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| Notes for John (John Jenkins) (Spouse 1) | ||||||||||||||
| The following is from Greg Campbell’s Deason Tree: H3 – Life on the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall John Deason was born about 1829 and, according to tradition, on Tresco, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall. His parents are Thomas Deason and Elizabeth Jenkin. Thomas was born on Tresco in 1785 (baptised 27 Oct 1785). His parents are John Deason (born 1740, died 1812) and Elizabeth Nichols - both of Tresco. In turn, John’s parents are Thomas Deason and Mary Lakey, born in the early 1700s on Tresco. Few Deason records exist on the Isles of Scilly prior to the 1700’s. John’s mother, Elizabeth, was born about 1793, probably Tresco, baptised 3 March 1793, Tresco, the daughter of Walter Jenkin (born 17xx, died before 1841) and Grace Pender (born about 1761 – died after 1841). Walter and Grace married 5 October 1782, Scilly Isles Parish, Anglican and had seven children: • Mary Jenkin – born about 1783, baptised 25 May 1783, Scilly Isles Parish, Anglican; • Henry Jenkin – born about 1789, baptised 26 May 1789, Scilly Isles Parish, Anglican; • Elizabeth Jenkin - born about 1793, baptised 3 March 1793, Scilly Isles Parish, Anglican; • Charles Jenkin – born about 1796, baptised 3 April 1796, Scilly Isles Parish, Anglican; • Grace Jenkin – born about 1799, baptised 17 April, Scilly Isles Parish, Anglican; • Walter Jenkin – born about 1801, baptised 19 April 1801, Scilly Isles Parish, Anglican, married 1831, Peggy Prideaux; and • John Jenkin – born about 1804, baptised 23 July 1804, Scilly Isles Parish, Anglican. At the time of Elizabeth’s marriage to Philip Bonetto in 1840, her father is noted as a “farmer”. The 1841 Census recorded Grace, aged 80 years, together with son Walter, a “mariner”, wife, Peggy, aged 25 years, and their two children: Elizabeth, aged 8 years and Walter, aged 6 years. Walter and Peggy had four children: Elizabeth Deason Jenkin; Walter Jenkin; Ruth Ann Jenkin and Mary Margaret Jenkin. Ruth Ann Jenkin married Richard Ellis Prideaux (the son of Peggy's brother John Prideaux and Ann Jenkin). John Deason had one brother, Thomas, born Isles of Scilly (probably Tresco) and baptised there 28 April 1826. There is also a possibility that John had a sister, Grace, born about 1822 (for details see Family History Sheet for Thomas Deason born about 1700). Note: further research required. John’s father, Thomas, died in September 1830 as a result of drowning when the pilot boat ‘Hope’ foundered on the return leg from St Martins. Five out of the eight crew of the gig were drowned. Other than Thomas, the deaths includedJames Jenkin, aged 67; Charles Jenkin, aged 35; and John Odger, aged 54. All were buried on 27 September 1830. The school-teacher and the parish priest were among the survivors. It is likely that both James and Charles Jenkins were related to the Deason’s through either John’s mother, Elizabeth Jenkin and/or John’s aunt, Mary Deason, who married James Jenkin. Charles may even have been James’ son. Note: although at the time of John’s second marriage in Bendigo his birthplace was noted as “Penwyth [sic], Cornwall” other records indicate that he was born in Tresco, eg John’s son, Thomas (born 1859) birth certificate records John’s birthplace as “Scilly Isles”. H4 – Life in St Just in Penwith, Cornwall Thomas’s widow, Elizabeth, at some stage moved to mainland Cornwall with the children – certainly before 1840 when she re-married. On 22 February 1840, Elizabeth Deason married Philip Bonetto at St Just-in-Penwith, Anglican Church. Philip was noted as: “aged 47 years; a bachelor; occupation, a miner; residence, Carrack; father, Philip Benetto, a miner”. Elizabeth was noted as: “aged 46 years; a widow; residence, Cararrack; father, Walter Jenkins, a farmer”. They were married by Parish Vicar, John Walker and the witnesses were James Hall and John Tregear. Both Philip and Elizabeth made their mark “X”. Note: the marriage certificate incorrectly recorded Elizabeth’s surname as “Deaken” and Philip’s surname was recorded as “Benetto” (as was his father’s). The marriage was then incorrectly indexed (GRO) under “Bennet” and “Deaken”. Later records (Censuses of 1841 and 1851) use the spelling “Bonetto”. The 1841 Census recorded the following entry: Parish of St Just, village: Cararack [spelling is not clear] Philip Bonetto, age 45 years, miner, born in County Elizabeth Bonetto, age 45 years, born in County Thomas Deason, age 15 years, miner, born in County John Deason, age 12 years, tin dresser, born in County. Note: the 1841 Census record had a specific way in which to denote inhabitants in the same house who were not related; this was not the case for the record shown above, i.e. they were indicated as a single family unit. This could only mean that Elizabeth Bonetto was the mother of the two boys. It is likely that the place noted in the 1841 Census is the ‘Carrarrack’ noted in the Gazetteer of Cornwall 1884. The Gazetteer recorded it as simply, “22 acres” – as if referring to a farm. Other records refer to it as ”Cararack”, ”Carraracke” and “Cararrack”. Its exact location is not known according to current Cornish researchers. Certainly, a public house existed at the site – the ‘Queen’s Arms’ – as late as 1873. In the 1841 Census book entries for the villages of Carnyorth and Botallack were recorded on the preceding pages to the Cararack entry with the entry for Truthwall on the following page. This may indicate that Carrarrack lay somewhere between these locations. What we do know from the 1841 Census is that Cararack was a small village of 14 households. There was at least one shop, and while most households were noted as miners, two were noted as farmers. This could indicate that Cararack may have been originally been a small farming village. How many years the family spent in Cararack is not known. The family were probably in nearby Botallack in 1843 (at the time of the death of John’s brother, Thomas) and were certainly in Trewellard at the time of the census in 1851. However, the period at Cararack would have been a very formative period for John and this is place that he likely became first involved with mining. Some of the Carrarrack village people would later meet up again with John on the Victorian goldfields. Further research required - more details regarding Botallack to be inserted. The 14 Cararack households recorded in the 1841 Census were (note: person’s ages are shown in brackets): • “William Hicks (20), miner, wife Ann (30) and children: Elizabeth (5); William (2) and Mary (infant – unclear) • Thomas May (35), miner, wife Margery (50) and children: Mary (15); Thomas (15); unclear (15); John (13); Samuel (7) • William Thomas (45), farmer, wife name unclear (40) and children: Elizabeth (12); William (10 - unclear); Thomas (5) • Thomas Thomas (45), miner, wife Honor (40); and children: Elizabeth (15); James (15); Thomas (14); John (12); Ann (10); Honor (6); William (4). Also in same household William Long (55), miner and Thomas Long (40), miner; • John Thomas (70), wife Elizabeth (60) and children John (30), miner • First name unclear Williams (30), miner, wife Rebecca (24) and children: William (3) and Henry (1). Also in same household William Davey (20), miner • Philip Bonetto (45), miner, wife Elizabeth (45) and children Thomas Deason (15), miner and John Deason (12), tin dresser • Jane Newton (70) shopkeeper and Mary Newton (13), shopkeeper • Phillis Davies,(60), miner • Henry Newton (45), farmer, wife Martha Newton (40) and children: Jane (15); William (10); Martha (12); Eliza (8); Amelia ((6); James (5); Henry (3) • William Eddy (50), miner, wife Rebecca (50) and children: Ann (15); Thomas (13), miner; name unclear (8) • John Pollard (40), farmer, wife Esther (35) and children: John (14); Esther (11); William (9); Thomas (6); Emily (4); Maria (2). Also in same household: Thomas Eddy (20), miner; Mary Eddy (15), miner; John Pollard (25), miner. • Richard Oats (30), miner, wife Elizabeth (25) and children: William (3); Thomas (7 months) • Patience Ellis (50) and children: Thomas (25), miner; Charles (20), miner; Mary (18), tailor; John (15), miner; Elias (12), miner; Alexander (10). Also in same household: John Williams (20), miner All born in the Cornwall. Notes (person’s ages – as noted above – are shown in brackets): • John Pollard (40) came to Victoria in 1855 on the ship Caldera with his wife and four of their children (Thomas (6), Maria (2), Mary & Joseph (both born after 1841): • Thomas Pollard (6) is probably the Thomas Pollard, miner, living at “Lower Bendigo” in 1856 Victorian Electoral Roll. • John Pollard’s eldest son, John (14), came to Victoria in 1868 on the, SS Great Britain. His daughter, Esther, married John Deason’s oldest son, Thomas (see Family History Sheet for Thomas Deason born 1859 for more information). • Oats – this family is not, directly, related to Richard Oat(e)s who came to Victoria in 1854 • Although the surnames Hicks and Ellis are common on the Isles of Scilly, details recorded in the 1851 Census indicate that William Hicks (snr) was born at Buryan and Patience Ellis born at Sancreed (her husband probably died prior to 1851) and all their children were born at St Just. As a result, it is unlikely that Elizabeth Deason and family accompanied these families from the Scillies. • For information on these families in the 1851Census refer details below. The 1851 Census later recorded: Parish of St Just, Ecclesiastical district of Pendeen, village: Trewellard Elizabeth Bonetto, head (of household), widow, age 58 years, house keeper, born Isles of Scilly, Tresco John Deason, son of 1st husband, unmarried, age 21 years, tin dresser, born Isles of Scilly, Tresco. Note: Trewellard is situated on the main road approximately 3 kilometres north of St Just. The village of Carrarack was still in existence in 1851. From the 1851 Census we can determine a little as to what happened to the inhabitants who were in Carrarack at the time of the 1841 Census (note: person’s ages are shown in brackets): - William (35) and Ann (30) Hicks, along with their children, Elizabeth (14) and William (12) are likely to have moved to Madron where William was a ‘labourer’; - Thomas and Margery May and family do not appear to be in Cornwall; - William Thomas and family do not appear to be in Cornwall - Honor Thomas (54) along with children, James (28), John (24), Ann (21), Honor (16) and William (14) are now in nearby Newhouse, the son’s being ‘tin miners’. Thomas Thomas (father) probably died before 1851; - John and Elizabeth Thomas cannot be located – it is likely that they have died; - The Williams family cannot be located in Cornwall; - Henry (58) and Martha (51) Newton and children, William (20), Mary (23), Martha (22), James (15), Henry (13), Margaret (10), John (8), Edward (6) are in nearby Botallack where Henry is a ‘farm labourer’, William a ‘tin miner’ and Mary a ‘dress maker’; - William (65) and Rebecca (60) Eddy and children, Richard (17) are still in Carrarack, where William and Richard are ‘tin miners’; - John (49) and Esther (46) Pollard and children, Esther (22), William (20), Thomas (16), Emily (14), Maria (12), Mary (9), Joseph (6 mnths) have moved to nearby Truthwall where John is a ‘farmer (of 8 acres)’, Esther a ‘straw bonnet maker’ and William and Thomas ‘tin miners’; - Richard and Elizabeth Oats cannot be located with any certainty. They could be the Richard (43) and Elizabeth (39) in nearby Newhouse, however their children are not consistent with 1841 Census information – the 1851 Census notes children as Richard (15) and William (7). Both Richard’s are ‘tin miners’; - Patience Ellis (63) and children, Thomas (39), Mary (26), Elias (21) and Alexander (18) are now in Truthwall where the son’s are ‘tin miners’ and Mary a ‘charwoman’. John Deason married Margaret Davey on 16 August 1851 at the Registry Office, Penzance. John was noted as: 21 years of age; a bachelor; occupation, tin dresser; residence, Trewellard; and father, Thomas Deason, a fisherman. Margaret was noted as: 21 years of age; a spinster; no occupation recorded; residence Trewellard; and father, Stephen Davey, an engineman. Witnesses were James Walter Stephens and James Berryman. John Deason signed and Margaret made her mark. Margaret was born about 1829 and was baptised 20 December 1829, Crows-an-Wra [Crowan], Cornwall. Her father is Stephen DAVEY (c1803-1863), born about 1803, baptised 6 March 1803, Crowan, died 1863, parents, Stephen DAVEY and Margaret (surname not known). He was noted as a miner on Margaret’s death certificate in 1858. Margaret’s mother is Hannah POLKINGHORN (c1809-1866), born about 1809, baptised 16 March 1809, Crowan, died 1866, parents Ralph POLKINGHORN and Margaret (surname not known). Note: Crowan is probably modern day “Crows-an-Wra” about 3 klms north-west of St Buryan, Cornwall. Further research required to confirm. The 1841 census notes the family as: Parish of St Just, village: Boscaswell Stephen Davey, age 35 years, miner (copper), born in County Hanah Davey, age 30 years, born in County Margaret Davey, age 11 years, born in County Stephen Davey, age 9 years, born in County Mary Davey, age 5 years, born in County Martha Davey, age 3 years, born in County Elizabeth Davey, age 11 months, born in County. Note: Boscaswell is situated on the main road north from St Just, approximately 1 kilometre north-west of Pendeen. There were separate settlements of Higher Boscaswell and Lower Boscaswell and mines close by named “Boscaswell United” and “Boscaswell North” and there was an area referred to as “Boscaswell Downs”. The 1851 Census later recoded: Parish of St Just, Ecclesiastical district of Pendeen, village: Trewellard Stephen Davy, head (of household), married, age 48 years, working engineer, born Crowan Anna Davy, wife, married, age 42 years, born Crowan Margaret Davy, daughter, unmarried, age 21 years, worker at mine, born Crowan Stephen Davy, son, unmarried, age 20 years, tin dresser, born Crowan Anna Davy, daughter, unmarried, age 17 years, tin dresser, born Crowan Mary Davy, daughter, age 15 year, born St Just Martha Davy, daughter, age 13 years, born St Just Elizabeth Davy, daughter, age 11 years, born St Just John Davy, son, age 7 years, born St Just Thomas Davy, son, age 5 years, born St Just Sarah Davy, daughter, age 1 year, born St Just. In late 1851, John and Margaret’s first child, Grace Jenkin Deason, was born (registered 1851). It is likely that she was named after John’s maternal grand-mother. She was baptised at St John the Baptist, Anglican Church on 25 January 1852, Pendeen: John being noted as a miner; and parents living in Trewellard. H5 - To Australia In the late 1840s there was a potato famine in Cornwall like that in Ireland. One of the hardest hit areas was Penwith – the westernmost tip of Cornwall (main towns – St Ives, St Just and Marazion). In 1842 the South Australian town of Kapunda commenced copper mining and soon became the world’s purest source of copper ore. By 1847 there was a South Australian emigration officer in Penzance and by 1849 up to 5% of the population of the Penwith Poor Law Union area had emigrated. In order to qualify for an assisted passage to South Australia the Deason family were required to meet certain requirements: these are detailed in ‘The Ships List’ website as follows: Passages to Australia 1853 In the March 1853 “Colonization Circular No. 13” there is notice of funds provided to the British Emigration Commissioners, by colonial revenues, for assisted passage, by New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. (also stated, for the moment, is that funds were also available for Western Australia and Van Dieman's Land, but no funds were available for assisting persons wishing to emigrate to the North American Colonies). The rules for those wishing to apply were laid out thus:- The following are the regulations and conditions under which emigrants are to be selected for passages to the Australian colonies, when there are funds available for the purpose. Qualifications of Emigrants 1. The emigrants must be of those callings which from time to time are most in demand in the colony. They must be sober, industrious, of general good moral character, and have been in the habit of working for wages, and going out to do so in the colony, of all of which decisive certificates will be required. They must also be in good health, free from all bodily or mental defects, and the adults must be in all respects be capable of labour and going out to work for wages, at the occupation specified on their Application Forms. The candidates who will receive a preference are respectable young women trained to domestic or farm service, and families in which there is a preponderance of females. 2. The separation of husbands and wives and of parents from children under 18 will in no case be allowed. 3. Single women under 18 cannot be taken without their parents, unless they go under the immediate Care of some near relatives. Single women over 35 years of age are ineligible. Single women with Illegitimate [sic] children can in no case be taken. 4. Single men cannot be taken unless they are sons in eligible families, containing at least a corresponding number of daughters. 5. Families in which there are more than 2 children under 7, or 3 children under l0 years of age, or in which the sons outnumber the daughters, widowers, and widows with young children, persons who intend to resort to the gold fields, to buy land, or to invest capital in trade, or who are in the habitual receipt of parish relief, or who have not been vaccinated or not had the small-pox, cannot be accepted. Passages from Dublin and Cork to Plymouth, from Glasgow to Liverpool, and from Granton Pier (Leith) to London, are provided by the Commissioners for emigrants. All other travelling expenses must be borne by the emigrants themselves. Assisted emigrants were expected to meet a small portion of the total cost of the voyage to Australia. The ‘Ships List’ website details the costs and conditions applicable for 1853: Before an embarkation order is issued, the following payments will be required from all persons of 14 years and upwards: - Classes Scale of Payments 14 and under 40 40 and under 50 50 and under 60 60 and upwards £ £ £ £ I. Agricultural labourers, shepherds, herdsmen, and female domestic and farm servants. 2 6 11 15 II. Country mechanics, such as blacksmiths, bricklayers, carpenters, masons, miners, wheelwrights, gardeners, and females of the working class, not being domestics or farm servants. 5 8 12 15 III. Other persons of the labouring class, if deemed by the Commissioners, desirable for the colony. 7 10 13 15 All children under 14 will pay £1 each; and if the family contains, at the time of embarkation, more than two children under 10 years of age, for each such child, £5 additional must be paid. Out of the above payments, the bedding and mess utensils, referred to in Article 18, for the use of the emigrants during the voyage, will be provided by the Commissioners. Based on the above figures, the Deason family were required to pay a total of £5 (two adults and one child under 14 years). The ‘Ships List’ website also gives an insight into conditions emigrants encountered when reaching South Australia: Emigration to Australia In a recent letter the Bishop of Adelaide gives the following advice to emigrants to this great colony.- I will now detail what steps are taken in the colony for the assistance of emigrants. Captain Brewer is the emigration agent, whose duty it is to board the vessels as they arrived, and, after examining the condition and discipline of the passengers, to offer such counsel as may be needed for their guidance. In the case of persons destitute of means he is empowered to pay the expense of their journey to Adelaide (eight miles) and the transport of their baggage. There is a row of cottages, built by government, at Port Adelaide, for the temporary accommodation of emigrant families, should they fail to procure situations before compelled to quit the ship. Fourteen days are generally allowed on ship board, after reaching the port, during which they are provisioned. “The Colonial Labour Office" has been established in Adelaide, opposite the Post Office, in King William street, for the hiring of servants and labourers. This is supported by voluntary subscriptions and has been most useful. A secretary is in constant attendance, who registers all applications, leaving the parties to make their own agreements. In case of single unprotected female servants, the protector of aborigines, Mr. Moorehouse, is directed to receive, lodge and ration such as are in want of refuge on their arrival. There is accommodation for one hundred; and at this depot, which is close to the government house and park lands, the Irish orphan girls are lodged until provided with situations. Notwithstanding the late arrival of 450 of the latter no difficulty occurred in procuring places for all the respectable young females in the Florentia. So many marry that they are always in demand as domestic servants. There is a "Stranger Friend Society," intended to relieve distress arising from sickness among the newly arrived; and there is a fund, dispensed by a government board, for "destitute persons," - widows, orphans, & c. Provided the females and others, who are sent for the House of Charity are able, willing, and respectable, the "Colonial Labour Office" and the "Government Depot" supply all the assistance they need towards settling themselves. I may add that there is much distress and disappointment felt by a very numerous class of educated persons, who arrive without capital, and with very few pounds in their pockets. Immigration has proceeded latterly at the rate of 1000 per month and above. Unluckily, also, the ships have arrived two or three at a time, instead of at intervals. 500 persons came in last Saturday, and this on the heels of the Posthumous, Florentia, Sir E. Parry, and the Inconstant, bringing 200 Irish orphans. In fact, it is quite wonderful how they have been absorbed and where they are dispersed. Wages still are high, and there is no fear of starvation, with meat at 2½ d the pound, sugar 3 d, tea 2 s, and bread 1½ d. The natives in fact, live upon the sheep's heads & c., ox heads and tails, which are given them for any trifling service they perform. Servants of all work, plain cooks, farm servant girls, and nurse girls, are the females most wanted, but people will not engage without seeing. Wages are from £12 to £18. Respectable servant girls are sure to find employment. The government emigrant ships are more respectably conducted than passenger ships, on board the latter the sale of spirits is the ruin of numbers.-Yours faithfully, AUG, ADELAIDE. Adelaide, July 30, 1849 John, Margaret and daughter, Grace, arrived in Adelaide on 24 December, Christmas Eve, 1853. They had travelled on the ‘Epaminondas’. This sailing ship was fairly new, having been built in 1850, Quebec, 1125 tons, 160.8 feet long, a beam of 34 feet and holds 22 feet deep. The ship was rigged as a schooner and, although of wooden construction, included iron fasteners in its frame and marine metal sheathing on its hull. The departure point was Southampton, England, where they left on 29 August 1853. The ship embarked with with 454 assisted migrants bound for South Australia along with a small number of steerage passengers. Of the immigrants: 243 were English, 45 Scots and 166 Irish; and of those: 123 were children. John was noted as a copper miner from Cornwall aged 23 years and Margaret as aged 23 years. There were 18 deaths and 10 births on the voyage. Passengers on the ‘Epaminondas’ included nine other families from Cornwall (note: person’s ages are shown in brackets): • Richard Bryant (25), labourer, and not clear - probably wife (24); • Samuel Daniel (34), copper miner, wife Jane (31) and their children; • Richard Downing (41), copper miner, wife Sarah (25); • William Hockings (26), copper miner, wife Jane (21) and their children; • William Morley (25), miner, wife Mary (21) and their child; • William Oates (25), copper miner, and wife Mary (24); • William Richards (29), copper miner, and wife Catherine (24); • Thomas Smith (21), copper miner, no occupation noted, Mary (22), occupation not clear; and • Matthew Tonkins (20), miner, and wife Mary (19). Note: the William Oates noted above could be the Oats recorded in the 1851 Census: • William Oats (22), miner, born Marazion, living with siblings at Pennance, Parish of Gwennap. There is another William Oates, from Just, recorded in the 1851 Census: • Wm Oats (22), no occupation, born St Just, living with parents John Oats (60) and Grace (55) and siblings at Botallack”, Parish of St Just in Penwith. However, this person has been confirmed as having married Tammy Thomas in 1851 and possibly migrating to Australia at a later date. Further research required to locate marriage of William and Mary Oats in the period 1851 – 1853 and to link to 1851 Census and link other Cornish families to Victorian goldfields.. The South Australian government formally gazetted the arrival of the Epaminondas and specified the penalties applying for early quitting the colony: Notice to Employers of Labourers Colonial Secretary's Office, Adelaide, January 3, 1854 The Land and Emigration Commission have forwarded to this office written engagements subscribed by the Immigrants arrived by the Epaminondas; whereby-they severally promise and undertake, that if they, or any of their families with their permission, quit or purpose to quit the Colony, within four years from the day of their landing, they will repay to the Government a proportionate part of the cost of their passage to South Australia, that is to say-at the rate of £4 a piece for themselves and wives, and half that sum for each of their respective children, for each year or any fraction thereof which shall be wanting to complete four years' residence in the Colony. As John Deason was recorded on immigration records as a copper miner then it is likely that the family may have intended to go the copper mines at Burra, Moonta or Kapunda. However, the copper mines at Burra and Kapunda (and possibly Moonta) had closed after news reached Burra and Kapunda on 13 June 1851 of the discovery of gold at Bathurst NSW (and later Ballarat) and the townspeople left in droves. It was not until December 1854 that the Burra mines re-opened, and not until 1856 that for the Kapunda mines. With the South Australian copper mines closed, this may have been the trigger for the Deason’s to set off for Bendigo. Whether they actually went to the SA copper mines and could not find work or whether they had already decided on arrival in Adelaide that the goldfields were a better prospect, is not known. What is known is that they headed for Bendigo. Whether, they proceeded overland from Adelaide to Bendigo, or went via ship to Melbourne and then overland to Bendigo, is not clear. Tom Deason (born 1909) recollected in the late 1980’s to Winston Deason and myself (Greg Campbell) that the family tradition was that John Deason arrived in Melbourne on board the ship ‘Sultana’. Tom was unaware of the Adelaide connection. There were two ships called the ‘Sultana’ operating in Australian waters at that time: ‘Sultana’, Melbourne – departed “Sourabaya” [modern day Surabaya], Java, 26 November 1853 and arrived Melbourne, 24 January 1854. The ship’s records indicate that there was only one passenger – H P Tolson – a single, unmarried, Dutchman, aged 18 years. There is no mention of the Deason family. Immigration records also indicate that Tolson and the ship’s captain, A Schader, were the only two people to come ashore (further research required – find/copy reference – separate to ship’s record & check Lloyd’s description against tonnage recorded at Melbourne). In addition, there is no record of the ‘Sultana’ having arrived in or departed from South Australia during the period 26 December to 24 January according to the Hodge Index (compiled from local newspapers) or in Shipping Movements, South Australian Register. Also, shipping records in for Melbourne, 24 January 1854 do not record the ‘Sultana’ as having made a previous stop at an Australian port prior to reaching Melbourne as was the usual case. The ‘Sultana’ departed Melbourne on 13 February bound for Java. ‘Sultana’, Adelaide - had come from Plymouth, England with immigrants and arrived Port Adelaide, 3 February 1854. The ‘Sultana’ left Port Adelaide, bound for Madras, India, on 3 March 1854. There is no record of this ship berthing at Melbourne or any other Australian port other than Adelaide. This leaves us with the following options: - The Deason’s left South Australia without paying the £10 required to extinguish their government bond. This would have left them vulnerable to prosecution and, as a result, later, they may have partly hidden their identity from Victorian officials, for fear of being returned to South Australia. - They chose the ship’s name ‘Sultana’ as a means of ‘covering their tracks’. Given the evidence at hand, it is unlikely that the Deason’s were actually on board the ‘Sultana’ that arrived in Melbourne 24 January, 1854 as this would have required an oversight in shipping registers in both South Australia and Victoria. However, they may have reached Melbourne on board another ship and saw a ship named ‘Sultana’ berthed at Melbourne in January/February 1854. - It is more likely, if they came by sea at all, that they came via one of the many coastal vessels that plied between Port Adelaide and Melbourne. Further research required – check passenger lists for outward SA passengers, Jan to Feb 1854). • The Deason family did not reach Melbourne by sea, but instead struck out overland from Adelaide to Bendigo on their own or in the company of others in the same situation – i.e. copper miners with no work in South Australia and keen on reaching the Victorian goldfields. Given the large numbers of ‘copper miners’ arriving on the Epaminondas and later vessels there would have been large numbers of people walking their way to the goldfields; • The Deason family were taken by sea to Robe in South Australia, along with the many Chinese immigrants keen on entering Victoria and avoiding detection at Melbourne. Note: • the traditional family story of John & Margaret Deason’s arrival in Australia according to one branch of the Deason family, as retold Easter 2006, (note: this family had no knowledge of the name of the ship or port of entry) was that the Deason’s arrived in Victoria as ‘stowaways’. Lloyd’s Shipping Register records four ships named ‘Sultana’ – three of which sailed to Australia. The ship mentioned above is likely to be the ‘Sultana’ registered in 1850. It was constructed in Whitby, England in 1837 and later sheathed in marine metal 1849. It was 349 tons. The ship was active in Australian waters during the period 1852 to 1854 where it operated as a trading vessel in the Indian and Pacific Oceans rather than as an immigrant ship. Further research required – Melbourne Shipping records indicate 230 tons. Whether John Deason and family proceeded onto Victoria alone or in the company of others is not known. Further research – in relation to William and Mary Oates, fellow passengers on the Epaminondas - may identify William as someone previously known to John Deason in Cornwall. The Victorian Electoral Roll of 1856 records three different miners named William Oats on the Ballarat goldfields at that time. H6 - Bendigo goldfields As to when John Deason reached Bendigo is not certain. The earliest verifiable record to hand of John on the goldfields is November 1855 – when his daughter, Margaret, died, aged 4 months, at Golden Gully (now known as Golden Square). The Victorian Electoral Roll of 1856 records: “John Deason, miner, of Golden gulley, voting under miner’s right in the Sandhurst division”. Life on the Bendigo goldfields was difficult and soon resulted in the loss of John’s wife and four children: • Margaret, died November 1855, aged 4 months; • Sarah, died 1856, aged 1 day; • Grace, died 1857, aged 5 years; • Margaret, died of pulmonary phthisis (TB), 30 March 1858, aged 29 years; and • John, 27 May 1858, aged 17 months. Note: some discrepancies exist as to the age of the above children at the time of their death according to Margaret Deason’s (mother) death certificate (1858), Thomas Deason’s birth certificate (1859) and Margaret Deason’s (daughter) burial record (1855). The ages shown above are those as recorded on the most contemporaneous document. The burial place of children, Margaret (1855), Sarah (1856) and Grace (1857) is not known. It is likely to be in the official cemetery closest to where the family were living at that time. After 1853/1854 officially gazetted cemeteries were in place around Bendigo at: • Kangaroo Flat - commenced October 1853 • Back Creek (Carpenter St), later known as the Bendigo General Cemetery – after July 1854 • White Hills (also known as the Junction Cemetery) – after 1853. Prior to the opening of these three cemeteries, ‘unofficial’ burial grounds existed at: • Bridge Street, Bendigo (also known as the Old Sandhurst Burial Ground) – used between July 1853 and August 1854 • Kangaroo Gully – used about 1853/1854 • Golden Gully – between September 1853 and October 1854 • Golden Square – between November 1853 and April 1854. Note: the Eaglehawk cemetery in Bendigo did not commence until July 1864. At the time of John’s wife, Margaret’s, death, in March 1858, and baby John’s death in May 1858, the family were noted as living at Long Gully, Bendigo. They were both buried at White Hills cemetery, the nearest cemetery to Long Gully. Prior to Margaret’s death in 1858, John purchased 175 acres of land at Woodstock, about 40 klms west of Bendigo. This was not in a mining area but was good farming land close to the Loddon River. The Victorian Government Gazette recorded: Lands Purchased by Selection … during the period from the 1st to the 31st October 1857, inclusive: Lot 28, Allotment 2, Section 3, County: Unnamed, Parish: Woodstock, Extent: 175 acres 2 rods 0 perches, price per acre: £1/0/0, When selected: 26th October, John Deason, Residence: Woodstock, deposit forfeited: no offer; amount paid: £175/10/0. The amount paid (£175) was a considerable sum at that time and indicates that John had faired well, at least in monetary terms, on the Bendigo goldfields. The Government record also notes that he was already resident at Woodstock – an indication that he may not have stayed long on the Bendigo goldfields. Title Deeds to the property were made available the following year: Public Lands Office Melbourne, 22 February, 1858 Title Deeds The following Title Deeds, have since the 15th instant, been forwarded for delivery at the Receipt and Pay Offices undermentioned, on receipt of the established fees. At the receipt and Pay Office, Bendigo [Sandhurst] John Deason, 175a 2r, Woodstock. John soon remarried. His new wife was Catherine McANDREW, born 22 January 1836 in Burntisland, Fife, Scotland. At the time of their marriage at the Presbyterian Manse, Golden Square, Bendigo, on 28 October 1858, John was noted as a farmer of Woodstock and Catherine as being from Melbourne. Of note on their marriage certificate is that John gave his birthplace as Penwyth [sic] Cornwall rather than Tresco, Isles of Scilly. The term ‘Penwith’ refers to the far eastern tip of Cornwall but does not include the Isles of Scilly. Catherine’s parents are Hugh McANDREW (1793-1865), born 1793, Dunning, Perth, Scotland, died 16 November 1865, Burntisland, Fife Scotland and Elizabeth LESLIE or LESSELS (c1798->1861), also known as Betsy and Lessels, born about 1798, died after 1861. The Catherine McAndrew story, as documented by Janet & Bill Storer, tells us of the trip to Australia: In 1858, Catherine then aged 22, arrived in Australia on board the ‘Conway’ as part of a large group of young assisted migrants from England, Scotland and Ireland. There were three other women from Fifeshire, but Catherine appears to have been on her own. On the ship there were 230 single females between the ages of 14 and 45 and 75 single males. The Immigrants Register lists her occupation as ‘housemaid’, her religion as ‘Church of England’ and records that she could both read and write. It is also recorded that on 24 September, Catherine was engaged to work for a Mr Johnson of No 9 Spring St South Melbourne for a wage of 2 shillings for the term of 3 months. The Conway departed from Liverpool England on 10 June 1858 and arrived at Port Phillip on 15 September, the voyage taking three months. For more information on the McANDREW family see separate Appendix (separate document). John and Catherine moved back to Bendigo from Woodstock in 1859. They were noted as living in Golden Square at the time of the birth of their first son, Thomas, 14 September 1859. John was noted as a miner at the time. However, this move may have only been temporary as there is a record of uncollected mail being held at Woodstock in January 1861 and they were certainly there in March 1861 when their second child, Hugh McAndrew Deason, died, aged 3 months. He was buried at nearby Lockwood on 9 March 1861. In 1862 they moved to another mining area – Welshman’s Reef. where there is a record of uncollected mail at this time. Note: Welshman’s Reef is situated about 10 klms south of Maldon. John was at Woodstock with Richard Oates in January 1863 at the time of the death of an employee. The Bendigo Independent, 9 January 1863 recorded: Drowned. Mr Pounds, Coroner, held an IQ [inquest] on the 7th instant, at the Junction Hotel, on the body of a man named Frederick Nolan, a native of Sydney NSW age 25 years, who was drowned in a waterhole at Woodstock, on the Loddon Plains, on the evening of the 6th instant. The deceased had worked on the farm of Mr Glover, Marong, as a labourer, from the 13th November to the 5th January, and on that day he left. Deceased was engaged on the next day by Mr Deason, and while watering the horses had been drowned. A man named Richard Oates had accompanied the deceased to the waterhole with other horses, and while engaged in watering them heard a splash, and saw deceased struggling in the water. He dismounted from his horse, and tried to save deceased by handing him the end of a stick, but deceased could not reach it properly and sank, and was not seen again alive. A VERDICT WAS RETURNED of ‘Accidentally drowned’. John and Catherine moved to Moliagul sometime. John was in Moliagul with his workmate, Richard Oates, working the alluvial goldfields when on 5 February 1869 John discovered the Welcome Stranger gold nugget. It was (and still is) the world’s largest alluvial gold nugget, weighing in at 78,381 grains. The nugget lay just below the surface pinned between tree roots. John was farming at the time, prospecting for gold whenever time permitted. H7 - The Discovery of the Welcome Stranger There are various traditional stories handed down as to how the event was celebrated and the financial success, or lack of it, of the Welcome Stranger’s beneficiaries – Deason and Oates. A permanent memorial, commemorating the find was placed at the site in 1897 - unveiled 19 November 1897 by Henry Foster, Minister for Mines and D J Duggan, member of parliament (MLA) for Dunolly. Possibly this was a result of the newspaper article of 1896 (see below) which indicated: “A small stick is all that marks the exact spot of this memorable find.” Detailed below is a selection of documented and published accounts of the Finding of the Welcome Stranger and the Deason family: Report to the Mines Minister (Robert Brough Smythes) by Francis Knox Orme, Gold Warden, 12 February 1869: Sir, I have the honour to report for your information that in company with the Mining Surveyor Couchman I proceeded yesterday to the ground where the large nugget was found and now named by the finders 'The Welcome Stranger'. It weighed 210 lb gross and 2269 oz 10 dwts 14 grains of smelted gold have been obtained from it irrespective of a number of pieces of gold and specimens which have been given away by the finders, and which they estimate, and I believe correctly, at one pound weight, and also irrespective of a considerable quantity of broken quartz mixed with gold which has been obtained from the nugget when breaking it into pieces for the purpose of carriage. The finders are named John Deason and Richard Oates, miners who have worked in this locality for about seven years and have a puddling machine there, and the nugget was found on Friday 5 February instant about one inch below the surface on the western side of a gully slope, going from the Black Reef down to a gully which is known as the Bulldog Gully or Black Lead. They estimate the size as about twenty-one inches in length and about ten inches in thickness but unfortunately broke the nugget in three parts before they informed anyone of it, and at their request it was for smelting purposes, at once broken into small pieces with a sledge hammer and chisels, when taken to the London Chartered Bank on the 9th instant. The nugget was found in some surfacing (of which from ten inches to a foot is generally puddled) of loose, gravely loam resting on thick, red clay, with a bottom of sandstone about ten inches from the surface. A nugget of nine and a half-pound was found in the gully about ten years since, and also one of thirty-six ounces was found there by Deason on 8 June 1866, about one hundred yards from where the 'Welcome Stranger' was found. This is about two and a half miles from the south of Mount Moliagul - one and a quarter miles from the township of Moliagul - about a mile from the Gipsy Diggings and eight miles from Dunolly. The precise locality in which it was found will be seen at once from the plan attached which has been made for the information of the Hon the Minister for Mines by Mr Mining-Surveyor Couchman, and in which the position is connected with the lands held under leases No 709 and 752, with the township of Moliagul and in which both the Bulldog and Black Reefs are shown. As soon as the exact weight of the balance of the gold obtained from the nugget and not included in the 2268-10-4 already mentioned has been ascertained, you shall be informed of it, and also of the amount of gold given in presents by the finders, so that a correct return of the whole actual weight nett of the nugget may be given. It is greatly to he regretted that such a splendid nugget should have been broken up and that no photograph or drawing of it was taken, but I am glad to say that I confidently expect that a drawing of it from memory made with all possible care and fidelity will be made without delay and forwarded to you without delay. – F. Knox Orme, Warden. The Finding of the “Welcome Stranger”, as reported in the Dunolly & Betbetshire Express, 12 February 1869: Largest Nugget in the World! “THE WELCOME STRANGER” The Dunolly district, after having turned out a multitude of nuggets that puts every other goldfield in the Colony in the shade, has at length, in the words of the Melbourne journals, "beat the world" in producing the largest mass of gold on record. The 'Welcome Stranger' was found by two men, named John Deeson [sic] and Richard Oates, on Friday last, February 5, 1869, near the Black Reef, Bull-dog Gully, Moliagul, a short distance from Wayman's Reef, and only about a mile from the celebrated Gypsy Diggings. Deeson [sic] and his mate have been working in the ground for several years past, and, as is well known, had got, in digging parlance, so 'hard up' as to have been refused credit for a bag of flour a week or so ago, and we believe the very day before the discovery, were reminded by a tradesman that they were indebted to him a few shillings. Still they persevered, until on the day named, Deeson [sic] in working round the roots of a tree, at about two inches below the surface, struck something hard with a pick, and exclaimed, "D–n it, I wish it was a nugget and had broken the pick.” On stooping down to examine the obstacle, he found that the object of his dearest wishes was lying at his feet, and it seemed as if the monster was so large as to be immovable. It was, however, at length released from its virgin soil, and carefully removed. The question then arose as to what was to be done with it, and the first intention was to convey it to Melbourne. When the men got to Dunolly with their prize, they were advised to take it to the bank, and forthwith carried it to the London Chartered. The news of the discovery soon spread, and the bank was crowded with eager spectators, amongst whom was a number of Chinamen; and a constable was sent for to guard the prize. The weight in the gross was then found to be two hundred and ten pounds troy, and preparations were at once made to break the mass to pieces and smelt it. The appearance of the 'Welcome Stranger' in its pristine state was something wonderful, and it seemed impossible to realise the fact so great a mass of gold could be collected in one lump. But so it was. Many efforts were made to lift it, and many exclamations of surprise expressed at its immense weight and compactness. A sledgehammer and cold chisels were brought into requisition, and several of the latter broken in the attempt to reduce into fragments the 'Welcome Stranger'. It was found to be as solid as it looked, and as chip after chip and piece after piece was dissevered from it, its appearance was as clean as a well-cut Cheshire cheese. At length, after no less than five hours hammering, the monster was pounded up and smelted, the result being 2268 oz. l0 dwts. l4 grs. of solid gold, exclusive of at least a pound weight, which was given by the delighted finders to their numerous friends, who were each anxious to retain a piece of the largest mass of gold the world has yet seen. Over nine thousand pounds were advanced on the nugget by the bank, the final value awaiting the result of assay. Some interest has been manifested as to the comparative size and value of the 'Welcome Stranger' and the 'Welcome' nugget found at Ballarat, to set which at rest we give the following particulars:- 'Welcome Nugget, found in the claim of the Red Hill Company, Bakery Hill, Ballarat: on the evening of the 9th June, 1858. Weight, 2,217 oz, 16 dwts'. It will thus be seen that the 'Welcome Stranger' whose total weight (inclusive of the pieces distributed, and retained as referred to below, before being smelted) was in round numbers 2,300 ounces, being over 80 ounces heavier than the 'Welcome'. Henceforth the almanacs, which have hitherto chronicled the Ballarat monster nugget, as the largest piece of gold on record will have to change the name to the ‘Welcome Stranger’, found in the Dunolly district, near Moliagul. Several interesting incidents might be published in connection with the finding and finders of the nugget. Oates has, we believe, neither kith nor kin with whom to share his prize, but probably soon will have. Deeson [sic] has a wife and family at Moliagul, where he holds 80 acres of land under the 42nd section, which we believe he intends still to settle down upon and cultivate. Oates, we understand, intends shortly to visit his home at the Lands End. Since writing the above we have visited the locality to be henceforth rendered world wide in its fame. The spot where the nugget was found is marked by a post, and was pointed out to us by the two fortunate finders of this truly 'Welcome Stranger'. Messrs. Deeson [sic] and Oates inform us that they came to the colony in the year 1854. On the 19th February in that year they reached Bendigo, and from that time have been engaged as working miners, with the varied successes and difficulties appertaining to digger life. On the whole they have just managed to make a living by dint of hard work and thrift. About seven years ago they settled down at Moliagul, and have been steadily working there ever since chiefly, washing about nine inches to a foot of the surface soil in an old fashioned horse puddling machine. Mr Deeson [sic] informed us that they had many times washed a whole week for half an ounce of gold, while at other times they were very fortunate. Within about a hundred yards from the spot where the 'Welcome Stranger' was unearthed they, some time ago, found two other nuggets, one weighing 108 ounces, and the other 36 ounces. They have stripped and washed the surface soil from several acres of land, and their workings are easily traced by the red clay they have bared. They informed us that this red clay contained a little gold, but not enough to pay, consequently they do not wash it. They pointed out to us a peculiar kind of red clay similar to half burnt brick, which they regard as indicative of gold, and which has always been found associated with their larger finds, and particularly so with the immense mass of gold found by them on Friday last. It is much to be regretted that this, the largest mass of gold ever found, at any rate of which there is any record, should have been melted before any model of it was made, and the fortunate owners expressed to us their regret that such had been the case. But when they discovered it, the mass, as may be supposed, was unwieldy, so much so that it had to be forced from its bed by a large lever, and the place is a very solitary one, anything indeed but such a place as one would care to keep £10,000 worth of gold, or to risk making its discovery known until it could by surrounded by the necessary protection. The mass when found was taken to Mr Deeson’s [sic] hut and placed in the fire for the purpose of rendering the quartz friable, and Deason sat up the whole of Friday night burning and reducing the mass into a somewhat manageable shape, the debris containing it is estimated about a pound and a half weight of gold. This done, they took it to Dunolly, as previously stated, and it was at their request that the nugget was at once broken up and smelted. Some golden stone was also broken out of the Black Reef itself, specimens of which are preserved. It is worthy of remark that at the time of our visit, Deason and his mate were working away in their shirtsleeves at the claim as if nothing had happened out of the ordinary. We are glad that the monster has fallen to the lot of such steady and industrious men. The same edition also included initial reaction from outside the district: The Ballarat correspondent of the Argus says: - Some considerable excitement was caused at the Corner on the receipt of the telegram from Moliagul announcing the extraordinary find of about two hundredweight of gold near Wayman’s Reef, and within twenty minutes of the news being known three buggies had left Ballarat for the scene of the discovery with speculators going to judge for themselves, and perhaps for others! We understand that the utmost anxiety was felt in securing all the available fleet horses at Dunolly, and that the excitement occasioned was really intense. Mr Yates, the mining agent, however was before them all and secured an additional acre of ground for the Ballarat and Moliagul Quartz Mining Company. The Finding of the “Welcome Stranger”, additional information reported in the Dunolly & Betbetshire Express, 16 February 1869: THE LATE DISCOVERY Mr Deason informs us that there are some slight inaccuracies in our description, and these we now correct. In the first place his name his name [sic] is spelled as above, and not “Deeson”. The gully where the nugget was found is called Black Reef Gully, and is about two miles – instead of one mile – from the Gipsy Diggings. Messrs Deason and Co. found a nugget 36 ounces in the ground on the 8th June, 1866, but one of between eight and nine pounds weight, which was sold for over £100, was found about nine years ago. The [Welcome Stranger] nugget has so far yielded, as near as possible, 2302 ozs 18 dwts 5 grs, there still being a little to come. 27 ozs odd were sold by Mr Deason on Friday: On enquiring the prospects of the Black Reef, Mr Deason informed us that the ground was full of specimens, and that the proper way would be to erect a machine, to first crush the stone that is cropping out of the surface in all directions, which he believes will yield from 3 dwts to 5 dwts to the ton. Of this he says there are thousands, if not millions, of tons ready to be put through the mill. The gold from the nugget has since been assayed, and found to be 23 carats 2⅝ grs, and 23 carats 2¾ grs fine. The loss in re-melting was only 7⅛ dwts. Nearly all the journals with the exception of the Maryborough and Dunolly (?) Advertiser (which has contented itself with fishing up a vague rumour, calculated to rob this district of its honor), have contained observations upon the finding of the monster. Some of these are highly amusing, and others ridiculously incorrect. The Herald has no doubt that all the ground for miles would be instantly torn up in search of another nugget. But such is not the fact, it having been marked out in leases for companies to mine, in both alluvial and quartz. The “Peripatetic Philosopher”, in the Australasian, regrets that, although he has been a “hatter”, he has never turned up a nugget worth £9,600, weighing 200 lbs. He then proceeds to picture, in a most fanciful and exaggerated style, the scene of the discovery, and the tout en semble of the discoverers. The later he imagines to have worked all day, and got ‘religiously drunk’ at night, and on finding the nugget to have dressed themselves in “new clothes, radiant with watches, and gleaming with barbaric gold,” and proceeding to further extremes of dissipation until “the weight of their 200 lb speedily drags them into the depths.” The writer is nearer the mark when he admits that the nugget finders may be hard-working, sensible fellows, who have determined to husband their resources, and are still following their ordinary occupations. The Daily Telegraph thinks that the nugget ought to have never been consigned to the melting pot, but although this is matter for sincere regret, the reasons have been already explained, and the finders had an undoubted right to do what they liked with their property without being dictated to by anybody. Had the nugget been preserved, the good that might have accrued from its being exhibited here, in Melbourne, in England, and in fact every civilised country in the world, is incalculable. The same journal says: - “Had tidings of such a lump of gold being found two inches from the surface arrived from New Zealand, or the Cape of Good Hope, what an exodus would have taken place from all the Victorian goldfields, but being found at our own doors, in poor old used up Victoria, it isn’t much, after all.” It thinks seriously that the “find” coming in the heart of the Spring Creek “rush” will make some begin to look forward to a new golden era for Victoria. “It is a wonderful line of country all around that north-western region as it sinks gradually from Korong [sic] south by the Pyreness [sic] into the wide wastes of the Wimmera. We have often thought its treasures were not half known. Work away, ye tough-sinewed miners, and maintain Victoria still in her proud eminence! Delve on, and may you be prosperous; for what does good to you does good to all.” The Ballarat Courier after lamenting that the monster has been consigned to the melting pot, says, speaking generally of course, and not particularly referring to the two finders: - “Had a couple of Ballarat miners found the monster, we warrant they would have marked off a few acres of ground