Joseph Richardson

BIRTH & BAPTISM Joseph was born at Connewarre, Reg No. 9191.

Mary Stitson Richardson Sex: Female Husband: Joseph Richardson Son: Joseph Richardson Name: Joseph Richardson Gender: Male Christening Date: 10 Apr 1864 Christening Place: Geelong, Victoria, Australia Birth Date: 29 Mar 1864 Father's Name: Joseph Richardson Mother's Name: Mary Stitson Richardson

Joseph Richardson Australia Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981 Name: Joseph Richardson Gender: Male Christening Date: 10 Apr 1864 Christening Place: Geelong, Victoria, Australia Birth Date: 29 Mar 1864 Father's Name: Joseph Richardson Mother's Name: Mary Stitson Richardson

HIS DOINGS I am adding an article re Joseph Richardson, bullock driver, of Poowong, who is our Joseph. He died at Wycheproof in 1947 aged 82yrs, Reg No 23604, and was a teamster, so driving either horse teams, or bullocks with wool, wheat, and other loads.

1894: Joseph Richardson in dispute with Korumburra Shire Council re land rates. Is this evidence our Joseph had land there? See docs. Not sure re the references to Joseph in Korumburra before 1901. One article seems to say he failed to send 2 children to school in the 1890s, before he married. There is more than one Joseph Richardson in the district, including his father.

It has become clear that Joseph Snr and Mary Ann had moved to Korumburra by 1892 when William was born and died there, and Mary Ann also died the following year. Makes attribution a little tricky. The best I can see at the moment, is that Joseph Jnr lived at Toora, but Korumburra is the administrative centre so anything official happens there. Joseph Snr and Mary Ann lived at Korumburra where Joseph is working as a labourer - so not bullock driving. The hospital is, I think, at Wonthaggi. There are several unrelated Richardson families also in the area, including that of Joseph Richardson, an early settler at Phillip Island who is a substantial farmer, shire councillor, and Joseph Richardson a miner at Wonthaggi, etc.

1894: Joseph Richardson granted a carriers licence at Korumburra Court. Appropriate for a bullock driver or 'oxen conductor'. This is certainly our man.

A number of brief articles re Joseph at Korumburra are in the Great Southern Advocate for the 1890's. They might not all refer to our man.

MARRIAGE Name: Jos Richardson Gender: Male Marriage Registration Year: 1901 Marriage Registration Place: Victoria, Australia Spouse: Margt McEvoy Reference Number: 7172 Joseph married Margaret McEvoy of Geelong in 1901, Reg No 7172, and had a child at Toora, called William Albert. Does this suggest Joseph maintained connections with his cousins in Geelong? Or is it just a coincidence? Perhaps the McEvoys also moved to Gippsland when land was made available.

West Gippsland Gazette 27 Jan 1903 Drouin Court - excerpted from a longer article Joseph Richardson, bullock-driver, deposed : Am employed by Mr Kroschel to pull bridge timber and on the day in question had been employed 2 days. There were a few logs cut on a road near complainant's land and went up to get them. Put some butts of posts under the wheels to prevent the jinker running back into the creek. Hooked a log on and pulled it up on to the waggon. Was standing on the forecarriage and Boucher on the log. Complainant appeared and said "You d - scoundrel is it my posts you're shaking." I said " Are they your posts." He never said anything further but pulled the chocks away. I jumped off and put the posts under again and while doing it he aimed several blows at me. I struggled on to my feet and he made a kick at me and caught me with his foot on the hip. This brought me down and he on top. Putting up my right arm to guard my face he caught my wrist in his teeth. I closed my hand on his whiskers and got my hand out of his mouth. I never hit him at all. Boucher jumped off the waggon and pushed him off. I then told O'Mahoney to go home. He said "I'll have you arrested." I said " You can do as you like." I had no animosity against the man. George Boucher, laborer, corroborated the above evidence.

