The War Records of William Warren DeBoo and Alfred Edward DeBoo As readers of previous issues of this Gazette will know, we
have presented military records and references for DEBOO men who served
over the past two hundred years. We know that relatives and namesakes
proudly served in the wars involving Britain, Canada and the USA. There
is the famous story of a Dutch de Boo fellow who marched bravely off
to war, then marched back again with a bullet in his head - where it
stayed for the rest of his life. And then there is the story of WWII
German prisoner-of- war, Johan de Boo, being captured by Canadians soon
after his escape back to the Netherlands... The following brief summaries feature highlights gleaned from their records. Both suffered injuries, but they returned home after the cessation of hostilities.
William Warren DeBoo
At the time of enlistment (3 January 1916) at Melbourne,
he was residing at Launceston in northern Tasmania. His father (James)
was dead and his mother (Sarah Ann Moore; remarried as Mrs. S.A. Warren)
was living at Lefroy, Tasmania. His certificate of medical examination
on enlistment states that he was age 30 years 4 months, 5' 5 1/2"
tall, weighed 127 lbs, had brown eyes and brown hair. He was a member
of the Church of England, and declared fit for active service. He was
assigned to the 24th Battalion and embarked from Australia for England
on 21 March 1916.
Alfred Edward DeBoo
Just a few months later, on 11 April 1916, the records show the enlistment
of Alfred Edward DeBoo (born 1889) at Adelaide. His parents were Ephraim
William (1856-1939) and Ruth Naomi (nee Riches; 1858-1936) DeBoo of
Mundulla, South Australia. Ephraim William, his grandfather, came to
Australia in 1875 from Poplar, eastend London.
- RFD Life on the Australian Goldfields in the 19th Century Emma Deboo was my great-great grandmother. Until a couple of years ago, all I knew about Emma was her birthplace, the names of her parents and a number of her siblings. Emma married David Milne, a Scottish goldminer, at Ballarat East in 1859. Her marriage certificate provides a lot of information about her. It records her place of birth as Poplar (East London) and gives her parents’ names as William Deboo, a ship caulker, and Mary Ann Rollings (actually Rawlings but the Presbyterian minister may have mistaken the name because of Emma’s Cockney accent). She was aged 27, which gave her a birth date in 1832. I have never located a baptismal record for Emma, but I found a census entry for the family in 1841. They were living at Poplar, and her father William gave his birthplace as “within the county” meaning Middlesex. I now know that this is incorrect, and that he was born at Holme in Cambridgeshire. When I was first connected to the internet at home, I ran a search on the two most unusual names on my family tree. Searching for Deboo turned up the De Bootje Gazette. I went straight to the English pages, and to my delight discovered David Horwill’s article mentioning my great-grandmother’s disappearance from the records in the 1850’s. I sent an email immediately advising that she had immigrated to the Australian state of Victoria, and had descendents, and that I also knew that her nephew Ephraim had settled in Adelaide a generation later. Emma Deboo witnessed her brother George’s marriage in London in 1852. She married David Milne at Terrible Gully, Ballarat in 1859. I am still pursuing an arrival date and port of entry for Emma into the colonies. Many passengers were simply never listed on the ship’s records. There is a record of her husband’s arrival, because he was an indentured farm labourer, and had his passage paid. David Milne had to work on a farm in rural Victoria to pay it off. Emma settled on the Ballarat goldfields. -In the severe drought of 1837, a group of Scottish squatters left the Geelong area and headed north in search of superior sheep and cattle pastures. They became the first white men to see the land on which the town of Ballarat would emerge. William Cross Yuille camped adjacent Black Swamp (now Lake Wendouree), and established the 'Ballaarat' station in March 1838 around present day Ballarat and Sebastopol. A settlement developed at Buninyong and it was there, on August 8, 1851, that blacksmith Thomas Hiscock, found the first gold of the Ballarat goldfields. By 1853 there were some 20 000 prospectors working the field. In that year alone 9926 kg of gold were shipped out on the police-protected gold escort to Melbourne with another 77 700 kg transported from 1854 to 1857. The first gold battery in Australia was established at Ballarat in 1854. In the meantime, the settlement of Ballarat (originally spelled 'Ballaarat') had begun to emerge as a service centre to the diggings. Ballarat West was proclaimed a township in 1852 and the first town land sale occurred that year. Initially a 5-km stretch of canvas tents, it began to develop more substantial buildings with the addition of a proper hotel in 1853, an official post office building in 1854, the commencement of work on Christ Church Anglican Cathedral that same year, the erection of two churches in 1855, and a gaol and hospital in 1856. Ballarat became a municipality in 1855. Ballarat East became a municipality in 1857 and both were declared boroughs in 1863. The area prospered due to the demand for goods, services, administration and mining machinery. The arrival of the railway from Geelong (Australia's first country railway) in 1862 further enhanced marketing, commercial and social possibilities. It was into this bustling environment that Emma arrived some time in the 1850’s, commenced married life, and bore her children. Infant mortality on the gold fields was higher than 19th century average, due to poor living conditions, lack of sanitation, polluted water supplies and poverty. Emma was very lucky to raise four out of five of her children to maturity. The burial records for some of the goldfield settlements show that many families were not so fortunate. Emma’s children were all born at Ballarat: 1. David William was born in 1860. He died in Melbourne in 1882. 