Children of Richard and Annabella Eason

  1. Dick (Richard) Eason 1871
  2. Thomas Eason 1874
  3. Catherine Eason 1877
  4. George Alexander Eason 1879 - 1899 aged 20
  5. William Eason 1884 - 1957 aged 73
  6. Alexander Eason 1885 - 1886 aged 1
  7. Ethel May Eason 1886 - 1956 aged 60
  8. Alexander Eason 1889 - 1956 aged 69


1. Dick (Richard) Eason 1871 -

Birth

Christened St Peter Liverpool 24 July 1871 Liverpool.

Marriage

Dick married Minnie Ethel Brown in 1895 and were listed living at Munday Street in Geelong in the 1903 electoral roll. Richard was a plasterer. They emmigrated to South Africa in 1908.

At right is an early 1900s photo of Dick Eason and his wife Minnie with their three children, from left, Rhoda, Doris and Harold, and Dick's father Richard Eason

His granddaugher Norma writes:

"The only story I heard of Dick, as a young boy was that he used to wash the dishes for his mother before going to school.

"As a mother, Gran (Minnie) was not a disciplinarian, being very gently but capable. She was a great hoarder and somewhat untidy. Having a godd business brain, she would encourage her husband to buy properties or advise on investments. She loved auction sales and they bought a rosewood three quarter billiard table, which doubled as a dining room table.

"In grandfather's honor, a bowling green at the Hilton Club, Andries Pretorius St Bloemfontein, is named after him.

"Minnie and Dick celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary here (Bloemenfontein) before retiring to Cape Town. Dick had two bladder operations. They went to a specialist in Cape Town where Dick beame ill with peneumonia. He died within two days at 77 Forest Drive Pinelands, where they were living with Billy and the twins. Gran went to live in Newlands with Minna. The ashes of both my grandparents were scattered on Naval Hill Bloemenfontein.

"Grandmother visited and lived with her children at various times. When asked about previous illnesses, during a medical checkup, all she could mention was a bilious attack! She enjoyed good health all her life. Besides normal forgetfulness in her advancing age, she, for the last two years of her life, was "in another world". Two of her daughters, Minna and Rhoda, who had cared for here, were with her in the end.

"One night there was an earthquake, which shook the Western Cape. Rhoda rushed through to check on her mother and found Gran on her hands and knees, nightcap askew, stick in hand, waving it under the bed saying "Come out! I know you are there!" Grandmother, in her eighties was game to the last that there was a man under her bed!

"As mentioned in the preface, Eason documents were lost in the fire of the Cotswold's (Indian Rd Kenilworth) when grandmother camlly evacuate the building, leaving everything behind except her best hat!

"Gran was quite a character and another story told of her was, at the horse races with the Ovenstones, when asked what she wanted to drink, she asked for John Thomas!

"I have numerous memories of Gran, as she lived with us for a while, and on a hot summer's evening, when she was in her seventies, she used to take her exercise walking up and down the veranda (stoep) at Webb St, where I would join her.

"Gran was brought up by her paternal grandparents, Nathaniel and Caroline Brown, in Australia, as her mother Rhoda, had died giving birth to her sister Caroline (who died two years later). She called her grandmother Nana. Gran used to tell of her father coming to fetch her and, hardly knowing him, feeling very shy. She was very spoilt as a child, with each grandparent telling her not to tell the other when they gave her something. Nana was the disciplinarian. On a Friday evening she was taken to the shops by grandfather for a treat and she chose bananas.

"The earliest stories of the Dick and Minnie as a young couple were of their first meeting when Dick was playing the kettledrums in a cadet band. They were in the same class at school, although she was five years younger. She remembered her embarrassment in class when chastised in front of him. She told the story of going to town all dressed up with a red sunshade and while turning round to smile at Dick she walked into a lampost.

"As an only child, she loved being with the big family of the Eason clan. Before the couple emigrated to South Africa, Dick visited the country a couple of times. He had worked in Johannesburg. When the family came to Bleomfontein (my father Harold was four years old) they had three children. They came by ship, landing Port Elizabeth, and were taken off the ship in baskets and transferred to smaller craft to be taken ashore. The two younger sisters, Minna and Billy, were born in Bloemfontein. The family lived at 6 Hospital Road (now Andries Pretorius St).Dick was a well known stonemason in the partnershop of Eason and Campbell. He loved his work, specializing in beautiful fireplaces, laying the stones (bricks) himself. He was a quiet, gentlemanly person, highly thought of."

Dick and Minnie returned to Australia in 1913 with their daughters Doris and Rhoda, to visit the family.

Children of Dick and Minnie Eason

  1. Harold Richard Sutton b 1896 Geelong. Died 1972. He married 3 times, first to Angenita Bester in 1928 at Potchefstroom, then to Enid Patterson (divorced) and lastly to Joy Harding in London 1938. Nicknamed Spike, he was educated at Grey College, matriculated at 15, and went on to study accountancy at University of SA. Harold served in WW1 in Egypt, where it was bitterly cold and the soldiers kept warm using newspapers for insulation inside their uniforms. After being wounded and declared unfit for the army he joined the Royal Flying Corps and managed to survive 3 plane crashes. During WW2 he served in the Home Guard and was sent a white feather denoting cowardice! Harold had 3 daughters.
  2. Rhoda Annabella born Geelong 1899
  3. Doris May born Geelong 1902
  4. Minna born Bloemenfontein
  5. Grace (Billy) born Bloemenfontein

2. Thomas Eason 1874

Birth

Christened Liverpool 28 Dec 1874.

