Files, 390/47). This was to be the second paper manufacturing plant in Victoria, the first having been built on the south bank of the Yarra River in Melbourne (Illustrated Australian News 10 June 1878). The request for land, and a new water race, were considered by the Geelong Local Land Board on 8 March 1875 (The Argus, 9 March 1875). After some discussion, it was approved.

Could this relationship be the reason why Andrew Millar named a son, born in 1876, 'James Volum Millar'? James Volum operated the Volum Brewery until 1875 when Andrew Volum too over. The Volum Brewery Co Ltd was established in 1887.

The Geelong Advertiser of 24 November 1876 noted that Mr (Andrew) Miller [sic], 'who, along with other speculators, is about to establish a paper-making factory on the banks of the Barwon river, at Fyansford, has arrived from England by the steamship Northumberland'. He had returned to England to acquire machinery for the new industry. One of the other investors and proprietors of the mill was Andrew Volum, the brother of James Volum (The Ballarat Star, 30 May 1906).

The Geelong Advertiser of 4 July 1877 ran a long article about the new mill, under construction at the time. It included the following descriptions:

The site for the mill is on high ground, overlooking the Barwon river to the right hand side, and commanding an excellent view of the valley of the Moorabool, stretching from a point below the precipitous cliffs, opposite the Queen's Park, to the bend which shuts out from view the course of the valley towards Batesford. To the left hand side of the mill, and facing Geelong, may he seen the township of Fyansford, composed of two hotels, a blacksmith's shop, a store, an old flour mill, and several cottage residences, the whole being delightfully picturesque when viewed from the paper mill site. The flat land of the valley is filled up with smiling homesteads belonging to thriving fanners; and the vineyards and orchards stretching upwards on either side of the sloping cliffs add immensely to the charming aspect and give a very pretty effect to the scene.

Andrew Millar advertised for two carpenters for the Barwon Paper Mills at Fyansford in the Geelong Advertiser of 8 March 1878. The Illustrated Australian News quoted above stated that the plant was expected to open in August 1878.

Andrew Volum died on 29 May 1906 in Geelong. The death notice, carried in The Ballarat Star of 30 May 1906 noted that he was 88 and that the deceased, 'with his brother, the late Captain Volum, formerly owned the Volum Brewery and was one of the original proprietors of the paper mills at Fyansford'.

The Barwon Paper Mills had ceased operation by the late 1920s; according to 'The Age' of 27 May 1929, 'for a long period the mill was operated night and day solely producing the paper required for the daily issue of 'The Age''. In 1930, the Hydro Manufacturing Company was given approval by the Geelong Waterworks and Sewerage Trust to carry out work to control the water power used in its operations above Buckley's Falls. (The Argus 25 January 1930).

From 1875 - Robert Croll (1849 - 1908) marries Jane/Janet Mangan (1851 - 1908)

Robert Croll (1849, Geelong (not obviously recorded in Vic BDM - 1908, Melbourne South (Vic BDM Ref 10909)), the seventh and last child of William and Jane Croll and a saddler by trade, married Jane/Janet Mangan (1849/1851, Geelong - 11 December 1908) in 1875 (Vic BDM Ref 3545). Jane/Janet was the daughter of Matthias Mangan and Margaret Hurley. The Victorian BDM records the following children of Mathias Mangan and Margaret Hurley:

Robert Croll was a saddler who worked from a shop in Malop Street, Geelong. Robert and Jane/Janet had three children. Both Hector (who died) and Stewart appear to have used both Mangan and Norman as their second names.

See also in 1892 for Robert Croll.

1878 - a Christina Croll marries Richard Worland

A Christina Croll (6 July 1851 in Edinburgh, Scotland - 1942), married Richard Worland (1849 - 1939) in 1878 in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia. The names of Christina's parents are not yet known but, potentially, she could have been related to the the other Crolls listed on this page.

1879 - Andrew Croll dies in Geelong Hospital

The Geelong Advertiser of 14 August 1879 reported that an Andrew Croll (the farmer from Colac referred to above and brother of William Croll) had died in the Geelong Hospital in August 1879. He was 65 (born 1814), the cause of death was 'old age, paralysis' (likely a stroke). The Vic BDM register (Vic BDM Ref 7887) records his parents as Andrew Croll and Isabella Burns.

