Name |
William Axtell
|
Address
|
Carngham
|
Occupation
|
Cowkeeper, Brickmaker, Miner
|
Born
|
St Pancras, London, 1817
|
Parents
|
John Axtell and Catherine (Humphries)
|
Died
|
Beaufort, Victoria, 13th July 1894
|
Burial
|
Beaufort, Victoria, 15th July 1894
|
Occupation
|
Brickmaker
|
Period
Active
|
1862-?
|
Married
|
Geelong, Victoria, to Ellenor Purcell 1835-1931
|
Children
|
Catherine b 1853
Mary Jane Elizabeth 1855-1941
Maria 1859-1863
Mary Elizabeth 1863?
William Thomas 1864-1955
Emily Mary 1867-1955
Robert John 1869
Sarah Ann 1862
Ellen Therese 1873 1944
Jewell Victoria 1874-1953
Johann 1877-1879
|
Arrived
|
Melbourne, 1852 as unassisted migrant aboard the “Beulah”
|
Little is known of their movements for
the next ten years, and it may be assumed that, like many others, he was a not
too successful gold miner in the nearby fields in or near Ballarat. They were living in Cargham, near Ballarat
when, in 1862, William received permission to commence brick making. Carngham is 27 kilometres west of Ballarat and
about 30 kilometers from Buninyong. The name
Carngham is said to derive from the Wathawurrung
people's word for house or hut. In 1838 James and Thomas Baillie squatted
there and adopted the Aboriginal place name for their property. The local clan
was the Karrungum baluk or Carringum balug.
According to the census of 29 March 1857 there
were 459 people in Carngham, 292 males and 167 females. This figure probably includes the
population of Snake Valley. Until that time, the area had been farmland owned
by In 1854 there had been 58 people, 15 males and 13 females. Carngham is 4 km north of
Snake Valley and was a mining township, surveyed and proclaimed in 1855. State School number 146 operated at Carngham
from 1856 until 1911. Today Carngham is
little more than a few houses where the Snake Valley-Trawalla road crosses the road from
Ballarat to Beaufort. Snake Valley is
still the larger settlement. Overlooking Carngham is the old cemetery but
William isn’t there. William died on
the 13th of July 1894 at the age of 72 in the nearby town of
Beaufort and was buried there two days later on the 15th of July
1894.