Charles Arthur Davies (1880-1962)
and his family and descendants

(last updated 17 September 2022)

1. Life and times

Born at Tunstall in Cheshire in 1880, Charles was the eldest son of a Welshman, John Davies, who was born at Bedwas in Monmouthshire in 1847 and died at Barnsley in the West Riding of Yorkshire in 1907. Charles' mother was Sarah Ann Taylor who was born at Wolstanton in Staffordshire in England in 1848. Married in around 1871, John and Sarah had six children we know of in addition to Charles: Bertha Ann (born at Silverdale in Staffordshire in around 1871), Elizabeth (1873, Silverdale), Rachel (1875, Silverdale), Emily (1877, Barnsley in Yorkshire), John Frederick (1883, Barnsley) and Albert Edward Davies (1890, Barnsley). According to the 'John Wood (1)' family tree on Ancestry, at least four of their children were married at Barnsley: Rachael to George James Hodgson in 1906; Charles to Jane Annie Pycroft also in 1906; John Frederick to Margaret Clapham in 1907; and Albert Edward Davies to Florence Leatham in 1910. it adds that in 1926, Albert and Florence emigrated to the United States where they lived the remainder of their lives. Both died in Los Angeles in Southern California, Albert in 1964 and Florence in 1984.

Charles Arthur Davies (pictured in uniform on the left) and Jane Annie Pycroft's wedding certificate, contained on Ancestry's 'West Yorkshire Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935' shows they were married at St Peter's Church in Barnsley on 18 August 1906. Charles was 26 years old and working as a contractor. Jane was a 20 year-old milkmaid, the daughter of a deceased coal miner, George Pycroft (1861-87). The 1911 England census shows Charles, a 31 year-old coal miner born at Tunstall in Cheshire, his wife Jane Annie (25, Barnsley) and their two children - Rose (5, Cudworth near Barnsley) and Harold (2, Barnsley) - living at 15 Taylor Row in Barnsley. Not long after the census Charles travelled to Australia in order to find work there. Jane and the children followed him soon after, Ancestry's 'UK and Ireland Outward Passenger Lists', showing a Mrs Jane A. Davies, a 27 year-old housewife, and her two children sailed from London on the GOTHIC on 20th December 1912 bound for Sydney. The Australian 1913 electoral roll has Charles Arthur, a miner, and Jane Ann Davies living at Neath, on the outskirts of Cessnock in the Hunter region of New South Wales, where Charles worked as a miner and his children attended school. The NSW index of births, deaths and marriages tells us Jane A. Davies died in the Kurri Kurri registration district of NSW the same year. According to the Find a Grave website she was buried in the Anglican section of the Kurri Kurri General Cemetery, the cemetery notes telling us she was '27y; dau/George & Jane; w/Charles Arthur'.

Two years after Jane's death Charles re-married. His second wife was Maria Partington nee Barratt (1883-1943) who he met while they were visiting the graves of their respective spouses at Kurri Kurri cemetery. Born at Nottingham in England, Maria's parents were John Barratt (1846-1910), a stationary engine driver, and Harriett Ethel Marshal nee Hudson (1858-1913) who were married there in 1880. The England and Wales civil registration marriage index shows Maria married Mathew Partington in the Ashton under Lyne registration district of Lancashire in 1906. Like Charles, Mathew decided to go to Australia to seek work and so, on 17 August 1907, sailed from England on the SS SOMERSET bound for Sydney. Ancestry's 'UK and Ireland Outward Passenger Lists' show on 29 February 1908, Maria sailed from Liverpool on the SS SUFFOLK also bound for Sydney. The ship's passenger list shows she was unaccompanied and was working as a domestic servant. Mathew eventually found work at the Abermain No 1 Colliery where, as reported in the 9 September 1913 edition of The Newcastle Morning Mail and Miners Advocate, he died at his residence from injuries sustained from lifting a skip onto the Colliery's rails. This 'strained the muscles of his heart. He lingered for a week and subsequently died from the effects. The funeral took place on Saturday, and was largely attended. The Abermain Miners' Lodge was represented by the officials'. The Find a Grave website shows Mathew was buried in the Anglican section of the Kurri Kurri Cemetery.

The Australian electoral rolls show Charles and Maria lived on Kearsley Road in Neath after their marriage. As reported in The Cessnock Eagle and South Maitland Recorder, Maria died of breast cancer there on 9 September 1943: 'Deceased lady was 60 years of age, and Is survived by her husband and grown-up family. The funeral will take place this afternoon, at the Beresford Crematorium, The Rev. Redman will officiate' (10 September 1943). Charles continued living at Neath until his retirement in the late 1950s when he moved into Cessnock. He died at Weston in Cessnock on 13 January 1962. The Find a Grave website tells us he was buried at the Kurri Kurri General Cemetery: '81y: son/John & Sarah Ann; h/Jane Annie'. Charles and Maria had no children. As described above, he and Jane had two children, Rose and Harold Davies, both of whom were born at Barnsley and travelled with their mother from England to Sydney in 1912 (see the photo below).