surrounding the late resting place of the dear departed, before consigning it to its final tomb, or acquainting their friends with its exhumation. But what can be expected from the genus digger which goes about with a hoe and a three-legged stool, and thinks a good day’s work has been done in the turning over of a few square yards of surface?” Another contemporary says that the discovery of the nugget, coupled with the fact that the new and extensive goldfield at Spring Creek, indicates that it will be long before this colony need yield to any part of the world as a gold producing country, and hints that the monster may be immeasurably surpassed by subsequent discoveries. Look out, and look up Moliagul! The announcement of the unearthing of this golden Mammoth had a noticeable effect on the Melbourne Rialto. One ingenious speculator proposed at once to start a company to puddle the whole of Victoria, commencing at the seaboard and working inland. The Ballarat Star, a gentleman connected with which, has, we believe, sone personal knowledge of the locality, says: - “there is a great deal of what is called ‘reef gold’ round about, and it is expected that very rich quartz has been found by other parties working in the locality. The discovery of this nugget, will beyond a doubt, cause great attention to be given to the district, and the quartz lodes are likely to be prospected more effectually in a few weeks now, than they would have been in years, had not this discovery been made.” A correspondent of the Ballarat Post says he finds “on consulting a work in his possession, that in the year 1785, a mass of gold was found at Bahia in the Brazils which weighed 2,560 lbs. At £1 an ounce, this would, of course, be worth £122,880.” Why not have specified the work? It is not a mere rumour that is therein referred to, or how is it that the fact should have passed out of public remembrance, and only adorn the records of an obscure book? The Times (London) Monday, 19 April 1869: Had we not become long ago dulled to anything in the nature of a surprise coming to us from the gold fields, we should have extracted a little more discussion about our last wonder in gold. Until recently Ballarat could boast of having produced the largest lump of gold (some 137 lb. weight) on record, but now that is thrown quite into the shade by a mass of 210 lb. weight, troy, unearthed by two miners, named John Deason and Richard Oates (poor Cornish men), about three weeks back. It was found only about two inches beneath the surface, and at one of our earlier goldfields in the Dunolly district, which has been well dug over for many years past. The lucky finders of the prize at once transferred it from its native bed to a dray – it was described as a tolerably heavy lift for two men – and took it off to the local branch of the London Chartered Bank, by whose manager it was bought for the sum of 9,600l. The men were offered 9,000l for it at a venture before weighing, but the result proved their sagacity in declining even that apparently handsome sum. It has been melted down (losing only 7½ dwts. in the process) and probably it goes to England in the mail steamer which carries this letter. Some natural regret has been expressed that only a rough drawing (but no model) has been taken of this, the greatest curiosity which our goldfields have ever yet yielded. At the same time it is very curious to observe how very little surprise has been expressed at the discovery itself. Apparently we have been talking about tons of gold until we have become comparatively insensible to mere hundred-weights. Goldfields and Mineral Districts of Victoria, Robert Brough Smythes, published 1869 Attention has already been directed to the many large pieces of gold which have been found in the neighbourhood of Dunolly; and when printing of this work was nearly completed, on the 5th February, 1869, there was unearthed by John Deason and Richard Oates a nugget weighing more than 2,280 ozs. 10 dwts. 14 grs. It was found on the extreme margin of a patch of auriferous alluvium trending from Bull-dog Reef. According to information furnished by Knox Orme, it appears that this mass of gold was lying within two feet of the bed-rock (sandstone), in a loose, gravely loam, resting on stiff, red clay. It was barely covered with earth. It was about twenty-one inches in length and about ten inches in thickness; and, though mixed with quartz, the great body of it was solid gold. The accompanying drawing (Fig, 83) (not shown here) has been reduced from a large sketch made by Mr. Francis Fearn, which was certified by the discoverers as a fair representation of the nugget found by them. Comparing it with a photograph of a sketch made from memory by Mr. Charles Webber, it would appear to represent not incorrectly the outward appearance of the “Welcome Stranger.” It is to be regretted that a cast or a photograph was not made, and the weight and specific gravity of it ascertained when it was first dug out of the ground. The discoverers appear to have heated it in the fire in their hut, in order to get rid of the quartz, and thus reduce its weight before conveying it to the bank at Dunolly. The melted gold obtained from it was 2,268 ozs. 10 dwts. 14 grs.; but a number of specimens and pieces of gold (weighing more than 1 lb.) were detached from it before it got into the hands of the bank manager; and what was broken off in the hut whilst it was on the fire, it is useless to guess. Mr. Birkmyre says: “the gold of this nugget, from the crucible assays, I found to be 98.66 per cent. Of pure gold. It thus contains only 1/75th of alloy, composed chiefly of silver and iron. The melted gold, with that given away to their friends by the fortunate finders, amounted to 2,280 ozs., or 2,248 ozs. Of pure gold – its value at the Bank of England being £9,534.” The neighbourhood of Dunolly is almost unprospected country. For many miles there are out-cropping reefs which have yielded very large pieces of gold; and it is not at all improbable that other pieces of gold will be found as far as exceeding the “welcome Stranger” in weight and value as that nugget exceeds any yet recorded. Near the spot where the mass was found there were unearthed two nuggets weighing respectively 11 ozs. And 36 ozs. Very heavy gold is characteristic of this district; and large nuggets are found nearly every day. The Finding of the Welcome Stranger – a Historical Nugget. Dunolly – Thursday, 6 August 1896 (probably an extract from a newspaper article of that date – possibly the “Dunolly and Betbetshire Express”): From time to time different accounts of the finding of the “Welcome Stranger”, the largest gold nugget ever authentically discovered and published. Most of them are erroneous, and many almost wholly wrong. It may therefore not be out of place to give a correct account of the finding of this golden monster. Had it been in some other country, the Government of municipality would have erected a tablet to mark the spot of this historical discovery. The discoverers – John Deason and Richard Oates, had known each other from boyhood in Cornwall, and they came out to this colony within a few months of each other. After spending sometime in other places, Mr Deason came to Moliagul, where soon after, Mr Oates joined him. They became mates and Mr Oates, then being single, lived with the Deasons in Little Bulldog – miles south of Mt Moliagul and eight miles north of Dunolly. After mining together for a while, the two men selected a piece of land and cultivated it, and also took up some land in Gipsy: they did not discontinue puddling but worked their land spare time. In 1869 (the year of the Gipsy rush) they were surfacing on the slope of a small hill near their house in Little Bulldog Gully. A 91 pound nugget had previously been gotten almost on the spot where the house stood, and they themselves had found [a] 34 ounce piece close to the same place. From the house they, for over a year, followed a continuous surface trail of payable gold up the hill, which led them eventually to the “welcome Stranger”. On Friday, the 5th February, 1869, Mr Oates went to work in the paddock harrowing, whilst Mr Deason got the dirt for another machine. About 9 o-clock whilst surfacing a few chains from the house, the pick struck something hard. He picked in two or three different places, and each time struck a solid body, Mr Deason found to his amazement that it was a giant lump of gold. Thus was the nugget found that afterwards became known as the Welcome Stranger to the world. It was resting in bed of stiff red clay, and was only half an inch from the surface, being covered with but a thumb’s thickness of earth. The spot had often been walked over before. Mr Deason, after digging around the nugget, attempted to prize it up with his pick but the handle broke and he had to go to the house for a crowbar. Whilst there he told Mrs Deason of the find, and she went to the paddock near by for Mr Oates, telling him that he was wanted. Mr Oates could hardly believe the evidence of his eyes when he found what he was wanted for. A lump of gold that measured about 21 inches x 10 inches before him. At once part of the live stringy bark root ran right through the gold, a solid and unbroken ring of gold completely encircling it this next to the weight was the Welcome Stranger’s most remarkable feature and one that is almost unknown. As with adherent quartz, etc, the nugget then weighed 3 hundredweight, they had to bring up the dray to get to the house. Hardly knowing what to do, they at first put it in the forge “That worth £5,000 Dick”. When weighed afterwards, at the bank its value proved to be a little short of £10,000. Eventually they wheeled it in a barrow to the fireplace in the house, and left it in the fireplace in the house, and left it in the fire for 10 hours to burn away the debris, they sat round the fire most of that night, each perhaps with his own thoughts, watching the golden flames leaping round the richest lump of gold of which the world has authentic record. Though it was in the house till the following Tuesday, no-one (except Mr & Mrs Deason and their family of three and Mr Oates) knew of it till the Monday after it was found, although visitors called on Sunday. On Monday Mr Brown and his wife came over to Deason’s and they were the first to see it. Next day (which was Tuesday following the find) Messers Oates, Deason and Brown, Eudie and McCoy took the nugget in the dray to Dunolly. It and the pieces that were broken off, were wrapped in calico bags. The main piece, which weighed 128 pounds was put in a kerosene case, but the bottom fell through. 70 pounds of quartz have been crushed from the nugget for 60 ounces gold, this also was taken in. Arriving at the London Chartered Bank Brown asked the manager how much he would give for the gold by the hundredweight. The manager stared. “How much will you give for 2 hundredweight”, then said Brown and the nugget was produced. As the big piece was heavy for the scales, it was taken to Wall’s blacksmith shop and cut with a chisel. The official return of the nugget showed that 98.66 was pure gold. The different amounts were – Lot 1 2268 ounces, 10 dwt, 14 grains Lot 2 27 ounces, 7 dwt, 14 grains Lot 3 6 ounces, 6 dwt, 15 grains Present 10 ounces, 15 dwt, 6 grains Finder 2 ounces, 17 dwt, 12 grains Value £9,534.0.0. The old house in Little Bulldog Gully is gone now but the cultivated paddock still remains. A small stick is all that marks the exact spot of this memorable find. In accounts of this discovery, it is usually stated that the finders at the time were “hard up” could no longer get credit, etc. This is not true, as they had been on a payable run of gold for months, had some ounces of gold in the house, and a crop of valuable wheat, stock and they owed no man anything. The nugget was nevertheless, a most “Welcome Stranger”. For some time after the find Messrs Deason and Oates continued to work together; then Mr Oates went home to live with his family in Woodstock on the Loddon, about 25 miles away. John Deason’s own account, documented 23 November 1905 (at age 75 years): It was between 9 and 10 a.m. on the fifth of February, 1869. I was at work picking the surface for puddling and put the pick in the ground and felt what I thought was a stone, the second blow struck in the same way and the third time also, I scraped the ground with the pick and saw gold; then I cleared away further and right around the nugget. There was a stringy bark root going right across it and a small bit of gold stood up and the root of the stringy bark ran through this. I tried to prise the nugget up with the pick but the handle broke. I then got a crowbar and raised the nugget to the surface. It weighed nearly three hundred weight (4,300 ounces), at first there was much quartz with the gold. As the nugget lay in the ground, the solid piece of gold was underneath and it was deep in the ground but the top of the nugget was not more than 1” below the surface. The nugget was about 18” wide and about 16” deep. My mate, Richard Oates, was working a short distance below the puddling machine in his paddock and I sent my son down to call him. When my mate came, I said “What do you think of it Dick? It is worth about £5,000” “Oh” he said “more like £2,000”. We then got the dray and lifted the nugget into it and carted it down to my hut, which stood about 1 ½ chains to the north of the puddling machine. We took it out of the dray and put it into the fireplace, built a good fire on it and kept it burning for about 10 hours, leaving it to cool for 2 hours, we sat up all night breaking it free from the quartz. My wife, my mate and myself were the only persons who saw the nugget as it was first found. When it was cool we broke 70 pounds quartz away free from it. Besides detached pieces of gold there was one solid piece of it that weighed 128 pounds troy (1,536 ounces). This was on the bottom of the nugget as it lay in the ground. There was a great deal of loose gold when the quartz was broken off. The 70 pounds of quartz broken away had course and fine gold through it. It was taken to Mr Edward Udey’s battery close by and a load of other quartz with no gold in it was crushed with it and 60 ounces of smelted gold obtained. Several small pieces of gold and quartz were broken off and given to friends after the burning. About 5 ounces of gold was given away and this has never been reckoned in with the weight of the nugget as sold to the bank. I still have a small piece of the gold, the only bit that is left (2 to 3 dwts, now in the Melbourne National Museum). The total weight of the gold was over 200 pounds troy (2,400 ounces). It was put in a calico bag and taken in Mr Udey’s spring cart to the London Bank, Dunolly. My mate, Mr Udey and I went with it. The gold was smelted and yielded 2,380 ounces of gold over 23 carats fine. The bank paid us £9,563 for it. Notes: John Tully’s transcription sighted in 2006 of the above story: - includes the following opening paragraph: The following is John Deason’s account of the discovery of the Welcome Stranger gold nugget as signed by him (with his mark) in November 1905. The term “with his mark” usually is an indication of illiteracy, i.e. inability to sign their name. John Deason is known to have signed his name at the time of his two marriages – 1851 & 1858. Why did he only “make his mark”? - and; included the following closing note, in reference to the “the only bit left”: *Note: This was shown to Mr E. J. Dunn, Director of the Geological Survey. It is a specimen of about 2 to 3 dwts of gold with grey quartz and is little more than one inch long. - and; the deleted the text “(2 to 3 dwts, now in the Melbourne National Museum)”. Possibly this was not included in the original story of 1905, i.e. a later addition. Obituary from "Dunolly and Betbetshire Express" newspaper, Friday, 17th September 1915: Note: due to the paper being bound and micofiched it is not possible to exactly determine some words. Moliagul The late Mr John Deason In our last issue we announced the death of Mr John Deason, of Moliagul, which had taken place last Monday afternoon. The intelligence reached us too late for any extended notice of the life of a gentleman who is a historic figure in the records not only of this district, but of Australia. Mr John Deason was 85 years of age at the time of his death, and had spent the greater part of his life in Australia. He had not been in good health for several weeks past, but in indomitable spirit had sought to overcome physical ailments, and he had only been confined to his room for about a week prior to his death. Indeed, while it was generally known that he was not in robust health, the intelligence of his death was somewhat unexpected, and old hands in Dunolly and district received confirmation with very sincere and sad regret. He had visited Dunolly (word unclear) up to within a short period of his last illness, and, although it was believed that feebleness was growing on (last word guessed) him, there did not appear to be anything to cause apprehension. To the very last he maintained that spirit (word unclear) had enabled him during many difficulties and vicissitudes to uphold a very high standard of manhood, and make deep impress on the life of Australia. It is not that he was associated with some of the most romantic incidents of Victorian history, so much that in shadow and in shine preserved a fearless and independent spirit (last word guessed), sad in adversity as in success he (word unclear) the sturdy Britisher always. Mr Deason was born 85 years ago at Tresco, Scilly Isles, off the coast of Cornwall, in the south-west of England, he (last word guessed) arrived in Victoria 61 years ago. Young, (last word guessed) vigorous and healthy, he, as most poor adventurous young men did, (word unclear) on the pursuit of gold digging, which he met with varying success. (word unclear) when Moliagul first become known (last word guessed) as a mining centre Mr Deason (word unclear) there, one of many youthful, ardent (word unclear). It may be said that the Moliagul district gave, as it gives now, many opportunities, while, as was the case on all goldfields, it taxed manhood, (word unclear), and strength, and provided many (last word guessed) disappointments. Still Mr Deason solidly (last word guessed) worked through all, and met a reward which is notable even in the annals of the gold digger's life, in which many surprises entered. Moliagul is distinguished as having provided (last word guessed) probably the greatest surprise of them all, in which Mr John Deason was one of the conspicuous parties (last word guessed). In partnership with the late Mr Richard Oates he worked for years, stated (last word guessed) with varying fortunes, some times (last word guessed) doing well, and at other times finding (last word guessed) it difficult to make the two (word unclear) meet. This of course was the valuable experience of the adventurous young (last word guessed) digger in those early days. However, patience, industry, and pluck (word unclear) rewarded when, in February of 1869, a discovery was made which (word unclear) Victoria and the world. The miners one morning in that month set (last word guessed) forth as usual, and after some (word unclear) of work they struck what is (word unclear) to have been the largest solid (word unclear) of gold ever unearthed on any goldfield. The story has more than (word unclear) appeared in the columns of the "Express," and in journals and pamphlets with more or less accuracy in Australia, Great Britain, and America. Some sensational features have been (word unclear) from time to time, which had no (word unclear) existence in connection with (word unclear) fact. There is no necessity for (word unclear) to reproduce all details, but in the history (last word guessed) of gold digging, the discovery (word unclear), without embellishment, was sufficiently sensational. The rough weight of the (last word guessed) nugget unearthed on this February forenoon by Messrs Deason and Oates was 280 lbs., giving when cleaned a weight of pure gold of 210 lbs., the net value of which was £9555. The nugget was christened the "Welcome Stranger," and by that name (word unclear) it was known to history of early Victorian gold digging. It is said that some (last word guessed) other nuggets have been larger (word unclear) more valuable, but we have never been (last word guessed) able to find that this was the case (last word guessed), so we may conclude that Moliagul was the scene of the discovery of the largest nugget ever known, and that (last word guessed) discoverers were Messrs Deason and Oates. The gold was conveyed in a (last word guessed) dray to Dunolly and sold at the London Bank, and there are photographs and pictures of the scene in front (last word guessed) of the bank when the monster was brought in by the fortunate discovers. That is old history. Each (word unclear) his own way followed up the fortune (word unclear) laid. Mr Oates went into farming pursuits, and died some years ago at Woodstock, where he had acquired a very valuable property. Mr Deason remained on the old spot, and did much to develop mining resources at Moliagul, which her firmly believed were substantial. His fine independent character and enterprise have been manifested ever since. As has been indicated he was a man of strong personality, and of high honor and probity. At times his views clashed with those of others who, like himself, were "architects of their own fortune," but to the last he was tenacious of those principals in which the individual manhood of the race is manifested. He entered into business of a storekeeper at Moliagul, but mining always had its fascination for him, and, while attending to business, he sought on his own account to develop the at the time well known Wayman's Reef, on which he expended a great deal of money with not the fullest results he had anticipated. On his own account he thoroughly equipped it with all necessary plant. Later he established a public battery, which was a great boon to prospectors, the public, and Moliagul, and (last word guessed) in this he had considerable success as well as assisting the district. He established a sawmill, and later on settled down quietly to farming pursuits at "The Springs," Moliagul. Mr and Mrs Deason brought up a fine family, the members of which are well known and held in the very highest respect, following in the footsteps of honored parents. Some of the family reside and are settled in the district; others in other parts of the Commonwealth. Mr Deason was twice married, and he has left a widow and five sons and four daughters. Deep sympathy is felt for the widow in the severing of a tie of such long duration and for the members of the family. There is consolation for them in the knowledge of the honorable and honored career of husband and father so greatly appreciated by the community. The funeral took place on Wednesday afternoon, the interment taking place in the Moliagul cemetery. There was a large gathering at the graveside, indicating the respect entertained for the deceased and the sympathy felt for widow and family. The pall bearers were the sons of deceased - Messrs Thomas, Hugh, Henry, Alfred and James. The Rev. J. T. Field, Methodist Church, Dunolly, conducted the service at the grave. The funeral arrangement were carried out by Messrs Stafford and Sons. “Gold-seekers of the ‘Fifties" from the Argus, Thursday, 9 September 1926: … The fascination of gold-digging in Victoria was greatly increased by the occasional finds of very large nuggets, some of which became world-famous. … No more typical example of the dramatic rewards that occasionally fell to the lot of the diggers can be quoted than the finding of the “welcome Stranger” nugget, which occurred at Dunolly in February, 1869. For purposes of record the Mines department obtained a sworn statement from Mr John Deason, the man who actually uncovered the gold. In this statement Mr Deason tells how he was poking with a fork into the ground, and in 3 in[ches] below the surface encountered some obstacle. This he uncovered with his pick and found it to be a mass of quartz and gold. The root of the stringybark tree, growing close by, had spread right across it, and had become partially entangled with the quartz. In endeavouring to prise the mass from its bed Mr Deason broke his pick handle. He then called his mate, Mr Richard Oates, and they discussed its value, believing it to be worth anything from £2,000 to £5,000. Attracting as little attention as possible, they put the nugget on their dray, and removed it to Deason’s hut, where they put it in the fire, and kept it there for 10 hours, in order to get rid of the quartz. The two men and Mrs Deason were the only ones who saw the nugget in its natural state. All the models in existence are those taken after the quartz had been removed. The size of the original mass was 18 in[ches] long, 16 in[ches] wide, and 14 in[ches] deep. It yielded over 200 lb troy of gold, and was purchased by the London Chartered Bank at Dunolly, the finders receiving £9,436/16/8 for it. … Comments: • the Welcome Stranger was not found at Dunolly but at Moliagul; • the tree was not a stringybark but an ironbark. Stringybark eucalypts are found in wet high country; • There is no mention in the Gold Warden’s report of 12 February 1869 of John Deason being required to submit a sworn statement. “The Welcome Stranger" from the Argus, Saturday, 23 May 1931: … The story of the Welcome Stranger, the largest lump of gold ever found, has been told a hundred times in a hundred different ways, but not previously to the statement in the English publication , “The Stage Coach,” that it was found in South Africa, has the honour of discovery been diverted from Australia. Though South Africa has produced an enormous quantity of gold it has not furnished any nuggets. After 60 years a slightly varied rendering of the discovery is given as coming direct from Deason, one of the discoverers of the giant slug. The accepted story is that the men had decided to abandon their claim at Moliagul, and would have done so but for bad weather, which held them in their camp. The rain had washed a little of the surface soil from the nugget lying in the track used by the delivery carts of the district tradesmen. It was unearthed without delay. The latest account of the “find” comes from Dr Laver, of Kalgoorlie, brother of the famous international cricketer, who has in his possession a piece chipped from the large nugget. He says that Deason had been in the habit of sweeping the litter from the entrance to the camp for a distance of a few feet on either side. The sweeping had been regular for weeks, and some of the overburden was borne away by the broom, so the nugget was exposed. To rid it of attached quartz and ironstone it was placed in a huge fire of wood. So thorough was the removal of waste that the mass lost in the process of smelting not quite 1 lb weight. It reduced to 2,268 oz, and was valued at £9,534. The piece in Dr Laver’s museum is the only remnant of the largest lump of gold found in the world. Comments: • The site where the nugget was found on Deason & Oates claim was about 200 metres from the Deason home. This site where the gold was found was clearly marked from the time of its discovery. • Some of the gold from the nugget was given away to friends and family. There are still examples today of the gold in its original state and jewellery made from the gold. Dr Laver’s piece was certainly not the ‘last’ piece in existence in 1931. • Rain – further research required. “Famous Nuggets – The Wheel of Fortune” from the Argus, Saturday, 19 March 1932: The Welcome Stranger, the largest of all known nuggets, weighing 2,520 oz