42.1.7.1.c2 George Bills - Sofala connection

George Bills was born around 1836 in New South Wales the son of William Bills.

He worked in the goldfields, as per information on Margaret's death certificate.

They were living near Gravesend in Northern New South Wales in 1872.

She had her daughter Charlotte with her, and subsequently she and George had two sons.

William Bills was born in Gulgong in 1875.  Gulgong was another gold mining area.
John George Bills was born in 1878.

Charlotte Durnford always knew she had two step brothers.

When Margaret died in 1879, who looked after the children?

It would appear that Charlotte was made a ward of the state, but perhaps George kept the family together.

A George Bills married in 1879 an Elizabeth Mary Jane Walker born 1856.

As a widowed man, this was often the norm.


Hopefully this is the correct family:

But Elizabeth was not a well lady.  She suffered acute hysteria, so the reports from the Goulburn Herald indicate, when she was charged with keeping goods, not her own.

In 1881 she was assaulted.

 Goulburn Evening Penny Post (NSW : 1881 - 1940) Tuesday 28 June 1881

Southern Argus (Goulburn, NSW : 1881 - 1885) Tuesday 7 February 1882 



Then in February 1882 George faces the same charges, he was a carpenter working in Goulburn, and had rented a house in which belongings were left by previous occupants.

The stress of the assault and the unfortunate ending may have caused Elizabeth to go missing.

Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia Event Type Missing Person
Publication Date15 Feb 1882  Page #58  George Bills

Things get even worse, when he attacked the bailiff, who was coming to remove him from the property.

That landed him 6 months in Bathurst Jail.

Elizabeth seemed to return, as three children were born in from 1885 to 1892.  Unfortunately they all died.  They were living at Garden Street Alexandra.

 Then in 1891, he had another mention of an assault.

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Thursday 8 January 1891

The death certificate for George Bills will be loaded when obtained, currently it is unavailable.

There are no death records for Elizabeth Bills in NSW.  There are several for Elizabeth Walker prior to 1900.


Mr and Mrs Tasker was Charlotte, Margaret's daughter.

The Relationship with George Bills and Sofala   Why concentrate on Sofala?

Charlotte wrote about it in some poems

There was an extensive gathering of the family of Bills on the Goldfields at Sofala and the surrounding areas.

Trying to work out the relationships of the different members of the Bills family has been difficult, as often the names have been transcribed incorrectly, Bill/Bills/Bell.

There was obviously some family connection between George and William from Sofala.

A Thomas Bills arrived as a convict, and Thomas Bills was the father of William
George Bills father was William.

Some unusual provisions are contained in the will of Mr. George Bills, formerly of Kent

street, Sydney, but late of Broadway, Camberwell, wire mattress manufacturer. Mr. Bills died on December 14, and by his will dated October 16, 1925, he provided for the distribution of his estate in Victoria, consisting of £4864 realty and £3602 personal. After providing for certain legacies, he directed his trustees to invest the money representing his personal estate and the proceeds of his real estate when converted into money "for the construction of horse troughs wherever they might be of opinion that such horse troughs were necessary or desirable for the relief of horses or other dumb animals, either in Australasia, the British Isles, or in any other

part of the world, and to pay such sum or sums of money as they might in their absolute discretion think fit to any society or societies for the protection of animals or for the alleviation of cruelty to animals, either n Australasia, in the British Isles, or in any other part of the world." He empowered his trustees at the expense of his estate to have each such horse trough suitably inscribed with the names of Annie and George Bills,

Australia. From the context of his will it is apparent that deceased left substantial assets in New South Wales.

He appears to be the son Richard Hardie Bills and Elizabeth Harper of Brighton UK

In 1923 Sydney Morning Herald 

Mr. W. G. Acocks, president of the R.S.P.C.A., said that tho society had just received a donation of £250 from Messrs. George and Henry Bills. This was the fourth annual donation of the same amount which had been received from the Bills Bros.

£88,000 ESTATE.

-o-
Erection of Horse-troughs.
PREVENTION OP CRUELTY.

A reseal has been granted by the State Re-gistrar (Mr L. M. Addison) of the probate granted by the Supreme Court of Victoria of the will of the late Mr. George Bills, wire mattress manufacturer, of No 50 Broadway, Camberwell, Victoria, and formerly of Kentstreet, Sydney, who died on December, 14 last, leaving an estate in Victoria of the net value of £8467, and In New South Wales of the value of £79,780.

The testator, who was a widower and 68 years of age, appointed Daisy Clara Crook and William Henry Crook, both of Auburn, Victoria, his executors and trustees. Among other legacies he left £2000 to his friend, William Henry Brown, an employee of Bills Bros., mattress manufacturers, of Kent-street, Sydney, and gifts ranging from £100 to £500 to eleven other employees of that firm. He directed that the income from the residue of his estate should be used in the erection of horse-troughs where necessary or desirable for the relief of horses or other dumb animals in Australia, the British Isles, or any other part of the world, subject to the consent of the proper authorities being obtained. He further directed that his trustees might pay such sum of money as they in their discretion thought fit to any society or societies for the protection of animals, or the alleviation of cruelty to animals in the said places.


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