2. John was born in 1862. He was still alive when Emma Deboo died in 1891 but not mentioned at all on David Milne’s death certificate. 3. Emma Margaret was born in 1865. She is believed by her descendents to be the only one of her generation to marry. Emma Margaret and her husband William Thomas Heywood had 6 children. Emma Margaret died during WWII. 4. George Tainsh was born in 1869. He was the informant on his Father’s death certificate in 1908, living at Hotham, which is now known as North Melbourne. 5. Albert Edward was born in 1871 and died in 1875. The Eureka Rebellion.. This is probably Ballarat's most famous incident. Wherever a gold rush occurred in Victoria, a gold commissioner was appointed to the area to provide law and order but also to collect, from the miners, a monthly licence fee. Contention over this fee was but one of several grievances felt by miners throughout the goldfields. However, at Ballarat, these resentments became highly focused when they were entangled with a series of local incidents which culminated in the Eureka Rebellion: one of the most famous events in the history of colonial Australia. By late 1854 many of the miners were refusing to pay the licensing fee of one pound per month, which was enforced whether a miner found any gold or not. The fee was collected by the extremely unpopular Victoria Police, who inspected licenses and arrested and fined anyone found to be without one. At a major meeting of miners held on 11 November at Bakery Hill, the Ballarat Reform League was established. Inspired by Chartist aims, the miners sought universal suffrage, voting by ballot, annual parliaments, the payment of political representatives, the abolition of the licensing system, revision of laws relating to crown land and changes to the administration of the goldfields. On 27 November, a miners' deputation to Lieutenant-Governor Hotham requested the release of three imprisoned miners. He declined but supported their desire for enfranchisement, reminded them that constitutional moves were afoot to achieve this outcome, said he would appoint their chosen representative to the legislative assembly and told them they could voice their grievances about the licensing system at a proposed commission of inquiry into the matter. Another mass meeting was planned for the 29th so that the delegation could report back to the miners. Hotham was told by the police commissioner to expect trouble and troops were dispatched to the area. Ominously, there was a skirmish as they entered Ballaarat on the evening of the 28th. The delegation reported favourably about their meeting with Hotham but the miners decided to burn their licences at a public bonfire on Bakery Hill and to protect anyone facing arrest for being without one. That day the diggers, probably for the first time, sported their now famous blue flag adorned with the stars of the Southern Cross. On the 30th, Commissioner Rede ordered a licence check. The police were rebuffed with stones and shots were fired. Rede called on the military and arrests were made. The miners elected Peter Lalor, a prominent figure of the Reform League, as their commander-in-chief. About 500 men took an oath to 'fight to defend our rights and liberties' and set about erecting a stockade on the Eureka claim. Within a couple of days the numbers defending the stockade had dwindled to 150 untrained men. It appears that they did not expect to be attacked. However, in the early hours of 3 December, 152 infantry, 30 cavalry men and their officers, and 100 police approached the stockade by a surreptitious route. They charged the camp, where many still slept, and overcame resistance within about 15 minutes. It seems clear the troops employed excessive force and gratuitous violence, needlessly destroying property and tents. This may be to do with the fact that six of their numbers were killed. Peter Lalor claimed 22 miners died and another 12 later recovered from substantial wounds. 120 prisoners were taken, although some of the leaders escaped, including Lalor who went into hiding until a general amnesty was declared (he later became a Victorian Member of Parliament). Most were released but 13 were accused of high treason. Of these 12 would later be acquitted and proceedings were dropped against the 13th. The editor of the Ballarat Times received a six-month prison sentence for three counts of seditious libel. Lieutenant-Governor Hotham appointed the promised commission of inquiry into the gold fields on 7 December. In March 1855, it recommended the abolition of the licensing fee and the establishment of a Miner's Right document which cost one pound per annum and which gave prospectors the title deed to their claim. There is no record of David Milne’s involvement in the Eureka Rebellion, so we cannot say to what extent Emma was affected these stirring events. She had two small sons to worry about at that time, so we can only hope that she was not too close a bystander. Emma’s four surviving children, David, John, Emma Margaret and George moved to the state capital, Melbourne. I don’t know what occupations Emma and her husband David pursued for the rest of their lives, as alluvial gold was soon exhausted. Small-scale shaft mining was gradually replaced by more ambitious deep-lead mining enterprises, and between the late 1850s and 1875 (when the mines there started to close), produced