gross, was revealed at Moliagul in 1869 in a rut made by the wheel of a cart. It lay hidden on the extreme margin of a patch of gravel, and it might not have been found by the owners of the claim, John Deason and Richard Oates, but for the timely revelation made by the cartwheel. The two men had been at work on the claim for some time, but they had had very little luck.. During a spell one morning they saw the baker’s cart approaching. They owed the baker money, but he knew that Deason and Oates were good fellows, and he was giving them credit. Nevertheless Deason and Oates were disconsolate as the baker handed them a fresh supply of bread, and they had to tell the same old story, “No luck yet.” The cart went on its way, and the men were walking to their hut for their midday meal when Oates noticed a dull gleam in a rut made in the gravel by the wheel of a cart. It was the gleam of gold. Soon the Welcome Stranger, disturbed from its bed an inch below the surface, lay exposed to the sunlight. To the finders it brought prosperity, and all over the world its fame spread, bringing unrest to quiet homes, and tearing men from the fireside to travel thousands of miles overseas. The discoverers carried the nugget to their hut and heated it in the fire to get rid of the quartz attached to it, and thus reduce the weight before conveying it to the bank at Dunolly. The smelted gold weighed 2,268½ oz, but a number of specimens and pieces of gold weighing more than 1 lb were detached from the nugget before it reached the hands of the bank manager, and its net weight is recorded as 2,284 oz. The London Chartered Bank advanced Deason and Oates £10,000. Commenting on the discovery a few days later, the Ballarat “courier” stated: - “instead of going on the spree, having a burst, randan, or racket, or whatever name the process is known by which health is impaired and the pocket emptied, we understand that Deason and Oates, after drawing a few pounds for current expenses, and paying off their little debts, went quietly to work again. They deserve to have a welcome Stranger a piece. The Finding of the “Welcome Stranger”, as reported in the Dunolly & Betbetshire Express and County of Gladstone Advertiser, Tuesday, 5 April 1932, (an extract from Dunolly “Express”, 12 February 1869), p 1: The Dunolly district, after having turned out a multitude of nuggets that puts every other goldfield in the colony in the shade, has at length “beat the world” in producing the largest mass of gold on record. The “Welcome Stranger” was found by two men named John Deason and Richard Oates on Friday last, February 5 1869, near the Black Reef, Bulldog Gully, Moliagul, a short distance from Wayman’s Reef, and only about a mile from the celebrated Gipsy diggings. Deason and his mate have been working in the ground for several years past, but with little result. Still they persevered, until on the day named, Deason, in working round the roots of a tree, at about two inches below the surface, struck something hard with a pick. On stooping down to examine the obstacle, he found the object of his dearest wishes was lying at his feet, and it seemed as if the monster was so large as to be immovable. It was, however, at length released from its virgin soil, and carefully removed. When the men got to Dunolly with their prize they were advised to take it to the bank, and forthwith carried it to the London Chartered. The weight in gross was found to be two hundred and ten pounds troy, and preparations were at once made to break the mass to pieces and smelt it. The appearance of the “Welcome Stranger” in its primitive state was something wonderful. Many efforts were made to lift it, and many exclamations of surprise expressed at its immense weight and compactness. A sledge-hammer and cold chisels were brought into requisition, and at length, after no less than five hours hammering, the monster was pounded up, and smelted, the result being 2,268 ozs 10 dwts 14 grs of gold, exclusive of at least a pound weight, which was given by the delighted finders to their numerous friends. Several interesting incidents might be published in connection with the finding, and finders of the nugget, Messrs Deason and Oates inform us that they came to the colony in the year 1854. On the 19th February in that year they reached Bendigo, and from that time they had been engaged as working miners, with varied successes. About seven years ago they settled down in Moliagul, and have been steadily working there ever since, chiefly washing about nine inches to a foot of the surface soil, in an old fashioned horse-puddling machine. Mr Deason informed us that they had many times washed the whole week for half an ounce of gold. Within about one hundred yards from the spot where the “Welcome Stranger” was unearthed they, some time ago, found two other nuggets, one weighing 108 ounces and the other 36 ounces. It is to be regretted that the “Welcome Stranger”, the largest mass of gold ever found, at any rate of which there is a record, should have been melted own before any model of it was made and the fortunate owners expressed to us their regret that such had been the case. The mass was taken to Mr Deason’s hut and placed in the fire for the purpose of rendering the quartz friable, and Deason sat up the whole Friday night, burning, and reducing the mass into a somewhat manageable shape. This done, they took it to Dunolly as previously stated, and the nugget was at once broken up and smelted. The following is the result of the assay as supplied by Mr Birkmyre to the “Argus”:- The gold of this nugget from the crucible assays I find to be 98.66 per cent pure gold. It thus contains only 175th of alloy composed chiefly of silver and iron. The smelted gold, with that unmelted given away to their friends by the fortunate finders, amounted to 2,280 ozs or 2,251 ozs of pure gold, its value at the Bank of England being £9,534. The Finding of the “Welcome Stranger”, as reported in the Dunolly & Betbetshire Express and County of Gladstone Advertiser, Tuesday, 6 February, 1934, p 3: Yesterday was the 65th anniversary of the finding of the “Welcome Stranger”, the largest mass of gold in one piece ever found. Of late there have been varied stories respecting the finding of the nugget. Last year an English paper under the title “Strange but True”, published a drawing supposedly depicting the finding of this famous nugget. Two men were excitedly looking at the mass of gold in a shallow hole and waving their hats in the air. Other miners were hurrying to the spot. The picture did not much resemble a mining rush, and certainly it did not in any way depict the finding of the Welcome Stranger. And the strangest feature of the picture was that on the hip of each miner was a large leather holster containing a pistol. A bit of modern gangster touch put to an old historic mining incident. Then stories have been related in the Press from time to time as to the actual finding. One stated that Mr Richard Oates came to Dunolly from Moliagul to obtain some provisions. During the absence Mrs Deason was washing under the shade of a large tree, while her husband, Mr John Deason, sat disconsolately in front of their tent. Mrs Deason threw the washing water on the ground, and on Mr Oates’s return the wheel of the dray sank into the soft ground and exposed the edge of the nugget. Another story was that the two men were together when they found the nugget, and had to procure assistance to remove it to their home. Then it has been stated that the finders broke the nugget up at home and brought it to Dunolly in boxes as if it were eggs and butter. Another well known writer, now of the “Argus”, gave the information that the nugget was cut into pieces in the yard at the rear of the London Chartered Bank, and that for months afterwards persons sought fragments of the precious metal from the famous nugget. The finding of the nugget created a sensation through out the world at the time, and it is only to be expected that romantic stories from time to time would be woven round the subject which had caused such widespread interest. No doubt these are accepted as true versions by the present day readers throughout the world, but they are generally read with a credulous smile by residents of the district, who are more fully acquainted with the actual details. Many knew Messrs Oates and Deason intimately, and descendants of the later still reside at Moliagul and Dunolly. The true facts of the finding of this famous nugget are quite interesting enough without any fulsome exaggeration. Messrs Deason and Oates were not “pigrooting” the country, as has been asserted by one writer, but were removing the surface gravel from the side of the hill and putting it through a puddling machine. They had been so, employed for some considerable time, and some time previously had obtained two nuggets. While the Welcome Stranger was found in alluvial, it is now generally recognised that it was associated with an indicator, and had been detached and got mixed up with the gravel. Messrs Deason and Oates had met with the vicissitudes associated with the digging days. An order had been sent for groceries and the grocer had refused to send a bag of flour and other things. Mrs Deason went across to inform her husband of the grocer’s refusal. “Oh, well, mother,” replied Mr Deason, “you have some flour, eggs, etc, and we might have some luck tomorrow”. And Mrs Deason stood on a slab of ironstone near where her husband was getting the material for the puddling machine, but little did she dream of the wealth that was concealed beneath that block of stone. John Deason and Richard Oates, two Cornish miners, came to the colony of Victoria in 1854, and on the 19th February reached Bendigo. They engaged in gold digging with varying success. In 1862 they arrived at Moliagul, and settled there, being engaged in washing from nine inches to a foot of the surface in a horse puddling machine. Many times they had washed for a whole week for half an ounce of gold. Within a hundred yards of where they found the Welcome Stranger they had come across nuggets of 108 ounces and 36 ounces. On Friday morning, February 5th, 1869, Mr Deason was getting the dirt for the puddling machine, while his mate, Mr Richard Oates, was attending to a wheat stack in their paddock, about a quarter of a mile away. Mr Deason drove his pick under the ironstone slab, and the point of the pick struck the object with a thud. The strange sound attracted Mr Deason’s attention. He drove the pick in again a little further along and there was a similar sound. He then cleared some of the dirt away, and could see the gleaming steak of gold. Mr Deason tried to lever the mass out with his pick, but broke the handle. He then went and called to his mate, and they turned the stone and gold over. They took it to Mr Deason’s home (a four-roomed slab dwelling) and placed it in the large fireplace, with two objects in view – that of concealment and to make the stone friable. Mr Deason sat up all night, breaking the stone. On the Saturday morning they put the gold into their dray and brought it to Dunolly. They drew up on the site where the post office now stands, where the lucky finders showed the gold to several residents, including the grocer who had refused them credit. As the mass was too large to be weighed at the London Chartered Bank, it was taken along to Mr Robert Walls’s blacksmith shop, which then stood to the south of Mr Arch. Walls’s present shop – about the end of the present dwelling. Mr Arch. Walls remembers seeing his father cutting up the mass of gold with cold chisel and sledge hammer. A large number of small pieces were distributed, stated to have totalled about a pound in weight. After about five hours hammering the gold was pounded up and smelted, and the weight given at the time was 2,268 ozs, 10 dwts, 14 grs, and its value £9,534. No photo was taken of the nugget but the next day Mr Wm. Parker, father of Cr. W. J. Parker, J.P., visited the site of the discovery, and on the exact stop [sic – probably should read ‘spot’] took a photograph of Messrs Deason and Oates and Mrs Deason. Some time later an officer of the Mines Department prepared a model of the nugget under the directions of Mr Deason. When the late D. J. Duggan was representative in the Legislative Assembly for this district he induced the Mines Department to erect an obelisk on the spot where the nugget was found, as indicated by Mr Deason. It is now an object of much interest. The principal stone in the monument was quarried at Mt. Hooghly. On the stone the weight of the nugget is given as 2316 ounces and valued at £9553. Mr E. J. Dunn, late Government Geologist, in his list of nuggets of Victoria, gives the net weight as 2284 ozs 16 dwts 22 grs. The old puddling machine is still discernable in the landscape. True story of the world’s largest Nugget, by C P Ward (probably published prior to 1940): The following footnote was included in the published version: Note – as the writer has stated there has [sic] been many versions of this story. Some of the facts here do not agree with the Deasons. Many stories have been written of the discovery at Moliagul, in 1869, by Messrs Deason and Oates, two Cornish Miners, of the ‘Welcome Stranger’. Some of the versions have been self-contradictory, and others lack essential details. A new and historically accurate account of the finding and sale of the Great Nugget is now supplied for the first time by Mr C Ray of Empress Road, Surrey Hills. Mr ray’s father, Mr George Ray, lived with his family on land adjoining the claim of Deason & Oates when they discovered the Welcome Stranger, and his son is the only man still living who can supply all the facts associated with the romance of the Victorian Goldfields. This is Mr Ray’s Story – Although I pass my 70th year, memories of my boyhood days at Moliagul are clear and they are supported by the evidence of my father, who gave me first hand all the salient facts of the discovery and sale of the famous nugget. Early in February, 1869, a dry month as usual of an unusually dry year John Deason & Richard Oates, having come almost to the end of their slender financial resources, were contemplating abandoning their claim at Bulldog Gully, Wayman’s Reef, Moliagul. They had been prospecting there for many months with varying results. Owing to the drought there was not sufficient water in the dam to supply the Puddling Machine to more than half its capacity, and the partners decided to finish up by putting four loads of washdirt through for the day. John Deason began this work and it was arranged that Oates should go to a paddock some distant from the claim and Thresh by Flail a small stack of wheat to be Ground into Flour at the local Mill. This Flour was needed urgently to tide the Small Deason family over the worst effects of the drought. Having put three loads of Alluvial Dirt through the Puddler, Deason began digging Washdirt for the fourth load, when his pick struck hard on what he thought was a Rock or loose Boulder, a common experience on the claim. With a Cornish Oath, he thought only of the blunted point of the pick. Deason prised the “Rock” from its inch or two of loose earth covering. He was amazed and overjoyed beyond expression as the massive beauty and purity of what is now known as the ‘Welcome Stranger’ Nugget was revealed. (Preserving the secret) Hastily replacing the “Rock” in its Setting – the reason for which will appear later – Deason hurried across to the house to tell his wife of the Discovery. As I remember her, Mrs Deason was a lovely woman, one of the best of the wonderful mother’s of those Pioneering Days. The two elder children were soon sent with a message to Richard Oates, who was asked to return from the paddock at once. He was amazed and elated at the Discovery, and he agreed to keep the matter secret. So the partners hovered about the claim on various pretexts until nightfall, when the huge nugget was lifted and placed in the chimney fireplace of the Deason’s house, where screened and camouflaged, it was carefully guarded by the prospectors while the necessary arrangements were made for the nugget to be broken upon the Anvil in the black-smiths Forge on the claim. This work was done with great care and secrecy and the Broken fragments of the beautiful Nugget were packed in boxes ready for conveyance to the bank at Dunolly, some 10 miles distant. Trusted neighbours and friends of the two families, with a borrowed wagon were used for the safe transit of the Welcome Stranger Gold to Dunolly. Packed in boxes, disguised as packages of farm produce, the Gold was placed in the farm Wagonette, and was conveyed by the partners to Dunolly. On arrival at the Bank of Victoria in Broadway, Deason entered the Bank to negotiate the sale leaving Oates on guard with the very precious cargo outside. Deason, who knew the manager well, asked “What are you paying for Gold now?” “Oh, about £4 an ounce”, the manager replied. “An ounce be blowed”. To the astonishment of the bank officials – Oates brought in and placed on the counter the glittering fragments of the Welcome Stranger. After some unsuccessful efforts on the part of Deason to induce the manager to give a higher price an ounce than that first offered, Deason remarked, “we can do better across the road”, and at once removed the boxes of gold to the London Chartered Bank, on the opposite side of Broadway. The manager of the London Chartered bank, quick to realize the value and importance of such a sensational deal came near to Deason’s Terms, and ultimately he paid. The Welcome Stranger £9,553 for the 2,316 ounces of Pure Gold which the broken up nugget yielded. Gold – Two Hundredweight of it”, as reported in Picture News (magazine), 2 March, 1940, pps 34 & 35: Pioneer Remembers How Her Father Unearthed “The Welcome Stranger” This Is How She Tells The Story Surrounded by relics, never without memories of an epic event of her childhood, Mrs E. Robertson [sic – should read ‘Robinson’ – see Notes] lives in an atmosphere of the past. So vividly etched on her mind are circumstances surrounding the discovery of the Welcome Stranger – biggest nugget ever found – that now – 71 years later – she recalls the morning when as a toddler she saw her father, the late Mr John Deason, dig the golden monster from the earth. In partnership with Mr Richard Oates, a lifelong friend (they had been choir boys together in their native Cornwall) Mr Deason was prospecting and cropping at Little Bulldog Gully, Mount Moliagul with a fair amount of success. On the eventful morning, Feb 5, 1869, Oates was harrowing on the property while Deason puddled for gold, not far from the homestead. Suddenly his pick struck a heavy obstacle. The handle broke. Cursing his luck, Deason scraped around the obstruction and uncovered virgin gold. Mr Deason ran screaming across the paddocks for Oates to bring the dray. “What have you got, John?” he asked. “Gold, replied Deason. “Gold by the hundredweight!” Then a banquet was given to trusted neighbours and they were enlisted as escorts to Dunolly bank. Amazed, the bank manager was unable to weigh the gold. The nugget was cut up on an anvil of Wall’s blacksmith shop, and onlookers seized flying pieces of gold. A special train was commissioned to convey over 2316 ounces of pure gold to Melbourne, and returned with £9436. Mr Deason speculated, bought steam puddlers, and employed most of his neighbours, but lost the fortune in a fruitless attempt to find more big nuggets. Mrs Robertson [sic] treasure’s many documents, mementoes of the big strike. This Is How They Told It 71 Years Ago That’s the story as it is told today, but this is how Melbourne first received the story in a Melbourne daily newspaper more than a week after the nugget had been discovered. Deason and his mate persevered until, on the day named, Deason in working round the roots of a tree struck something hard with a pick, and exclaimed, ‘D_n it, I wish it was on a nugget I had broken the pick’. “The news of the discovery soon spread and the London Chartered Bank, to which they carried their prize, was crowded with eager spectators, amongst whom was a number of Chinamen. “The appearance of the Welcome Stranger in its pristine state was something wonderful and it seemed impossible to realise the fact that so great a mass of gold could be collected in one lump. But so it was. “Many efforts were made to lift it, and many exclamations of surprise expressed at its immense weight and compactness. “It is much to be regretted that this, the largest mass of gold ever found, at any rate of which there is a record, should have been melted before any model of it was made, and the fortunate owners expressed to us their regret that such had been the case. “But when they discovered it, the mass, as may be supposed, was unwieldy, so much so that it had to be forced from its bed by a large lever, and the place is a very solitary one, anything indeed, but such a place as would care to keep £10,000 worth of gold or risk making its discovery known until it could be surrounded by the necessary protection. We are glad that the monster has fallen to the lot of such steady and industrious men” Notes: - Elizabeth ‘Bess’ Deason married Hugh Robinson in 1892, Dunolly. Hugh died in 1902, Moliagul. They had three children: one daughter and two sons. See Elizabeth Deason (1866-1953) for more information. - the railway did not reach Dunolly until 3 October 1874, almost 5 years after the finding of the Welcome Stranger nugget. Gold – Two Hundredweight of it”, as reported in Woman (magazine), 14 October 1940, p 13: Woman Tells How Her Father Dug Up World’s Biggest Nugget Few Australian women are richer in memories than Mrs. E. Robertson [sic – should read ‘Robinson’ – see Notes], of Maribyrnong, Victoria – a little old lady who, 71 years ago, saw her father dig from the earth “The Welcome Stranger”, the biggest nugget of gold ever found. In her modest home Mrs. Robertson [sic] lives in an atmosphere of the past. Faded photographs, dusty documents and other relics, all highly treasured and closely guarded, serve as a constant reminder of the glamorous days when the discovery of the golden monster caused a major sensation throughout the world – a sensation which was revived not long ago when a replica of the nugget acted as magnet to thousands of incredulous visitors to the San Francisco Exhibition. As might be expected, many yarns have been spun, and many romantic stories written around the discovery. But Mrs. Robertson [sic], on whose mind the circumstances are vividly etched, says that the facts have never been told. She consented last week to give the true story. Probably the most popular fable surrounding the discovery of the Welcome Stranger is that at the time of his big strike, Mr. John Deason, Mrs. Robertson’s [sic] father, was in extremely poor circumstances. This was not so. Hidden in the ceiling of his home Mr Deason had 10 ounces of gold, which he had won from a claim nearby. The late Mr. Deason and his friend, Richard Oates, were prospecting and farming in partnership at Mount Moliagul, Victoria. Meanwhile, Mrs. Robertson [sic], then a very small child and her brothers played around their two-roomed home, and, as could be expected, the favourite game with the boys was miners. I have the evidence, never before published, of [sic – probably should read ‘from’] Mrs. Robertson [sic] and members of her family, that the discovery of the Welcome Stranger was directly due to the efforts of one of her brothers on his make-believe claim. One day nine-year-old Tom, the eldest of the Deason boys, ran to his mother with the news that he had found signs of gold, in the hole where he was puddling in imitation of his father. But Father was doing quite well at the time. It was only when his claim petered out that he decided to humor Tom by investigating his story. He puddled a machine [load] of dirt from his son’s claim and found rich signs of gold. And beneath the spot he found a gutter, 18 inches deep and four feet wide. Deason followed the gutter up a slope, puddling as he went, and all the time finding payable gold. Then came his first big break. He and his partner found a nugget which weighed 32 ounces. With this discovery the claim appeared to fade out. The partners worked along for a further three chains without seeing a color of gold. Oates returned to the harrow, and Deason prepared to abandon the site. On Friday, February 5, 1869, Mr. Deason told his wife: “This is my last day on Tom’s trail. To-morrow I must look elsewhere.” Taking a pick, he returned to the scene of the previous day’s work. At 9 a.m. his pick struck a big object. As said later, “I thought it was funny, because I did not know there were boulders on that side of the hill.” He struck again, and broke handle of the pick. Cursing his luck, he scraped the dirt from around the obstruction – and uncovered a mass of solid gold. Frantic cooees brought his wife and children to the scene. He sent his wife for Dick Oates and the dray. “What have you got?” Oates asked when he arrived. “Gold”, Deason replied. “Gold by the hundredweight.” With the aid of a crowbar, the partners levered the monster into the dray, and it promptly fell through the bottom. But at last they succeeded in getting it to the house, where it was placed in the fireplace to burn away the debris which surrounded it. That night Deason, his wife, and children sat with Oates around a fire, the heart of which was a mass of solid gold. Until Monday nobody left the house. Then Deason, dressed in his Sunday suit, visited his amazed neighbours and gave invitations to a party at his home that evening. Mysterious Object The party proved a marked success. Supper was served on an old-fashioned table, on the end of which rested a mysterious object covered by a cloth. As the guests prepared to leave Deason played his master-stroke. Whipping the cover from the nugget, he said, “Don’t go home, boys. That’s solid gold, and I want you to stay to-night and escort it to the bank at Dunolly to-morrow.” Nobody slept in the Deason home that night. On Tuesday morning the patched-up dray arrived at the London Chartered Bank at Dunolly closely surrounded by a bodyguard. A man named Brown was selected to see the manager. Entering the bank Brown came straight to the point. “What are you paying for gold by the hundredweight?” he asked. The banker stared. “As a matter of fact,” continued Mr. Brown, “I’d like a price for two hundredweight.” And his mates carried in the nugget. Convinced that the monster was real, the manager drew attention to the fact that his scales were definitely not designed for weighing such a quantity of gold. Undaunted, the party adjourned to Wall’s blacksmith shop, placed the nugget on the anvil and cut it up with a chisel. Meanwhile the news of the amazing discovery spread and almost the entire population of Dunolly hastened to the scene. As the smith hacked away at the gold pieces flew in all directions and were eagerly seized by onlookers. Despite these losses, 2316 ounces of gold were deposited in the bank – and conveyed to Melbourne by special train the same night. At the prevailing rate, the gold was valued at £9436. To-day it would be worth £20,000. Oates went to Cornwall, married, and later returned to Australia. Deason elected to carry on in a quest for still more gold and lost the bulk of his fortune in speculation. But he continued the search until his death in 1915. His daughter, Mrs. Robertson [sic], married a clergyman and reared a family of three. Two sons are artists. Now Mrs. Robertson [sic] potters around on her little place at Maribyrnong, attends to her cows and chickens, dreams of the golden days when the Welcome Stranger brought what seemed fabulous fortune to the family – and is