Name: Ellen Power Merritt

Date of Birth: 9th February 1885

Birth Location: Elmhurst, Pyrenees Shire, Victoria, Australia

Maiden Name: Moore

Also Known As: Nellie, Nell

Age at Burial: 79 years

Date of Death: 24th April 1964

Death Location: Bunbury, Western Australia

Date of Burial: 28th April 1964

Denomination: Congregation

Row/Grave: Congregational and Presbyterian section. Row 2 Grave # 12

Grave Transcription:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

ELLEN POWER

MERRITT

PASSED AWAY

24 th APRIL 1964

AGED 79 YEARS.

ALSO EDWARD COLIN

KILLED IN ACTION 1942

Father: John Edward Moore born 23rd April 1849. Died 8th August 1932

Mother: Sarah Power born 7th June 1855. Died 11th May 1934

Grandparents (father): Edward Moore 1808 -1878 and Elizabeth Briant 1814 – 1891

Grandparents (mother): William Power 1834 – 1883 and Jemima Russ 1834 – 1892

Siblings

William Edward Moore born 20th September 1878 at St Arnaud, Victoria. Died 7th March 1895 at Southern Cross, Western Australia.

Jemima Elizabeth Moore born 3rd September 1879 at Moonambel, Victoria. Died 4th September 1839 Northam, Western Australia.

Hubert John Theodore Moore born 18th October 1882 at Elmhurst, Victoria. Died 31st October 1883 at Elmhurst, Victoria aged 12 months.

David Vernon (Dave) Moore born 7th August 1886 at Elmhurst, Victoria. Died 16th February 1957 at Perth, Western Australia.

Spouse:

1st Marriage:

William John Merritt born 28th December 1877 at Port Pirie, South Australia. Died 31st January 1933 at Forestry Observation Station, Cundinup, Western Australia.

Children:

Freda Mary Merritt, born 29th September 1907 Bunbury, Western Australia. Died 6th July 1970 Bunbury, Western Australia

John William Merritt, born 12th December 1909 Busselton, Western Australia. Died 13th September 1970 Nyamup, Western Australia

Vida Ellen Merritt, born 27th October 1911 Nurse Fennell’s Violet Home Capel, Western Australia. Died 23rd August 1992 Bunbury, Western Australia

Leslie Norman Merritt, born 7th July 1913 Capel, Western Australia. Died 15th June 1923 Bunbury, Western Australia

Alfred Winston Merritt, born 20th May 1915 Capel, Western Australia. Died 2nd February 1997 Bunbury, Western Australia

Hurtle Hubert Merritt, born 4th May 1917 Capel, Western Australia. Died 27th August 1955 Perth, Western Australia

Edward Collin Merritt, born 21st March 1919, Merritt farmhouse, Peach Grove Capel, Western Australia. KIA 17th August 1942 as a POW in Mediterranean Sea.

Kenneth Albert Merritt, born 17th August 1920 Merritt farmhouse, Peach Grove Capel, Western Australia. Died 11th April 2001 Murdoch, Western Australia.

Dulcie May Merritt, born 31st March 1922 Bunbury, Western Australia. Died 15th January 1996 Bunbury, Western Australia

Audrey Francis Merritt, born 23rd September 1923 Merritt farmhouse Peach Grove Capel, Western Australia. Died 25th June 2015 Gippsland, Victoria Australia

2nd Marriage:

Arthur Henry Merritt born 13th December 1881 at Clear Lake, Victoria. Died 5th September 1946 at Bunbury, Western Australia.

Occupation: Home duties

Their Story

Ellen Power Moore was the fourth child and second daughter born to Sarah nee Power and John Edward Moore. Ellen Power Moore, mother of the Capel, Western Australian Merritt children, was born at Elmhurst, 27 km west of Avoca, Victoria. Her second name, Power, was her mother’s family name. Her paternal great-grandparents and grandparents had migrated from Gloucestershire, England, arriving one week before her mother’s birth.

Nellie Moore’s poor forebears for many years lived at the southern end of the Cotswolds near Bristol, where Power is a common family name.

Nellie Moore’s father John Moore worked as a miner, labourer and teamster around the south-eastern Pyrenees area, Victoria. On 29 November 1877 he married Sarah Power in St Johns Church, Avoca, Victoria. Their first child William Edward Moore was born in the Shire of St Arnaud in 1878, most likely Redbank. The following year the family moved a few miles south to Moonambel, Victoria where Jemima Elizabeth Moore was born. The last three children of the family, Hubert John Theodore, Ellen Power and David Vernon were born at Elmhurst, Victoria.