far more gold than the Ballarat East fields. Emma died at Ballarat in 1891, after which her husband David moved to Melbourne. It would require some more research to discover whether they spent their entire married life at Ballarat. Ballarat Identities. -Distinguished public figures who started their lives at Ballarat were Prime Minister of Australia James Scullin, Premier of Victoria Sir Henry Bolte, distinguished long-distance runner Steve Moneghetti and one of Victoria's first female poets, 'Jennings Carmichael'. American writer Mark Twain visited Ballarat in the 1890s and gave lectures in the Mechanics Institute in Sturt Street. He also used the city as a setting in his works, while future US president, Herbert Hoover, made an unsuccessful search for gold to the north of Ballarat in 1905. Another goldfields visitor was the famous Lola Montez who danced her 'sensational' Spider Dance at Ballarat in 1855. For this she was denounced by Ballarat newspaper editor Harry Seekamp, prompting her to attack him with a whip! A lively place, Ballarat! -Susan Cooke, Canberra, ACT
Visit to Australia - October to November 2002 It was only in the last couple of years that the discovery was made concerning a great uncle, Ephraim William De Boo. Although I knew when and where Ephraim had been born and who his parents were, he did not appear on the 1881 census and I had no idea what had become of him. By means of publicity through the De Bootje Gazette, Susan Cooke in Australia was able to tell me more about Ephraim. She revealed that he had emigrated to South Australia around 1876, married and had seven children. Yet another branch added to the family tree, and the total of known cousins of my father easily passed the 50 mark. Bob DeBoo made contact with one of Ephraim and Ruth's great grandchildren, Annetta DeBoo and lined up a family reunion at her house in October 1999. This event was a great success with many descendants present. It was with this in mind that I contacted Annetta to try and arrange a similar event for the visit of my wife, Brenda, and I to Australia in late 2002. Emails passed back and forth before our departure (and even after we had arrived in Australia). Our holiday was organised to ensure that we met as many relatives, distant and close, as possible during our five week stay, which began in Perth. From there we embarked on the Indian Pacific train to Adelaide, arriving at the unearthly hour of 6.30 am on Sunday morning. Despite the early hour, my cousin Diana and her husband were there to greet us and take us to their home in Elizabeth where we were to stay for the next nine days. There were various sites to be seen and visits to be made, but most importantly, the arranged get together at Annetta's was now in the final stages of planning. This was to take place on the following Sunday and eagerly looked forward to. Another bright sunny hot day greeted us and about 12 noon Tony, Diana and Kay (Diana's mother), Brenda and I set out for the southern side of Adelaide. On arrival we were informed that many of the expected visitors would not be able to make it to the gathering. But as compensation, Annetta's brother, Viv and his wife Margaret, arrived and what a marvellous collection of material including photos they brought with them. Much time was spent poring over the photos and looking at all the research Viv had done in tracing the descendants of Ephraim and Ruth. Although some of the details were recorded, there was just too much to get down in the time available. However, an exchange of information was agreed before we all reluctantly parted. Since that time, some preparatory work has been undertaken on revising the family trees and the hope is that in the fullness of time it will be possible to show all the descendants of Ephraim and Emma (nee Drake). They had nine surviving children, all of whom married and all, bar one couple, had children. - David Horwill, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, UK
Our Australian Arm
small rural town of Templars, north of Gawler on the
northern plains of South Australia, and he worked there as a labourer
and later as a farmer.
In 1879, he married Ruth Naomi Riches. They first settled in the small rural town of Templars, north of Gawler on the northern plains of South Australia, and he worked there as a labourer and later as a farmer. Today, Templars consists of two houses and a church. If you blink after seeing the roadsign "Templars," you are likely to miss the town completely. The area is rich in farming activity, with the countryside covered with wheat, barley and oats.
(click on pictures for larger versions) Ephraim and Ruth had seven children: Frederick Ebenezer (1880 -1959; Viv's & Annetta's grandfather), Eva Marie (1882 -1936), William Saul (1883 - ?), Emma (1885 - ?), Edith (1886-1968), Henry Seamen (1888 - ?), Alfred Edward (1889-1958; his WWI records are summarized in a companion essay in this Issue). Over time, the family moved frequently, and the children were born at various rural towns around Adelaide. Our father, Frederick Vivian (1912-1989 ), purchased a truck, and eventually found his way to the Goolwa area on the southern coast of South Australia. With his father and brothers, he worked as part of the team building the barrages on the lower reaches of the Murray River. It was the search for employment again that took Frederick Vivian and his truck to thesteel town of Whyalla in the 1940s where he worked in the cartage trade. We were born and raised at Whyalla. Eventually, we moved to the city of Adelaide for our studies and for employment. Today, our arm of the DeBoo family is scattered widely over South Australia. - Annetta DeBoo (Adelaide) & Viv DeBoo (Victor Harbor), South Australia |
