Arthur Henry Merritt
Name: Arthur Henry Merritt
Date of Birth: 13th December 1881
Birth Location: Clear Lake, Victoria, Australia
Also Known As: Unc
Age at Burial: 64 years
Date of Death: 5th September 1946
Death Location: Bunbury, Western Australia
Date of Burial: 6th September 1946
Denomination: Congregation
Row/Grave: Congregation & Presbyterian section. Row 3 Grave # 24
Grave Transcription:
DECEASED
A.H. MERRITT
SEPT. 5TH 1946. AGED 64 YEARS.
Father: William Angus Merritt 1854 – 1919
Mother: Mary Frances Brown (Coates) 1852 – 1941
Grandparents (father): John Merritt and Elizabeth Figg
Grandparents (mother): Charles Henry Coates and Betsy Brown
Siblings:
William John Merritt, born 28th December 1877 at Port Pirie, South Australia. Died 31st January 1933 at Forestry Observation Station, Cundinup, Western Australia.
Elizabeth Anne (Annie) Merritt, born 2nd November 1879 at Port Pirie, South Australia. Died 9th September 1943 at Rainbow, Victoria.
Edith Mary Merritt, born 1883 at Clear Lake, Victoria. Died 1921 at Rainbow, Victoria.
Alfred George Merritt, born c1886 at Clear Lake, Victoria. Died 22nd July 1941 at Rainbow, Victoria.
Eliza Jane Mae Merritt, born c1887 at Clear Lake, Victoria. Died c1954.
Olive Merritt, born c1890 at Noradjuha, Victoria. Died c1891 at Natimuk, Victoria. Aged 1 year.
Mary Agnus Merritt, born c1891 at Noradjuha, Victoria. Died c1977.
Oscar Edwin Merritt, born c1892 at Noradjuha, Victoria. Died 22nd November 1912 Nhill, Victoria.
Hurtle Augustus Merritt, born c1896 at Noradjuha, Victoria. KIA 2nd September 1918 Peronne, Saone-et-Loirez, Bourgogne, France. Virtual Australian War Memorial
Walter Kenneth Merritt, born 12th December 1899 at Jeparit, Victoria. Died c1957 at Footscray, Victoria.
Sydney Albert Merritt, born 21st August 1901 at Jeparit, Victoria. Died c1954 at Boggabri, New South Wales.
Doris Irene Merritt, born c1903 at Nhill, Victoria. Died 18th April 1951 at Nhill, Victoria.
Marjorie Mavis Merritt, born 22nd March 1907 at Rainbow, Victoria. Died 29th December 1966 at South Australia.
Spouse:
First Marriage: Florence Mabel Argles aka McRae. Born 6th April 1882 at Carlton, Victoria. Died 25th May 1932 at Forbes, New South Wales.
Children:
Gordon Edgar Merritt, born 12th May 1907 at Rainbow, Victoria. Died 1997 at Port Macquarie, New South Wales.
Hector Randolph Merritt, born 2nd April 1910 at Forbes, New South Wales. Died 6th March 2001 at Forbes, New South Wales.
Jean Lucinda Merritt, born 1912 at Narromine, New South Wales. Died 1st May 1996 at Sydney, New South Wales.
William Henry (Bill) Merritt, born 15th June 1913 at Narromine, New South Wales. Died 25th April 1963 at Forbes New South Wales.
Arthur Leonard (Leo) Merritt, born 15th August 1914 at Narromine, New South Wales. Died 15th September 1949 in Queensland, Australia.
Floris Mary Merritt, born 3rd June 1915 at Narromine, New South Wales. Died 29th September 1967 at Forbes New South Wales.
Second Marriage: Ellen Power Moore. Born 9th February 1885 at Elmhurst, Victoria. Died 24 April 1964 at Bunbury, Western Australia. Daughter of John Edward Moore and Sarah Power
Occupation: Farmer
Their Story
Arthur Henry Merritt was the third child of fourteen children born to William Angus Merritt and Mary Frances Brown aka Coates. He was the second son born to the family and four years younger than his older brother William John Merritt. Will had left home in his early teens to seek work with relatives in Queensland to give financial support to his parents and younger siblings.
