Joseph Creer (1826 - 1909)

Born 6 Nov 1826 in Braddan, Isle of Man

Husband of Sarah (Cain) Creer — married 14 Jul 1849 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Husband of Sarah Needham May (Ferrers) Creer — married 19 Nov 1861 in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Descendants

Died 9 Jun 1909 at age 82 in Watsons Bay, New South Wales, Australia

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({Joseph CREER came Free|colony=South Australia})

Biography

Joseph was the son of Edward CREER and Sarah DICKINSON, of the Isle of man. He was born on the Isle of Man in 1826, and died at Watson’s Bay in 1909. Joseph CREER emigrated to Australia with his two brothers Edward and Henry. Joseph arrived in South Australia about 1848. They were all seafaring men, and moved to the Northern Rivers of NSW where they were all involved in the Clarence and Richmond River Steam Ship Co. Joseph later moved to Sydney to become the Master of Pilots on Sydney Harbour. Joseph married secondly Sarah Needham May FERRERS in 1861 in Adelaide. They raised 13 children, and also the son of Joseph’s first wife Sarah Jane CAIN. They lived at Watson’s Bay near the Sydney Harbour Heads.^[1]

The children of Joseph and Sarah were:

1. Sarah Jane CREER: 26 May 1863, Adelaide, South Australia – 1 July 1945, Rose Bay, Sydney, NSW. Sarah married James Hannah NAIRN.
2. Alice Amelia CREER: 13 November 1863, Adelaide, South Australia – 6 August 1946. Alice married Gavin SCOTT. # Edith Marion 'Mimmie' CREER: 27 January 1866, Adelaide, South Australia – 15 October 1942, Edgecliffe, Sydney, NSW. Edith married Edmund John Bailey PLAYFAIR.
3. Alfred Joseph CREER: 28 February 1868, Sydney, NSW – 6 October 1890, Woolhara, Sydney, NSW.
4. Isabelle Maud CREER: 17 July 1870, Sydney, NSW. Isabelle married Herbert J. H. D. GALE.
5. Adeline Mary CREER: 22 March 1873, Sydney, NSW. Adeline married Robert Brandreth PARRY.
6. Joseph Dickenson CREER: 24 January 1875, Watsons Bay, NSW – 17 April 1936 (or possibly 1920?), Canada. He married Elizabeth G. GIBSON.
7. Ethel Ferrars CREER: 13 January 1877, Watsons Bay, NSW – 13 March 1945, Bega, NSW. Ethel married Arthur Tarleton STILES.
8. Amy Beatrice Alderson CREER: 23 April 1879, Watsons Bay, NSW – 17 May 1944. Amy married Maurice GARWOOD.
9. Herbert Victor CREER: 21 September 1881, Watsons Bay, NSW – 5 August 1959, Narrabeen, NSW. Herbert married (1) Hon. Veronique Lillian Violet GREVILLE; (2) Lynda Mary MARTIN; and (3) Bonita ALLEN.
10. Reginald Charles Ferrers CREER: 21 July 1881[?], Watsons Bay, NSW – 29 July 1958, Narrabeen, NSW. Herbert married (1) Eulalie Adela HENTY; and (2) Kathleen Marianne SILVER.
11. Gwendolyn Needham May CREER: 4 August 1884, Watsons Bay, NSW – 1 June 1923 (or 1926?), Sydney, NSW. Married (1) Alfred Benjamin BAKEWELL; and (2) William Mason Sykes HARGREAVES.
12. Creswell Bennett 'Cressie' CREER: 30 September 1886, Watsons Bay, NSW – 18 August 1888, Watsons Bay.
13. Harry Christison CREER.
14. Elizabeth 'Pearl' Christison CREER. ^[2]

1904 - ‘’CAPTAIN JOSEPH CREER. The host of friends of Captain Joseph Creer, a Watson’s Bay resident of thirty years’ standing, will regret to learn that he is ill, his condition of health being such as to cause grave anxiety. Captain Creer is well known as master of the pilot steamer Captain Cook (the old and new Cook), having been on the N.S.W. pilot station for a quarter of a century – for a brief period as pilot (No. 5), and then master of the steamer. He is now 79 years of age. His kindness to the guests on board the Captain Cook when the troops were leaving Sydney for South Africa will be remembered by everybody who were privileged to obtain a passage down the harbour on the pilot steamer. A couple of sons ---Reg and Bert— are now at sea on the Mount Stewart; but each have seen service at the front— in South Africa and in China.’’^[3]

OBITUARY.^[4] ‘’Captain Joseph Creer, one of the pioneers of the Sydney Pilot Service, and one of the oldest master mariners in New South Wales waters, died at his residence, Watson’s Bay, yesterday morning. Prior to joining the Pilot staff at Sydney he was connected with the Pilot staff at Adelaide, anD later on with the north coast of New South Wales trade. Captain Creer was 82 years of age, and leaves several sons and daughters.’’

