Name: HUTTON Thomas Giles

Date of Birth: 11 April 1860

Birth Location: Busselton, Western Australia

Also Known As: T.G.

Age at Burial: 80 years

Date of Death: 10 November 1940

Death Location: Capel, Western Australia

Date of Burial: 12 November 1940

Denomination: Anglican

Row/Grave: Row 5 Grave 54

Grave Transcription:

In Loving Memory

Of

Thomas Giles

Hutton

Beloved Husband of

Eliza

Fond Father Of

May, Jane, Edith

Ernest Killed in Action 1916

Wilfred, Amy & Fred

Passed Away 10 Nov 1940

Aged 80 Years

Father: Haycock James Hutton

Mother: Elizabeth Churchill (second marriage to Thomas Norton)

Grandparents (father): James Hutton and Alice Haycock

Grandparents (mother): More research and evidence required.

Siblings:

Caroline Elizabeth Hutton 1851-1930      Married William Fennell

John James Hutton 1854-1936                  Married Ann Alice Jackson

Alice Jane Hutton 1856-1858

Mary Ann Hutton 1859-1859

Haycock Hutton (twin of Thomas) 1860-1860

Jane Louise Hutton 1862-1866

Francis Hutton 1865-1944

Samuel John Norton 1871-1932(Half Brother)

Spouse: Eliza Maslin 1866-1946

Children:

May Letitia Hutton 1887-1970                  Married Albert Henry Scott

Sarah Jane Hutton 1889-1972                  Married Joseph Davis

Edith Christina Hutton 1892-1982          Married Thomas Lytton Appleyard

Ernest Wilfred Hutton 1894-1917            Married Lilly Brown              Ernest KIA WW1

Wilfred Thomas Hutton 1897-1982         Married Clara Flynn

Mary Hutton 1899-1899

Amy Elizabeth Hutton 1900-1973            Married Charles Edward Scott

Frederick George Hutton 1904-1973        Catherine (Kate) Eustelle Wittfoht

Occupation: Farmer

Their Story:

Thomas Giles Hutton was the 5th  Child of Haycock Hutton and Elizabeth Churchill, born in Busselton 11 April 1860, and baptised at St Marys Church, Busselton September 10th  1860.Thomas had a twin brother Haycock who died at birth.

His father was a shoemaker and had a business in Busselton and was a farmer in Busselton. Their home was located on West Street.

Thomas’s sister Caroline was then 9 years of age and his brother John 6 years. Two sisters, Alice Jane and Mary Ann had died in the two years preceding his birth.

Thomas experienced hardship and tragedy early in life. He was only 5 ½ when his father died of injuries he received when he fell from a plough while working on their property at West Street, Busselton.  Less than 6 months later on 3 May 1866, the family home was destroyed by fire and Tom’s (Thomas) little sister Jane aged 4 died in the flames. Few details are known of this double catastrophe but the shock and the loss must have left a lasting impression on Tom and the whole family, who had so recently lost husband and father and now faced homelessness. The four surviving children ranged in age from Caroline 14 years to Frank 14 months.

Newspaper Article relating to the fire that burnt down the Hutton family home and caused of the death of daughter Jane. – 11 May 1866

Not much is known of Tom’s childhood. He attended school for a short time in Busselton. At the age of 10 when his mother remarried, he went to Balingup to join his brother John. He walking the distance spending the first night in a hollow tree by the Capel River on land since owned by Cyril Tucker, about 7 miles from Capel. The second night he slept in a hay shed on a farm owned by Braziers, on the Upper Capel. He worked for Edward Brockman at Pemberton for some time. Brockmans gave him his first pair of work boots. He learnt droving (Brockmans drove cattle to Perth) and fencing. He later worked in the Balingup area as a drover (Farmers had coastal runs) and did contract fencing. He eventually bought his own team. In later years, he recounted how his team had become bogged at Perth Oval when he was on a trip to Perth.

He worked on fencing the railway line from Pinjarra to Bunbury. He took up land in partnership with his brother John. This was about 1 km North of Balingup townsite.

On 16 September 1886 Thomas Giles Hutton (26 years) married Eliza Maslin (20 years), the youngest child of Thomas and Sarah Maslin, farmers of Mullalyup who owned a “Wayside Inn”. (Blackwood Inn/Mullalyup Inn which is listed by National Trust).

inHerit – State Heritage Council – Blackwood Inn

It was a double wedding, Eliza’s sister Leticia married Michael Flynn. The two couples were married by Rev Pernell at the Donnybrook schoolhouse.