Arthur Henry Merritt came to Western Australia and joined his older brother Will to cut sleepers at Greenbushes, for a few years in the early 1900’s. Arthur then left Western Australia and went back to New South Wales to take up a selection farm a Narromine, New South Wales, assisted by younger brother Hurtle Augustus Merritt.
That year he married Florence Argles in Rainbow Victoria. They left Rainbow to take up farming at
Mungery near Narromine, New South Wales. Six children were born to the couple. Arthur had farming land at Mungery near Narromine, New South Wales. He developed his selection property Cowal Vale into 1,344 productive acres, that sold for a good price in February 1929. Later his eldest son Gordon remained at Narromine to take up virgin country he named Lanark. The rest of Arthur’s family moved one hundred miles south to his new property, Glen Brook at Garema southwest of Forbes, New South Wales.
On 25 May 1932 Arthur’s wife Florence died. Later that year, his brother Will wrote to Arthur offering condolences and without telling Ellen advised him that he was suffering a life-threatening heart illness. He was anxious his family would suffer hardship. Will was to die 31 January 1933. After Will’s death, Arthur sent his daughter Floris to Cundinup to help Ellen. Later that same year Ellen was to become very unwell herself and was taken to Perth for surgery. The children of Will and Ellen that were still living at home and school age were sent to live with older siblings until better arrangements could be made.
Arthur knew Ellen from when he worked in the South West with Will, cutting sleepers around Greenbushes. On hearing the news of Ellen’s poor health, Arthur and sons, Hector and Leo left Garema New South Wales for Perth in Arthur’s 1925 Buick Tourer. The rush trip via Broken Hill and the Nullarbor, was over two thousand miles and took eight days. After a month or so of recuperation, Ellen returned home, but was not capable of much work. Following a short holiday in the West, Arthur’s sons Hector and Leo and daughter Floris drove the Buick home to Garema New South Wales at a more leisurely pace. Arthur stayed on to be with Ellen.
Ellen and Arthur who was known as Unc to Ellen’s children and the family initially lived at the Forestry house at Cundinup, although that house had to be given up for the new Forestry overseer.
Ellen and Arthur (Unc) were married at Busselton on Saturday 11 August 1934 in the Congregational Church by Reverend RH Featherstone. After the ceremony a family reception was held at Ellen’s daughter Vida and son in law Cliff’s home in Carey St Busselton.
Unc got on well with the Capel Merritt’s and integrated well into the family. The Merritt property known as ‘Peach Grove’ at Capel had been leased when Ellen and Will were living in the Greenbushes area, timber felling. After Will Merritt died in January 1933, son Collin left school and went back to Capel to help Unc run ‘Peach Grove’. Unc and Ellen’s honeymoon was spent travelling back to Glen Brook at Garema and touring around New South Wales and Victoria. They opted to travel by plane back to the East for the sum of ₤12 each. They left from Maylands aerodrome arriving at Adelaide aerodrome South Australia. They then travelled by train to Narromine, New South Wales and then on to Forbes, visiting Unc’s children along the way. Unc took Ellen around Sydney showing her the sights including the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Unc returned to Glen Brook to help with the harvest and then they returned to Capel driving the Buick back. On this journey, Unc was able to show Ellen places that Will had lived such as the Wimmera district.
They arrived back in the West in February 1935. Unc and Ellen built a new house on Capel town lot 46. The design was based on the Scott ‘Quambi’ farmhouse. Upon its completion, the old vertical slab hut was dismantled. Ellen was happy, she had a new home to ‘fix up’ and back in her community of long-term friends. Her two youngest daughters Dulcie and Audrey attended Capel School.