John Moore and his family moved around the Pyrenees District, but mostly lived at Elmhurst situated halfway between Ararat and Avoca on the upper reaches of the Wimmera River in Victoria.

In the early 1890’s gold was beginning to be discovered in the goldfields of Western Australia. John and Sarah decided to take their family and John’s team of horses to the new Eastern Goldfields in Western Australia. It is likely they left Emerald, Victoria in 1893 arriving in Southern Cross, Western Australia in 1894. Already vast quantities of gold were being found in the area which brought significant numbers of immigrants from the East. The Moore family history suggests that the family travelled overland with a team of Clydesdale horses, following the coastal telegraph line that linked South Australia and Western Australia. Upon reaching Coolgardie where gold had been discovered in 1892, the Moore family then headed west to the newly established mining town of Southern Cross. There the family would have lived under canvas, or in hessian or bag-walled huts roofed with corrugated iron or flattened kerosene tins. Living conditions were very poor and sanitation was primitive. Many deaths of children under two years occurred at this time. This then led to a typhoid epidemic, killing hundreds of goldfields residents. These conditions were to affect the Moore family with the death of their eldest son William Edward dying 7 March 1895 at Southern Cross. His death is likely to have occurred due to drinking contaminated drinking water. This then led to the Moore family leaving Southern Cross and the goldfields going further West where the Mundaring Dam was under construction. John Moore sought work with his horse team on construction of the dam as a ganger and Sarah assisted running boarding houses in Sawyers Valley.

The Moore and Merritt family were already known to each other. Will Merritt aged only 15 and the Moore family had travelled together overland to the Goldfields, as Will was travelling without family support. Family evidence suggests Will was aged about 15 years when he arrived in Western Australia in 1893, and it is unlikely that he had his own team. It is more than likely he was an offsider working with John Moore, who operated out of Southern Cross and later Coolgardie when the railway was completed between the two towns.

By 1900 a friendship had developed between Will Merritt and Nellie Moore. In 1900, Ellen Power Moore, living at Sawyer’s Valley, sent Will Merritt who was living at Greenbushes, western Australia and working as a forester, a studio photograph of herself. The reverse of the photo was inscribed,

‘To Will with love from Nellie’.

In 1905 the Moore family moved to Drakesbrook/Waroona where Jim Forrest who had married John and Sarah’s daughter Jemima were working and living. Jim Forrest and John Moore were teamsters together hauling timber for Millars.

John and Sarah Moore and children Dave and Ellen left Number 4 Mill, Waroona about 1905. According to family history, they were at Greenbushes when William Merritt resided there. John and Sarah Moore next moved to Capel where daughter Jemima and Jim Forrest had settled. In Capel they were known as Mummy and Daddy Moore.

At the end of the nineteenth century, William Merritt aged 22 years, was sleeper cutting in the Southwest jarrah forests around the Upper Capel Siding and Greenbushes areas. Will and Nellie Moore’s attraction for each other strengthened, even though for long periods their communications were mainly by posted mail. It can be presumed this did not occur too often given the remoteness and primitive living conditions of Will in the heavily timbered virgin jarrah forests of Southwest, Western Australia. Arthur, Will’s next younger brother joined him sleeper hewing at Greenbushes for a few years until 1903 or 1904, before leaving to return to farming at Narromine, New South Wales.

It was after this, that Will Merritt left the Southwest and travelled to the North West most likely from 1903 until 1906 where he was working in Port Samson for the jetty extension. Nellie Moore received a Xmas card from Will for the Xmas of 1905 inscribed,

‘Nellie Moore

from Will Merritt

Roebourne Nor West WA

Xmas 1905.’

However the heat and the added attraction of returning to Nellie Moore were too great for Will and he returned back to Kirup in 1906 to work for WA Jarrah Sawmills at Bush Landing, Kirup.  John and Sarah Moore and Dave and Nellie also moved to Kirup. John and Dave Moore were titled ‘landing labourer’, William Merritt was a ‘landing hewer’.

The following year on 25 April 1907, William John Merritt aged 29 years married Ellen Power Moore 22 years, both of Kirup, at the Wesley Church in Bunbury. Will affectionately called Ellen ‘Nellie’, as did close acquaintances, but generally she was known as and called ‘Ellen.’

Will and Ellen first lived in a tent at Bush Landing, Kirup where Will was sleeper cutting. Ellen travelled to Bunbury in September 1907 for the birth of their first child Freda Mary born 29 September 1907. Nellie Merritt was an accomplished cook and shared recipes, often published in The Sunday Times newspaper. The last with her address as ‘Bush Landing, Kirup’ was published Sunday 1 November 1908.