Second generation of Crolls marry

1881 - Rosina Alice Croll marries Charles Lacy

Rosina Alice Croll (1861, Geelong (Vic BDM Ref 8211, Mother's surname is POOL) - 1903), the second child and first daughter of Andrew Hutchinson Croll (1839 - 1897) and Mary Ann Poole (1840 - 1896), married Charles William Bedell Lacy (1858, Singapore - 1934) in 1881 (Vic BDM Ref 5417). It appears (on the face of it) that Rosina may have had a son before marrying Charles. The following children and grandchildren are recorded:

1882 - Death of George Colin Croll

George Colin Croll (born 1882 in Emerald Hill) was the youngest child of Andrew Hutchinson Croll (1839 - 1897) and Mary Ann Poole (1840 - 1896). He died the same year he was born.

1884 - James Campbell Brown marries

James Campbell ('JC') Brown (born 1857), married Marion Jane Naples (1858 - 1933 (Vic BDM Ref 14229, aged 71)) in 1884. Marion was the daughter of Charles Naples and Marion Duncan. James and Marion Brown had three children:

James Campbell Brown's obituary in 1936 noted that he had 'municipal, textile, engineering and educational interests' throughout his life. See below from 1891 when he appears as the foreman of Humble and Nicholson's Vulcan Foundry.

From 1884 - George Archibald Robertson works at the Foundry

George Archibald Robertson, the son of John Robertson and Isabella Croll (the daughter of William Croll who set up the original foundry), was an apprentice pattern maker at the Humble and Nicholson Vulcan foundry from 1884 to 1889. He became an engine driver in 1893.

See below from 1900 for further details of the foundry.

1885 - Emmeline Jean Croll marries Alfred Angelo Lee

Emmeline/Emilene/Emmilene Jean Croll (1863, 'Irre' (Vic BDM Ref 19607) - 1935, Heidelberg (Vic BDM Ref 1783), the fourth child and second daughter of Andrew Hutchinson Croll (1839 - 1897) and Mary Ann Poole (1840 - 1896), married Alfred Angelo Lee by special licence at St Luke's Church, South Melbourne, on 30 September 1885 (Vic BDM Ref 3894, The Age 24 October 1885). They had the following children and grandchildren:

1887 - Eleanor Marian Croll marries Frederick Hine

Eleanor/Helena Marian Croll (1865, Ballarat (Vic BDM Ref 19930) - ?), the fifth child and third daughter of Andrew Hutchinson Croll (1839 - 1897) and Mary Ann Poole (1840 - 1896), married Frederick Charles Hine in 1887 (Vic BDM Ref 1693). They had at least two children:

Frederick Charles Hine died at Port Melbourne in 1948, aged 82 (Vic BDM Ref 10196, parents Henry Charles Hine and Anne Atrell).

Around 1888 - Alexander Aikman (junior) works at the Barwon Foundry

Alexander Aikman (1867 - 1943) worked at Henry Hobbs' Barwon Foundry in South Geelong before working at the Vulcan Foundry.

Alexander Aikman (2nd from right), in front of Henry Hobbs Barwon Foundry in around 1888.

1888 - William Humble, Mayor of Geelong

William Humble, the second partner in the Foundry, was Mayor of Geelong in 1888 and 1889. Coincidentally, the son of one of his former employees James Campbell (JC) Brown, was later also Mayor of Geelong.

1891 - James Campbell Brown, Vulcan Foundry

James Campbell (JC) Brown was noted as the foreman of the Vulcan Foundry in the Geelong Advertiser of 26 March 1891. He left some time after 1900 to set up his own engineering firm, taking Alexander Aikman with him.

Alexander Aikman (1867 - 1943) worked at the Humble and Nicholson Vulcan foundry and received various recommendations for his work. At some point after 1901 he went to work for JC Brown, and by 1910 had set up his own company (see below). The letterhead of the recommendations are shown below:

Humble and Nicholson stationery from 1891 to 1900

1891 - Andrew William Croll marries Margaret King

Andrew William James/John Croll (1869, Ballarat (Vic BDM Ref 13537) - 1949, Berwick (Vic BDM Ref 18122)), the seventh child and first surviving son of Andrew Hutchinson Croll (1839 - 1897) and Mary Ann Poole (1840 - 1896), married Margaret Lucy Ignatius ('Maggie') King (1866 - 1949) in 1891 (Vic BDM Ref 3261). Maggie's parents were Frederick King and Annara Ohalloran, and she was born at Warrnambool. Maggie King's brother Charles R King was killed at Pozieres on 26 July 1916.