1906: Joseph and Margaret were living at Toora in South Gippsland when their son William Albert was born in 1906 and died (William Herbert) in 1907. I believe it is therefore probable that his sister Jane (Jennie) was visiting Joseph and Margaret when she was thrown by her horse and killed in 1903.

Margaret Catherine died 1929 at her sister's house in Brunswick, of heat apoplexy during a heat wave. She was visiting from Wycheproof where the family now lived.

ELECTORAL ROLLS Wycheproof: 1928, 1931, 1936, 1837, 1942 - Richardson Joseph, teamster In 1931 & 1937 Joseph is the only family member registered to vote. There is a family of Redgens in Wycheproof in 1937 who just might be Joseph's cousins via John William Richardson (or a coincidence).

It would be nice to imagine one of the bullockies in the picture was Joseph, but highly unlikely. I have added some pics of bullock teams, since Joseph was a bullock driver as a youngster, and is a teamster on his death certificate. Perhaps he moved from Gippsland to Wycheproofe when logging in Gippsland became less reliable work, and wool and wheat stayed consistent in the Mallee and Wimmera. By the end of his life he was more likely driving teams of horses than of bullocks. Added an article re horse vs bullock. See docs

Bullock teams were an accessible option for the sons of poor selectors. Any small farm with dairy cows produces annual calves, half of which are likely to be bull calves and not useful to the farmer. A small holding might provide 8 or 10 bull calves in a year, enough to found a team. Once they are neutered (to become bullocks), trained to follow instruction and to pull a jinker or dray, a young man would be able to get work. As his beasts matured and got stronger and bigger he could contract for bigger jobs. There is a possibility that Joseph provided bull calves for Joseph Jnr and James to become independent carriers. Bullocks have few of the limitations of horses in very rough country, and over long distances, and are a hardier animal all round, as well as a lot less expensive to feed and maintain.

Weekly Times 2 Dec 1882 HORSES VERSUS BULLOCKS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE WEEKLY TIMES. dib, — One of my neighbours works his farm with bullocks, and up to this time I have always kept my pair of horses. We cultivate about the same quantity of land. Neither of us run our stock on the common. My horses require no extra driver and his bullocks have no corn nor chaff. Which is the most profitable team for a farmer? — I am, Sir, etc.. PETER PLOUGHMAN. Mansfield. This question of "Peter's" has been frequently debated. In the first place, horses are capable of all kinds of labour. Horses adapt themselves to every description of road, and every degree of temperature. There is no occasion to select their particular kind of labour, they may be employed in any work, and be attached to any vehicle on the farm. Horses perform their work expeditiously, as well as continuously, thus keeping those who labour with them more fully employed than is the case with bollocks. Horses (the generality of them), though less steady than bullocks at a heavy pull, have the advantage of spirited, rapid motion, enabling them to overcome all obstacles of short duration, and such as would frequently stop bullocks. Bullocks, on the contrary, can perform many kinds of farm work equally well with the horse, and, when kept in good condition, are capable of enduring nearly as much fatigue. Many persons consider them superior to horses for ploughing, especially in new ground. Bullocks are kept much less expensively, their first cost is far below that of horses, their harness is less costly, and their food of cheaper character. Bullocks, when well fed, frequently increase in value; horses, on the contrary, decrease in value with age, and ultimately become a dead loss to the owner. Bullocks are less liable to disease, and produce a much greater amount of valuable manure than horses, if it could be collected. The balance in favour of either one or the other depends upon the quality of the animals, the work to be done, and the plentifulness or otherwise of the appropriate food on the farm or in the locality. — Agbi. Ed. W.T.

I have added some excellent historical information about bullock drivers to brother James Richardson's profile, since he also was a bullocky.

DEATH & BURIAL Name: Jos Richardson Birth Year: abt 1865 Age: 82 Death Place: Wychprf, Victoria Registration Year: 1947 Registration Place: Victoria Registration Number: 23604