The Moore and Merritt families left Kirup in early 1909. John and Sarah Moore went to Capel. Dave Moore together with Will, Ellen and baby Freda Merritt left Kirup for the Maryvale siding 12 miles (20 km) west of Kirup; two miles west of the Jarrahwood Road, and two miles north of Claymore on the Ludlow River. They were residing there in what would have been very hot and primitive conditions amongst these huge jarrah trees. Whilst living at Claymore, Nellie went to Busselton to give birth to their second child, John William born 12 December 1909.

After being at Claymore, the Merritt family together with Dave Moore then moved to Nannup Brook, where a small community of sleeper cutters lived in tents. The Swan Division electoral roll listed William John Merritt, and David Vernon Moore both of Nannup, hewers, and Ellen Power Merritt, Nannup, married.

For the birth of her third child Vida Ellen on 27 October 1911, Nellie was in Capel visiting her parents Mummy and Daddy Moore, as they were known. They had moved to Capel in 1909. She gave birth at the home of Nurse Fennell in Capel.

MERRITT— at Nurse Fennell’s Violet Home, Bunbury-road, Capel, to Mr and Mrs W J Merritt, of Nannup Brook —a daughter [Vida Ellen]. Both well.

The following year 1912, Will, Ellen and family together with Dave Moore left Nannup to join Ellen and Dave’s parents and their sister, Jemima Forrest at Capel. At this time Capel town was established although was little more than a settlement than a town. However this was to allow Nellie and her growing family to establish a home. Will built a slab hut on the town block property he had bought. Will was not a skilled house builder, and the hut was far from elegant, but it was sturdy and dry. The original structure grew to accommodate ten children. With additions, it sufficed the large Merritt family for 20 years. They started a small fruit tree orchard, planted a vegetable garden, and set about establishing a small mixed farm at the property Ellen named ‘Peach Grove’. She ran the household on a meagre budget and with great effort and resourcefulness made many basic domestic stores.

Nellie was a true and passionate home maker. Her one hundred and third 1905 edition hardback copy of ‘Enquire Within Upon Everything’ with loose pages and failed stitching in the spine was her domestic needs bible. The inside cover is simply marked ‘MERRITT, Peach Grove.’ Nellie claimed:

Whether you want to model a flower in wax; to study the rules of etiquette; to serve a relish for breakfast or supper; to plan a dinner for a large party or a small one; to cure a headache; to make a will; to get married; to bury a relative; whatever you wish to make, or to enjoy, provided your desire has relation to the necessities of domestic life, I hope you will not fail ‘to Enquire Within’.

Ellen’s well-used hand-written book for benchmark home recipes and staple needs, started in the 1920s, had food cooking, baking, preserving and pickling recipes, and instructions to concoct chilli wine, medicines, and home cleaning and maintenance mixtures. There are homemade recipes: medical prescriptions for cough mixture, rheumatic lotion and embrocation; cleaning preparations for lye, basic soaps, sand soap and soap without caustic soda; and, formulas for floor stain and floor polish. Table meat for the Merritt family at Capel came mostly from the land in the form of kangaroos and wallabies and waterfowl. Perch in the Capel River were also plentiful.

Will and Ellen settled and integrated well into the Capel community, forming close friendships with many, including the Hutton and Fennell families related by marriage to Dave Moore, and the Moriarty and various Scott families. They occupied the jarrah slab and corrugated iron cottage farmhouse on ‘Peach Grove’ farm at Capel, with necessary additions for the growing family, coming at very regular intervals. Leslie Norman (Norman) was their first child born in Capel. He was born at home with the assistance of a midwife on 7 July 1913. Then followed Alfred Winston on 20 May 1915, Hurtle Hubert on 4 May 1917, Edward Collin (Collin) on 24 March 1919, Kenneth Albert on 17 August 1920, Dulcie May 31 March 1922 and finally Audrey Francis on 23 September 1925.

Tragedy was to come to the Merritt family in early 1923. Norman Merritt the fourth child born to Ellen and Will developed mumps with complications. He contracted diphtheria and the illness caused his heart to weaken. After four weeks of illness, bronchopneumonia set in and he was admitted to the Bunbury Government Hospital, where he died 15 June 1923. His funeral attracted a large crowd, including several of his classmates.