Andrew and Maggie had the following children:

Andrew William Croll died on 27 June 1949 at his residence, 'Berwick' (The Age, 30 June 1949, (Vic BDM Ref 18122)). The death noticed stated that Queenie and 'Boy' (Andrew) had pre-deceased him as noted in the dates above. Margaret Lucy Ignatius Croll (ee King) died in 1949 at Oakleigh. (Vic BDM Ref 5626)

January 1892 - Robert Croll is insolvent

Robert Croll, the youngest son of William and Jean/Jane Croll, a saddler of Malop Street in Geelong, was declared insolvent in January 1892, according to The Argus of 26 January 1892. The causes were described as 'sickness in family and pressure of creditors. His liabilities were recorded as £74 10s. 8d.; his assets, £19 15s.

At this point his eldest daughter Haidee was 17, his son Stewart was 9.

See from 1902 regarding Stewart's life, and from 1908 regarding the death of Robert and his wife Jane.

1892 - Annie Isabella Maria Croll marries Henry Kendrick

Annie Isabella Maria Croll (1867, Sebastopol (Vic BDM Ref 24603) - D), the fourth daughter of Andrew Hutchinson Croll (1839 - 1897) and Mary Ann Poole (1840 - 1896), married Henry James Kendrick in 1892 (Vic BDM Ref 1081). They had three children, one of which appears to have been born before they married. There is no obvious marriage or death records for any of the family in Victoria other than what is recorded here, suggesting they may have moved interstate.

1892 - Andrew Hutcheson Croll, a cripple, has a serious accident

The Herald (Melbourne) of 7 April 1892 carried a short notice titled 'Serious Vehicle Accident - A cripple badly hurt', referring to Andrew Hutcheson Croll:

An accident occurred in Flinders street [Melbourne City], near the Conference Hotel, to-day; through which a crippled man named Andrew H. Croll, 53 years of age, who resides at 168 Nelson road, South Melbourne, was rather seriously injured. A buggy and pair of ponies, driven by a lady, were proceeding along Flinders street, when Croll was crossing tho road on his crutches. The ponies became unmanageable and bolted. The lady was thrown from the buggy, and the ponies in their sudden gallop knocked down Croll. The lady was picked up, fortunately unhurt, while the ponies were stopped by some of the persons in the street. Croll was taken to the Melbourne Hospital, where Dr Horne found that his head and body were badly hurt and braised. After being treated, Croll was allowed to leave for his home. It is a singular fact that Croll was knocked down and had his leg broken through a somewhat similar accident exactly 12 months ago today.

These two accidents (the first of which does not appear to have been reported in any newspaper) may have contributed to the reason why Andrew ended up in the Kew Asylum in 1897, see below.

1896 - Elsie May Croll marries David Burns

Elsie May Croll (1876, Melbourne (Vic BDM Ref 17676) - 1944), the sixth daughter of Andrew Hutchinson Croll (1839 - 1897) and Mary Ann Poole (1840 - 1896), married David Burns in 1896 (Vic BDM Ref 7530, shows her surname as Crott). They had the following children:

1897 - Death of Andrew Hutcheson Croll

As noted above, Andrew Hutcheson Croll, the third child of William and Jane Croll (nee Hutcheson) born in 1839, was admitted to the Kew Lunatic Asylum, Kew, Victoria where he died on 8 September 1897. The inquest into his death on 7 September 1897 at the Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum stated that he died of 'disease of the brain and lungs' (Item 1897/1058, Inquest Deposition Files, State Coroner's Office). His record including the following evidence provided by Ramsay Mailer, the acting medical officer at the Asylum:

From the records of the Asylum I find that the deceased Andrew Croll aged about 65 years was admitted on the 29th July 1897 on the authority of the warrant now produced. On admission he was suffering from dementia and was in feeble bodily health. There was one large bedsore and many abrasions on various parts of the body. He was sent to the Hospital Ward where he was kept in a chair and had to be fed. The bedsore improved but the patient gradually became weaker and on the 3rd inst. he suddenly became much worse and was placed in bed. Gradually sinking he died on the 4th inst at 10.10 AM.

Another deposition notes that 'Dr Mailer saw him separately. The official visitors also saw him. His daughters saw him. He just knew them.'

