A TAMAR Valley project gathering information on miners who emigrated from Devon and East Cornwall in the late 19th and early 20th century, is delighted to have heard from an Australian woman living in North Devon.

Heather Wills is the great, great, great granddaughter of Samuel Friend Williams, who left Morwellham as a boy in 1859 to work in Australia as a miner in 1869.

Heather herself lives in Barnstaple with her husband and baby daughter and read about the appeal in the Times by the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage project — based in Gunnislake — for information on Cornish and Devon 'Jacks' who migrated to work mines throughout the world.

She contacted TVMH researchers Vanni Cook and Joanna Lewis, working on the Migration, Emigration and Transhumance' project and told them the fascinating tale of her ancestor, Samuel William, who was born in Morwellham in 1855 and died in Kadina, South Australia in 1936.

Samuel lived in Morwellham in a cottage, it is believed, to have belonged to Squire Lakeman, and later at Bere Alston. He sailed to South Australia on 'The Orient' on November 24, 1869 aged 15 years-old, travelling with his aunt and uncle.

Before he sailed he was presented with a bible by the Morwellham Methodist Chapel's Sunday School as a leaving present on August 27, 1869. Heather's granny, Betty May Ryle, still has this family bible in Australia.

After arriving in South Australia it is thought that he worked on the Bremer Mine in Callington then moved to Wallaroo in 1870.

He worked at the Wallaroo Mines and Moonta Mining and Smelting Company until 1886, then in Kadina until 1906. Samuel helped in the installation of the mine's first pumping plant and held positions of responsibility; he often went to mines in Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and in Broken Hill he was the first shift boss.

He was a known figure within the mining community around the Kadina area and was the secretary of the Methodist Mining Association.

Heather said: 'There are trees planted by him in the park in Kadina which are still there today.

'He married a lady called Sarah Anne Nicks and had a daughter called Eva May — who entrusted the bible to my grandparents.

'I am looking forward to being able to find out more and fill in the gaps. I know my family will be excited to hear all about it too. Interestingly, my granny is a Gill — but not from Devon!'

The fascinating tale of some of the lives of these miners and their families is being collated for the the Tamar Valley Mining Heritage project 'Migration, Emigration and Transhumance.'

Researchers Vanni and Joanna would still like to hear from Times readers who have information about miners from the area — especially those who migrated to Moonta in South Australia and the Okiep Mining District in Namaqualand, South Africa.

Call 01822 615610 or email [email protected]">[email protected]

Mine captains born in Tavistock or Devon: (Source: Mine Captains of the Copper Triangle, Yorke Peninsula, South Australia  complied by Liz Coole and J R Harbison , Natioanl Trust, Moonta Branch Project, 2006.) 

l Bice, Samuel  Sandoe, b 1821 'Berralston', Devon

l Brown, Thomas Langdon, b 1819, Tavistock.

l Cowling, Richard, d 1854, Calstock.

l Elford, Thomas, b Tavistock, May 2, 1865 'and came to Australia as an infant'.

l Foote, John, b 1846, 'Beeralston', Devon.

l Lean, John, b c1818 – Devonshire (no place of birth).

l Lean, Thomas, b c1819 Bere Alston d 1901.  He was the son of Captain Jospeh Lean and arrived in South Australia in the ship 'Brightman' with his parents and brother and sister.

l Manley, William b Devon (no town cited) arrived in South Australia in the ship 'General Hewett'.

l Morcombe, George, b Devon (on date or place of birth) arrived in South Australia on June 25,1855 in the ship 'Seaspark'.

l Northey, Robert 'A well-known captain of the Devon Great Consols and North East Moonta Mines as early as the 1870s, and is listed  on the voter's roll in 1878 as residing at Devon Consols. On March 5, 1874, his six-year-old son William James died from a fractured skull when he fell down a shaft at North-East Moonta.  An inquest was held and the verdict returned was accidental death'.

l Snell, William, b c1814 — d 1887 (Devon).  He arrived in 1845 on the 'Isabella Watson'.

l Sutton, John Phillips, b 1842 in Devonshire.

l Thomas, John G, b 1831 in Devon arrived on the 'General Hewett' in 1858.