Norman Merritt obituary notice

In 1922 Will was to become group foreman of group settlement 36 at Sabina River, East of Busselton. This employment added additional income for the family although meant Will spending time away from the family. In 1929 the Forests Department was needing an overseer for the newly created position of overseer in the Forests Department at Cundinup. Will knew the Cundinup area well and was appointed the position. The family still had four school aged children and were able to move into a newly built house at Cundinup. The house had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a sitting room and a back veranda that had a bathroom at one end and a washhouse at the other. Part of the veranda was made into a sleep-out where Hurtle, Collin and Ken slept. Dulcie and Audrey shared one bedroom and Will and Ellen had the other. The small Capel farm ‘Peach Grove’ was leased.

At the end of 1932, Will was seriously affected with a bad heart and had to stop working for the Forestry Department. Eldest son Jack who was now a forester overseer at East Kirup, transferred to replace his father as forest overseer at Cundinup. Fortunately, the family were able to continue to live at the Forestry Department house. Jack was able to support the family during this time. As a consequence of Will’s continuing and worsening heart problems, the children still living at home went to live with their older siblings. Will continued to suffer with heart attacks.

Sadly, on Tuesday 31 January 1933, aged 55 years, Will died at home at the forestry house in Cundinup. He was to live long enough to see his first grandchild William Clifton (Bill) Scott, born to his daughter Vida at Busselton, 9 January 1933. His funeral took place at the Capel Cemetery, Capel, Western Australia on Wednesday 1 February 1933, conducted by Reverend R H Featherston of Busselton, where a large group of mourners were present.

William John Merritt death notice 

William John Merritt obituary notice

Eight months before Will Merritt died, his brother Arthur’s wife Florence died. Will wrote 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 in the event of his death. Arthur knew Ellen from when he worked in the Southwest with Will. After Will’s death, Arthur sent his daughter Floris to Cundinup to help Ellen.

The same year in December, Ellen became very unwell, and was taken to Perth for an operation. Immediately hearing the news of Ellen’s hospitalisation, Arthur and sons, Hector and Leo left Garema, New South Wales for Perth in their 1925 Buick Tourer.

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.

Wedding notice of Ellen and Arthur Merritt

Ellen and Unc’s honeymoon was travelling back to Unc’s family farm at ‘Glen Brook’, Garema New South Wales. His sons Hector and Leo Merritt managed ‘Glen Brook’ at Garema, south of Forbes and Arthur spent some time working with them. After a short while, Arthur took Ellen to Sydney to see the new Harbour Bridge, and other sites around the city before returning to ‘Glen Brook’ to prepare for the harvest and shearing. They then decided to return to the West, passing through the Wimmera district and other places that Will had lived. Once they arrived back in Capel, in February 1935. Unc and Ellen built a new house with the design based on the Scott ‘Quambi’ farmhouse at Elgin. 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-time friends. Dulcie and Audrey still school age, attended Capel School.

For two years Unc persevered with cattle and dairying. However this was not the type of farming he liked. So the decision was made to sell ‘Peach Grove’ and move back to ‘Glen Brook’ Garema, New South Wales, where Unc was more conversant with the kinds of farming her knew well. They left Capel in early December 1935 for the long journey travelling across the Nullarbor 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 a horse team and wagon back in 1893 when they came to the West. It was a significant undertaking to cross the Nullarbor Plain by car in the 1930’s.

Life proved difficult for Ellen, Unc, Dulcie and Audrey living at Braeside farm. They had moved there when tensions arose with Unc’s sons in running the farm at ‘Glen Brook’. Although the Braeside farm they had moved to was large enough to generate an income for the family under normal conditions, the farm was hit with a flood, a mouse plague, a locust plague and then a drought. On top of all that, Unc was beginning to suffer heart problems. Ellen was missing her life in Capel, so decided the tough life at Forbes was not a good place to raise two young girls and organised to take them back to Western Australia. They returned to Capel by rail and after settling the two girls in with various siblings, she returned to Unc in Forbes.

Like most that lived in the 1930s and 1940s, the Merritt family experienced grief and hardship. And war was on everyone’s mind. The Capel Merritt family in 1939 comprised Ellen Merritt and her nine children; five sons aged 19 to 30 years; and four daughters aged 32 years to 14 years. Freda and Vida were married with young children, and Dulcie and Audrey were too young to enlist. Although Audrey did enlist when she was old enough. All sons enlisted, three engaged in the war in North Africa, and two served in the RAAF in the protection of northern Australia.

