Charles William Button

Story

A young pastoralist recruited by the Australian Agricultural Company to farm in an area north of Sydney known as the Liverpool Plains in the fledgling colony of New South Wales. His decision to migrate was encouraged by a relative namely Henry Dangar who recognised the labour needs of his young and newly adopted country.

In Michaelstowe, Cornwall Charles Button married Elizabeth Davey on 26 March 1836 and the couple had a son John born on Charles’ 25th birthday. Thus a young family found itself on its way to a young country with much to offer those willing to “make a go” of it.

Setting sail from Plymouth on 17 May 1837 aboard the 453 tonne vessel “City of Edinburgh” the family joined 213 other passengers and 26 crew under the command of Captain Valentine Ryan. The ship took almost four (4) months to complete its journey arriving in Port Jackson, Sydney on 31 August 1837. Charles, Elizabeth and infant John were aboard the vessel for a total of 104 days during which time the surgeon aboard later reported that there had been no loss of life and that passenger numbers had in fact increased by five as a result of births whilst enroute.

Upon arrival in Sydney the Button family were walking to Petty’s Hotel when a wealthy merchant snatched the baby John from his father’s arms and ran away. Once located the man offered Charles 200 ponds for the baby claiming he and his wife were childless and desperate for a child. The offer was refused but thereafter Elizabeth wrapped the child to her body in a shawl.

To make matters worse it just so happened that two young Englishmen were staying at Petty’s Hotel prior to returning to England by the same vessel that had brought the Charles and Elizabeth to the colony. They were disgusted with conditions in New South Wales and gave such a gloomy account that Elizabeth, already unsettled after her harrowing experience with her baby being snatched, wanted to accept their advice and return with them. She was consoled and after a few days rest at Petty’s Hotel the family moved north.

Charles and Elizabeth Button initially settled in the Maitland district. Although the Australian Agricultural Company had a million acres allocated to it in the Hunter valley newcomers found it easy to simply become squatters. Governor Bourke had in fact facillitated the process by an Act in 1836 which simply gave people licences to take up unoccupied land. Succeeding Bourke in 1838 Governor Gipps addressed the then created problem of squatters by introducing new legislation which categorised land into three types – “settled”, “semi settled” and “unsettled”. He stipulated in his Act for example that if one took up occupancy on “unsettled” land and remained on it for 15 years the it could then be purchased at a pound an acre.

So Charles Button then decided to move further north to Burren where he initially took up occupancy of 38,400 acres. Over the coming years the property along with his family would prosper and grow.

After arrival Charles and Elizabeth had seven other children – three daughters and four sons. The Button family tree would however only grow from their eldest and Cornish born son John and their fifth child and third son Thomas Charles who was born on 11 April 1846.

John married Mary Ann Young on 4 December 1862 and had 12 children – nine daughters and three sons. (Most of his offspring coming from his fourth child and eldest son Jonathan Davey Button who had three sons and a daughter although his youngest son Harold had one son.)

Thomas Charles Button married Charlotte Elizabeth Maria Wynn on 23 April 1872 and had seven children – five sons and two daughters.

Their eldest son Charles Herbert Button left the land to enter local government administration becoming Town clerk of Coonamble for 30 years until his retirement at age 66 in 1939.

Whilst their youngest son was to die at 19 years of age in Bourke their other three sons – Mervyn Percy, Thomas Cecil and Leslie Merton stayed on the land forming Button Brothers each taking up large parcels of land around Longreach in far Western Queensland. Those properties included “Retreat”, “Welford”, “Adaford”, “Wallinderry” and “Corrib”. Later, as their families grew, so too other properties such as “Dundee”, “Woolga”, “Wynnstay”, “Minnamoora” and “Crossmoor” were taken up and occupied.

(See – “The Button Family – From Blisland to Burren and Beyond” by Philip M Button)

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