Samuel John Davidson (1816 - 1868)

Born 11 Dec 1816 in London

Husband of Treandaphelia Garth Robinson — married 2 Nov 1837 in Jersey

Descendants

Died 1868 at about age 51 in Victoria, Australia

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Biography

This biography was auto-generated by a GEDCOM import.^[1] It's a rough draft and needs to be edited.

Birth

Birth:

Date: ABT 1817

Place: London^[2]

Death

Death:

Date: 1868

Place: Victoria, Australia^[3]

Burial

Burial:

Date: 15 OCT 1868

Place: Campbells Creek, Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia

Age: 51y

Occupation

Occupation: Ship owner

Data Changed

Data Changed:

Date: 17 MAR 2009

Time: 18:41:33

Prior to import, this record was last changed 18:41:33 17 MAR 2009.

Marriage

Marriage:

Date: 2 NOV 1837

Place: Jersey

Address: St Clements^[4][5]

Husband: Samuel John Davidson

Wife: Treandaphelia Garth Robinson

Child: Treandaphelia Sophia Davidson

Child: Emily Davidson

Child: Selina Davidson

Child: Agnes Davidson

Child: Walter Henry Davidson

Child: George Douglas Davidson

Child: Raleigh Gilbert Davidson

Data Changed:

Date: 26 NOV 2013

Time: 18:07:40

Sources

1. ↑ Davidson-3451 was created by Peter Richardson through the import of PJR-2500.GED on Feb 2, 2014. This comment and citation can be deleted after the biography has been edited and primary sources are included.
2. ↑ Source: #S288 Page: E-Mail 2009-03-17: Extract from Digger - Pioneer Index. Victoria 1836-1888
3. ↑ Source: #S288 Page: E-Mail 2009-03-17: Extract from Digger - Pioneer Index. Victoria 1836-1888 Data: Text: Reg Number 8796
4. ↑ Source: #S294 Page: E-Mail 2009-04-03: National Archives Document ref C13/387/15 W1837 G25
5. ↑ Source: #S421 Page: AWT of wallabyw17

• Source: S288 Title: Mark Searle Data Changed: Date: 26 NOV 2013 Time: 18:07:40

S.J. DAVIDSON "ALLANVALE HOME STATION" (Letter from the Stawell Historical Society, dated 15 June 1988. Signed by Margaret Mason, Researcher for the Society)

Concongella has a remarkable history, dating back to 1841, when John Allan took up the Concongella selection, with its 57,600 acres, extending from a point a few miles north of Great Western to where the Major Mitchell Memorial stands at the side of the Western Highway behind Stawell. Mr Allan was the son of George Allan of Allanvale, Launceston, and married Eliza, daughter of Captain Lipson of Adelaide in 1840, a year before possession of Concongella. There was litigation over the selection, and as a result it passed into the hands of Dr Blundell in 1844.

The Concongella creek is a tributary of the Wimmera river and joins the river East of Campbell's bridge. In the Victorian Counties Atlas of 1874 it was stated that "Cuncinjella" creek rises at the junction of the Black & Pyrenees Ranges, and flows 26 miles through the townships of Allanvale & Great Western, and at that time the proprietors were Ibbotson & Dalgety. Concongella selection covered most of what is now the Town of Stawell, then known as Pleasant Creek, some 64,000 acres and it was on this property that gold was first discovered, giving rise to a prosperous town, which it has remained and is once again being mined for the deep gold that was left behind in the early days. When the Grant Lands Act came in, this large selection was split up and sold, at this time being owned by Andrew Stewart (about 1861), and Allanvale as it was known was acquired by S.J. Davidson.

For many years the only two steam winding engines were the Great Northern, owned by Messrs Davidson, Blackburn, Bury & Grant; and Grant Lamont Companies, afterwards merged into the Cross Reef Consolidated Co. This was a large gold mining & crushing company, and quite a rich one.

Mr Davidson was responsible for the preservation of one of the natural wonders around Stawell, known as the Sisters Rocks, it is group of very large rocks jutting out of the ground. At about the time mentioned (1860's) many permanent buildings were springing up and stone was needed for foundations and other purposes. The rocks jutting out of the ground offered an easy means of obtaining the materials required. Mr Armstrong (the local photographer) fearing that the "Sisters" might be demolished by someone in search of building stone, protested to the local body against any such vandalism and asked that they be protected. Consequently, Mr Davidson took up a small piece of ground under the 42nd Section of the Land Act, and enclosed the rocks within a rough fence at his own cost. This saved those attractive natural objects from destruction.

S.J. Davidson was among the first who were allotted blocks from the Concongella selection. In 1864 complaints were made against him for washing his sheep in the creek running through the property, but no further action was taken against him. Mr Davidson was a member of the Roads Board, 1861, which later became Stawell Shire Council.

Mention has been made of "Allanvale" in its earliest years, "Sinclairs Run" as it was known passed to John Armstrong in September, 1854. He died in December 1856 and a few months later the license was transferred to George Ewbank. He held it until 1862 (including a pre-emptive of 640 acres which he took up in 1860) when S. J. Davidson became license holder. The run covered 40,000 acres, including a number of freehold blocks. He held the run until 1876.

SJD was a member of the 1st Committee of Management of the Pleasant Creek Hospital, 1859. The building still stands, and forms part of the Pleasant Creek Training Centre. The present hospital is in the centre of Stawell. Mr Davidson does not appear to be buried at Stawell, so no family records are available here.