1899 - Humble and Nicholson's Vulcan Foundry

The Leader (Melbourne) of 3 June 1899 ran a full page article and large illustrations about and showing the Vulcan Foundry. The illustrations included the 'Ferrier Wool Press', the 'Fitting Shop', the 'Boiler making yard', and the 'Refrigerating Coils'. It also included illustrations of William Humble and Ward Nicholson. The text of the article read as follows:

Amongst the many businesses which have increased the commercial properity and industrial reputation of Geelong the Vulcan Foundry, conducted by Messrs Humble and Nicholson, standard in a foremost position. The foundry was originally established in 1861 [sic] and the premises were then of a primitive character but the proprietors have by steady progress gradually developed their business and it now assumes such proportions that 3 acres of land in the heart of the town are in occupation. (The article then goes on to describe some of their more well-known works, noting that they were focussed on refrigerants for the dairy industry).

From 1900 - Humble and Nicholson

The Geelong Advertiser of 22 July 1915 article previously quoted continues below:

After two years of the partnership, Mr Simmons died. John Lessels, foreman at the Phoenix Foundry, Ballarat, took his place but persistent effort on the part of the Phoenix proprietary induced him to return to that employ. He was succeeded by John Valentine, who did not remain long, and then Messrs Humble and Nicholson carried on together until 1900 when the last named left. Mr Humble's three sons were taken into the partnership and the foundry was known as 'Humble and Sons'. [The article continues about the rest of Humble's life which is not relevant to the Croll history]

Around 1900, James Campbell Brown, the foreman engineer, left to establish his own engineering business named JC Brown and Company Pty Ltd, taking with him young Alexander Aikman (1867 - 1943). The family records include copies of original references for Alexander Aikman dated November 1888 (signed 'Henry Hobbs', who also owned a foundry), September 1891, June 1893 (signed 'P M Carr'), and October 1900. Aikman would eventually set up his own company, A Aikman and Company); his daughter Margaret Dorothy Aikman would eventually married John Charles Robertson, the great grandson of William Croll. See also below from 1917.

From 1900 - Haidee Alice Croll

Haidee Alice Croll (1875 - 1955?) was the eldest child and daughter of Robert Croll (1849 - 1908?) and Jane/Janet Mangan (1851, Geelong - 11 December 1908) in 1875. Her birth certificate records her surname as Crole.

Haidee Alice Croll married Allan Joseph Thompson (born 1869, Geelong) in 1900 (Vic BDM Ref 6744). Allan Thompson was the son of William Thompson and Elizabeth Mary Lander and they may have lived in Port Fairy. They had one son:

Allan Joseph Thompson died at Heidelberg in 1908, aged 38 (Vic BDM Ref 6172). The death of her father in 1908 and also her husband's death in Melbourne may be how she met John Hopkins. See below from 1909.

January 1901 - J C Brown and Co Engineers

James Campbell (JC) Brown had set up his own company, 'J C Brown and Co, Consulting and Practical Engineers, Geelong Engineering Works', in the Arcade Buildings, Corio Street, Geelong by January 1901, according to an advertisement in the Geelong Advertiser of 23 January 1901, and later at 7 Barwon Terrace, Geelong (according to this Victorian Heritage page).

Alexander Aikman (1867 - 1943)) was employed at those works before setting up his own motor engineering company from around 1910, variously named 'A Aikman & Co Motor Engineering', 'A Aikman & Co City Engineering Works & Garage' (1926) or the 'Aikman Garage'.

Alexander Aikman's grandson, Alexander John (Jock) Robertson through his daughter Margaret Dorothy Aikman who married John Charles Robertson, later married Cherie Brown, the granddaughter of James Campbell Brown from his only son Charles Naples Brown (later also the Mayor of Geelong - thereby re-linking the Croll and Robertson families.

1902 - George Croll recognised for his work in New Zealand

The Geelong Advertiser of 31 October 1902 carried an article titled 'The Geelong Boy Abroad - A New Zealand Presentation', that included the following text:

The name of 'Croll' some years ago was a household word in this town [i.e., Geelong]. Mr William Croll established the works known as the Vulcan Foundry, and his eldest son, John [sic - actually George], some years later migrated to New Zealand. There he rose, step by step as a practical engineer, until he finally reached the distinction of Government Inspector of Machinery. The following from a Christchurch paper shows in what estimation Mr Croll is held in New Zealand, and is another bright example of the ability and enterprise of the Geelong boy abroad [rest of article describes the presentation].