content. Notes: - Elizabeth ‘Bess’ Deason married Hugh Robinson in 1892, Dunolly. Hugh died in 1902, Moliagul. They had three children: one daughter and two sons. See Elizabeth Deason (1866-1953) for more information. - the railway did not reach Dunolly until 3 October 1874, almost 5 years after the finding of the Welcome Stranger nugget. An account by author(s) unnamed (probably written in the 1940’s and published by Venus Free (nee Deason, Quambatook and grand-daughter of John Deason) and/or a local Quambatook historian Notes: • This version appears to be an edited version of Mr Ray’s account as published by M C P Ward. • The following footnote was included in the published version: Mr Ray, over 70 years old when he wrote the story, says that many stories of the finding of the nugget have been written, but most contain some discrepancies. He contends that the fact of his father being so close to the Cornishman enabled him to obtain the actual authentic facts of the entire story. Main body of published article: At the time of the drought and poor results from mining operations had just about driven the prospectors from the goldfields, and the lack of water made the mining job more heartbreaking. On the day of the discovery of what is believed to be the most valuable nugget of the precious material, Mr Oates was threshing some wheat to make some flour, while in an adjacent area, Mr Deason was somewhat disparity using his miners pick in the hope that he may reap some little amount of gold to bolster the rapidly diminishing finances of the pair of prospectors. An utterance of a Cornish oath denoted that the pick had struck some hard object to almost ruin the blade, which Mr Deason ruefully noted. But on examination of the object he was to see the magnificent piece of quartz which contained the nugget. He hastily covered it up to summon his partner and the two immediately realised that they had struck something out of the ordinary. Great precautions were taken to hide the nugget pending the treatment for the removal of the gold nugget and the subsequent transfer of the gold to Dunolly, ten miles away, for valuation and sale. The wide open fireplace of the miner’s home, was the place selected to “hide” the valuable nugget. Taken by wagonette to Dunolly in cases resembling farm produce the nugget was ready for sale. Mr Deason approached the manager of one of the town’s banks asking the price of gold. When told £4 per ounce he said that he wanted to talk in terms of hundredweights. The same price applied he was told and being dissatisfied tried an English based bank across the road. Here the manager realised at once the enormity of the nugget and immediately put his price on it. The Welcome Stranger weighed over 2,000 ounces and the lucky prospectors received the fabulous amount of £9,553 for the gold. Gold – The Romance of its Discovery in Australia, Charles Barrett, published 1944: Famous Nuggets Some lucky diggers have made a fortune at a stroke, unearthing a mass of gold. Many nuggets found in Australia have contained from £500 to £1000 worth of gold. These are not even listed as famous nuggets, of which there were almost a score. The most valuable of all Australian nuggets, “Holtermann’s”, was found at Hill End, New South Wales, in 1872. It weighed 7560 ounces gross, and was valued at £12,000. Next comes the “Welcome Stranger”, found at Moliagul, Victoria, in 1869. Its weight was 2284 ounces and its value £9534. A stroke of the pick revealed it, for this world-famous nugget was lying only about one inch below the surface of the ground. Until the discovery of the “Holtermann” the “Welcome Stranger” was the biggest nugget of gold the world had ever seen. Two hundredweights of gold! And for 15 years diggers had frequented the district; many of them doubtless having passed within a few yards of the spot where an inch of soil concealed a fortune which could have been dug out with a bowie knife! Two experienced miners, John Deason and Richard Oates, left Cornwall for Victoria in 1854. The former was a married man with a family, but Oates was a carefree bachelor. Meeting on the ship they became friends and decided to be mates and work together at the diggings. On the Sandhurst goldfield they had no luck though other miners were making fortunes. Deason proposed Moliagul, where he would select land and combine farming with alluvial gold mining. Oates agreed, and to Moliagul they went, choosing for their mining operations the side of a small hill, to the west of the mountain. They erected a puddling machine, and for several years made fairly good money. Then fortune gave their wheel a turn. A nugget worth £100 was found, to be followed by one worth more than £400. Fortune now reversed her wheel and four lean years left the two mates with very little cash. Even the farm was not paying. Tucker was scarce, and when Deason asked the storekeeper, to whom they owed money, for a bag of flour on credit, he was refused. The date was February 5th, 1869. Deason’s family went hungry and he and his mate felt desperate when they went to work on their claim that morning. For a while they worked without getting “a color”. Then Deason struck at a clear space between the roots of an old tree; and the pick rebounded. He cursed his luck, believing that the pick was broken. A few moments later he was dancing for joy, and shouting to Oates to ”come and see”. That one stroke of the pick had won the mates a fortune. The mass of gold revealed measured a foot in length and nearly as much in width. The “weigh was so great”, writes George Sutherland (in his book, “Tales of the Goldfields”) “that it was difficult for the two men to move it. However, by dint of great exertion, they succeeded in carrying it down the hill to Deason’s cottage, where they commenced to inspect their wonderful treasure. It was so completely covered in black earth, and so tarnished in color that an inexperienced person might have supposed it to be merely a mass of auriferous earth or stone. But is weight at once dispelled all doubt on that point, for it was more than twice as heavy as a piece of iron of the same size. Great was the rejoicing among Deason’s family. The wife piled up a huge fire and the rest of the family stood around watching the operation reducing the mass to the semblance of gold. Welcome Stranger … an extract from a publication (publisher not indicated on my copy) and date unknown: Large gold nuggets may be considered as characteristically Australian. Of 47 nuggets weighing over 37 pounds (troy weight) recorded for the world, 40 of these have come from Australia, and 32 from the Central Victorian goldfields. The largest of these was the ‘Welcome Stranger’ nugget, which was discovered near Black Reef, Bulldog Gully, Moliagul, on Friday 5 February, 1869, by two Cornish miners named John Deason and Richard Oates. The two mates arrived in Victoria in 1854 and, after spending some time at the Bendigo diggings, they arrived at Moliagul about 1862. For a time they washed surface soil in an old fashioned puddling machine, worked by horsepower. On the day of the discovery, John Deason was digging near the roots of a tree to get washdirt, when his pick struck something hard. On examining the obstacle, he was amazed to see the huge golden mass. He called his mate, Richard Oates, to view the remarkable discovery and together they eventually removed the nugget from the soil and took it to Deason’s house, where it was placed in the fire to burn off some of the quartz debris. As robbery with violence was common on the goldfields in those days, the discoverers concealed the nugget at the back of the fireplace and kept the fire burning for several days to conceal it. On the Monday evening, the finders invited close friends to a party at their home. The nugget was placed on a table and covered with a cloth, which was removed at the right moment, to the amazement of those present. On the Tuesday morning, the nugget was loaded on a dray, covered with sacks and transported to Dunolly, with close friends forming an escort. The nugget was sold at the London Chartered Bank, Dunolly. (This building still stands in Broadway, Dunolly, a short distance north of the Historical Museum. The building now the residence of Mr D Wood, has been listed “C” by the National Trust.) News of the discovery soon spread, and the bank was crowded with eager spectators, among them a number of Chinese. The nugget’s appearance was described as “Wonderful”, and it was difficult to realise that it was one huge mass of gold. Owing to its great size (about 2 feet long and 1 foot wide) it had to be broken up before it could be weighed. At Wall’s blacksmith shop, after several hours of hammering and using cold chisels, the nugget was reduced to a number of fragments on the anvil. This anvil is in the Goldfields Historical Society’s collection of historic relics. The weight of the nugget was 2,520 ounces gross, and the nett weight, 3,284 ounces 16 dwts, 22 grains. The Moliagul monument records the weight as 2,316 ounces, which in addition to the net weight previously given, includes amounts given away to friends and kept by the discoverers. The nugget was sold for £9,553. In 1896, the Mines Department marked the site of the discovery of the ‘Welcome Stranger’ with a granite obelisk. “Welcome Stranger” centenary at Moliagul, an article in Weekly Times, 26 February 1969, p 70): The discovery of the world’s biggest gold nugget, the famous “Welcome Stranger,” was re-enacted at Moliagul, where it was found 100 years ago. The nugget was found by John Deason and Richard Oates on February 5, 1869. When weighed at Dunolly four days later, the scales recorded 2520 oz. The nugget was valued at $19,110. Today [1969], it would have brought many times that figure. Discovery of the “Welcome Stranger” was a highlight of the gold rush era in Victoria, which started in 1851, and which created a transport demand which was mainly responsible for the establishment of the Victorian Railways Department in 1856. The newspaper continued with the following information - probably from an earlier article written in the Weekly Times, about 1956: Note on the past, Weekly Times, 26 February 1969, p71: A descendant of Deason, a partner in the discovery of the famous Welcome Stranger gold nugget, has died in Melbourne. She was Mrs. Grace Oates Heraud, born Grace Oates Deason. Her husband and son live at Red Cliffs, Victoria. Mrs. Heraud was born at Dunolly 85 years ago. Her father and a man named Oates found the famous nugget at Tarnagulla – they were penniless when they discovered the huge piece of pure gold. It was rushed to Dunolly but there were not any scales available that would take its weight. A memorial to Oates and Deason was built near the spot where the nugget was found. Now, a new generation of prospectors is digging around the memorial seeking more gold. Mr. Heraud, jnr. says, “I think grandfather got all the gold from that spot.” His father shaped the imitation stone now in the Melbourne Museum. It was cut from ironstone and painted. Mr. Heraud, snr., is in hospital. Dunolly: Story of an Old Gold Diggings, The Welcome Stranger, James Flett, published 1974: The Welcome Stranger It was at this time that the 'Welcome Stranger' nugget, probably the world's largest, was found at Moliagul on 5 February 1869. A great amount has been written about the finding of this nugget and there is a certain amount of discrepancy in the account. Some narrators even bring up the old story of the gold found in the wheel-track and the starving diggers were so weak with lack of nourishment that it took two of them to pull the nugget out of the ground; reminding one of the diggers who, being at Jordan Rush, Jericho, and Jerusalem River, went to Mount Ararat where, finding numerous chunks of wood in his claim, told the Age reporter it was part of the Ark. It is uncertain whether John Deason and Richard Oates were feeling the pinch of digging in 1869, but it would be extraordinary if they were not to some degree at least, considering the uncertainty of digging. The report of the finding of the large nugget appeared first in the Dunolly Express on Friday 12 February, and on this date the Warden, F. K. Orme, sent his report of the find to the authorities. The Age reported cryptically in a few short sentences to the effect that 'the world's largest nugget was found on Friday 5 February, at Moliagul. Orme's report to R. Brough Smyth, Secretary of Mines, being the most authentic, possibly, I give first … (Refer page 135 for Orme’s report). The report of the finding of the 'Welcome Stranger' that appeared at the time in the Dunolly Express gave a picture of the life of Deason and Oates at Moliagul. They were both Cornishmen and were born and spent their childhood together on Tresco, one of the Scilly Isles about thirty miles off Lands End. Deason was born in 1829. The two came to Victoria together in 1854, and arrived at Bendigo on 19 February of that year, where they were diggers for eight years and on the whole just managed to make a living. They came to Moliagul in 1862 and had land at Little Bulldog Gully and were partners. They had a horse-puddler and were washing about nine inches of the surface. Deason pointed out the peculiar red clay in which the gold was found around the area of the nugget, it being like half-burned brick and its presence was the sure indicator of gold, gold being always found in this. The spot of the find does not look-today appreciably different to what it appeared in the photograph of 1869. There is a streak of red clay down the hill and a view of Mount Bealiba blue over the tops of the black stems of the red ironbark on the hill running down from reef workings just behind the site of the find. Deason himself found the ‘Stranger’ at 5 pm on the Friday as he was working around the roots of a tree. It was almost on the surface, and a digger’s tent had once been erected on the spot. Deason, it is said, broke his pick trying to get it out of the ground and then covered it up, then he and Oates took it away to his hut after nightfall in a dray. It was almost completely black and had an almost equal bulk of quartz adhering to it. They sent the children away to a neighbours and spent the evening and night trying of the surplus quartz. The debris burned of contained about one and a half pounds of gold and the quartz was a grey colour, according to geologist E. J. Dunn, who was later given a piece of it by Mr Deason. It was, he says, similar to Matrix Reef quartz, which is on the same line of strike. On the Monday evening following the discovery, the finders had a party at their place and put the nugget under a cloth on the table. At the right moment they pulled it of to the general amazement of the crowd, and on the following morning, having abandoned the idea of taking it to Melbourne, they took it in a dray to Dunolly, and to the London Chartered Bank to which they sold it. It was, says, the Express, 'cut up after five hours of hammering', but somehow one imagines that this happened at the bank and not at the blacksmith’s. Mr Bevan of Camberwell tells me that, he remembers the nugget in pieces on his father's scales in the shop, and I think this was probably correct, as no doubt, the finders were most anxious to find the extent of their wealth as soon as possible, and possibly weighed it there before going to the bank. The bank, pending assay, advanced £9000 on the nugget. The actual amount paid for the gold sent to the bank was £9534 and Mr Deason sold the debris gold burned on Friday 12 February – 27 ounces. The bank weight of gold paid for was the amount given by Orme, 2268 ounces 10 dwts l4 grains, making a total of 2295 ounces 10 dwts 14 grains, apart from the gold (about one pound) given to friends anxious for souvenirs, and making a full total of about 2307 ounces. Perhaps no one has noticed that all authorities are at variance over the actual amount of gold Deason and Oates got from the ground in the nugget. Orme according to his letter book never established the amount of the ‘debris’ as he promised to do. Birkmyre, who did the assay and specialised in correct weights, gave the total weight of this nugget as 2280 ounces. Mrs Rae, Deason's granddaughter, with the help of Deason's diary, established that he gave away thirty-seven ounces and arrived at a total of 2305 ounces odd, whilst the 'Welcome Stranger' monument at Moliagul makes the amount 2316 ounces. This last is, of course, incorrect if he really did give away thirty-seven ounces and then sold twenty-seven ounces as reported in the Express. The total amount would then be 2382 ounces. According to Birkmyre, there was 2251 ounces of pure gold, value £9534 to the Bank of England, whither it went in five bars (after being remelted in Melbourne) and on the steamship Riegate. A reporter who went to see Deason and Oates after the find found them hard at work on the puddler as though nothing had happened. So excited was one man at the Rialto when he heard of the Moliagul find that he suggested puddling the whole of Victoria, starting at the seaboard. A writer on the Australasian pictured Deason and Oates decked out in new clothes and hilariously drunk, sporting watches, etc, etc. A Ballarat paper said the 'Welcome Stranger' was nothing and quoted a book about a nugget found in Brazil that weighed, not 2000 ounces, but 2000 pounds. The Maryborough Advertiser, long the enemy of Dunolly, gave the find at Moliagul two lines and said it was found at Bealiba. Soon after this Oates returned to Lands End and came back with a wife. He was then in Dunolly and Bealiba for many years. He died at Woodstock. Deason remained at Moliagul, and had various crushing machines at various reefs, being unable to give up the gamble of digging. The Mines Department official list of nuggets found in Victoria gives the nett weight of the 'Welcome Stranger' as 2284 ounces 16 dwts 22 grains. John Deason died on 13 September 1915, aged eighty-five and his wife Catherine died on 11 September 1921, aged eighty-five also. The obelisk commemorating the finding was erected by the Mines Department in 1897. Romancing the nugget, Anthony Black, Sunday Herald Sun (newspaper), 5 Mar 2000): The `Golden Triangle'-covering Bendigo, Ballarat and Stawell -produced 90 per cent of all gold nuggets exceeding 500 ounces found in the world, including the Welcome Stranger, located at Moliagul in 1869 weighing 2315 ounces; and the Welcome Nugget, discovered at Ballarat in 1858 weighing 2247 ounces The Welcome Stranger nugget is the stuff of legend, a find that still tantalises fossickers 130 years after its unearthing. But it is a legend undersold in a country always keen to improve on a tale. History records that John Deason and Richard Oates uncovered the nugget, which weighed 2315 Troy ounces, at Moliagul in central Victoria on February 5, 1869. But Terry Potter has fossicked the pages of, history to discover the nugget was actually 3523 ounces. In his book, The Welcome Stranger, the geologist and author calls into question more than the weight of the nugget. Mr Potter said the nugget was swamped by myths, contradictions' and folklore. This was because only a handful of people saw the 53 cm by 25 cm nugget before it was melted down and shipped to England 16 days after the find. Mr Potter said the myths were fuelled in the absence of detailed written accounts. It was not until 30 years after the find that a monument commemorating the nugget was erected at Moliagul. He said his research found the Welcome Stranger was not weighed as a single nugget. The gross weight of the Welcome Stranger was about 40 per cent more because almost 1200 ounces of gold-bearing quartz was trimmed off before it was officially weighed. The nugget minus the quartz left a nett weight. But not all the gold was weighed. It was broken into several pieces and some were kept by finders. They gave some pieces to friends as souvenirs. Mr Potter said many grass and nett weights had been recorded for the nugget. The most common gross weight was 2520 ounces and the most common nett weight 2275 ounces. His research showed the gross weight was 3523 ounces and the nett weight was 2315 ounces. The 53-year-old said Deason and Oates, originally from Cornwall, England, were paid £9381 for the nugget, equivalent to each receiving 43 years' wages. Even as pieces, the nugget lasted only six days and was shipped as five ingots. Mr Potter, of Bendigo, claims there are also many inaccuracies about how the Welcome Stranger was discovered. It was not found after a cart wheel sank deep in the mud, revealing the nugget. Nor was it found, when Deason and Oaten were sweeping around their tent. It, was discovered after Deason drove a pick into the clay and hit what he thought was stone 5 cm below- the surface. He delivered a second and third blow. Brushing the ground aside, he saw gold. He said the nugget was discovered between 9 am and 10 am and not 5 pm. Mr Potter said the nugget was immediately loaded on to a dray and taken to Deason's hut. He dismissed accounts that it was buried 'and taken home after dark. Discovered on a Friday, the nugget was hidden under a fireplace hearth over the weekend. Deason and Oates had known each other in Cornwall, discounting other legends that they had met at Moliagul or became mates on the way to Australia. Mr Potter said the finders contributed to the nugget's mystique by keeping their discovery quiet. "There were a lot of bushrangers around at the time and they didn't want to arouse any attention," he said. "It is clear that they did not intend to revel in the glory of possessing a world record, or even a monster nugget. The finer details and the personal side of the discovery, it seems, were to be kept secret by the two finders." Mr Potter said Deason and Oates toiled for seven years on a mining lease at Bulldog Gully before striking it rich. After the discovery, Oates left for Cornwall, only to return to Dunolly in central Victoria with his wife, Jane. He became a farmer and raised four children before moving away from the area. He died in 1906 aged 75. Deason never lost his zest for looking for gold. He died at 85 in 1915. He and his second wife, Catherine, had 11 children. One died in infancy. Golden welcome, Kim Mawson, (unidentified newspaper), probably 2000): Gold was first discovered in Australia near Bathurst, in NSW, in May, 1851. Several months later more gold was discovered in central Victoria. This discovery led to a huge goldrush, with diggers from all over the world in search of fortune. Bendigo-based geologist Terry F. Potter has compiled The Welcome Stranger, an account of the discovery of the world's largest alluvial gold nugget. The Welcome Stranger was found at 9.10 am on Friday, February 5, 1869, at Moliagul, 60 km west of Bendigo. Diggers John Deason and Richard Oates had been working the area for some time in the hope of finding gold, but no doubt would never have dreamed of such a discovery. And, of course, gold diggers like anglers, seem to add to or slightly alter the stories relating to their find. One reason for the production of the book, according to the author, is the "perpetuation of myths, rhetoric and embellishments surrounding the nugget". "Another reason for the book is to put some professional geology into its discovery and description." Terry Potter is a graduate in geology of the School of Mines, Ballarat (1968), and worked as an exploration and mine geologist for 16 years in Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania. In 1996, Terry set up his own consultancy business, Pottergold, which has the motto of leaving no stone unturned in the quest for fair dinkum, rock solid, down-to-earth geology. After publishing several technical papers on gold deposits and mineralisation in Victoria, Terry set about clearing up the information about the world's largest alluvial gold nugget. The book gives a detailed account of the plethora of myths about the nugget, including the various weights and descriptions of it. "As a child I was brought up believing it (the Welcome Stranger) was chopped in half with an axe to be weighed," Terry said of his interest in the stories surrounding the nugget. "How untrue these have turned out to be." In his book, Terry discovered how the nugget was concealed on its way to the Bank of Dunolly and for how long the nugget was actually in existence. It took five hours to break down the 109.6 kilogram nugget, breaking five chisels, before it was smelted. At the time the finders would have received about £9500, which would have equated to about 43 years of wages for the pair. Using the 1999 price of gold at $450 per ounce, the Welcome Stranger's value would be $1.03 million. It's understandable that so many stories were generated after the nugget was found. The discovery made Bendigo and surrounding towns the focus of the world. The rich history of the area is fascinating and although The Welcome Stranger has some interesting facts, the book can be a little cumbersome to read. Yet when you think about the nugget's size and worth and what eventually happened to it, the story is intriguing. While the gold fever of late last century has never been repeated here, one can but imagine the life of the diggers and the towns created by gold's discovery. The book is available from bookshops in Bendigo, Castlemaine, Ballarat and Maryborough, for $12. The book's cover photograph of the Welcome Stranger, which is in the La Trobe Collection at the State Library of Victoria, is the only image of the nugget. The Real Welcome Stranger Story, Katherine Knight (published in Gold Net Australia, April 2000): When John Deason and Richard Oates discovered the largest nugget ever to be unearthed on the globe, few records or notes were made of this momentous occasion. In fact within a few days of the discovery the world's largest nugget had been broken up, melted down and loaded aboard ship en route to England. To place the discovery of such a large nugget in perspective, one needs to have an understanding of the great wealth that came from the Victorian Gold Fields at this time in history. During the great gold rushes of the 1850's and 1860's the recorded takings of gold were over 1,100 tons, and it could be concluded that a similar weight was taken and never declared. Consequently during this golden era about 2,000 tons of gold was recovered mainly from alluvial diggings. The finding of large nuggets was not unusual, and in fact was expected. Official records show that over 1,300 nuggets of 20 ounces or more were taken from Victorian gold fields. Of these, 400 exceeded 100 ounces. It could be realistically assumed that at least double this number is the true value. Even today one hears of large nuggets being found, but very few if any are declared publicly. Consequently the finding of large nuggets at that time was an expected part of life on the diggings. Clearly there were great celebrations and rejoicing when a large nugget was found, and the "Welcome Stranger" nugget was no exception. Deason aged 32, and Oates aged 35, were Cornishmen when they arrived in the Moliagul area in 1862. Moliagul is today but a dot on a map with an old hotel and a few old buildings that undoubtedly date back to the last century. In early 1853 this area was first rushed, and about 500 people were living here in tents at that time. Other nearby rushes depleted the field, but some die-hards were making a living from this patch and remained. Eventually the Moliagul gold field at Bull-dog Gully was being worked by a few souls including Deason and Oates. The gold field in toto was about one mile wide by about 3 miles long, and incorporated a number of reefs. Right through this area from south to north there are gold bearing reefs that today still produces good quantities of gold. Both diggers were obviously tenacious in their endeavours as their persistence shows, in remaining in this area as long as they did, working near the Black Reef in this area. Interspersed with their diggings they farmed a nearby area, and built more permanent brick and timber dwellings, as did others who were also working the ground for gold. It was here that children were born and gold was in sufficient quantities to keep the residents relatively comfortable, if not rich. Claims at this time were worked under the tenure of a "Puddlers Claim," an area of 100 square feet per person. Deason, his wife and Oates would have claimed these workings, but 300 square feet over several years working here seem to be somewhat impracticable, and it appears probable that the two men worked other diggings and joined other nearby rushes from time to time. Undoubtedly they were part time diggers, working the ground when they could when sufficient water was available and tending to farming duties at other times. On Friday 5th February 1869, John Deason was working around the roots of a stringy bark tree, about 80 yards from his house. Thunder storms had partly filled the puddler dams so it was possible to wash dirt. Striking the ground with his pick it hit a hard object and striking again and again nearby it again struck a large object. Deason considered this strange, as there were no boulders on this side of the hill. On closer inspection as he kneeled down the glint of gold was seen as he brushed away the dirt with his hands. It was clearly a huge clump of gold and trying to prise it out of the ground with his pick he broke the handle. With a crowbar he levered it to the surface. By this time Oates had been summoned, and together they estimated the worth of such a large piece of gold. Their best estimates were about half what the "Welcome Stranger" was really worth. The nugget was attached to quartz, which was itself gold studded throughout. It measured 21" long and 10" thick. Ironically many diggers had walked over and camped on the exact spot. Reputedly one digger had shifted his tent because he could not get the stakes into the ground in one corner. After taking the nugget into Deason's hut it was placed in the fire to break the black quartz away from the gold itself. It was fired all that day and throughout the next night, heating and cooling the nugget breaking the quartz away. It was essential to keep the find a secret over the weekend, as banks were closed and bushrangers common. It is postulated that a hole was dug under the hearth and the nugget placed inside and covered with the fire kept burning all weekend. On Monday morning the 72 lbs. of black quartz that was broken away from the main nugget was taken to be treated at a local stamper, owned by Edward Endey. 