Charles Beasley Williams (2nd) was born at Stafford England in 1851 the son of Charles Beasley Williams and Eliza Phillips and grandson of Benjamin Williams and Mary Gretton.
Agnes Annie Bibbins was born in 1854 at Knitsley, Co. Durham, England the daughter of Thomas Bibbins and Anne.
Presumably the Williams family, or maybe the young Charles moved to the growing industrial area of Stockton / Darlington / Middlesborough not far from the Cathedral City of Durham.
Charles and Agnes were married on 23/9/1872 at St. John the Evangelist Church in Middlesborough. The marriage records give his occupation as “engine tester” of Millbank St. Middlesborough. It is recorded elsewhere that before emigrating Charles was employed by the firm of Dorman & Long who later became the contractors for the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Charles was of a retiring, homely nature, a great reader – in fact, it was the reading of Australian literature that gave him the happy thought of emigrating to Australia. Following the reading of a book on Australia which invited applications from those willing to emigrate.
He eventually made application and was finally accepted to sail by the ship “Hampshire”. Fortunately for the Williams family, a prior applicant decided not to sail on the “Hampshire” and they were allowed to occupy that berth. Had this not occurred the family would have embarked on the “Kapunda”, which went down, due to a collision – with all hands.
It has been said that the British, as a nation, were the world’s most successful colonisers – and Mr. Williams possessed those characteristics typical of the Britisher. In facing a journey of 13,000 miles with a wife and five children in a sailing ship, bound for a new country, without friends or capital, except two good hands and a desire to use them.
Landing at Fremantle in January 1887 after three months on the water, without landing. In the latter stages of the voyage Agnes gave birth to their sixth child, a son, on 27/11/1986. The child was named Hampshire but survived only a few hours and was buried at sea on the 28/11/1986.
All emigrants were received into the immigration depot until such time as the men got work. Charles Beasley entered the Railway Service in the same year and served continuously for 30 years without the loss of anytime by sickness or otherwise.
Charles served in the Avon District for a number of years and the family appears to have resided in Northam, Beverly, and York at various times. Wesley was born at Northam in 1888, Gertrude at Northam in 1890, Frank at Beverly in 1892 and Beatrice at York in 1895.
In 1893 the family selected the Coolup property known as Cleveland on the East bank of the Murray River. To prepare some sort of habitation for Mrs Williams and the younger children the three eldest sons, Tom 17. Charles 14, and Bert 12 were despatched from York with a horse and heavily laden dray.
It was a nightmare journey and finally the overburdened horse died, all the lad’s slender store of money being needed to purchase another. They used to relate how, on camping each night, they would kneel by the side of the dray to pray for the successful conclusion of their mission.