1902 - The life of Stewart Norman Croll

Stewart Normal Croll (born 1883) was the son of Robert and Jane Croll (nee Mangan). According to the Horsham Times of 29 July 1902 (and other papers at the time), Stewart Norman Croll, a 19 year old saddler (same occupation as his father), was arrested in Melbourne on Sunday 27 July 1902 on two charges: (a) shooting with intent to murder and (b) outraging, or attempting to outrage, one Ethel Rickards, a servant girl residing at Albert Park. Both offences were said to have occurred on Wednesday 23 July 1902. The article noted that Croll had been 'keeping company with the girl and had walked out with her on two or three occasions, and on the last had had some discussion with her. The girl repelled his advances and Croll deliberately shot her in the back, between the shoulder blades and then, it is alleged, attempted to outrage her'. The article ends with 'The police believe that Croll was connected with similar murderous assaults on women at Port Melbourne some time ago.'

The case was reported in The Truth (Sydney) on 24 August 1902. Croll's name was reported erroneously as 'Norman Ernest Croll'.

Stewart Norman Croll was sentenced to 10 years jail in September 1902. According to the Macleay Chronicle of 18 September 1902, 'The Judge said had the verdict been on the first count, the prisoner would probably have been hanged'. His prison record (see below) records his name as Stuart Normal Croll.

Stewart Croll was released from prison on 14 September 1907. He appears to have taken on the name Alfred Andrews, entered into a relationship and fathered a child. See below from 1911 for a continuation of his story.

1907 - John Hopkins of Neerim

John Hopkins junior (who enters this story from 1909 when he married Haidee Croll, the daughter of Robert and Jane Croll (nee Mangan)) married Margaret Smellie Burnside, the daughter of James Burnside and Rachael Smellie, in 1898 (Vic BDM Ref 4720). It seems she was more well known as Daisy.

John was the son of John Hopkins (abt 1828, possibly UK - 1914, Neerim) and Annie ( - 1929) and was likely born between 1870 and 1880. When his father died in 1914, the note about his death in the Gippsland Independent of 24 April 1914 noted that John senior had been a resident in the area for about 40 years (so, since around 1875). This would suggest that John junior was born around the time they arrived in Neerim or just before.

John and Margaret Hopkins had seven children:

John Hopkins junior was fairly well known as a butcher of Neerim South from the late 1800s through to the early 1900s. He appears to have been the Mayor of Neerim in 1908 according to the West Gippsland Gazette of 18 February 1908. He fell sick from fever in March 1908 and was taken to Cooinda hospital.

John Hopkins' first wife, Margaret (known as Daisy), died on 5 November 1908 at Cooinda hospital. She was 33 years old. (Source: The Argus, Melbourne, 6 November 1908; Vic BDM Ref 15646).

1907/1908 - Charles Naples Brown in the UK

The Geelong Advertiser of 10 December 1908 noted that Charles Naples Brown, the son of James Campbell (JC) Brown, had returned from the UK where he had lived for 12 months. During this time 'he went through a course of practical work while abroad and attended the Glasgow Technical College and other schools'.

1908 - Death of Robert Croll and Jane Croll (nee Mangan)

The parents of Haidee Alice Thompson (nee Croll) and Stewart Norman Croll, Robert Croll (born 1849) and his wife Jane/Janet (nee Mangan) appear to have moved to Melbourne by 1900. Robert Croll is recorded in the Sands and McDougall directory of 1900 living at 17 Young Street, South Melbourne but is not listed separately in the trade and professional directory as a saddler. In 1905 he was recorded at 31 Young Street, South Melbourne. An 'R Croll, saddler', which is possibly Robert, is recorded at 396 Lonsdale Street in Melbourne city.

Robert Croll died at South Melbourne(Vic BDM Ref 10909) in 1908. Jane/Janet died on 11 December 1908 also at South Melbourne (Vic BDM Ref 14704). Sickness in the family (as noted in his insolvency of 1892) and the court case involving his son may have had an impact on his health.

Perhaps these deaths caused the widow Haidee to go to (or live in) Melbourne, and this is how she met John Hopkins?