Marriage

Married Elizabeth (Liz) Irwin in 1904. She loved sweets and would sit behind the newspaper eating them. Thomas and family also migrated from Australia to South Africa and lived next door to Richard in Bloemfontein. Apparently they did not stay in Africa.

Children

  1. George
  2. Marjorie
  3. Irene

3. Kate (Catherine Jane) 1878 - 1964

Birth

Born circa 1878 in Liverpool, and came to Australia aboard the Duke of Buckingham in 1883. She was aged 6 years. In the 1903 census she is listed as a weaver, living at home at Kilgour st in South Geelong.

Marriage

Married Nicholas Morgan in 1903. Nicholas was born c 1870.

Children

1. George Nicholas Morgan born 1904 in Winchelsea
2. Alan Eason Morgan born Winchelsea 1904.

Death

Nicholas died on the 1st of August, 1949, aged 79.
Catherine died 7th August
1964, aged 86.


4. George Alexander Eason c 1879 - 1899.

Birth

George was born in Liverpool England he was the third son. Apparently he suffered from leukaemia.

Death

George died on football field in Geelong after injuries received in a football match. (Death index ref 9630). From the Geelong Advertiser:

"Injuries sustained by a young man named George Eason, a playing member of the Barwon football club, during the progress of the junior football contest on the oval on Saturday between Barwon and Chilwell clubs, unfortunately had a fatal termination yesterday, the cause of death being rupture of the liver. The deceased experienced two bad falls on the hard turf, and later on in the match came into collision with a Chilwell player, and both fell. Eason continued to play, but in the light of subsequent medical examination he must have suffered a good deal through becoming a martyr to what he considered a duty to his club. He complained of feeling unwell after the finish of the match, and on seeing him at his parents' residence South Geelong, Dr McCallum saw that he had been badly injured. The patient showed marked signs of collapse early yesterday morning, Dr MCallum had a consultation with Dr Croker, but medical skill was to no avail, and he passed away shortly after noon. Young Eason, whose skill as a junior footballer brought him under the notice of the Match Committee of the Geelong Football Club, was a currier employed at Munday's tannery and was about 20 years of age. The circumstances were reported to the coroner, M B W Patterson, PM, who has ordered an inquiry to be held in the courthouse, Gheringhap Street, at 2.30 pm today."

The gravestone reads:

George Alexander Eason
dearly beloved third son of Richard and Annabel Eason
who d 4 Sept 1899
from injuries accidentally received from playing football on Geelong Oval
aged 20 years
Erected by his sorrwoing parents and comrades
Forget him we will never
or shall his memory fade
but sweetened thoughts shall linger
around dear George's grave

Both his parents were buried with him later on.


5. William Eason c 1884 - 1957.

Birth

Born circa 1884 in Liverpool.

Marriage

He was a renowned Australian Rules footballer, like his brother Alec. He played 220 games for Geelong between 1902 and 1915 as a class centreman, although he could also play half-back flank. He was said to have been the best kick of his era. Bill was the first Geelong player to reach 200 senior games in the VFL and was captain from 1910 - 1913. He was also a Victorian representative football player. By trade Bill was a gas worker in 1921.

Death

Died at Wend age 74.


6. Alexander Eason 1885 - 1886

Born in 1886, he died at Geelong aged 15 months and was buried in Eastern Cemetery.


7. Ethel May 1886 - 1956.

Birth

Born 1886 in Australia

Marriage

Married to Will Thompson.

Death

Died at Geelong aged 68


8. Alec (Alexander) Eason 1887 - 1956

Birth

Alec was born c 1887 in Geelong.. He became a well known Australian Rules footballer and was elected a reserve player in the 2001 Team of the Century celebrations.

Marriage

In 1911 Alec married Sadie (Sarah) Huggett at Barabool Hills / Richmond. Alec was 23 years old and Sadie 26. Pictured at right are Alec and Sadie with, from left, Ron, Dick and Bert. Read more on Alec and Sadie's life.

Alec is listed as a plasterer on his death certificate.

Children

  1. Ronald Alexander Eason 1912-1980 age 68
  2. Richard Thomas Eason 1913-1979 age 66
  3. Herbert Kingsley Eason 1915 – 1956 age 41
  4. Jack Lawrence Eason c 1920
  5. Dorothea Eason c 1922
  6. Kathleen Mary Eason 1924 –1993 age 69
  7. Margaret Eason c 1926
  8. Frances Myrtle Eason c 1928 - 2002 age

Read more on the children of Sadie and Alec

Death

Sarah died in 1950 aged 64 after a battle with cancer.

Alec died 5th of May 1956 aged 69 in Geelong hospital. .