Their official service records :

Merritt, Edward Collin, Enlisted 29 Jun 1940, Australian Army, No. WX5910. Died Prisoner of War 17 Aug 1942 – Private, 2/28 Australian Infantry Battalion

Merritt, Kenneth Albert, Enlisted 29 Jun 1940, Australian Army, No. WX5911 Discharged 16 Apr 1945 Private 2/7 Field Regiment

Merritt, Alfred Winston, Enlisted 24 Feb 1941, Royal Australian Air Force, No. 29985 Discharged 4 Feb 1946 Leading Aircraftman, Headquarters North Western area

Merritt, Hurtle Hubert, Enlisted 4 Jun 1941, Australian Army, No. WX13961 Discharged 9 Nov 1943 Private – 2/2, HQ Guard Battalion

Merritt, John William, Enlisted 6 Aug 1941, Royal Australian Air Force, No. 45484. Discharged 27 Nov 1975 Leading Aircraftman, 20 Squadron

Merritt, Audrey Frances, Enlisted 4 Feb 1944, Australian Army, No. WF36808. Discharged 5 Nov 1945 Private 7 Advance Ordnance Depot

Brothers Collin and Ken Merritt, born little over one year apart, shared life experiences and were best mates. They enlisted together in the Army eight months after war was declared and joined different battalions. In June 1940, Ellen again travelled from Forbes, New South Wales by train to Western Australia staying a fortnight with daughter Vida Scott at ‘Quambi’ Elgin. She also came to witness her son Hurtle marry Cecilie Rose Scott, especially to see here sons, Collin and Ken before they embarked for war duties and who were likely to serve overseas and to visit other family members.

The war was dragging on. Ellen was back in Forbes, New South Wales when she was notified Collin was missing in action.  On 26 July 1942, Collin was captured at Ruin Ridge during the First Battle of El Alamein, Egypt and taken POW. The family knew he was captured and were advised by the Army he was missing in action 27 July 1942. In February 1943, Ellen received a ‘printed’ post card via the Red Cross, supplied by his Italian captors dated 2 August 1942. It read;

My dear Mother

I am alright (I have not been wounded). I am a prisoner of the Italians and I am being treated well.

Shortly I shall be transferred to a prisoner’s camp and I will let you know my new address.

Only then I will be able to receive letters from you and to reply.

With love Colin.

The following year after Collin’s disappearance, his family tried in vain to find out exactly what had become of Collin. On 29 September 1943, Ellen received a telegram from the Australian Army informing her:

With deep regret that I have to inform you that WX5910 Private Edward Collin Merritt previously reported prisoner of war is now reported deceased whilst prisoner of war lost at sea on torpedoed transport on 17 August 1942 between North Africa and Italy and desire to convey to you profound sympathy of the Minister for the Army.

Collin was killed 17 August 1942 in the Mediterranean Sea aboard an unmarked prisoner transport ship NINO BIXIO that was torpedoed by a British submarine TURBULENT.

Edward Collin Merritt death notice

During the war years Ellen and Unc resettled in Western Australia. They bought a 10 acre block on the west side of the North Elgin Road, Elgin about half a mile north of the’ Quambi’ turn-off, close to her children Vida and Hurtle where they built a house. Tragedy again struck Ellen. In 1946, not long after they were settling into their new home, Unc became ill. He was admitted to St John of God Hospital, Bunbury where he died 5 September 1946 of heart failure. Ellen continued to live at Elgin alone until her youngest daughter Audrey moved in with her in January 1947 for a time. However, Ellen became tied of living on the ten acres at Elgin and offered to bequeath the house to any family member who would pay for its location to Bunbury. In Bunbury she had more support of family living close by. Her son Winston, still a bachelor arranged for the move of the house to Columba Street, South Bunbury.

By now Ellen was 61 years old and got used to living in a large town for the first time in her life. She continued to live alone in Columba Street with most of her family nearby. She enjoyed craftwork, tendered her shade-house garden and read many books. Her love of literature included a small library of Australian books, poetry, reference, biographies, and fiction.

Ellen lived a very interesting and often challenging life due to circumstances of the time. I would say she was a very courageous and resilient lady and I remember her with fondness as Nannie Merritt. She lived until she was 79 years old, dying 24 April 1964. Matriarch of 10 children.

Ellen Power Merritt is buried at the Capel Cemetery, Capel alongside her first love Will. Her grave is also memorialised with her son Edward Collin Merritt.

Story compiled by Jennifer Scott CDCP member. Ellen was my great grandmother, mother of my grandmother Vida Ellen Scott nee Merritt.

These are my recollections of stories told to me by my grandmother Vida. My father William Clifton (Bill) Scott and my mother Veronica Merle (Ronnie) Scott who also had a great love of reading and growing plants. 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.

If you are visiting this page and have further information that pertains to Ellen Power Merritt 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 14/12/2024 – Updated 26/01/2025

Ellen and Arthur Merritt

Christmas 1905

Ellen Power Merritt