From 1909 - Haidee Alice Croll marries John Hopkins of Neerim

Haidee Alice Thompson married John Hopkins from Neerim in 1909 (Vic BDM Ref 6149). They had five children listed below, born at Drouin and nearby Neerim. Around this time, it seems that Haidee decided to change her maiden surname to Stewart. Could this have been to avoid any obvious link with her infamous brother? All of the children listed below except Ian show Stewart for the mother's surname.

Their children were:

Note that both Haidee and Stella were born in the same year and in different locations; Stella's birth and death in South Melbourne would suggest that Haidee travelled to Melbourne for the birth. Not impossible, but seems unusual.

Donald Work's siblings (all of whom are believed to have been born in Birkenhead) were:

1910 - Janet Ford (nee Baird, later Brown) dies

Janet Ford was the mother of three children from her marriage to Robert Brown, including James Campbell Brown born in 1857. Janet had re-married William Ford in 1868. She died in Geelong in 1910 (Vic BDM Ref 5400).

From 1911 - Stewart Norman Croll aka Alfred Andrews is back in prison

In 1911, Stewart/Stuart Croll, now known as Alfred Andrews, again attacked a girl in Parkville, which indicates he may have lived in the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne - Carlton, Brunswick, Parkville or Coburg. His sentencing was recorded in the Barrier Miner (Broken Hill) of 26 October 1911 which noted 'he had been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment previously for wounding. That sentence was worthy of him and indicated the character of his crime'. The Argus of 25 October stated that he had 'a previous conviction under the name of Stewart Norman Crowl [sic]'

See below from 1923 for his further prison and other record.

Stewart Croll's 'wife and child'

The Bendigo Independent of 26 October 1911 (and other papers) noted that, during his 1911 trial, Alfred Andrews - 'also known as Croll' - asked the jury to remember 'his wife and child', strongly indicating that he married or at least had a child after being released in 1907 and before being arrested again in 1911 (or perhaps before his first offence, when he was 19). There is no obvious Croll/Crowl/Crole marriage from 1897 to 1912. The most likely possibility is that the relationship and child were when he went by the name Alfred Andrews.

A Violet Flora Andrews was born in Carlton to an Alfred Andrews and Rose Gallagher in 1909 (Vic BDM Ref 1536). If Rose Gallagher was Stewart Croll/Alfred Andrews' partner, it appears they never married but had a child together. As this remains speculation, the details of Rose Gallagher and daugher Violet have been moved to this page.

Stewart Croll's aliases

The Victorian Central Register of Male Prisoners records (which include several photographs) records that he went by different names over the years. His prisoner record has the following history:

1912 - Geelong's first motor body

J C Brown's engineering works displayed the first complete motor car body made in Geelong in 1912. The Geelong Advertiser of 1 July 1912 noted that 'The body, which is fitted to La Buire chassis, is of tornado-design, and was made by Everett and Sons, or Mercer Street.'

At some point, JC Brown acquired the house previously owned by his former employer William Humble in Eastern Beach Road, making yet another link between the families.

1914 - Death of John Hopkins senior in Neerim

John Hopkins senior, the son of Robert Hopkins and Elizabeth Shaw, and born around 1828 (place unknown), died in 1914 in Neerim (Vic BDM Ref 6918). He was 85. His wife Annie died on 23 July 1929 aged 89 - see below.

There is no obvious birth for John Hopkins in Victoria around 1828 and, given the dates, it seems more likely he arrived later. His father may (but also may not be) be the Robert Hopkins who died in Ballarat in 1897 aged 89.(Vic BDM Ref 7606), the closest match in terms of dates. This is probably the Robert Park Hopkins 'formerly of Hampshire, England, late of Rocky Lead' mentioned in The Ballarat Star on 13 August 1897, who died on 12 August 1897 at the Benevolent Asylum. No mention is made of a family and there is no obvious death of an Elizabeth Hopkins (nee Shaw), or any Elizabeth with the father's name of Shaw, in the period from 1820 - 1900.

1915/1917 - Aurel Thompson in the news

The Age (Melbourne) of 4 November 1915 (and the Gippsland Independent etc of 5 November 1915) ran a brief notice titled 'Thrown from a horse' which stated:

Neerim Junction - Whilst driving a mob of horses on Tuesday, O Thompson, stepson of Mr John Hopkins, butcher, was thrown from his horse. The lad was found lying unconscious and in addition to concussion of the brain his collar bone was broken and his shoulder dislocated.