2. Children and descendants

1. Rose McCormack nee Davies (1906-78). Rose went to school at Cessnock where she obtained her Qualifying Certificate in 1921. On 27 January 1927 she married William John McCormack at the St Mary's Church of England in West Maitland. The couple's marriage certificate tells us William was born at Greta (to the north of Cessnock) in 1903 and was then living at Cessnock. Rose was 19 years old and living at Neath in Cessnock. The marriage was witnessed by Rose's father Charles Arthur Davies and an H. V. Knipe. William's parents were a native of Scotland, Nathaniel McCormack (1874-1944), and a Greta local Louisa Gillard (1878-1930). Married at Greta in 1898, they had six children in addition to William: Ada Husband (1899-1940), Ethel May Orr (1901-45), Edith Margaret Stacey (1905-81), James (1909-63), Edward (1913-76) and Ronald Samuel McCormack (1917-78). Click here to read more about William's family and forebears and those of Louisa Gillard. The Australian electoral rolls show William and Rose lived all their married lives in the Cessnock area where William worked as a 'wheeler' in the local mines. According to the Find a Grave website, William, aged 67, died at Aberdare (a suburb of Cessnock) on 7 April 1970 and was cremated at Newcastle Memorial Park at Beresfield (ashes scattered). The same source informs us Rose was also cremated at Beresfield. She died on 29 January 1978 at The Entrance near Wyong on the NSW Central Coast where she had gone to live after William's death. As described below, William and Rose had two boys:

1.1). Arthur McCormack (1927-74) who worked first as a shop assistant and, after graduating from the Newcastle Teachers College in 1952, as a primary school teacher. In 1949, he married Beryl Joyce Williams (1930-2021) at West Maitland. Beryl's father was Edward Albert (Ted or Taffy) Williams who came to Australia from England when he was a boy and eventually gravitated to the Cessnock/Newcastle area where he worked as a labourer, miner and union organiser. Edward met his future wife, Nellie Mitchell (1902-63), while she was working at the Stockton library in Newcastle. Nellie was born at Dargaville in New Zealand's North Island, the youngest daughter of two Australians, Colin Mitchel (1869-1922) and Agnes Emily Lane (1875-1958), who were married at Newcastle in 1892 and lived in New Zealand from around 1896 until the early 1920s when they returned to Australia. Click here to read more about Edward Williams' family and forebears and here for those of Nellie Mitchell. The Australian electoral rolls show Arthur and Beryl Joyce McCormack were living at 68 Belmore Road Lorn in Cessnock in 1954 and 1958, on Sawyers Road in Abermain in 1963, and at 75 Beach Parade Silverwater in 1972. Arthur died at Abermain on 23 December 1977 and was cremated at the Newcastle Memorial Park in Beresfield. Beryl, who worked as a nurse at the Morrisett Psychiatric Hospital, lived the remainder of her life at 15 Balcolyn Street Balcolyn. She died at Wyong on the NSW central coast on 21 June 2021. Her tribute in The Newcastle Herald tells us she was the 'Loving mother of Rosalie, Grahame, Bradley, Robert & Catherine. Loved mother-in-law, grandmother, great grandmother & great great grandmother of their families. Aged 90 Years' (26 June 2021).

Arthur McCormack and his step-grandmother, Maria Davies formerly Partington nee Barratt at the beach in around 1928.

Arthur and Beryl at the Cessnock Hospital Ball October 1948. Arthur with some of his school students.
Arthur and Beryl's first four children: (L/R) Grahame, Bradley, Rosalie and Robert.

1.2). John McCormack (1929-86) who lived all his life around Cessnock where he worked as an electrical mechanic. Twice wed, John's first wife was Jacqueline Mitchell (1934-64) who he married at Maitland on 17 November 1951. According to Liz Pritchard's 'Connections' family tree on Ancestry, Jacqueline was born at Inverell in northern NSW, the daughter of John Mitchell (1909-61) and Vera May Green (1907-85) who were married at Tamworth in 1933. Vera's father, Stuart Green (1868-1927), was a native of Frating near Colchester in Essex. He emigrated to Australia in 1892 and made his way to Tamworth where he married Georgina Cumberland in 1899. Jacqueline McCormack died at Cessnock on 26 August 1964 and was cremated at Newcastle Memorial Park Beresfield. She and John had three children - Susan, who was working as a bank officer and living with her father and step-mother at 2 Hilda Street Cessnock at the time of the 1977 election, Stephen and Diane McCormack - who together provided their parents with six grandchildren we know of. John's second wife, who he married in 1966, was a school teacher, June Sophia Clarke (1929-2002), who had three children from a previous marriage (Marina, Vanessa and Jacqueline Clarke)

2. Harold Davies (1909-72). At the time of the 1932 and 1934 elections, Harold was working as a labourer and living with his father and step-mother on Kearsley Road in Neath. In 1941 he married Alice Marie Barrett (1913-92) at Wollongong. The 'Schmidt Family Tree' on Ancestry tells us Alice was born at Wollongong and her parents were Alfred Ernest (Alf) Barrett (1889-1956) and Aurora Elizabeth (Lily) Waples (1891-1964) who were married at St Paul's Catholic Church, Albion Park in Wollongong on 4 Sep 1912. Both families were long-time residents of Dapto settling there in the early 1820s. It is possible Harold met Alice in Newcastle. In 1931 an Alice M. Barrett had been awarded a technical education scholarship which was tenable at either the Sydney or Newcastle Technical Colleges (The South Coast Times and Wollongong Argus, 20 February 1931). We think it more likely they met at Wollongong where, at the time of the 1937 election, Harold was living on Myrtle Street at Coniston and Alice was living and working as a nurse at the Wollongong District Hospital (she had passed the NSW Nurses' Registration Board examinations the previous year). After their marriage, Harold and Alice continued to live at Wollongong where Harold died in 1972 and Alice in 1992. Harold's death notice, published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 17 June 1972, reads: 'DAVIES, Harold - June 15 1972 at his residence, 70 Smith Street Wollongong, beloved husband of Alice Marie Davies, and loved brother of Rose (Mrs Cormack) and dear brother-in-law of Raymund and Roma Barrett, Greta and Frank Waugh, aged 62 years'. He is buried in the Wollongong City Memorial Gardens and Crematorium at Unanderra (Plot: 1st Rose Garden 7h). Alice is buried in the Wollongong Lawn Cemetery (Lawn Sect 1 Row V Site 34). As Harold's death notice indicates, they had no children.