Samuel Butterworth (1845-1937)
Samuel was born at Fort Knockalla, Lough Swilly, County Donegal in Ireland on 15 October 1845 to parents Samuel and Catherine Butterworth nee Quinn (reference; reference; reference; reference). His father, Samuel, was an officer in charge of Fort Knockalla's artillery (reference; reference). Ireland constructed the fort to fortify Lough Swilly against French invasion during the Napoleonic Wars.
When Samuel was five years old, he arrived in Western Australia with his parents on 11 June 1850 on the Scindian (reference; reference). His father brought the family to Western Australia as an Enrolled Pensioner Guard of the Royal Artillery (reference). Samuel spent his childhood in Perth and was said to be educated at the Christian Brothers College, Perth (reference). However, it was the Christian Brothers College's predecessor, Riverview College, which he likely attended as the CBC did not open until 1894 (reference).
Once Samuel finished school, he went to sea for several years trading on the North West coast of Western Australia (reference). In 1862, Dan Chapman contracted Samuel to go to Geraldton and aid him in breaking up Uncle Tom, a five-ton boat that came ashore half a mile up the Chapman River (reference). On another occasion, he brought a ship from Cossack to Geraldton with the help of a 12-year-old boy and an Aboriginal man who departed the voyage at Shark Bay (reference). During his naval career, Samuel was shipwrecked up to six times (reference).
After his time on the sea, Samuel joined the police force and served for fifteen years (reference; reference). Samuel served at many places, including Donnybrook, Minninup and Bunbury (reference). He was also the police constable of Bunbury from at least 1875 until the end of 1884. One case Samuel worked on was in 1875 when two men, Simon Staines and James Ritchie, were accused of stealing six sides of bacon from Thomas Pigott's property in Bunbury (reference). When Thomas Pigott realised he had been robbed, he went to Constable Butterworth to deal with the crime (reference). They were both found guilty and sentenced to prison (reference). Samuel was also involved in an 1880 criminal case where William Coverley was charged with stealing and killing an ox (reference). At this time, Samuel was stationed as a police constable at Minninup (reference). Even after his policing career was over, Samuel helped others seek justice in the community. In 1914 there was a court case that Samuel provided supporting evidence for when John Scott charged John Barlett for letting his cows ruin his garden (reference). Samuel aided John Scott's claim by demonstrating from his lifetime's knowledge of gardening the value of bean crop trampled by the cows (reference). He also sat on juries after his police service, such as in 1895 (reference).
In 1883 at the Roman Catholic Church in Perth, Samuel married Anne Norah McAvoy (1849-1924) (reference; reference). Her name had many different spellings in the historical record, including Anorah McEnvoy and Nora McEvoy (reference; reference). Together they had seven children, Mary (1872-1872), Mary Ada Agnes (1873-1963), John Edward (1875-1938), Margaret Lucy (1877-1904), Samuel (1878-), Ann Norah (1880-1945) and Fanny Maria (1883-) (reference; reference; reference).
In 1864 he went into business at Pinjarra (reference). From this, Samuel became very involved with the Pinjarra community in later life. Nearly twenty years later, in 1883, Samuel ended his Pastoral Lease partnership with James Lambe in Bridgetown, showing that he had property in several areas of Western Australia (reference). Pastoral lease partnerships caused issues for Samuel, as in 1886, there was a dispute between Abraham Walter Moulbin and himself regarding payment and transferral of pastoral leases (reference). He was also expected to keep up with his holdings, and in 1902 when he fell behind in paying rates, the Southern Times published that he owed money for his Murray 15 and Murray 49 properties (reference). In 1933 he went on to misunderstand the Murray Road Board regarding his rates for his property (reference).
Samuel retired from policing to take over the Exchange Hotel at Pinjarra on 12 George Street in 1885 which he was the proprietor and owner for several years (reference; reference). The Exchange Hotel was a baiting house when coaches plied between Perth and Bunbury (reference). In February that year, he announced in The Inquirer and Commercial News his intention to apply at the Quarterly Licensing Meeting for a Way-side House License to sell wines and spirits at the Exchange Hotel in Pinjarra (reference). He then announced that The Exchange Hotel would open on 1 April 1885 as a first-class roadside hotel, supplying the best brands of wines, beers, spirits, lemonade, ginger ale and cordials, and good stabling for guests' horses (reference).
After leaving the hotel, he took up farming and purchased land in Pinjarra (reference; reference). However, the Exchange Hotel continued, with Edward Reynolds renting the premises and continuing the business from Samuel in 1893 (reference). Samuel was still renting the property in 1901 when it was run by Henry William Line (reference).
Samuel was active in the community as a Road Board and School Board member (reference; reference). He was elected to the District Board of Education for the Murray District in 1896 (reference). He was also a foundational member of the Pinjarra Cemetery Board in 1902 (reference; reference). He was also active in the affairs of the Roman Catholic church (reference). Samuel supported community members in getting licences for inns (reference; reference). In addition, he managed reserved government land (reference). In 1892 he was the administrator of the estate of Mary McEvoy who had passed away and owned land in the Swan district (reference). In 1900 he was appointed as a member of the Pinjarra Local Board (reference). He continued to serve the cemetery board until at least 1921 (reference). In 1904 he was appointed to the Drakesbrook Road Board (reference).
In 1904 one of Samuel's daughters predeceased him - Margaret Lucy (reference). Margaret had married Joseph Higham (reference). The funeral left Samuel's property, and she was interred in the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Pinjarra (reference).
Samuel's wife, Anne Norah, passed thirteen years before he died (reference; reference). She was a postmistress at Preston between 1879 and 1884. She also nominated her sisters Margaret and Johanna for assisted migration to Western Australia. They arrived on 23 February 1865 on the Fitzroy when Anne Norah worked at Auburn in the Avon district. Anne was also buried in the Roman Catholic portion of the Pinjarra Cemetery (reference). The funeral departed from their residence on 13 June 1924 and was run by Ferguson and Co., undertakers (reference). After her funeral, all persons with claims against her estate were required to forward them to the estate's executor before 19 August (reference).
In the late 1920s, Samuel moved to Mandurah from Pinjarra, where he stayed until he fell ill (reference). At Mandurah, he was living with his daughter Mary at Leighton Farm (reference).
The South Western Advertiser wished Samuel a happy 91st birthday: 'congratulations and many happy returns to our hardy old veteran (reference).' During his life, Samuel was known to occasionally smoke cigarettes (reference).
On 19 October 1928, the South Western Advertiser announced that Samuel was at the local hospital in terrible health (reference). Despite this, he nearly lived another ten years. Having survived this health scare, Samuel met with some old friends the following year. In December 1929, he met with Thomas Gowman, 82 years old, William Underwood, 73 years old, Richard Fitzgerald, 69 years old, and Samuel himself was the most senior at 84 (reference).
Samuel died at Leederville at the Perth Hospital on 23 or 25 February 1937 at 91 years old (reference; reference). Samuel was remembered to have had a 'cheerful disposition' and was 'well respected by the community (reference).' His motto was 'self-confidence', and he believed that his life could fill a book with all his adventures (reference). His son John and three daughters, Mary Cooper, Ann Green and Frances Green, were left to mourn his passing (reference; reference). His children Lucy and William had predeceased him. He also left behind grandchildren and great-grandchildren (reference). The funeral took place on 23 February 1937 in the Roman Catholic portion of the Pinjarra Cemetery and was attended by many, with Reverend Father Russel officiating the ceremony (reference). The funeral commenced at St Augustine Church in Pinjarra before proceeding to the graveyard (reference).