The Griffiths Family Home Page - Thomas Bowen Griffiths:Information about Henry Isaac Griffiths
Henry Isaac Griffiths (b. 17 Feb 1860, d. 11 Apr 1948)
Notes for Henry Isaac Griffiths:1860 17 February Henry Isaac (known as Isaac or Zac) was Born in Chewton, Castlemaine:
1874: The first Methodist Church service was held in the blacksmith shop at Coonooer Bridge and was dedicated in 1875. The Griffiths family were staunch members and supporters of the Methodist Church in Coonooer Bridge.
1879 (19yo) Isaac's father bought equipment and stock for the Coonooer Estate property called Yawong and presumably lived on and worked the property for 3 years until purchasing the freehold to the property. (See Thomas B Griffiths Notes for details of property purchases.)
1882 John, Isaac's older brother married Sarah Ann Grimmett in Charlton and brought her to live at Yawong.
1883 January. Sarah and John have a daughter Sophie, adding a baby to the household of 5 adults.
1883 22 May: (23yo) Thomas bought the freehold to Cooner Estate in the names of Thomas Bowen Griffiths and Sons. Mr Kineer had selected the property from the Government, sold it to Nicholls, who then sold to the Griffiths family - then known as Canooer Station.
1899 12 January: H Isaac (39yo) married Esther Parry (26yo) in Coonooer Bridge and Isaac also takes his bride to live on the family property at Yawong (now 6 adults and Sophie, John's 6yo daughter.) Witnesses at marriage:Donald Parry and Elizabeth Parry.Isaac and Esther were married at the Parry house at Coonooer Bridge - on St Arnaud side of the river.Coonooer Bridge was named from Mr Kineer as the aboriginals couldn't pronounce Kineer.
1899 Feb 28: The family Bible was presented to Henry Isaac Griffiths by his friends of the Coonooer Bridge Methodist Church as a token of their esteem for him as organist.
1899 Electoral Role and Federal Referendum:Listing of H Isaac and Esther (at Coonooer) has not yet been found, only listing for Thomas B Griffiths at Coonooer East can be found.
1900 18 March (40yo) Gwladys the 1st child for Zac and Esther (was born at St Arnaud.
1902 28 Feb (42yo) Thomas Edwin was born at Coonooer - thefirst son and 2nd child. Thomas was born pre-term, weighing just 2 and a half pounds.Esther's brother, Angus Parry, had ridden his horse into Charlton to get the Doctor who delivered Tom at home at the Coonooer property.
1903 H Isaac (43yo), no doubt with his father's financial backing, bought a Meredith property known as 'Chestervale' and he and Esther and their 2 very young children moved to Meredith, carting fowls and with the assistance of well trained farm dogs, driving a herd of some 300 sheep before them from Coonooer to the new property just outside Geelong - a brave and dusty, slow journey!
1903 Elections: H Isaac Grazier and Esther (Home Duties) at Meredith, casting their votes at the Elaine Polling Place.
1903 was a severe drought year.
1903 Elections:Esther Home Duties and H Isaac (43 yo) Grazier at Meredith.
1904 27 May (Isaac 44yo) Ivor Henry was born at Meredith - the 3rd child and 2nd son for Isaac and Esther.
1907 22/1 (Isaac 47yo) Wilfred John was born at Yeungroon.
1909 Elections: H Isaac, (49yo) Grazier and Esther Home Duties at Meredith.
1910 (50yo) David Parry was born at Ballarat - easy traveling distance by car from Meredith.
1912 3 January (Isaac 52yo) Jessie Mary, 5th child was born in Geelong - also easy traveling distance by car form Meredith.
Picnics at Ballarat Gardens with all the family left strong memories for Gwladys. and Euchre parties in the Meredith Hall with memorable large suppers.The Baker from Elaine called 2-3 times each week.
1914 Isaac (54yo) bought a Dodge car from proceeds of the wool sale that day.He owned 3 Dodges overall. He instilled his love of good quality, well cared for machinery and equipment in all of his sons.
1914 Elections:H Isaac Grazier and Esther, Home Duties at Meredith.
1915Mervyn, the last of Isaac (55yo) and Esther Griffiths family was born in Ballarat.
1916 Daughter Gwladys (16yo) went to Melbourne to Presbyterian Ladies College where she was a boarder, returning home by train at 3 monthly intervals.
1918 Elections:H Isaac Grazier and Esther, Home Duties at Meredith. Gwladys now stayed home helping with the family duties for the next 7 years.
H Isaac used to read poetry while watching the sheep and was proficient at engineering.
1924: Jessie Mary at 12yo died in the Geelong Hospital after an appendix operation which went wrong.She was admitted at 8pm and had died by midnight.She was buried at Meredith Cemetery. Such an unnecessary death of such a young, vital daughter dealt a cruel blow to Isaac and Esther and the family.
1924 Elections: H Isaac (64yo) Grazier and Esther Home Duties at Meredith.
1925:H Isaac (65yo) and Esther give their son Ivor a car for his 21st birthday.
On a New Year's Day, 1925 or 1926,Isaac took his family Tom, Gwladys and Ivor by train from Meredith to Drumcondra for the children to swim at Western Beach. They returned to Meredith on the 6.30pm train.Perhaps it was on this trip that Isaac decided to buy 61 The Esplanade, Drumcondra, the stately home overlooking Western Beach on Corio Bay.
1926, Gwladys (26yo) in mid August married Hugh McNaughton and moved to the McNaughton property 'Oakhurst' in the Ceres district, but Hugh contracted pneumonia and died in the first week of October, leaving Gwladys a widow after only a few weeks of marriage.
