Gnowangerup History

Family Histories

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PORTEOUS FAMILY

William and Robert Porteous and their families came from South Australia.
The family of William and Ellen Porteous: William b. 1880, Herbert b. 1883, Elsie b. 1885, Ethel b. 1887, Eva b. 1889, Andrew b. 1891, Roy Edgar b. 1893, Laurie Edney (1895- 1971), Ada b. 1898 and Archie b. 1902. Differing reports give their arrival in Gnowangerup as 1903 or 1904. In 1915 William gave the year as 1903 to a newspaper reporter.

The family of Robert Porteous and Alice nee Hampton:. Their children were Henry b. 1887, Edith b. 1888, Lillian b. 1891, Albert Roy b. 1893, Esther Dorothy ‘Dorrie’ b. 1895, Ruby Jane b. 1898, Muriel b. 1902, Keith b. 1904 and John b. 1905.

ROBERT PORTROUS #1

PORTROUS' "GLENHAMPTON: #

They arrived in Albany on St Patrick’s Day 1907 and almost immediately travelled to Gnowangerup with the Richards family. On the first day at Gnowangerup School in October 1908, William and Ellen’s children Laurie and Ada and Robert and Alice’s daughters – Dorothy, Ruby and Muriel numbered amongst the 17 students. 
Robert was a ‘jack of all trades’ before settling on their small farm named “Glenhampton” about 3 miles west of Gnowangerup. They were known to be friendly and kind - their home was always a gathering place for the community in the early years.

Robert was a ‘jack of all trades’ before settling on their small farm named “Glenhampton” about 3 miles west of Gnowangerup. They were known to be friendly and kind - their home was always a gathering place for the community in the early years.

Robert & Alice’s daughters as per cover photo: Edith married Angus McDonald. Lillian married Edward Corbett, who had worked for his uncle Michael Corbett of Telyarup and managed his brother Ernest’s 1060 acre farm which was near-by. Lillian was a dressmaker and Edward a bullock driver, they later settled in Perth.

Dorothy went to work for Mrs Timms at Glengarry, then at the age of 16 went to help a friend near Jerramungup where she “acted as a mid wife to several women in the district. At the age of 19 she married Nathaniel Ball and went with her husband to live at Clear Valley, about 4 kilometres from Gnowangerup. In 1920 they moved to their own block which they named ‘Lyndhurst’ and which they pioneered. She was the mother of five daughters and one son”. (Info from Dorothy’s daughter, Una Abbott nee Ball)

PORTROUS SISTERS #3

Ruby worked as a drapery assistant before her marriage to Frank Garnett in 1922 in the Gnowangerup Town Hall. They farmed at their property “Roslyn” and had two sons, Francis Maxlyn b. 1924 and Alexander Clayton b.1928. They adopted a daughter Alice Beth in 1939. The family suffered the tragic loss of their son Clayton, who died at the age of 12, while at school.
Muriel married Donald Sclater. Donald had arrived in Gnowangerup in 1912 working as a sandalwood and mallet bark collector before taking up farming.

Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.

References: Article: Research by Merilyn Stewart

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