"Billy" William Henry DEAN
Born 28 February 1867 in Longford, Tasmania, Australia [376]
Son of butcher William DEAN and Jane CRAWFORD [376]
Married (1) Minerva KINGSLEY [P467]
Married (2) Lillian Knight BURROWS [P467] in 1891 in New South Wales, Australia [32]
They were living near Mooroopna in Victoria, Australia in 1895 when their son William, who died in infancy, was born [54]
In 1897, when their daughter Hilda was born, they were living in or near Coolgardie in Western Australia [15]
Horse Dealer in Perth in 1903 [50]
He and his second wife resided at 28 Fitzgerald Street, Perth in 1903 and 1906 and was at 7 Money Street, Perth in 1909 [50]
In partnership with Michael C. BROWN purchased 5,504 acres of virgin land in Three Springs on 22 September 1910 [27]
The 5,5,04 acres was Lot M810 of Victoria Location 2020 purchased from the Midland Railway Company for £1,857/12/- [27]
The property was payable by instalments over 15 years, and was assigned solely to his name on 9 December 1910 [27]
For the 1910-11 financial year the rates for his property were sent care of Michael BROWN in Three Springs [44]
After winding up his business operations in Perth he shifted to the property in Three Springs on 22 March 1911 [9: 28-Jul-1911]
Farmer of Woodbree Farm in Three Springs, Western Australia 1911-1920 [6] [9: 28-Jul-1911] [50]
Shortly after arrival he employed a gang of men to start clearing part of the property and then began ploughing [9]
After clearing he ploughed and seeded 120 acres of Federation wheat and a small plot of New Zealand white oats [9]
Employed men through the winter of 1911 to clear and fallow more ground in the hope of growing 500 acres in 1912 [9]
Prior to striking good water at a depth of 60 feet he had carted all of his water the six miles from the Three Springs townsite [9]
Owing to the fast development of his farm he was described as "an enterprising tiller of the soil" [9: 28-Jul-1911]
After an ongoing argument with Frank HAGAN it was decided they would come to a resolution by racing each other [10: 13-Aug-1915]
The running race was put off a number of times due to wet weather before a date was fixed, regardless of what the weather be [10]
They raced each other on a wet and muddy day in early August 1915, and both passed the finish line in an almost dead heat [10]
Being covered in mud and unrecognisable the judge announced the winner was the one with a big lump of clay stuck to him [10]
Their trainers and the judge rushed to see which of them had a lump of clay stuck to them, however they had already showered [10]
Mrs Frances Christina WEISS resided with him in Three Springs, during which time they had six children [P467]
Their children were registered at birth with his partner's surname of WEISS [P467]
They included his son George Carl WEISS born in 1916, whose name was later changed to George Charles DEAN [P467]
In 1915 or 1916 he carted his wheat with an eight horse team which, could cart 40 cwt. (40 hundredweight, or two ton) of wheat [152]
Signed the petition and financial guarantee in 1917 for the Midland Railway Company to provide a resident doctor at Three Springs [34]
In 1917 grew 500 acres of wheat on his Three Springs farm [10: 19-Jun-1917]
Spoke at the Farewell Social for Const. Richard J. HONNER at the Agricultural Hall in Three Springs on 30 August 1918 [10: 6-Sep-1918]
Donated the large sum of £10/10/- to the Three Springs Saint Patrick's Day Committee in 1919 [124]
Steward and Vice President of the Three Springs Saint Patrick's Day Committee's Sports Meeting on Monday 17 March 1919 [124]
His farm, livestock, machinery and household items were sold at a clearing sale at 11 a.m. on Friday 30 January 1920 [10: 23-Jan-1920]
The clearing sale was conducted by local auctioneer Thomas J. BERRIGAN on behalf of the Trustees of his Assigned Estate [10]
His farmland, which was put up for auction was the 5,504 acre Lot M810 situated about eight miles east of Three Springs [10]
The farm was dog proof fenced, subdivided, 800 cleared acres, two wells, windmills, troughing, house, stabling and woolshed [10]
Also put up for sale was an agreement between him and the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia Ltd [10: 23-Jan-1920]
The agreement was dated 6 February 1919 and was to purchase lands one mile from the Three Springs townsite for £10,000 [10]
The lands consisted of Lots M765, M766, M767 and M768; and Victoria Locations 482, 1354, 1659 and 1732 [10]
Regardless of whether the farmland sold his livestock, plant, machinery and furniture would be auctioned at the clearing sale [10]
Livestock sold consisted of 2440 sheep, 2 dairy cows, 6 draught farm horses, draught stallion, 12 others horses and poultry [10]
Plant and Machinery included a 16 tine spring tooth cultivator, Sunshine 35 tine spring tooth cultivator, two 4 ton wagons, [10]
Sunshine 20 hoe seed drill with pole swings, 13 hoe Farmers' Favourite drill corn crusher, 7 foot Sunshine harvester, [10]
5 foot May Bros harvester, 15 hoe Massey Harris drill, Hornby reaper and binder, 4 furrow plough, 2 furrow plough, [10]
earth scoop, double seated buggy, sulky and harness, spring dray, spring cart, two 200 gallon iron tanks, forge, anvil, vice, [10]
drilling machine, set of stocks and dies, harnesses, chains, farm tools and sundries [10]
Household Items sold at the sale included an Oak bedroom suite, Oak dining suite, overmantel, bookcase, quantity of lino, [10]
Oak writing desk, dresser, safe, quantity of beds and bedding, and a full range of household effects and sundries [10]
His 5,504 acre farm presumably didn't sell at the sale in 1920, as it was re-offered on Thursday 1 December 1921 [10: 25-Nov-1921]
By this time he had left Three Springs as the description of the property included "lately occupied by Mr. W. Dean" [10]
He took up 3,000 acres of "splendid mixed farming lands" within a few miles of the Bencubbin townsite in 1925 [9: 17-Apr-1925]
Married (3) his partner "Teeny" Frances Christina WEISS in Perth in 1941 [66]
In 1943 and 1949 he was working as a Horse Breaker and living on Drake Street in the Perth suburb of Morley Park [50]
Resided of late in the Perth suburb of Morley Park [2]
Father by his second wife of two daughters Lily and Hilda [39: 11-Nov-1926, 24-Jan-1950]
Father of six children by his third wife, including a son George [P467]
Died 21 January 1950; buried at Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth, Western Australia (Anglican, ZI, 412) [2]
From The West Australian newspaper, Monday 23 January 1950:
Death of Former Dealer in Horses
"William Henry Dean, formerly a well-known horse dealer in Western Australia, died at his residence in Drake-street, Morley Park, on Friday at the age of 83 years. He retained a keen interest in racehorses until about 12 months ago and then sometimes rode horses on the training track. The late Mr Dean came to Western Australia from Tasmania about 57 years ago and went to the Goldfields, where he opened a business as a horse dealer. Later he went into partnership in Perth with the late Mr A. E. Cockram and the firm specialised in racehorses, hacks and farm horses. At one time they owned stables on land on which the G.P.O., Perth, not stands. With the advent of the motor car, the late Mr Dean went farming in the Three Springs district, where he worked a property between 1912 and 1920."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'William Henry Dean' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 26 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/william-dean [reference list] |
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