Unc’s farming experience was with wheat and sheep. He was not fond of cattle and for two years he persevered and then decided he had had enough. It became evident, with his limited knowledge of dairying and the small size of the farm, that there was insufficient living to be made from the property to support the family. He and Ellen decided the best thing would be to sell ‘Peach Grove’ farm at Capel and for them both, plus Dulcie and Audrey to go to Glen Brook Garema, New South Wales, where Unc was more conversant with the kinds of farming practiced there. ‘Peach Grove’ was sold and anything that didn’t fit into the Buick car was auctioned off. They left Capel in early December 1935 for the long journey across the Nullabour Plains to the Eastern States. One can presume this would have been a difficult time for Ellen, who had just settled back into Capel, back into the house Will had bult and the friendships she had there; to then be uprooted and travel to the East coast to Arthur’s family. Ellen was retracing the journey made with her father with horse team and wagon back in 1893 to the West.
Unc had been looking forward to moving back into his beloved property Glen Brook at Garema. Things did not go to plan however. Hector and Leo had been living at and working the farm during Unc’s absence. There was disagreements between the families and they refused to give up residence and control of the farm. Hector and Leo had taken full control of Glen Brook at Garema. It was a devastating blow to Unc. So he re-located and leased Braeside farm on the Parkes Road, about two and a half miles from Forbes. Life proved difficult for Ellen, Unc, Dulcie and Audrey living at Braeside farm. Although it was large enough to generate an income for the family under normal conditions, circumstances hit them hard. The farm was hit with a flood, a mouse plague, locust plague and then a drought. As well, Unc had started to suffer heart problems as his older brother Will had. And there were still difficulties within the families.
Because of all the difficulties at Garema, Ellen decided the best thing to do was to go back to Capel with Dulcie and Audrey. They returned to Western Australia by train in 1937. Dulcie was then left to live with elder sister Vida and her husband Cliff Scott who were now living at ‘Quambi’ at Elgin. Audrey was left with elder sister Freda and her husband Howard Coate at Margaret River as she was still school age. Ellen then returned to Garema to be with Unc. Unc and Ellen made the trip from East to West and West to East on several occasions. Their final crossing was from East to West in 1944. They then made their home at Elgin.
On their return Unc worked for Cecil (Far) Scott at ‘Quambi’ Elgin. Unc and Ellen bought a 10-acre block on the west side of the North Elgin Road about half a mile north of the ‘Quambi’ turn-off on which to build a house. The closeness to ‘Quambi’ enabled Unc to continue his work there. Despite his previous ill health, he was able to clear the tea-tree on the 10 acre property by axe and put up a post and rail fence around the perimeter of the property. A small weatherboard and asbestos house with an iron roof was built. Ellen and Unc moved in, got some chooks, and set about making a garden and orchard.
Half way through 1946, Unc again took ill, barely before he and Ellen had time to settle into their new house. Unc was admitted to St John of God Hospital, Bunbury. He died in hospital 5 September 1946 from heart failure, aged 64 years.
Arthur Henry Merritt is buried at the Capel Cemetery, Capel Western Australia.
MERRITT – On September 5, 1946, at St John of God Hospital, Bunbury. Arthur Henry Merritt of Elgin, and late of Forbes NSW; dearly beloved husband of Ellen; aged 64 years. At rest.
Story compiled by Jennifer Scott CDCP member. Arthur (Unc) was my great uncle, uncle of my grandmother Vida Ellen Scott nee Merritt.
This story has been compiled by my recollections of stories told to me by my grandmother, Vida and my father William Clifton (Bill) Scott. Much of this story however should be attributed to Lance Merritt who has written a detailed family history titled ‘Merritt Family at Capel. Settlement in the South West Western Australia’.
Further research, information and photos can be viewed at the Ron Maidment Archives Room, Capel from Lance’s work titled ‘Merritt, Moore and Forrest Families Settlement in South West Western Australia.
Images used for this story are from Jennifer Scott photo collection and Lance Merritt photo collection.
Links to other websites with additional information included in story.
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© Capel District Cemeteries Project 14/12/2024