1926 H Isaac (66yo) left Chestervale Meredith and moved to 61 The Esplanade, Drumcondra/West Geelong which he bought as a family estate/homestead.
1929 Daughter Gwladys moved to 61 The Esplanade to help with her ageing parents.Eldest son Tom married Geelong girl Mary Kathleen Weddell.
H Isaac continued his love of music and love of playing music and bought himself an organ while at Drumcondra.
H Isaac and Esther were staunch Church goers,firstly the Coonooer Methodist Church, then the Meredith Methodist Church and then in Geelong, St George's Presbyterian Church. H Isaac, like his Father before him,was a loyal member of the Masonic Lodge.It was a regular task for daughter Gwladys to press and lay out the regalia he wore to Lodge meetings.
1937 in October, (Isaac 77yo) son David aged 27 years was killed in a shooting accident on brother Ivor's property at Mirboo North where he had been labouring for 6-7 years.
1937 Brother John aged 81 also died, leaving the Yawong property and his share of the Natte Yallock property to brother Ivor.
1939 brother Ivor (75yo) suffered a massive heart attack anddropped dead in Melbourne on his way to make his Will andH Isaac,at age 79 handled the Executors sale of the Natte Yallock property owned by Ivor (Executors H Isaac, Tom and Ivor Henry) and found himself and his two sons embroiled in a lengthy property claims battle with deceased brother John's estranged daughter, Sophia, resulting in Sophia being bought out and the Yawong property remaining in Griffiths family hands.
He was President of the Vigilance Society and presented a gold medal to all soldiers returning from the war.
Around 1944, H Isaac (84yo) contracted bowl cancer which resulted in his wearing a colostomy bag and needing a great deal of personal care which Gwladys, his daughter provided.
1948 Henry Isaac (88yo) died of Colon Cancer. He was buried at Meredith.
1951 Henry Ivor sold the Coonooer Bridge property and bought a home in Manifold Heights Geelong, one reason being to be near his failing mother and to be better placed to support his sister Gwladys in her caring for Esther.
1953 Esther (80yo) died and was buried alongside H Isaac at Meredith.
None of the Griffiths boys had ever been heard to swear.Tom would whistle "Well, Golly Gosh" while Ivor adopted the phrase "The Bally Messer" or "the messin' thing."
More About Henry Isaac Griffiths:
Died 2: 1911, Mother Mary died, Bur St Arnaud.
Died 3: 01 Sep 1911, Brother John's wife Sarah Ann died in Bendigo, Bur St Arnaud.
Electoral Roll 1: 1903, Div Corangamite, Polling Place Elaine, Grazier (Ref 103).
Electoral Roll 2: 1909, Div Corangamite, SubDiv Meredith, Grazier (Ref 255).
Electoral Roll 3: 1914, C'w Corio, State Warrenheip, SubDist Meredith Grazier (Ref 279).
Electoral Roll 4: 1919, C'w Corio, State Warrenheip, SubDist Meredith, Grazier (Ref 251).
Electoral Roll 5: 1924, C'w Corio, State Warrenheip, SubDist Meredith Grazier (Ref 243).
Electoral Roll 6: 1931, C'w Corio, State Geelong, SubDiv Geelong West, Retired (Ref 2816).
Electoral Roll 7: 1936, C'w Corio, State Geelong, SubDiv Geelong West Retired (Ref 2962).
Land Selection 1: 1880, Lot 4a, Section 5, 320 acres transferred to H Isaac (original selection by John McGregor in 1873).14
Land Selection 2: 1885, TITLE for Lot 4a, Section 5, 320 acres (original selection John McGregor in 1873).14
Property 1: 1903, 'Chestervale' Meredith Vic.
Property 2: 22 May 1883, Coonooer Estate 1,123 acres in Yeungroon Parish bought by TBG and Sons.
Property 3: 1914, 'Chestervale' Meredith Vic.
Property 4: 1919, 'Chestervale' Meredith Vic.
Property 5: 1924, 'Chestervale'Meredith Vic.
Residence 1: 1931, 'Yawong' "31" The Esplanade, West Geelong.
Residence 2: 1936, 'Yawong' 61 The Esplanade, Drumcondra, Geelong West.
More About Henry Isaac Griffiths and Esther Parry:
Marriage: 12 Jan 1899, Coonooer Bridge Wesleyan Methodist Church Victoria Australia.15
Children of Henry Isaac Griffiths and Esther Parry are:
- Gwladys Griffiths, b. 18 Mar 1900, Yawong (St Arnaud hospital) Victoria, d. 02 Sep 2000, Geelong Victoria Australia.
- +Thomas Edwin Griffiths, b. 28 Feb 1902, Charlton Victoria16, d. 18 Jan 1989, Highton Victoria17.
- +Ivor Henry Griffiths, b. 27 May 1904, Meredith Victoria Australia18, d. 07 Oct 1998, Geelong Victoria Australia19.
- +Wilfred John Griffiths, b. 22 Jan 1907, Yeungroon Vic Victoria, d. 21 Feb 1961, St Arnaud Victoria(St Arnaud Hospital).
- David Parry Griffiths, b. 15 Aug 1910, Ballarat Victoria20, d. 09 Sep 1937, Mirboo North Victoria - Shooting accident on family property at Meeniyan.
- Jessie Mary Griffiths, b. 03 Jan 1912, Geelong Victoria, d. 04 Aug 1924, Geelong Victoria.
- +Mervyn Griffiths, b. 15 Oct 1915, Ballarat Victoria21, d. 09 May 1988, Mt Mercer Victoria22.