60 ounces of gold was obtained from this crushing. Early on Tuesday morning the "Welcome Stranger" was loaded aboard Mr. Endey's cart and hidden under Mrs Deasons skirt as both diggers along with a good supply of friends rode into Dunolly, about 9 miles away with the nugget. Although advised to take the nugget direct to Melbourne, the owners thought it safer to deliver it to a bank in Dunolly as soon as possible to avoid the bushrangers. At the first attempt to negotiate with the bank manager, Deason asked to be paid by the hundredweight, and upon obtaining a price per ounce from the manager, again asked for a hundredweight price, claiming to have gold in that quantity. He was shown the door and accused by the manager of being drunk. Returning a short time later he laid out his hundred weights of gold on the floor of the bank, much to the dismay of the bank manager. The nugget was too large to weigh on the banks scales, and the nugget was taken in a wheel barrow to Archie Wall's blacksmith shop where it was cut into more manageable pieces. The total weight amounted to 210 lbs. Troy. Further breaking up was carried out in the bank and after five hours was eventually smelted down. The total weight sold to the bank was 2,268 oz. 10 dwts. 14 grs. The finders keeping small portions of gold for their friends. Mr Jesse, the bank manager advanced a cheque for 9,000 pounds, being at the agreed upon rate of 4 pounds 1 shilling and 6 pence an ounce for the gold. A further 436 pounds was later paid for gold that was essentially residue from the large nugget still encased in quartz. The total gold weight of the nugget was 2,315 ounces 17 dwts. 14 grs. Note: (dwts. = pennyweights - grs. = grains). The nugget was assayed at 98.61% pure. Within a few days the melted down gold in ingots was conveyed to Melbourne was forwarded to the bank of England on the steamship "Reigate" leaving harbour on Sunday 21st February. Amazingly both Deason and Oates returned to their diggings and continued in their normal occupations as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred in their lives. Deason continued with gold mining and workings most of his life and although becoming a store keeper at Moliagul, his interest in gold remained, and good quantities of his fortune were invested in not so sensible gold investments, with the bulk of his wealth being lost. He bought a small farm near Moliagul and spent his last days here, passing from this life on 13th September 1915, aged 85 yrs. After the find Oates returned to England and there married Jane Penrose. They returned to Australia where four children were born of the union. The Oates family purchased 800 acres of land in 1895 about 15 miles west of Bendigo, and here Richard Oates lived his life farming the land until be died on 29th October 1906 aged 75 yrs. On the following morning the two lucky diggers took the huge nugget to Dunolly, in a dray, which was followed by a number of their neighbours, who had heard of the find. Arrived at the township, Deason and Oates deposited their treasure on the floor of the bank manager’s room. It was weighed and found to contain nearly two hundredweights of pure gold, thus putting in the shade the “Welcome” nugget found at Ballarat. It has recently been stated that the total weight of gold in the “Stranger” was 2305 ounces. The “Welcome Stranger” was sold to the bank, after its finders had chopped off some small pieces (total weight about 10 ounces) as souvenirs for their special friends. Deason and his mate, after dividing nearly £10,000, decided to give up nugget hunting. They parted, only to meet in Dunolly a few years later. Deason’s ventures had failed, and he was again a poor man. Oates, however, was prosperous, having invested his money in mining shares which turned out trumps, the various companies paying good dividends. A golden moment for two Scilly lads, John Wright (published in Western Morning News, (English newspaper) 1 November 2005): How would it feel to unearth a gold nugget that's so big your pick handle breaks? The man who knows did exactly that in 1869 in the bush land of Australia's central Victoria, ten years after Ned Kelly's gang roamed the area and 16 years after the gold rush had already plundered it. Today the nugget is still the biggest ever found anywhere in the world. John Deason, the man who had to prise it from roots of a stringybark gum tree, may not have been far from quitting after eight years of back-breaking work on the Bendigo diggings and another seven in the bush land with his partner, Richard Oates. They were both Scillonians. They were also men of honour. John's great-grandson, Dick Deason, 75, says that even though his ancestor "was puddling in a bit of a gully and Oates was ploughing in a nearby paddock" there was no doubt that they would be sharing the loot. It was named The Welcome Stranger nugget and probably weighed as much as the finder himself. It was 63.5 kg (2,240 oz), its overall dimensions being 45 cm (18 in) by 40 cm (16 in) by 40 cm (16 in). It was a piece of solid gold roughly the size of a full rucksack. Too big to fit on the scales at the Dunolly Bank 15 km away, it was cut by the local blacksmith on an anvil before it could be weighed. "John and his family were short of money before the discovery, although he had found a 36 oz nugget in 1866, which kept them going a bit longer," Dick Deacon told me. More gold nuggets have been found in the Dunolly area than anywhere else in Australia. Today the Goldfields & Arts Museum in Dunolly has a replica of The Welcome Stranger, as well as 70 other nuggets found in the area. But the goldfields were no place for the faint-hearted. A storekeeper there in the 1850s, seeing a hand creeping under his tent one night, cut it off and the next day nailed it to his counter beside a sign reading "Hands off." John Deason and Richard Oates grew up together on the island of Tresco. Three years younger than Richard, John was born there in 1830. He moved to the mainland and became a tin dresser at Trewellard near St just, when he met and married his first wife Margaret Davey in 1851, just as the gold rush to Australia began. Two years later, with Richard in tow, the couple sailed for Australia. It was true that some of the first diggers in Australia picked up gold nuggets from the ground, and that many more would spend years digging in the hot sun to find very little. These two had no idea that their own 15 years of steady work would finally bring them the greatest jackpot of all. After four of their first fruitless years at the Bendigo diggings, Margaret died, leaving John with a baby and a three-year-old; five months later he married Catherine McAndrew. The fateful morning came 11 long years later when John said goodbye to his family, including the first six of the 11 children they would eventually have, and set off to work on their hillside "puddling claim". Dick Deason said: "fuddling involved forming a big circle on the ground with split slabs and putting a horse to walk around it. "Water was then poured into the circle and this would allow the ground to be smashed by the ground with its hooves. The slush was put into a cradle and rinsed through. The heaviest material, the gold, was left." And this is how John Deason himself described his discovery: "It was between 9 am and l0 am. I put the pick in the ground and felt what I thought was stone. I scraped the ground. "After the pick-axe broke, I then got a crowbar and raised the nugget to the surface. At first, there was much quartz with the gold. I sent my son down to call Richard and when my mate came we got the dray and carted it down to my hut and put it in the fireplace. We built a good fire and kept it burning for about ten hours. We sat up all night breaking it free from the quartz. The bank paid us £9,563 pounds for it." Words probably wouldn't do justice to how the three of them must have felt that night. But would the discovery change anything? Catherine and John, like so many others, had carved out a settled life for their family in the bush and had watched their children grow in this new world. Dick Deason told me that Richard Oates promptly sailed back to Cornwall, where he married Jane Penrose and returned to the goldfields. "He moved away from the area and was careful with his money, whereas John stayed in the area and put his money back into mining. He lent a lot to other diggers and never got it back." The kind-hearted local hero's life seemed not to change much at all. John bought a property and built a house 2 km from Moliagul. The separate stone kitchen with flagstone floor he built is still there. He was 85 when he died in 1915, Richard living to 79. Today the Deasons are still there, farming and looking for gold. The biggest nugget Dick has found so far weighed three ounces. "In the last 20 years there's been a bit of a gold rush again because a company has been developing metal detectors. One detects only gold and to a depth of a metre. It costs about £2,000." Despite the Deasons losing touch with the Oates, a 100th anniversary of the discovery get-together was held anyway in 1969. "On the first morning of the centenary weekend, I saw a bloke across the other side of the room who I didn't know," said Mr Deason. "So I introduced myself. It was Dick Oates, the great-grandson of Richard Oates. I couldn't believe it. It was as if the two original mates were together again." One century before, a few days after the discovery, Launceston Argus reporters arrived to interview the two men. "At the time of our visit," they noted, "Deason and his mate were working away in their shirt sleeves at the claim, as if nothing had happened out of the ordinary." They were Cornishmen - what did they expect? Notes to Welcome Stranger discovery: • The first gold rush in the Moliagul vicinity was at Queens Gully in January 1853; • Edward Eudey (incorrectly recorded as “Eudie” and “Udey” in some published accounts of the Welcome Stranger discovery and “Endey” on shipping records and some birth records) was noted by descendant, Rob Smith, as a director of the Queens Reef Mine, also known as the Queen’s Birthday Mine, Goldsborough (between Moliagul and Dunolly) and a “Quartzcrusher” as recorded in Bailey’s Victorian Directories 1869, 1870, & 1871. Rob recalled, in 1991, that the Welcome Stranger nugget was carried in Edward Eudey’s dray to the bank in Dunolly. Edward Eudey was born 3 June 1828, Redruth, Cornwall and died 12 August 1899, Prahran, Melbourne, buried St Kilda, Melbourne. He arrived in Victoria in 1857 on the ship, “Persia”. He married 25 December 1851, Tuckingmill, Cornwall, Mary Shere Le Cher (born 1 December 1830). H8 - Richard Oates Richard Oates reputably came from Tresco, Scilly Isles and, according to tradition came to Australia with John Deason. However, research does not appear to confirm this. What is known is that Richard Oats (not Oates), was born about 1827 in Cornwall, probably in St Just in Penwith, where he was baptised on 17 April 1827. His parents are Richard Oats and Elizabeth Burnet: married 15 October 1825, Madron. Richard Oats (senior) was born about 1799, St Just, baptised 27 July 1799, St Just, the son of James Oats (1752-c1809) and Jane Tonkin (c1763-1851). Richard Oats (senior) died about December 1865 and was buried in the churchyard St John the Baptist, Anglican, Pendeen. Richard’s mother, Elizabeth, was born about 1796 in Gwinear, died sometime after 1871 and was buried alongside her husband at Pendeen. Their son Richard placed a fine memorial on their graves. The 1841 census notes the family as: Parish of St Just, village: Bojewyan Richard Oates, aged 40 years, miner copper & tin, born Cornwall Elizabeth Oates, aged 45 years Richard Oates, aged 13 years. Note: Bojewyan is situated on the main road, approximately 1 kilometre north-west of Pendeen. The 1851 Census notes the family as: Parish of St Just, Ecclesiastical District of Pendeen, village: Bojewyan Stennack Richard Oats, head [of household], married, age 53 years, miner, born St Just Elizabeth Oats, wife, married, age 55 years, born Gwinear Richard Oats, son, unmarried, age 22 years, shoemaker, born St Just. Note: Bojewyan Stennack is situated on the main road, approximately 0.5 kilometre north-west of Pendeen and 0.5 kilometre from Bojewyan. Richard arrived in Melbourne on 25 July 1854 on board the ‘Norwood’. He was an unassisted migrant, aged 25 years at the time of embarkation in Liverpool, 17 April 1854, and his occupation was noted as a miner. As to when Richard met up with John Deason is not certain, as we have no record of Richard on the Bendigo goldfields. Richard may be the Richard Oats registered on the Victorian Electoral Roll of 1856: “Richard Oats of Forest Creek”, voting under ‘miner’s right’ in the Fryerstown division. Note: there is also a “Richard Oates” registered in the Beechworth area. However, this is a considerable distance from Bendigo where Richard is known later on. Richard was single, and after the discovery of the ‘Welcome Stranger’ nugget with John Deason, he returned to Cornwall to marry Jane Blewett Penrose at Pendeen in 23 November 1870. At the time of their marriage Richard was noted as “born 1828, son of Richard Oates, miner and Elizabeth Burnett”, Richard was also noted as “of independent means of Bojewyan (co discoverer of the Welcome Stranger Nugget at Moliagul, Vic), bachelor 41 [years]”. Jane was noted as “baptised 21 May 1837, SB; daughter of James Penrose, farmer, and Sally Blewett”. Jane was also noted as a “spinster of Calartha 33 [years]”. Witnesses were James Penrose and William Williams. Pendeen is only a short distance from Bojewyan, where Richard was living as a boy in 1841. Jane’s parents are James Penrose and Sally (Sarah) Blewett. Jane was born about 1837, probably in St Buryan, where she was baptised 21 May 1837. The 1871 Census notes the family as: Parish of St Just, Ecclesiastical District of Pendeen, village: Bojewyan Richard Oates, head [of household], married, age 41 years, miner, retired born St Just Jane Oates, wife, married, age 32 years, born St Just Elizabeth Oates, mother-in-law, widow, age 66 years, born St Erth Note: the above record should have read “mother” and not “mother-in-law”. Richard and Jane returned to Australia and had four children: • Richard Oates, born 14 March 1874, Moliagul, died Bendigo 1955 • Sarah Elizabeth Oates, born 5 November 1875, Dunolly, married James Lanyon 1896 • James Penrose Oates, born Dunolly 9 January 1879, married Kathleen Jane Miller, 1916 • Annie Jane Oates, born 29 March 1880, Dunolly, married Donald Vic Gow, 1911, died 23 October 1965, buried Marong, one child, Lorna (note: headstone shows husband as “Donald Eric Gow”). Richard died 29 October 1906 (and according to Max Deason’s research, at Woodstock-on-Loddon). Richard owned a farm in that area. Jane died in 1921, aged 84 years, possibly also at Woodstock-on-Loddon (death registered at Marong). Richard is buried at Marong alongside his daughter, Annie. H9 - John Deason – later life Some indication of John and Catherine Deason’s later life can be gained from historical accounts. Firstly, information published in a local newspaper in 1896 and later in son John Edward Deason’s letter of 1938: Untitled report regarding John Deason’s new battery. Dunolly & Betbetshire Express (newspaper) – 19 May 1896 : A Moliagul correspondent reports a great revival in quartz mining there. Mr Deason's new battery was started last Thursday, on stone from Mr. Liddell's claim on Waymans Hill. Mr Deason gets credit for his unaided enterprise in affording facilities for the development of the mining resources of the place. The Finding of the Welcome Stranger – a Historical Nugget. Dunolly – Thursday, 6 August 1896 (probably an extract from a newspaper article of that date) publisher unknown, includes the following information after the finding of the Welcome Stranger: Mr J Deason with his home being at Moliagul, not on the old place [Little Bulldog Gulley], but at the ‘spring’ on the other side of town one of the prettiest spots in the district. Sheltered by the rugged hills from the frosts, they have a nice orange grove that needs no artificial protection and which is now in full bearing. Their family – now grown up & married are now holding good positions, are widely scattered, some in our own colony, some in the west. One Mr J H Deason – has made a home for himself & remained in Moliagul. ………… Mr J Deason has recently added a crushing plant to his ingeniously arranged steam puddler, and is known and widely respected as one of the best prospectors in the district. Were there more like him we would soon have an unmistakable and permanent mining revival. Even before the finding of the “Welcome Stranger” Moliagul had turned out some good nuggets, and several have been found since. The principle ones are – 1857 – 81 ounces, in Nugget Gully 1860 – 25 ounces in Spark’s Gully 1860 – 24 ounces in Sparks’ Gully 1860 – 32 ounces in Bigg’s Gully 1860 – 30 ounces in Bigg’s Gully 1860 – 120 ounces in Surface Gully 1860 – 33 ounces in Bigg’s Gully 1860 – 61 ounces in Bigg’s Gully 1859 – 440 ounces in Spark’s Gully 1859 – 28 ounces in Spark’s Gully Two others of 32 ounces and 45 ounces – the exact location is unknown. Not thirty yards away from the spot where the Welcome Stranger was found (and but a chain separating them) are two reefs – the Black Reef and the Little Bulldog Reef – which have never been worked more than 80 feet. These two reefs, which will apparently come together at a lower level, are on the Queen’s Birthday line, and have not been touched for over 30 years. The reef which produced the “Welcome Stranger” should surely be worth trying. A little further ahead too, is the Wayman reef, which has crushed up to 50 ounces to the ton. It is depressing to think that we have in our midst such possibilities of wealth lying neglected and unknown. The following letter was written by John Edward Deason to his son, George Wilfred Deason, over the period 1937 & 1938 (posted, Perth 22 Feb 1938). Note: edited to detail only information relating to John & Catherine Deason. For full transcript refer entry for John Edward Deason. 51 King St Boulder Jan 26 [19]38 Dear George, …. Your G. Father shortly after finding the Welcome Stranger Nuggett [sic] purchased a ten head Battery & was crushing for the public & at the same time was interested in a mine close to where he found the nuggett [sic] which had the largest winding engine in the district & four out of your five uncles got experience in running & minor repairs of same, I was too young then but I remember both engines & machinery was always a magnet to me, never tire of looking at, or studying it prior to the purchase of this Battery Etc. G. Dad thro the persuasion of G. Ma bought the Homestead & farm & orchard known as the springs & that name it still carries to this day & I’ve seen it marked on some atlas we used at school. Thro the value of this property, G. Dad was able to raise a lot of money to go further into mining & that move plunged us all into a heavy mortgage, which hung till a year or two before G.D. died which occurred in 1915. This liability Co he was mixed up with was formed in Ballarat, shareholders gradually slipped out & left John Deason Senr to foot the Bills, he had no education but his money was sought after by these mining sharks. The family struggled for years to pay the heavy interest 8%, having our own horses, cattle & sheep, we were enabled to take fairly large contracts in road making, bridge building and three large reservoirs for different districts & one of them the finest sheet of clear water & best holding bank, was made with plough and scoops, with changes of horses & they with their continual, tramping & sliding of scoops made a bank that never showed a sign of leak, the other two with a clay bank in centre both leaked & they had civil engineers in attendance to see the work was carried out according to specification, it was a brain wave of U. Harry to build the bank with horses & scoops, about 54 years ago. Now these contracts were getting fewer & the shearing, ploughing & harvesting could not keep all the family going, so they moved to different mining fields in Victoria. Harry bought a farm of his own & his widow still owns it & their only son a returned soldier took to up land near by & appeared to me (the last time I saw the old place) to be comfortable & rearing a small family. Later years the farm was let for a term & Father & Mother with U. Jim & myself shifted to Melb. Footscray. Dad drove the wagonette & us lads the big dray we did the 130 miles in reasonable time. Jim went to work with a Blacksmith & myself to the Braybrook implement Co, now the Sunshine Harvester Co, the work proved too hot & hard for me, I was offered more money to stop, eventually I applied for a position in Ascot Vale with a General Merchant & it was there I got a bit of grounding in business affairs, I was there for 3 years a slackening of hands took place, it was either me or a married man had to go, so off I went to Bendigo & I may say at this stage the letting of the farm was not a success & Dad & Mother went back to Moliagul so as soon as I was out of work I off for the mining fields where I had two Brothers working. … Trusting to hear from you soon. & with love from us all Your affect Dad H10 - Other John Deason information: Dunolly Hospital For reasons not known, John Deason was admitted to Dunolly Hospital on 17 November 1867. The hospital record noted him as: “Married; occupation, miner; Born England”. No residence was noted. Welcome Stranger naming (1869) Prior to the finding of the Welcome Stranger in February 1869, the largest gold nugget then recorded was the Welcome discovered in nearby Ballarat in June 1858. That discovery was well publicised, including a detailed article in the Ballarat Courier newspaper: … Ballaarat [sic] has once more placed itself in its old and proud position of having produced from its auriferous treasures the largest mass of gold that has ever been discovered in its virgin state. … … After half and hours hard work they succeeded in getting it to the surface, when the joyful intelligence was immediately communicated to all shareholders who were within reach. One of the shareholders called at our office with the news, and we proceeded to the spot for the purpose of having a personal examination of the interesting and welcome stranger. … Certainly, John Deason and Richard Oates would have heard of this discovery and may have even read of the account in the newspaper. In naming their nugget the Welcome Stranger, some 10 years later, they appear to may have drawn on the Ballarat nugget’s name by adding ‘Stranger’. Interestingly, the words ‘welcome stranger’ were used by the Ballaarat Star reporter in describing that town’s nugget – maybe that phrase was in Deason and Oates mind when they coined a name for their nugget? Welcome Stranger re-enactment photograph (1869) Correspondence from John Morrow, great-grandson Thomas and Ann Smith indicates the following: • That the Thomas and Ann Smith were friends of the Deasons in Moliagul at the time of the finding of the Welcome Stranger nugget; • That, according to their family tradition, Thomas and Ann’s daughter, Rose Ann Smith, (then aged about 6 or 7 years) is the small girl in the famous 1869 photograph showing the finding of the Welcome Stranger (a reconstruction for newspaper article at the time); • That the children in Dunolly crowded around the anvil while the Welcome Stranger was being broken-up hoping to catch a piece of the gold; and • That two of Thomas and Ann Smith’s other daughters married into the Heraud family: o Margaret Smith married Peter (Pierre) Heraud, 1861, Victoria; and o Elizabeth Louise Smith married Martin (Martain) Heraud, 1865, Victoria. Notes: • Pierre and Margaret Heraud’s son, Augustine married John and Catherine Deason’s daughter, Grace in 1891; • The 1869 photograph mentioned above is the one showing only one child present (there is least one other photo taken at the same time showing more children). • If the small child is Rose Ann Smith then it is possible that the woman holding her hand is her mother, Ann Smith. Could the well-dressed man standing behind be her father, Thomas Smith? • At the time of John’s oldest son Thomas’ marriage in 1878, John was noted as a farmer. • In 1878 [John] Deason and Pollard worked Wayman Reef, (discovered and worked by the Wayman Brothers in 1857). Deason had little success. • At the time of John’s son, Hugh’s marriage in 1888, John was noted as being from Mt Moliagul. • During the 1880’s and 1890’s John Deason and Eli Brooker set up a battery and worked the southern end of Jones reef and retrieved 2 to 3 ounces of gold to the ton. They also crushed stone for other miners, this lead to an increase in reef mining around Moliagul in the late 1890’s. • At the time of John’s youngest son, James’s marriage in 1901, John was noted as being from Moliagul. Welcome Stranger memorials Three important