In 1888 Tom Hutton bought land on the Capel River (Goodwood Road), which proved to be good farming land with more land available adjoining it, which he purchased later. He called his property “Palm Hill”. While establishing the farm he worked for wages in the district. This took him away from home, sometimes for long periods, and Eliza was alone when her first child May Leticia was born. Her husband had returned home to find her in labour and had then gone to bring the wife of a neighbour to assist her. Meanwhile, the baby had already arrived. A frightening experience for a young mother.

With the help of his brother, Tom began to build a house on his property near the river. It was built of split slabs, and wattle and daub, the floor was of rammed earth. Five years after their marriage (1891), Eliza and Tom moved into their home with their two daughters, May (4) and Jane (18 months). Previously they lived in a cottage on a nearby property. Over the years the farm was developed and extended and gradually prospered through good management and hard work. In 1904 the first orchard was planted. Tom and Eliza always discussed together any plans regarding the farm.

Six more children were born. Tragically their daughter Mary, who was born at home in 1899, died only 5 days later. Years later Edith (Appleyard nee Hutton) would recall seeing her baby sister for the last time, and also remembered how her father had had to bring a policeman there, as there was no one else available to give permission for the burial to take place on the farm near their home.

The children learnt to work hard from a very early age and all had set duties for which they were responsible. Tom continued to work for wages at intervals as there were few markets available for farm products to provide any income for the family, and delivering them meant travelling long distances by horse drawn vehicles, often over rough tracks. Supplies for the family would be bought in large quantities, Flour and sugar in large sacks, kerosene for lamps in 6-gallon drums. They grew potato crops, milked cows and gradually planted an orchard of citrus fruit, apples, pears and stone fruit.

Years later in 1916, a new house was built on a rise overlooking the river, a large brick house with high ceilings and wide verandahs. The bricks were made on the property by Tom McTaggart, the local brickmaker and the builders were Markison and Keene. Tom and Eliza now had an established farm and some of the comforts they had worked so hard together for and could share with younger members of their family. Their three eldest daughters had already married.

It was a tragic loss when their eldest son, Ernie was killed on the Battlefield at Passchendaele in France in October 1917 at the age of 23, less than a year after his marriage to Lillian Brown.

The Daily News – Private Ernest Hutton and Miss Lily Brown Wedding – 4 January 1917

The West Australian – Killed in Action – 22 November 1917- Private Ernest Hutton

On 16 September 1936 Thomas and Eliza Hutton celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. A function was held in the Capel Hall, and a further celebration took place at home which all their family and some of their 23 grandchildren attended.

Mirror Perth Newspaper – Golden Wedding Anniversary – 19 September 1936

By this time milking machines in the dairy had replaced the laborious work of hand milking and there was an extensive orchard of citrus, apples and stone fruit. They had introduced the first Friesian cattle to Capel district in 1915.

When he was older, T.G. as he was sometimes known, could sometimes be seen standing with his hands held behind his back, gazing across his property with an expression of great satisfaction. As one left fatherless as a little boy in a newly settled colony, he had encountered great hardship early in life. He had earned great respect in the district for his integrity and his successful development of the farm, despite Depression years and he had also served as a member of the Capel Road Board for 10 years.

In 1940, at the age of 80, Thomas Giles Hutton was thrown from his horse while riding on his property. He suffered a fractured collarbone and other injuries and was taken to Bunbury Hospital, where he died of pneumonia soon afterwards.

The South Western Times Newspaper – 15 November 1940 – Pioneer Passes – Mr. Thos Hutton

Tom is buried in the Capel Cemetery.

Data from Australian Electoral Rolls for Thomas Giles and Eliza Hutton

In 1943 Eliza remained living at Palm Hill farm after Thomas’s death. Her Grandson Frederick George Hutton was living on and running the property.

History written from notes by the T.F. Hutton Grandson of Thomas Giles Hutton and Edith Appleyard nee Hutton daughter of Thomas and Eliza Hutton. Additional research and compiled by Great Great Granddaughter Shellie Cummings

If you are visiting this page and have further information that pertains to Thomas Giles Hutton that you would like to add, can you please contact the Capel District Cemeteries Project via the CONTACT US section at the bottom of the main page.

© Capel District Cemeteries Project 13/09/2022

Thomas and Eliza

Wedding Photo