In search of the Lathams

SIR,

My name is Ray Nichols and I live on beautiful Bribie Island, off the coast of southern Queensland, Australia.

I have been researching my family history for the past 15 years. My mother, Ursula Jane, was a Latham and the following is a history of my Latham family who, as far as I have been able to research, originated in Cheshire, moved to Monmouthshire, and migrated to Australia in 1909.

I have traced the Latham family back to Robert Latham, born 1660 in Wybunbury, Cheshire.

As I have very little information on the early Lathams, I will jump forward seven generations, to John Latham, son of Richard Latham & Hannah Fatherson.

John was baptised in 1825 at Audlem, Cheshire, and died on 1 April 1890 in Tregare, aged 64. He is buried in St. Mary's Church, Tregare. On the 25th December 1862, in Newchapel, Wolstanton, Staffordshire, John married Sarah Sutton, born October 1831 in Biddulph Park, Staffordshire. Sarah was the daughter of Henry Sutton & Edith Leak.

In the 1871 census, John Latham was listed as a farmer of 52 acres, at Catherine Fields, Norton, Staffordshire, employing two hands.

John and Sarah Latham had five children whilst living at Catherine Fields:-

Hannah, born about 1865, died 9 November 1946 in Tregare, Monmouthshire, aged 80. She is buried in St. Mary's Church cemetery, Tregare.

John, born 22 November 1866. The latest information I have found on John is in the 1881 census, aged 14, when he was living at Llwyn Crwn, Tregare, with his parents and siblings, Hannah 16, Henry 12, Richard Thomas 9 and Joseph 7.

I can find no further trace of John, even though I have searched all the available records that I can think of and I would sincerely appreciate any information anybody can give me on his later life.

Henry, my grand-father, born 16 March 1869, died 15 January 1920. Henry married Agnes Kate Powell (Kate) on 15 July 1896 in St. Mary's, Tregare. Kate was born 24 September 1876 in Park Cottage, Tregare, the daughter of Thomas Powell and Priscilla Richards,. (I will continue Henry and Agnes's story further on.)

Richard Thomas, born 25 September 1872, died 19 June 1933, aged 61. He is buried in St. Mary's Church, Tregare. Richard married Annie Eleanor Robson, 19 April 1896 and they had six children. He enlisted in the Life Guards on 4 July 1891 but later discharged himself to run his family's farm, "Llwyn Crwn", at Tregare. His descendants still live and work on this farm

Joseph, born 12 August 1873, died 6 February 1896, aged 22. The Coroner's Report states that:- "He choked himself on his own vomit at The Raglan Hunt Ball, at The Beaufort Arms Hotel, Raglan." Joseph worked on his parents' farm "Llwyn Crwn". He is also buried at St. Mary's Church, Tregare.

Around 1878, John and Sarah Latham and their five children moved from Staffordshire to Tregare, where they farmed at "Llwyn Crwn".

To continue the story of my grand parent's, Henry Latham and Agnes Kate (Powell).

Henry was a farmer at "Pennywalk", Tregare and a miller at "The Mill', Trellick Grange. He and Agnes had seven children:-

William, born 24 March 1897 in Pennywalk, died 3 April 1897 in Tregare, aged 10 days, buried in St. Mary's Church, Tregare.

Wilfred Tom, born 19 August 1898 in Tregare, died 17 October 1899 in Tregare, aged 1 year 6 weeks, buried in St. Mary's Church, Tregare.

Walter Henry Powell, born 8 May 1901 in Tregare, died 7 June 1941 in Tambar Springs, NSW, Australia, aged 40.

Walter was educated at Llanishen school (nr. Tregare), until 9 Jan 1909, then migrated to Australia with his parents in 1909. In November 1926, he married Agnes May Ruttley and they had four children.

Ivor Godfrey, born 26 October 1902 in The Mill, Trellick Grange, died 27 January 1964 in Braefield, NSW, Australia, aged 62.

Ivor was also educated at Llanishen school (nr. Tregare), until 9 Jan 1909, then migrated to Australia with his parents. Ivor never married.

Constance Mary May, born 21May1906 in The Mill, Trelleck Grange, died of pneumonia & tuberculosis on 15 March 1909 in Maitland, NSW, Australia, aged 2 years 10 months, just 26 days after arriving in Australia with her parents.

Ursula Jane (Jane), my mother was born on 21 February 1910 in Bolwarra, NSW, and died 30 June 1991 in Maitland, NSW aged 81. Jane married Albert Leslie Nichols, my father, on 22 September 1934, in Maitland, NSW and they had three children:-

Eric Raymond Nichols (Ray), (myself), born 4 May 1938 in Maitland.

Colin Leslie Nichols, born 6 November 1939 in Maitland.

Gladys Jeanette Nichols, born 22 July 1949 in Maitland.

Hubert John (Jack), born 13 September 1911 in Braefield, NSW, died 5 September 1987 in Sydney, aged 75.

Jack married Eileen Margaret Kelly, 18 April 1938 in Lismore, NSW and they had three children.

Henry and Agnes Latham and their three surviving children, Walter, Ivor and Constance, migrated to Australia in 1909. They left Tregare on 9 January 1909, and departed Plymouth on 12 January 1909 on the 'Ortona' arriving in Sydney, 19 February 1909. In 1910, the family moved to Braefield, near Quirindi, NSW, to run a large wheat and dairy cattle farm.

On 15 January 1920, disaster struck, when Henry died, aged 50, from injuries received after falling from a sulky on his way home from Quirindi, the nearest large town. He had been drinking heavily in town and his horse was slowly plodding along finding its own way home as it had done so many times before He was found with a large amount of cash in his pocket, which is thought to have been the proceeds of the sale of the wheat crop.

Jane and Jack left the farm when they grew up, leaving their mother and Ivor to run it until 27 January 1964 when Ivor died, aged 62, of a heart attack while out in the paddocks rounding up the cows for milking. He is buried in Quirindi cemetery.

Kate could not manage the farm by herself and was forced to sell it and lived with my mother, Jane, in Maitland, until she died 14 May 1968, aged 91. She was cremated at Beresfield Crematorium, near Newcastle, NSW.

Henry & Agnes (Kate) left sixty descendants, of which forty-nine are still living in Australia.

If any person would like to contact me with any information on the missing John Latham, born 22 November 1866, or, any information regarding the Latham family, my postal address is:-

Ray Nichols, 16 Topsail Circuit, Bribie Island, Queensland, 4507. Australia.