The Gippsland Independent (etc) of 17 December 1915 ran the following story:

Level Crossing Accident at Neerim South Station: A shocking railway crossing accident occurred at Neerim South station on Monday afternoon just prior to the departure of the 2.10 train for Warragul. The victim was Aural [sic] Thompson, step-son of Mr J Hopkins, butcher and baker, of Neerim Junction. The lad was better known as 'Horie' Hopkins. He and his step-father drove to the station. Mr Hopkins got out of the buggy and let the boy drive the buggy and pair over the line to the goods shed. The boy drove at a good speed and was just on the line when the engine, which was shunting getting the train together, crashed into the buggy. There was a dreadful smash. The turnout was carried out 60 yards along the line, the buggy being smashed to pieces. One of the horses, a beautiful young mare, was so dreadfully injured that she had to be shot. The other was not hurt. The boy was thrown up in front of the engine chimney stack; he then fell on the cow-catcher, and was then thrown aside on the rough sleepers. He was very badly injured. (A visiting doctor examined the boy) and pronounced it a critical case. The boy received a very severe concussion of the brain, and the doctor thought he was hurt internally. The patient was removed by the train to the Warragul Hospital in a precarious condition. ... It was only a few months ago that the same lad met with a serious accident by being thrown from a horse and receiving a concussion of the brain. Great sympathy is felt for Mr and Mrs Hopkins.

Aurel Thompson gets another mention in the Independent (Footscray) of 17 February 1917 when he was just 16; since his mother had given birth in Neerim the same year, it seems he may have been living there, possibly with other related family members. The newspaper report noted that Aurel had been in charge of an order cart and the horse bolted. The report seems to indicate the event occurred in Nicholson Street, Footscray.

Nothing more is known about Aural Thompson aka Horace/Horie Hopkins until his death in 1979 in Sale.

From 1917 - Death of William Humble

William Humble, the part-owner of Nicholson and Humble, and the former Mayor of Geelong, died in February 1917. Parts of his obituary have been included in the above text.

1919 - Elsie Croll marries James Holland

Elsie Ohalloran Croll, the second eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs Andrew Croll of Kooyong Road, Caulfield, married Lieut James F Holland (MC), the second eldest son of the late Mr J A Holland and Mrs Holland of 'Holburn', Croydon Road, Surrey Hills. James Holland had only recently returned after four and a half years service in Gallipoli and Palestine where he served with the 3rd Light Horse Signal Troop and the 1st Australian Camel Battalion. ((Vic BDM Ref 11254, Table Talk, Melbourne, 21 August 1919, AWM page).

Elsie Holland (nee Croll) died at Caulfield in 1970 (Vic BDM Ref 2996, parents Andrew Croll and Margaret King). James Forrest Holland died at South Caulfield in 1975 aged 88 (Vic BDM Ref 9484).

1923 - John Hopkins of Neerim moves to Bendigo

John Hopkins' 'Cessnock Estate', 'close ot Nayook Station and right against the township of Neerim Junction' was put up for sale in 1920. The article in The Argus of 7 August 1920 noted that the property had been held by the Hopkins family for over 40 years and was now sub-divided into 'five rich farms of from 10 to 50 acres each'.

The marriage notice of Rachel Smellie Hopkins in May 1923 (noted above) refers to 'Mr and the late Mrs John Hopkins, of Bendigo, late of Neerim', [the late Mrs Hopkins is assumed to be Daisy, the mother of Rachel, not Haidee] indicating they had moved to Bendigo by that date. The West Gippsland Gazette of 5 June 1923 ran an advertisement for the sale of John Hopkins' seven allotments at Neerim Junction.

From 1923 - Stewart/Jack Croll back in jail

The Herald (Melbourne) on 3 October 1923 reported as follows under the title 'Goal for Park Vagrant'. 'Jack Croll, unkempt, bearded and in 'scarecrow clothes' was called upon at the South Melbourne Court today, and asked why he spent his time loafing in the Albert Park, said 'the whole business is a rigmarole and doesn't interest me'. On the charge of vagrancy, he was sent to gaol for a month'.

The Age of 6 March 1924 and other newspapers reported that Jack Crowl, aged 41, was charged with vagrancy. 'Evidence was given that accused had been seen almost daily for months idling in Albert Park and eating food refuse which he found at the tip in the enclosure.' The article noted that Jack had been convicted of vagrancy before, and had been earlier sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for assault with intent, and to a similar term for inflicting grievous bodily harm. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. The Argus reported that Croll had been sleeping in Albert Park, and claimed to be an engineer.