monuments commemorate the finding of the Welcome Stranger gold nugget: - Moliagul, Victoria, Australia. In 2008, Rick Smith wrote: WELCOME STRANGER NUGGET DISCOVERY SITE MARKER, MOLIAGUL Location: about 2 km southeast of Moliagul in a clearing in the forest, accessible by a marked track from the township. Description: two-tier granite obelisk on a stone base in a railed enclosure, erected in 1897, with the inscription: "Welcome Stranger Nugget. In this locality the largest nugget in the world was discovered on the 5th February 1869 by John Deason and Richard Oates. Weight 2332 oz, value £9534. Unveiled on 19th November 1897 by Henry Foster, Minister for Mines & D. J. Duggan, MLA, Member for Dunolly". The official weight was recorded as 2284 oz 16 dwts 22 gr. - Dunolly Victoria, Australia. In 2008, Rick Smith wrote: WELCOME STRANGER ANVIL MEMORIAL, DUNOLLY Location: in front of the Dunolly Historical Museum, Main Street, Dunolly. Description: tall quartzite stone cairn with circular relief of a crossed pick and shovel, with an anvil set on top with a marble tablet with the inscription: "The world's largest nugget [of gold] (2332 ozs) 'The Welcome Stranger' was cut up on this anvil on the 9th April 1869. Erected by John A. Flett (Curator) January 1968". A replica of the nugget is now held in a glass case in the Museum. - Redruth, Cornwall, England. In 2003, Michael Kiernan wrote: WELCOME STRANGER MEMORIAL, CORNWALL The statue, unveiled in August, 2001, celebrates the discovery, on 5th February 1869, of the largest nugget of gold ever discovered, weighing 2520 oz., then valued at £10,000. The statue is more than 15 ft (4.5 metres) and shows the two men digging the nugget from the ground. It was made by Nigel Eden, an engineer from Mount Hawke. It is situated in the car park of a private Company – Cornish Goldsmiths on the Redruth to Portreath road adjacent to the Tolgus Tin Works (also owned by that company but operated as an industrial heritage site by The Trevithick Trust). Richard Oates was from St Just in Penwith and John Deason was believed to be from the Camborne area. The two men had been prospecting north west of Melbourne for seven years before they made the discovery near Dunolly, Victoria. The Welcome Stranger plaque wording from the statue reads: The Welcome Stranger Nugget. In 1869 two Cornishmen, JOHN DEASON and RICHARD OATS, were prospecting for gold in Australia when they found the largest gold nugget ever discovered. It was buried beneath the roots of a tree in a bed of red clay. The Welcome Nugget' had to be broken on an anvil before it could be weighed by the nearest bank. It weighed an incredible 7.1 Kg.! Today it would be worth over £1,000,000. This statue was specially commissioned by Cornish Goldsmiths as a celebration of the discovery of the Welcome Stranger Nugget. August 9th 2001. Sculptor NIGEL EDEN. Welcome Stranger sketches Two sketches of the Welcome Stranger were made shortly after the discovery: WELCOME STRANGER NUGGET SKETCH BY CHARLES WEBBER Probably the most reproduced ‘icon’ of the Welcome Stranger nugget. This sketch was made by Charles Webber, a local jeweller from Dunolly, at the time of the discovery. Charles sketched the nugget from memory within a few days of it being brought into to Dunolly on Tuesday, 9th Febraury 1869. His sketch was photographed by William Parker and this photograph appeared in the Dunolly & Betbetshire Express newspaper, Friday 12th February, 1869. The whereabouts of the original sketch is not known. However, the original photograph is held by a descendant of Charles Webber. Notes: ♣ it would appear that Charles Webber saw the Welcome Stranger nugget before it was broken up; ♣ The original photograph is presumend to be by William Parker – there is no notation on the original. However, it appears to be the same as that appearing in the newspaper of 12th February, 1869. WELCOME STRANGER NUGGET SKETCH BY FRANCIS FEARN This sketch, also made in 1869, appeared in the book Goldfields and Mineral Deposits of Victoria, by Robert Brough Smythes, published in the same year. The book included a reference to Fearn having had the sketch “certified by the discoverers as a fair representation of the nugget found by them”. Notes: * the Fearn sketch shows the Welcome Stranger nugget as a reverse image to that shown by Charles Webber. Otherwise, the drawings are similar; * it is presumed that Fearn never saw the actual nugget; * it is uncertain as to why Robert Brough Smythes, (who was Minister fo Mines), commissioned another sketch to be made for his book rather than use the one produced by Charles Webber. Welcome Stranger replicas A number of replicas of the Welcome Stranger have been made based on the sketeches made in 1869 by Charles Webber and Francis Fearn: WELCOME STRANGER NUGGET REPLICA – NATIONAL MUSEUM, MELBOURNE, VICTORIA Of note is the replica in the National Museum, Melbourne, Victoria, which is attributed Augustine Heraud, husband of Grace Oates Deason, daughter of John and Catherine Deason. Augustine carved the replica from ironstone as reported in the Weekly Times, 1969: … Mr. Heraud, jnr. says, “I think grandfather got all the gold from that spot”. His father shaped the imitation stone now in the Melbourne Museum. It was cut from ironstone and painted. … WELCOME STRANGER NUGGET REPLICA – OTHERS (further research required - - to be detailed later) Insert details here … Welcome Stranger discovery site - Today Since the completion of the obelisk at the site of the discovery of the Welcome Stranger nugget in 1897 the surrounding area has slowly returned to its native vegetation (Ironbark eucalyptus, etc). However, the scars of the gold digging era are still clearly visible in the loss of topsoil and erosion of the site. Various brochures and website material has been prepared giving details of the site along with the township of Moliagul a short distance away. Detailed below are some of these: FairfaxDigital (website) – 5 May 2008 : Moliagul Tiny and historically significant gold mining town Moliagul is a tiny old goldmining village that is now, to all intents and purposes, a ghost town. It is located at one corner of a district known as the Golden Triangle which has produced more gold nuggets than any other in Australia (the other corners are formed by Tarnagulla and Dunolly). Moliagul is 202 km north-west of Melbourne via Marong and 193 km via Dunolly (a more complicated route) which is 15 km to the south-east. The town's name is thought to derive from the Aboriginal word 'moliagulk' meaning 'wooded hill'. Although there are very few houses in Moliagul itself, about 200 people are scattered about in the bush. The Mt Moliagul Hotel offers budget accommodation and meals. Gold was first found at Moliagul in late 1852 (in Queen's Gully). By January 1853 there was a store, blacksmith's and butcher's shop but the Sandy Creek rush saw the nascent settlement deserted. A new rush unfolded in the Moliagul area when gold was found at Little Hill in July 1855 and it is estimated there were soon about 16000 people in the area. The Mt Moliagul Hotel was established in 1856. However, Moliagul would barely rate a mention in the annals of history were it not for an event which unfolded on February 5, 1869. On that day, Cornish miner John Deason, who had been prospecting hereabouts for seven years, was working in Bulldog Gully, near Moliagul. While searching about the roots of a tree he discovered, 3 cm below the surface, a gold nugget. He concealed his find until dark. Then with his partner, Richard Oates, he dug it out and snuck it home in a wagon. The two then held a party, during which they revealed their find to the assembled guests. The 66-kg 'Welcome Stranger', then the world's largest-known gold nugget, was taken to Dunolly where it had to be broken on an anvil (located in the Goldfields Historical and Arts Museum) before it could fit on the bank's scales. It was worth 10000 pounds at the time ($3-4 million in today's money). Deason returned to Moliagul and his descendants are still in the area. Oates went back to Cornwall for a while but returned to live out his life at Dunolly. The Reverend John Flynn, who founded the legendary Flying Doctor Service, was born here in 1880. Things to see: John Flynn Memorial There is a memorial by the intersection of Bealiba and Murray Sts which is dedicated to the Reverend John Flynn, the founder of the Flying Doctor Service, who was born here in 1880. Nearby is an old brick building, opposite the public hall, which is reputedly the site where John Deason, one of the finders of the 'Welcome Stranger', died. Around the comer is the Mt Moliagul Hotel, established in 1856 and currently vacant. School and Church At the corner of Graham St and High St are the Moliagul State School (1872) and the Anglican Church, built of stone and brick in 1864-65. Moliagul Historic Reserve 2 km south-west of town (the route is signposted from Moliagul's main street) is a granite obelisk which was placed here in 1897 by the Mines Department. It marks the site the 66-kg 'Welcome Stranger' gold nugget was found on February 5, 1869 (see the introduction to Moliagul for a fuller account of the event). The Welcome Stranger Discovery Walk starts from the obelisk and explores the reserve which has a picnic area, shelters, barbecues and drinking water. It was behind the picnic table near the start of the track that John Deason had a small two-roomed shack. It was to this shack that he first transported the nugget, placing it in the fire to burn off the debris. A little further on is the puddler where Deason and Oates treated the wash from their claim. A puddler was a watertight circular trench that was filled with water. Dirt from the claim was then added and a horse walked in a circle dragging chains or harrows around the trench to break up the dirt and dissolve the clay. The sludge was drained off and the remaining rocks removed and put through a cradle to glean the gold. The proximity to the house was to deter theft from the puddler. The pile of stones further on are all that remain of Richard Oates’ house. He was working in the paddock here when Deason called him to see the nugget. At that time there were a number of Chinese and European miners about, as well as market gardens and two dairies. Further on is a wooden headstone on the fenceline which dates from the 1860s. It is thought to mark a Chinese grave. Stones from fireplaces and raised dirt floors are all that remain of the Chinese camp from the 1860s. Like most such camps it was at a remove from the remainder of the settlement due to the hostility of the other miners. The walk continues past an old puddling machine and the remnants of a once robust forest which provided shelter for kangaroos and emus before being chopped down by the miners. It then crosses Black Gully, so named because the gold here tended to be stained with black ironstone. The Welcome Stranger Discovery Walk, (Welcome Stranger Monument trail guide) – March 1990 : The Welcome Stranger Discovery Walk is situated in the Moliagul Historic Reserve, 2 km south-west of Moliagul and 60 km west of Bendigo. The surrounding forest contains numerous examples of former alluvial and reef mining. The Welcome Stranger Discovery Walk is a leisurely walk of 15-20 minutes commencing among some red stringybark trees named from the fibrous nature of their bark. The ‘Welcome Stranger’ nugget, the largest ever recorded in the world was found beside a stringybark tree. A root from the tree had grown over the nugget and right through a small hole in the gold. Walking down the track you pass a few large ironbark trees. These have a dark, very thick, and deeply fissured bark. Around here you can see the yellow flowers of rough wattle and orange flowers of gorse bitter pea. These, along with orchids, are best seen from August to October. Map details 10 sites on trail: 1. The side of the hill has been mined by surfacing. About 30 cm of topsoil and gravel resting on red clay has been removed by the miners and washed for gold. 2. Behind, here near the picnic table, was once the house of John Deason and family. It was a small two roomed dwelling with a large wooden table and a fireplace at one end. The ‘Welcome Stranger’ was brought in here and placed in the fire to burn off the debris. 3. This is the puddler where Deason and Oates were treating the wash from their surfacing claim. A puddler was a watertight circular trench with timber walls and base. It was filled with water from the dam and the dirt was added. A horse walking around the perimeter dragged a series of chains or harrows which broke up the wash-dirt and dissolved the clay. The resulting sludge was then drained away. When only clean stones remained they were removed and put through a cradle to separate the gold. Puddlers did not recycle water, so as the dam dried up the miners had to cease operations. Since a puddler was often cleaned up only once a fortnight, Deason built his house nearby as a deterrent to thieves. 4. The pile of stones in the cleared private land nearby are all that remain of Richard Oates’ house. He was busy cultivating this paddock when Deason called him up to show him the nugget. This area was then populated with a number of European and Chinese miners and they were two dairies and a market garden, all, within sight of here. 5. The wooden headstone right on the fenceline dates from the 1960s. Although the inscription is no longer legible it is reputed to be a Chinese grave. 6. Piles of stones from fireplaces, raised dirt floors and a narrow laneway between are the only remnants of a Chinese camp. It dates from the 1860s. Chinese were not always welcome on the goldfields so often lived in camps away from all other nationalities. 7. This is a good example of a former puddling machine. 8. This forest was once full of magnificent large trees which were cut down for the miners’ needs. The trees formed a canopy under which, in the open grassland, kangaroos and emus were plentiful. 9. Although this tree has been cut down like many others in this forest, the stump has survived and sprouted new trunks. This is known as coppice growth. Red box trees have rounded leaves, unlike the grey box trees across the gully, which have long elongated shiny leaves. 10. After the first gold discovery in September 1852 at the bottom of this gully, the miners gradually traced upstream to here. This was called Black Gully because the gold was often stained with black ironstone. The Welcome Stranger Discovery Walk, (Welcome Stranger Monument trail guide) – as current 2006 : The Welcome Stranger Discovery Walk is situated in the Moliagul Historic Reserve, 2 km south-west of Moliagul and 60 km west of Bendigo. The surrounding forest contains numerous examples of former alluvial and reef mining. Map details 10 sites on trail: 11. Examples of surface mining. 12. Site of John Deason’s two-roomed house. 13. Site of John Deason and Oates’ Puddler. Deason built his house nearby as a deterrent to would-be thieves. 14. Site of Oates’ house. 15. This wooden headstone dates from the 1860’s. It is reputed to be a Chinese grave. 16. Chinese camp. 17. A former puddling machine. 18. This forest was cut down to fill the miners’ needs. 19. Examples of new growth (coppice). Red and grey box trees. 20. Black Gully. Miners worked upstream to here. Pamphlet continues with details of local history: Gold at Moliagul The first recorded discovery of gold in this district was made about a kilometre from here in September 1852. This discovery created a rush in the area, and a Police Camp was established to keep law and order among the 4000 miners. Gold gradually became more difficult to find, and many miners left for more popular goldfields, though some with more substantial claims remained. Among these were two Cornish miners, John Deacon and Richard Oates. Both Deason and Oates were born on the island of Tresco, 50 km south-west of Lands End, England. The two grew up together, and after learning of the discovery of gold in Australia, arrived in Bendigo in February 1854. They spent eight years there with only moderate success, and then moved to Moliagul. Deason and Oates pegged a paddling claim on the side of this hill; they were aware of large nuggets having been found in the gully below (known as Black Gully). They also selected farming land near this site which they continued to farm while stripping the surface layer of the paddling claim and washing it in a puddling machine. In 1866 the pair found a 1.1 kg (36 oz) nugget, which encouraged them to continue with their efforts. As history shows, their persistence paid of with the discovery of the "Welcome Stranger", still the largest nugget ever found in the world. The Discovery of The Welcome Stranger On the morning of Friday 5 February 1869, Deason was breaking up soil on the claim when he hit what seemed to he stone. After hitting it a second and third time and clearing away the soil with a pick he saw gold. The nugget was only 2.5 cm (1 inch) below the surface; after clearing away more dirt Deason broke his pick handle in an attempt to lever it from the ground. He finally resorted to a crowbar. Oates, busy ploughing in his nearby paddock, was oiled up by Deason's son. Not wanting to create suspicion among people living and working nearby, the two miners covered the nugget again and continued as if nothing had happened Later that afternoon the nugget was placed in their dray and taken down the hill to the Deason house. The gold was stained black by ironstone deposits and was mixed with a large quantity of quartz. After placing the nugget in the fire, the gold expanded and the quartz became brittle and loose. When the nugget cooled 26 kg of quartz was prised off and later gushed in a tool battery, belonging to a Mr Edward Endey [sic – should read Eudey]. Revealing The Find After keeping the discovery to themselves all weekend, Deason and Oates decided to hold a party for their friends on the following Monday. They hid the nugget under a cloth at the end of the table, and at an appropriate moment during the evening revealed their magnificent prize. "Don't go home boys" said Deason, "That’s solid gold and I want you to stay the night and escort it to the bank at Dunolly tomorrow”. Next morning, the nugget was loaded onto Edward Endey's [sic] spring cart and the convoy left for Dunolly. Walter Brown, a neighbour, was selected to go into the London Chartered Bank and ask the teller "What are you paying for gold by the hundredweight?", after which the nugget was brought in and presented to the manager. Weighing & Recording The Nugget As the nugget was too large to be weighed on the bank scales, Archie Walls, the blacksmith was called in to cut it into smaller pieces. The total weight of the nugget, including what was obtained from the crushed quartz and other pieces broken off and given away to friends, was estimated at 72.5 kg (2332 oz). It was considered a shame that in all the excitement no-one thought to photograph the nugget, and the only sketches made were drawn from memory. The photograph shown here was taken at the site later, the finders using a large piece of quartz to represent the nugget. Life after The Find Soon after the find, Richard Oates returned to Cornwall, where he married Jane Penrose. He wasted little time in bringing her back to Moliagul and continued working the claim with Deason. By 1875 it had been worked out and Oates moved with his family to Dunolly. He continued farming, shifting a second time to land in Bealiba then later to Woodstock near Bendigo. Richard Oates died in 1906 aged 79, and is buried in the Marong Cemetery. John Deason continued with mining, having various puddling machines and later a quartz crushing battery. During the depression of the 1890s, part of his livelihood came from operating the battery in Moliagul, thus providing great stimulus and encouragement for other miners to sample reefs in the area instead of merely seeking alluvial gold. He invested money in further property, known as The Springs, at Moliagul, and he and his family moved there. His descendants still farm land in Moliagul today. John Deason died in 1915 aged 85 and is buried in the Moliagul Cemetery. Welcome Stranger nugget souvenirs It is likely that John Deason and Richard Oates both souvenired pieces of the Welcome Stranger nugget to keep themselves and to pass on to family members and friends. This can be evidenced by records of pieces handed down over the years, at least one piece of the nugget still held by relatives in Australia as well as items of jewellery made from the gold: - John Edward Deason (1874-1940): John was the second youngest son of John and Catherine Deason. John possessed enough gold from the Welcome Stranger nugget to have manufactured three small motifs (approximately 15mm in diameter) which were mounted on the handles of three silver-plated teaspoons. These motifs depicted: a gold-miner’s pan with small nuggets; a mine winch and rope; and a crossed miner’s pick and shovel. The fine work was probably undertaken by a Kalgoorlie goldsmith prior to 1920. The spoons are in the possession of Deason descendants in Western Australia and have been used at exhibitions depicting Australian gold, including the Welcome Stranger nugget, both in Australia and overseas. In March 2008, the spoons formed part of a display of memorabilia of John Edward Deason and his son, George Wilfred Deason at the home of Deason descendant, Jill Caldwell, Bendigo. The Bendigo Weekly newspaper reported on the spoons and their history. In addition, a small piece of the Welcome Stranger nugget was retained by the family and this nugget “enclosed in a wooden casket” was donated by Louisa (‘Annie’) Deason (John’s widow) to the National Museum of Victoria in 1941. The Museum indicated that the nugget would be exhibited alongside its replica of the Welcome Stranger nugget. (Further research required to determine size and current location of the donated piece). - Alfred Deason (1868-1933): Alfred used gold from the Welcome Stranger nugget to manufacture a gold brooch set with an emerald. This piece was a gift for his wife Alice Scadden for when they married in 1898. The brooch is oval in shape approximately 35mm by 25 mm and depicts a grape vine overlaying an oval cylindrical band of gold. The brooch is hallmarked “AW” – a hallmark used by Alfred Walsh, a jeweller of Melbourne, who operated throughout the late 1800’s and up until 1912. The piece is now in the possession of Deason descendants in Bendigo. - Richard Oates (c1827-1906): Richard is known to have given at least three pieces of the Welcome Stranger to relatives in Cornwall, England. Richard did not have any surviving siblings and his father had already died prior to him returning to Pendeen about 1870. His mother died one year later. One of these pieces was given to George Wilfred Deason (1904-1988), son of John Edward Deason (1874-1940) in 1964. George had visited Pendeen, Cornwall and the ancestral home of the Oats family. It was during this time (about 1950) that he made friends with James Oats. James’s grandfather was the cousin of Richard Oat(e)s of Welcome Stranger fame. Prior to George returning to Australia permanently in 1965, James Oats wrote to him after reading in The Cornishman (magazine) of his imminent departure. In the letter James offered George a small piece of the Welcome Stranger nugget which had been in the possession of his late uncle William Treffey Hoblyn. In addition, James indicated that he two more pieces of the Welcome Stranger nugget. George accepted the small piece and it is still in the possession of Deason descendants in Western Australia. ‘The Springs’, Moliagul John and Catherine Deason purchased a small farming property, called ‘The Springs’, some 2 kilometres east of Moliagul where they lived for many years. The property was later sold to the Carliss family and in the early 1930’s to Ted and Ettie Shay. The current owners are the second generation of the Shay family owners – John and Vera Shay. From photographs taken in the early 1930’s by Ted and Ettie Shay, and from discussions with current owners, John and Vera Shay, it is reasonably possible to determine the buildings that existed in the Deason era: • A single-storey stone building with central doors (front and rear) and two windows either side of each door, i.e. a typical Cornish miner’s style house of which many can be still seen in the Central Victorian goldfields area. Construction was of local granite which was roughly cut and cemented together. The front door probably faced west where there was a verandah which ran the length of that side. (Note: the verandah may have been a later addition). The rear door faced east. Two timber (weatherboard) additions were later placed at either side of the rear (eastern door) – one was used as a wash-house. The stone building contained a large fire place sufficient for general cooking and baking of bread. The floor was finished with large flagstones of slate. This building, and its later weatherboard additions beside the rear door, still remain today (2006) mostly intact. However, additions by the Shay family in 1933 required removal of the verandah on the western side. There is no evidence of whether this building was divided into rooms. However, it was certainly large enough (approximately 7 metres by 4 metres – internally) to contain sleeping areas separate to the kitchen/eating area. • A single-storey wooden building existed to the south of the stone building. The two buildings were separate – some 10 to 15 metres apart. The layout was similar to the stone building – central doors facing east and west with small, single windows either side of the doors and at least one small window on the northern side (note: we have no photo of the southern side). The building was made of vertical boards of eucalypt which were probably fixed to eucalypt logs. Some examples of this type of early construction can still be seen around Moliagul. The front door appears to face east. A verandah ran the full width along the eastern side. There does not appear to be a verandah on the western side. From photographs it is possible to estimate the size of this building to be approximately 5 metres by 4 metres. • A wooden sleep-out was located on the northern side of the stone building a short distance (about 5 metres) from the western verandah. It appears to be the top part of an old road-coach and was probably used as additional sleeping quarters for the large Deason family. • A hay shed also existed further to the north. A photograph shows it to be made of vertical eucalypt logs driven into the ground with a slab roof covered with straw. An example to of this type of hay shed construction can still be seen on a farm one kilometre along the road from ‘The Springs’ towards Moliagul. Some old fruit and nut trees still remain on the property. Some of these may have been planted by the Deasons - such as the very large almond trees and the walnut and fig trees, A local newspaper article of 1896 noted the property as having “a nice orange grove that needs no artificial protection and which is now in full bearing”. ‘The Springs’, History – prepared by Ron Carless, 1969: VISIT TO “THE SPRINGS” MOLIAGUL by courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Shay in conjunction with the Welcome Stronger Centenary Committee "The Springs", 1¼ miles east of Moliagul township, were referred to in writings as early as 1853. Hugh Fraser was one of the early settlers there. In 1859, his wife established a boarding school for young ladies in her home at "The Springs". In 1861, the area was described as a beautiful and healthy position”. Henry Niothec had a vineyard at “The Springs" in 1865. Other early settlers who selected land in the vicinity of "The Springs" were W. Vezey, J. W. Fawcett, E. and S. Morris, Charles Kemp and Edward Caldwell. After the discovery of the "Welcome Stranger" nugget in 18869, John Deason and his family went to live at “The Springs”. Mr. Deason remained at "The Springs" until the property was purchased by Frederick and George Carless. Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Carless, their daughter Florence, and son Pearcey, made "The Springs" their home until 1929 when they moved to Western Australia. Some of the property was sold tm the Shay family and the remainder retained by Mr. George Carless. Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Shay are the present owners, of the property, and it is due to their kind permission that this Visit to this historic spot, is possible. The old stone kitchen, believed to have been built by local stone-mason named “Cumberland Jimmy", still forms an important living area in Mr. and Mrs. Shay's home. The kitchen with its flag-stone floor, wide chimney said bread oven, has a cellar on the east side. Stoned up wells may be seen just north of the house. These are supplied by springs which have their source at the foot of a hill covered with huge granite boulders. These springs, after which the area has been named, were a very important source of fresh-water for early district settlers. A reserve, east of "The Springs”, was once a popular picnic site, and picnics were being held there in 1871. This pamphlet was prepared by Ronald L. Carless Secretary Welcome Stranger Centenary Celebrations, MOLIAGUL, Via Dunolly, 3472 Victoria. Mining Ventures, Shareholdings & Other (farming) landholdings Soon after the discovery of the Welcome Stranger nugget John Deason and others (names not known) made application for a mining lease over 10 acres of land covering the Black Reef area where the nugget was found. The application was approved 25 June 1869 and appeared in the Government Gazette: Office of Mines, 25 June 1869 Applications for Mining Leases Approved (after the expiration of one month) Maryborough Mining District, application no. 19/69, J Deason & others, Lease no. 943: approx. area: 10 acres 0 rods 12 perches; investment amount & manner: £1500/steam machinery, minimum workforce: first three months, four men, subsequently eight men; locality and timing: Black Reef, Moliagul/as soon as lease is granted; term and remarks: 15 years/exercising the overlap on lease block No 709, Maryborough, and on application for lease No. 917, Maryborough. By 1872 John may have found himself in financial difficulties as he is recorded as owing money: Outstanding Accounts as at 22 January 1872 Payable: at the Receipt and payment Office, Dunolly, John Deason. In 1872 John was successful with another mining lease application: Office of Mines, 12 April 1872 Applications for Mining Leases Approved (after the expiration of one month) Maryborough Mining District – Dunolly Division Lease no. 1440: dated: 20 March 1872; term: 15 years; J Deason; extent: 16 acres 1 rod 23 perches; payable: £16/8/0. Note: unfortunately the notice gave no indication of the location of the land involved. But in the same year was unsuccessful with another, much smaller, mining lease application: Office of Mines, 3 May 1872 Application for Mining Leases Refused Maryborough Mining District – Dunolly Division Application No 6/72 for lease No 1585: J Deason; extent: 2 rods 15 perches; locality: Moliagul. And later in 1872 John lost a small holding: Licences Revoked Inglewood Mining District; John Deason; Parish: Moliagul; extent: 3 rods 1 perch (72 15531/19 sec) – Melbourne, 18 November 1872. And in 1873 he lost his lease of April 1872: Office of Mines, 20 June 1873 Application for Mining Leases Abandoned Maryborough Mining District – Dunolly Division Lease no. 1440: dated 20 March 1872; J Deason; extent: 16 acres 1 rod 23 perches; locality: Moliagul. In 1873, John may have again found himself in financial difficulties: Outstanding Accounts as at 22 August 1873 Payable: at the Receipt and Payment Office, Dunolly, John Deason. And a month later nothing had changed: Outstanding Accounts as at 15 September 1873 Payable: at the Receipt and Payment Office, Dunolly, John Deason. By 1874 John Deason had turned his attention to land outside of mining, probably land that could be used for farming: Crown Grants and Leases The following Supplementary List of Crown Grants and Leases on hand at the Receipt and Pay Offices name, on the 30th June last … Treasury, Melbourne 5th August 1874 At the Receipt and Pay Office, Dunolly John Deason. Note: unfortunately the notice gave no indication of the size or location of the land involved. In 1875 John Deason took out a lease on land, probably with the intention of farming: Application for Licences … Approved Lease no. 11576 D: John Deason; area: 19 acres 3 rods 38 perches; Parish: Moliagul; dated 1 April 1875, yearly payment: £2/0/0; licence fee: £0/2/6, payable: Dunolly. Note: it is possible that this was the same land that appeared in the 1874 notice (see above). In 1875 John Deason commenced a new gold mining venture at Wayman’s Reef, Moliagul. In September 1875 he applied for the mining lease. (Copy held by the Moliagul Museum). It records: Notice of Application for Gold Mining Lease … Dunolly … Name … and style under which it is intended that the business shall be carried on: John Deason / Style not determined Extent of ground applied for, and whether on or below the surface, or both, or a lode: About 8 acres. On and below. A lode. Name of each person (if any) who ???? [unclear] occupation of the land: None Minimum number of men to be employed: For the first three months, two men. Subsequently, when in full work, as many men, as can be profitably employed Precise locality of the ground: Wayman’s Reef, Moliagul Term required: Fifteen years Time of commencing operations: A month after granting lease Amount of money proposed to be invested, and in what manner the land is to be worked: £1000. By horse power and manual labour. Whether the boundaries of land applied for will include any river, creek, deposit of permanent water, spring, artificial reservoir, public roads, or subject to any public rights: None. General remarks: None. Date and place: Moliagul Sept, 1985 John Deason [signed] The lease was approved in October 1875 with a slightly reduced land area: Office of Mines, October 1875 Applications for Mining Leases Approved (after the expiration of one month) Maryborough Mining District Application no 8/75: J Deason; lease no. 1935; approx. area: 5 acres 3 rods 38 perches; investment amount & manner: £1000/workforce: first six months, two men, subsequently three men; locality and timing: Wayman’s Reef, Moliagul/on grant of lease; term: 15 years. John later lost the lease over Wayman’s Reef: Office of Mines, January 1876 Mining Leases – failure to execute leases Lease no. 1935: dated 2 December 1875; term: 15 years; J Deason; extent: 5 acres 3 rods 38 perches; Fine: £3. In 1876 John Deason renewed his lease over the farming land taken up in 1875: Issue of New Licences … Approved Lease no. 11576: area: 19 acres 3 rods 38 perches; dated 1 April 1876; yearly payment: £2/0/0; licence fee: £0/2/6; payable: Dunolly. And in 1876 took out a lease on a much larger area of land, again, probably with the intention of farming: Application for Licences … Approved Date of lease: 27 March 1876; John Deason; Parish: Moliagul; extent: 54 acres, 0 rods 13 perches; rent payable half-yearly: £2/15/0; rent due to date: £2/15/0; licence fee: £1/0/0; certificate fee: £1, total: £4/15/0; payable: Dunolly. The licence for the smaller parcel of land was subsequently issued in 1877: Issue of New Licences … Approved No. of licence: 11576; John Deason; area: 19 acres 3 rods 38 perches, Parish: Moliagul, date of licence: 1 April 1877, yearly payment: £2/0/0; licence fee: £0/2/6; payable: Dunolly. In 1878 John Deason renewed his lease over farming land taken up in 1876: Issue of New Licences … Approved Lease no. 11576: approx. area: 19 acres 0 rods 0 perches; Parish: Moliagul; dated 1 April 1878, yearly payment: £2/0/0; licence fee: £0/2/6, payable: Dunolly. John did not give up on Wayman’s Reef and in 1878 renewed his application over an even larger area than before: Office of Mines, 1st November 1878 Applications for Mining Leases Approved (after the expiration of one month) Maryborough Mining District, Application no: 7/78; J Deason; no of lease: 2068; approximate area: 22 acres 1 rod 6 perches; investment amount & manner: £6000/workforce: first six months two men, subsequently ten men; locality and timing: Wayman’s Reef, Moliagul/on grant of lease; term 15 years. John did not give up on Wayman’s Reef and formed a company – Aurora Quartz Mining Company Limited – of which he owned 50% of the shares: Aurora Quartz Mining Company Limited: formed 10 September 1878; mining at Wayman’s Reef, Moliagul; 7 shareholders holding a total of 15,000 shares at 10/- per share; total paid up capital £7,500. Shareholders included: John Deason, Quartz Crusher of Moliagul; 7,500 shares (£3,250); John Pollard, miner of Moliagul, (long-time friend of John Deason from Carrarack, Cornwall); 1,500 shares (£750) and his brother, Richard Pollard, miner of Moliagul; 1,500 shares (£750). This mining venture was officially gazetted in September 1878: Mining Notices Aurora Quartz Mining Company Limited Place of Operations: Wayman’s Reef, Moliagul Registered Office: Broadway, Dunolly Nominal capital: £7,000 Manager: John Henry Yates Dated: 25 June 1879 Note: gazette also included a list of shareholders – same as listed above. In 1879 John Deason renewed his lease over Wayman’s Reef: Office of Mines, January 1879 Mining Leases Approved (certificates issued) Maryborough Mining District – Dunolly Division, Lease no. 2068; dated 9 December 1878, term: 15 years; J Deason; approx. area: 22 acres 1 rod 6 perches, amount payable: £11/3/0. Note: location not noted. In 1879 John Deason renewed his lease over farming land taken up in 1876 at a reduced cost: Issue of New Licences … Approved Lease no. 11576; approx. area: 19 acres 0 rods 0 perches; dated 1 April 1879, yearly payment: £1/18/0; licence fee: £0/2/6, payable: Dunolly. However, by November 1879 John had fallen into arrears: Leases in Arrears District: Dunolly License no. 11576; dated: 1 April 1875; John Deason; Parish: Moliagul; extent: 19 acres 3 rods 38 perches; rent due: £2/2/6; due: 1 April 1879. In 1887, John Deason was initially unsuccessful in obtaining a lease over land probably intended for farming – being rejected on two occasions: Licences and Leases not Granted No.: 236: John Deason; 236 acres 0 rods 0 perches, Parish: Moliagul . However, in 1887 John was successful with his application for a much smaller parcel of land: Department of Lands and Survey Melbourne, 6th July 1887 Applications for Licences Approved No.: 226: John Deason; 20 acres; Parish: Moliagul; date of licence: 1 June 1887; payment: £1, licence fee: £0/2/6, total: £1/2/6; payable: Dunolly . In 1888 John Deason renewed his lease over farming land taken up in 1887 at a much reduced cost: Renewal of Licences … Approved No. of licence: 226; John Deason; 20 acres; Parish: Moliagul; dated 1 June 1888, yearly payment: £1/0/0; licence fee: £0/2/6, payable: Dunolly. In 1889 John Deason again renewed his lease over farming land taken up in 1887 at a much reduced cost: Renewal of Licences … Approved No. of licence: 206 [sic]; John Deason; 20 acres; Parish: Moliagul; dated 1 June 1889, yearly payment: £1/0/0; licence fee: £0/2/6, payable: Dunolly. In 1891 John Deason again renewed his lease over farming land taken up in 1887: Renewal of Licences … Approved No. of licence: 226; John Deason; 20 acres; Parish: Moliagul; dated 1 June 1891, yearly payment: £1/0/0; licence fee: £0/2/6, payable: Dunolly. Miscellaneous • John and Catherine spent their later years operating and living in a small shop on the corner of Moliagul-Dunolly and Monuments Roads. The brick shop still exists today (2006) (Section E, Lots 1 & 2). • John’s grave at Moliagul carries the motto “Onward and upward true to the line”. • John Deason made his last Will on 30th November 1903. In it he left all his estate to his wife Catherine. • Probate on John Deason’s estate was granted in 1915 to his wife Catherine. The probate document stated that John had left: o real estate - not exceeding £50 in value – being Lots 1 & 2 of Section E in the township of Moliagul (one rood and thirty nine perches in area); and o personal property - not exceeding £573/13/4 – being made up of: household furniture; £400 deposit in the Bank of Victoria, Dunolly and £150 in debts and interest owed to John. Note: Moliagul, Section E, Lots 1 & 2 are situated on the corner of Moliagul-Dunolly and Monuments Roads. Existing building is numbered 1433 Dunolly-Moliagul Road. • There is no probate record for John’s wife, Catherine. This is likely to indicate that there was little left of John’s estate by the time of her death six years later, in 1921. • John Deason was not the only Deason to immigrate to Australia. There are at least two other Deasons who emigrated to Australia: o Emma Jane Deason – arrived in 1862, a native of London. She died in the Melbourne Hospital in late August 1867 of pulmonary phthisis (TB). There is no record that she had a partner or had any children; and o Sarah A Deason – arrived 23 January 1855, Adelaide, on board the ‘Telegraph’. She was aged 17 and came from Cambridge, England. • It is likely that all other Deasons in Australia are descended from John Deason and Catherine McAndrew. Acknowledgements: • Rick Smith, Launceston Tasmania, Australia • Rob Oats, Devon, England • Rob Smith, Runaway Bay, Queensland (via Dick Deason, Moliagul, Victoria) • John Morrow, West Preston, Melbourne, Victoria • Sue Stewart, Australia (via Ancestry.com) • Janet & Bill Storer, Charlestown, Newcastle, New South Wales • Leigh Prideaux, Carrum, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Bev Harte, Toongabbie, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Joyce Harris, UK • Greg McKerlie, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia • Mavis Coghlan, Upper Swan, Perth, Western Australia, Australia • Leonie Ackley, Como, Perth, Western Australia, Australia • Michael Kiernan, UK • John Tully, Moliagul, Victoria, Australia • Grace Deason, Morphett Vale, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia • Phill Deason, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, England • Ron Carless, Moliagul, Victoria, Australia • June Randall, Bayswater, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Rob Oats, Devon, England General references: • International Genealogical Index (1998-2006), Parish Baptismal, Marriage and Burial records, extract Greg Campbell, 2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007, for Deason, Cornwall, England (ref – D_Doc_#101, #102 & #103) • www.Ancestry.com, 2006, England and Wales, Birth, Marriage &Death Indexes, 1837-1983, extract Greg Campbell, Jan 2006, for Deason, Cornwall (ref – D_Doc_#101, #102 & #103) • www.conwalleng.com, 2005, Cornwall Parish Register index - Births & Marriages, extract Greg Campbell, Oct 2005, for Deason (ref – D_Doc_#101 & #102) • National Burial Index, Edition 2, (1813-1837) • Rick Smith, 2004, Notes for John Deason, ref (D_Doc_#096) • Rick Smith, 2005, Deason Family Tree (ref – D_Doc_#136) • Leslie & Phill Deason, c1960-2004, Deason Family Tree, transcribed G Campbell, Sep 2004, (D_Doc_#127) • Billy Warburton, 1969, Deason Family Tree, (ref – D_Doc_#014 & #015) • Joyce Tuohey, c1940, Deason Family Tree, (ref – D_Doc_#016 & #017) • General Records Office, 2000 & later, Birth, Marriage & Death indexes, 1838-1983, checked by Greg Campbell on an individual basis • Cornwall On-line Census Project, 2008, Cornwall Baptisms pre & post 1813, extract June 2008, Greg Campbell for Deason, Cornwall (ref-D_Doc_#212) • Cornwall On-line Parish Clerk, Cornwall Baptisms, extract June 2008, Greg Campbell for Deason, Cornwall, 1755 to 1900 (ref-D_Doc_#224) • Dianne Donohue, 2005, Baptisms for Isles of Scillies 1837-1903 (ref-D_Doc_#231) • Cornwall On-line Parish Clerk, Cornwall Marriages, extract June 2008, Greg Campbell for Deason, Cornwall, 1700-1904 (ref-D_Doc_#222) • Cornwall On-line Parish Clerk, Cornwall Marriage Banns, extract June 2008, Greg Campbell for Deason, Cornwall, 1837-1904 (ref-D_Doc_#221) • Cornwall On-line Census Project, 2008, Cornwall Marriages post 1815, extract June 2008, Greg Campbell for Deason, Cornwall (ref-D_Doc_#216) • General Records Office, 2005, 1841 Census of England & Wales, extract Greg Campbell, May 2005 for Deason, Cornwall (ref - D_Doc_#100) • General Records Office, 2005, 1841 Census of England & Wales (original handwritten entry) for Deason, in: Cararack, Cornwall (ref - D_Doc_#002); Madron, Cornwall (ref – D_Doc_#003); Paul, Cornwall (ref – D_Doc_#004); Penzance, Cornwall (ref – D_Doc_#005), St Buryan, Cornwall (ref – D_Doc_#006); St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly (ref – D_Doc_#007); Tresco, Isles of Scilly (ref – D_Doc_#008) • General Records Office, 2005, 1841 Census of England & Wales, (original handwritten entry) for Oat(e)s, in Bojewyan, Cornwall (ref – D_Doc_#009) • General Records Office, 2005, 1841 Census of England & Wales, (original handwritten entry) for Davey, in Boscaswell, Cornwall (ref – D_Doc_#001) • General Records Office, 2006, 1841 Census of England & Wales, (original handwritten entry) for all inhabitants, Cararack, Cornwall, (ref - D_Doc_#097) • General Records Office, 2006, 1851 Census of England & Wales, (original handwritten entry) for Bonetto & Deason, in Trewellard, Cornwall (ref – D_Doc_#010) • General Records Office, 2006, 1851 Census of England & Wales, (original handwritten entry) for Davey in Trewellard, Cornwall (ref – D_Doc_#011) • General Records Office, 2006, 1851 Census of England & Wales, (original handwritten entry) for Oat(e)s, in Bojewyan Stennack, Cornwall (ref – D_Doc_#012) • General Records Office, 2006, 1851 Census of England & Wales, (original handwritten entry) for all inhabitants, Cararack, Cornwall (ref - D_Doc_#159) • General Records Office, 2006, 1851 Census of England & Wales, (original handwritten entry) for William Oats, Botallack, Cornwall, fellow passenger with John Deason on Epaminondas (ref - D_Doc_#160) • www.west-penwith.org.uk, 2006, Extract of Baptismal Records from Parish of Pendeen (1849-1859), (ref – D_Doc_#051& #101) • www.west-penwith.org.uk, 2005, Kelly’s Post Office Directory of Cornwall 1856 – St Just-in-Penwith, (ref – D_Doc_#108) • www.west-penwith.org.uk, 2005, Extract of Public Houses for Pendeen, (ref – D_Doc_#107) • Gazetteer of Cornwall, 1884 (copy not held) • Cornish Emigration (book), 19??, – (full particulars to be located – see also footer) • Hodge, 19??, South Australian Shipping Arrivals & departures (Hodge Index), checked for 1852-1854 • South Australian Immigration records, checked for 1853, Deason & Oat(e)s (correct title, date publisher to be determined) • The South Australian Register (newspaper), 1853 & 1854, shipping departures checked, 26 December 1853 to 3 March 1854. • www.theshipslist.com, 2008, South Australian Immigrant Ships 1847-1855, (ref-D_Doc_#195) • R Harris, J Jeffery, G Slattery, Bound for South Australia, 2004, extract for Epaminondas (ref-D_Doc_#267) • South Australia, Government Gazette, 5 January 1854, pps 3 & 5 (ref-D_Doc_#266) • Port of Melbourne, Victoria, immigration records, checked for 1853, Deason (D_Doc_#112) & 1854 Oat(e)s (D_Doc_#197) • www.reach.net, 2006, Lloyd’s Shipping Register, extracts for Epaminondas and Sultana (4 ships), (ref-D_Doc_#050) • www.oats.org.uk, 2006, Oat(e)s Family Tree, extract for Richard Oat(e)s, 7 June 2006 (ref - D_Doc_#094) • www.oats.org.uk, 2006, Oat(e)s Family Tree, extract for Jane Blewett Penrose (wife of Richard Oat(e)s), 7 June 2006 (ref - D_Doc_#095) • Sue Stewart, 2002, McAndrew Family Tree, as published on Ancestry.com (Harris/Townsley family tree), extract 12 February 2002 (ref – D_Doc_#074) • Janet & Bill Storer, 2003, Family History – Catherine McAndrew, (ref – D_Doc_#042) • Victorian Electoral Roll 1856, checked for Deason & Oat(e)s • Genealogical Society of Victoria, 2003, Goldfields Hospital Admissions 1860-1920, extract 6 April 2006 for Deason & Robinson (ref – D_Doc_#091) • John Tully, 1990, Map of gold finds & mines – Dunolly, Tarnagulla & Moliagul, probably part of a larger document, (ref – D_Doc_#060) • Author unknown, 1858, Discovery of a Nugget Weighing 22 Pounds, an article in the Hobart Courier, 18 June 1858, reprinted from the Ballaarat Star, 17 June 1858 (ref-D_Doc_#268-#X14) • Francis Knox Orme, 1869, Report to the Mines Minister, from Dunolly: Story of an Old Gold Diggings, James Flett, 1974, (ref – D_Doc_#165) • Author unknown, 1869, Largest Nugget in the World, The Welcome Stranger, article in Dunolly & Betbetshire Express, newspaper, 12 February 1869 (ref- D_Doc_#269) • Author unknown, 1869, Largest Nugget in the World, The Welcome Stranger, article in Dunolly & Betbetshire Express, newspaper, 12 February 1869, transcription by John Tully, 2006, (ref- D_Doc_#165) • Author unknown, 1869, The Late Discovery, article in Dunolly & Betbetshire Express, newspaper, 16 February 1869 (ref- D_Doc_#270) • The Times (newspaper), London 19 April 1869, p 5 (ref – D_Doc_#033) • Robert Brough Smythes, 1869, Goldfields and Mineral Districts of Victoria, section – Large Nugget found near Dunolly (ref-D_Doc_#165) • Marion R McAdie, 2006, Mining Shareholders Listing 1857-1886 (Vic) (ref – D_Doc_#255) • Government Gazette (Vic), 1857, 1858, 1869, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1879, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1891 extracts for Deason (ref-D_Doc_#244) • John Deason, September 1875, Notice of Application for Gold Mining Lease, (ref-D_Doc_#251) • Probably John Tully, 19??, Name of Publication not known, p 30 (probably a transcription from a newspaper of about 1905) (ref- D_Doc_#031) • John Tully, 200?, John Deason’s 1905 Account, part of Welcome Stranger display, Dunolly, 2006 (ref-D_Doc_#165) • Dunolly and Betbetshire Express, 17 September 1915, from Deason Family Tree, Rick Smith, (ref – D_Doc_#136) • Erle Cox, 1926, Gold-seekers of the ‘Fifties, an article in the Argus, newspaper, 9 September 1926, under News Illustrated (ref – D_Doc_#268-#545) • Pipeclay-Brown, 1931, The Welcome Stranger, an article in the Argus, newspaper, 23 May 1931, under News (ref – D_Doc_#268-#553) • C R C Pearce, 1932, Famous Nuggets – The Wheel of Fortune, an article in the Argus, newspaper, 19 March 1932, under News (ref – D_Doc_#268-#X14) • Author unknown, 1932, The Finding of the “Welcome Stranger”, article in Dunolly & Betbetshire Express and County of Gladstone Advertiser, newspaper, p1 (extract from Dunolly “Express”, 12 February 1869, p 1 (ref- D_Doc_#181) • Author unknown, 1934, The Finding of the “Welcome Stranger”, article in Dunolly & Betbetshire Express and County of Gladstone Advertiser, newspaper, p 3 (ref- D_Doc_#182) • Pat O’Neil, 1940, Gold – By The Hundredweight, article in Picture News (magazine) (ref- D_Doc_#185) • Pat O’Neill, 1940, Gold – Two Hundredweight of it, article in Woman (magazine), (ref- D_Doc_#180) • Probably Venus Free, 194?, Quambatook Story of Welcome Stranger Gold, (ref – D_Doc_#030) • Charles Barrett, 1944, Gold – The Romance of its Discovery in Australia, (ref – D_Doc_#032) • Author unknown, 26 Feb 1969, Weekly Times, p 70, 71 (ref – D_Doc_#183) • Ronald L. Carless, 1969, Visit to “The Springs”, a pamphlet prepared for the Welcome Stranger Centenary Celebrations (ref – D_Doc_#166) • James Flett, 1974, Dunolly: Story of an Old Gold Diggings, pp 159-163 (ref – D_Doc_#203) • Anthony Black, 2000, Romancing the nugget, as published in Sunday Herald Sun (newspaper), 5 March 2000 (ref – D_Doc_#026) • Kim Mawson, probably 2000, Golden welcome, as published in unidentified newspaper, about 2000 (ref – D_Doc_#028) • Katherine Knight, 2001, The Real Welcome Stranger Story, as published in Gold Net Australia, April 2000 (www.gold-net.com.au), extract Greg Campbell September 2001, (ref – D_Doc_#027) • John Wright, 2005, A golden moment for two Scilly lads, as published in Western Morning News, (English newspaper), 1 November 2005 (ref – D_Doc_#093) • Author unknown, 2008, Moliagul – Tiny and historical significant gold mining town, article in FairfaxDigital (ttp://walkabout.fairfax.com.au/fairfax/locations/VICMoliagul.shtm), (ref-D_Doc_#202) • John Tully, 1990, The Welcome Stranger Discovery Walk, guided tour pamphlet, 2 pages (ref-D_Doc_#035) • possibly John Tully, 200?, The Welcome Stranger Discovery Walk, guided tour pamphlet, 3 pages (ref-D_Doc_#164) • Victorian Birth, Death and Marriage indexes – 1855-1920, extract Greg Campbell, May 2001, for Deason (ref – D_Doc_#106) • Victorian Marriage indexes – 1921-1942, extract Greg Campbell, 2005, for Deason (ref – D_Doc_#105) • Victorian Death indexes – 1921 -1985, extract Greg Campbell, 2005, for Deason (ref – D_Doc_#104) • Genealogical Society of Victoria, 1988, Victorian Cemetery indexes – 1855-1950, extract Greg Campbell, 1988, for Deason (ref – D_Doc_#131) • Annette O’Conner & Bev. Hanson, 1993, Where they lie: early burials on the Bendigo Goldfields 1852-1870 • B M Jackman, 2003, Bendigo Advertiser Personal Notices 1881-1895, Vol 2, p 106 (ref – D_Doc_#173) • Greg Campbell, 2002-2004, Moliagul Cemetery – Headstone transcriptions for Deason, (ref – D_Doc_089) • Victorian Probate Indexes, 1905 to 1929, checked for John & Catherine Deason, John Deason (ref – D_Doc_#049), Catherine, no probate. • Last Will - John Deason, 1903 (ref – D_Doc_#048) • Probate - Estate of John Deason, 1915, (ref – D_Doc_#049) • Public Records Office, Victorian Inquest Indexes 1840-1985, checked • Moliagul Cemetery Register – 1868-2008 (ref-D_Doc_#252) • John Edward Deason, 1938, Letter to George Wilfred Deason – Family History, (a story of his life in Victoria & Western Australia) (ref – D_Doc_#190) • The National Museum [of Victoria], 9 Dec 1941, Letter to Mrs L A Deason, Boulder, WA acknowledging receipt of gold (ref - D_Doc_#176) • James Oats, 1964, Letter to George Deason (recollections of their friendship since 1950 & Oats family history) (ref - D_Doc_#177) • George Wilfred Deason, 1986, Letter to Mr Davis – Family History, (a story of his life in Australia & England) (ref – D_Doc_#191) • Glynnis Reeve, 1995, History of Tresco in the Isles of Scilly (copy held) • Michael Kiernan, 2003, Correspondence regarding Deason & Oates Monument, Redruth, Cornwall, as recorded by Rick Smith, Apr 2008 in Deason Family Tree (ref - D_Doc_#201) • Rob Smith, Runaway Bay, Queensland, 1991, Correspondence regarding Edward Eudey (ex Dick Deason, Moliagul, 2006), (ref – D_Doc_#020) • www.land.vic.gov.au, Victoria, Land titles map – Moliagul, Section E, Lots 1 & 2 with notations by Greg Campbell, (ref – D_Doc_#059) • Rob Oats, 2006, Correspondence regarding Oat(e)s Family Tree • Janet & Bill Storer, 2006, Correspondence regarding McAndrew Family Tree • Leigh Prideaux, 2005, Correspondence regarding early Jenkin(s) and Pender families, Isles of Scilly • John Morrow, 2006, Correspondence regarding Welcome Stranger re-enactment photographs by William Parker • Bev Harte, 2006, Discussions regarding Deason’s arrival in Australia • Greg McKerlie, Bendigo, 2007, Discussion with antiques expert indicates that 1st class silver-plating (EPNS A1) was not generally used after 1920 • Anthony Radford, 2008, Gold mementos make a welcome return, article in Bendigo Weekly, p3 (ref-D_Doc_#198) • June Randall, 2008, Correspondence regarding Charles Webber’s sketch of Welcome Stranger • Rob Oates, 2008 , Correspondence regarding Oat(e)s immigrant on Epaminondas | ||||||||||||||
| Last Modified 16 November 2005 | Created 8 June 2009 using Reunion for Macintosh |