Photograph in ‘’The Star’’ (Sydney) 9 Jun 1909 p. 12. The Late Captain Joseph Creer. A veteran pilot who died at Watsons Bay this morning.

‘’The oldest identity of Watson’s Bay (Sydney) passed over last week in the person of Captain Joseph Creer, aged 86 years. He joined the pilot service in 1875, and retired in 1890. Prior to that he was connected with coastal shipping. He was a Manxman, and started seafaring at the age of 13. Prior to that he was connected with coastal shipping. ‘’^[5]

‘’Obituary: Captain Joseph Creer, one of Sydneys oldest pilots, died at his residence, Clifton, Watsons Bay, this morning. He had reached the ripe age of 85 years. With the passing of the old shipmaster goes a link with the past pilot service of the Sydney Heads. He was born in the Isle of Man, and served his time in a little Manx brig, and became master of his first vessel when he was about 21 years of age. He came out to the colonies and joined the Adelaide pilots, and remained in the service for some years. A disagreement arose, however, and the captain severed his connection with the Adelaide pilots and went to sea again, subsequently joining the old Clarence and Richmond River Steamship Company, which has since been absorbed by the North Coast Company. For many years he commanded the steamer Clarence, and singularly enough, the three brothers Creer all met in the company's service, Harry Creer becoming superintendent of the company and Edward Creer became an engineer there at the same time. The late Captain Joseph Creer left the Clarence and Richmond River Co. to join the Sydney pilots. That was in the seventies when competition between The pilots was very keen, and before the advent of the Government pilot service. They had then to go out to sea in whalers which carried trained and permanent crews of four, and some exciting races for ships were often witnessed. Perhaps half a dozen butcher boats would accompany three or four pilot boats and the sight of the crews racing seaward was watched with interest, but by very few, as the populace of Watsons Bay was then a very small one. There were then five pilots licensed by the old Marine Board, and these included Captains Cork, Coutts, Christison and Creer. Captain Charles Smith was the first master of pilots and he was succeeded by the late Captain Creer, and he held the position until his retirement some few years ago. The memorable loss of the ship Centurion on North Head is recalled by the veteran pilots death. During a terrible south east gale, the pilot boat had to go out to the assistance of the Maneghan. Meanwhile the Centurion got into difficulties, and it was feared ship and crew would be lost on the headland. Captain Creer, in the old pilot steamer Captain Cook, put out, however, and in the thick of the storm the pilot steamers boats were lowered, and succeeded in taking off the whole of the Centurions crew as she was dashed to pieces and disappeared at North Head. The captain was presented with a gold watch and chain for his gallantry on that occasion. It is said that although the pilots of Captain Creers early days were in competition and charged 8d per ton in and out, of which they retained 6d and gave the Government 2d, their earnings never exceeded 1000 pounds per year, and of this the whalers crews had to be paid and good oarsmen cost money then. One pilot had to remain at the signal station all night too, and another on the lightship. There was but broken communication between Watsons Bay and town then, and pilot boats often carried passengers backwards and forwards, as did the butchers boats too. Mrs Creer predeceased the captain by some six months. The captain had been ailing for a long time, but had been in very low health during the past two years. ‘’^[6]

Info on descendants available at: http://belindacohen.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/creerfamilyregister.pdf.

http://braddonsmith.tripod.com/id4.html has a lot of info about broad CREER tree back to 1600 and forward in time.

Sources

1. ↑ http://belindacohen.tripod.com/id8.html
2. ↑ information on children from http://belindacohen.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/creerfamilyregister.pdf
3. ↑ ’’Evening News’’ (Sydney, NSW) 13 June 1904, p. 5
4. ↑ ’’DAILY COMMERCIAL NEWS AND SHIPPING LIST’’ (SYDNEY, NSW) 10 June 1909 p. 4
5. ↑ ’’The Bulletin’’ Vol. 30 No. 1531 (17 Jun 1909)
6. ↑ http://belindacohen.tripod.com/creerfamilyhistory/josephcreer.html

• CHRISTENING - "Isle of Man Births and Baptisms, 1607-1910", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N1TY-4BP : 6 February 2020), Joseph Creer, 1826.

• FIRST MARRIAGE - https://www.findmypast.com.au/transcript?id=ANZ%2FAU%2FSA%2FBMD%2FM%2F0000168612%2F1&datasetname=south+australia+marriages+1842-1937&sid=103&firstname=joseph+&firstname_variants=true&lastname=creer&yearofmarriage=1849&yearofmarriage_offset=2

• SECOND MARRIAGE - SA BDM. CREER Joseph and FERRERS Sarah. District - Adelaide. Book/Page - 48/101. Year - 1861.

• DEATH - NSW BDM. CREER Joseph. Registration Number - 7666/1909. Father - Joseph. Mother - Jane. District - Woollahra.

• "Find a Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:63TD-75W2 : 3 April 2023), Joseph Creer, ; Burial, Vaucluse, Waverley Council, New South Wales, Australia, South Head Cemetery; citing record ID 218835719, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.