Stewart Croll/Crowl's prison photograph from March 1919 after spending 10 years in prison.

The Argus of 20 August 1925 reported the following under the title of 'Vagrant's Convictions - 21 Years in Gaol':

Previous convictions involving 21 years and seven months imprisonment since September 15 1902 were admitted by Jack Crowl, aged 43 years who had no fixed place of abode or occupation when he was charged at the South Melbourne Court on Wednesday with having been an idle and disorderly person, with insufficient means of support. ... Constable Poore, of Middle Park said: I found Crowl lying on the municipal rubbish tip on August 18. I said, "What do you do for a living?" He replied, "Nothing", and admitted that he had not worked for some time. I have known Crowl for four months and have frequently warned him about his conduct. He frequents the Albert Park reserve and the streets of South Melbourne. He picks up scraps of food on the tip, and women are afraid of him. Crowl - Other persons live on the other ends of the scraps. It would appear that I am going to a much worse place than the tip. I admit two sentences for imprisonment for 10 years for assault with intent and wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm, and three sentences totalling imprisonment for 19 months for vagrancy. Crowl was sentenced to imprisonment, with hard labour, for 12 months'.

He was never released from some form of custody, being transferred to Ararat Mental Asylum in 1926 as noted above, where he died in 1957.

1929 - Death of Annie Hopkins

Annie Hopkins, the wife of John Hopkins senior, died on 23 July 1929. The Age of 25 July 1929 carried the notice:

HOKIM: On the 23rd July, at 20 Arnold Street, Princess Hill, Annie Hopkins, widow of John Hopkins, late of Neerim; sister of Mrs M Hokim, Mrs K Osborne, and the late Mrs M Scott, aged 89.

1930s and 1940s - deaths

The following Croll siblings (all the children of Andrew Hutcheson and Mary Ann Croll (nee Poole) died during the 1930s and 1940s:

1935 - Death of another William Croll

The Age of 24 June 1935 reported the death of William Steel Croll, husband of Margaret Croll, and father of Agnes, Annie, Lena and Isabel, grandfather of Colin, Isabel, Norman, Frank and Beverly. He was 77. His relationship with others on this page is not yet known. The Vic BDM Record (ref 5024) states his parents to be John Croll and Mary (unknown).

1935 - J C Brown and Co Pty Ltd

The Age (Melbourne) of 27 August 1935 noted a burglary at the engineering works of J C Brown and Co Pty Ltd, Corio Street, Geelong.

1936 - Death of James Campbell Brown (born 1857)

James Campbell Brown, the son of Robert Brown and Jessie Baird, died in 1936 (Vic BDM Ref 19387).

The Age (Melbourne) of 21 December 1936 recorded details of the funeral of James Campbell Brown, 'father of the Mayor of Geelong, Ald Charles Naples Brown'. The article noted that 'Old employees of the firm ... were the coffin bearers and the pall bearers included Alex Aikman and various others.

1947 - Death of Charles Naples Brown

Charles Naples (CN) Brown, the son of James Campbell Brown, former Mayor of Geelong and principal at the firm of JC Brown and Co, engineers, Corio Street, Geelong, died on 9 May 1947. He was 61. (The Herald, 9 May 1947).

1955 - Death of Haidee Hopkins

Haidee Hopkins, born at Albert Park 1875, died at Fitzroy on 6 January 1955. She was 79 (Vic BDM Ref 854). Her death record in the BDM registers shows her mother's name as Jean Machin, her father's name as Robert Stewart. (Vic BDM Ref 854, Ryerson Index, Fawkner cemetery record).

1957 - Death of Stewart Croll

Stewart Croll (Haidee Hopkins' brother) died of 'senility' on 6 September 1957 at the Ararat mental asylum aged 74, under the name of Jack Crowl (Vic BDM Ref 20921). He was buried in the Ararat Cemetery, grave number 4697. Unfortunately this grave is in the missing list of graves, so the exact location is not known. (Source: Ararat Cemetery Trust, information received 31 July 2020).

Page created 11 December 2011, last updated 10 August 2020 (significant additions and updates regarding Rose Andrews). Copyright © 2021 Andrew Warland. (andrewwarland(at)gmail.com)