George Bruce Free (1875-1948) and
Martha Clara Vogel (1884-1957)

(last updated 13 September 2017)

Born at Raglan in Victoria in 1875, George grew up in Corack East to where he had moved with his parents and siblings in 1879. There he helped out on the family's farm until it was sold following the death of his father, William Free, in 1890. George remained in the Watchem area for a few years before, like his older brothers William and Alfred, heading to the Western Australian gold fields where he suffered mixed fortunes. On 29 June 1897 the Donald Times reported in its 'Westralian News' that a 'very painful accident happened to Mr Geo Free, of Corack, quite recently. It appears he was cleaning some engine boilers when his foot became entangled, and he fell heavily into a heap of hot ashes, burning his feet considerably. Assistance was quickly at hand and he is now progressing splendidly'. On 13 July the paper's editor informed his readers that 'Mr G. Free, whose accident was reported in my last, is improving and will be able to return to his duties in the course of a few days'. George eventually returned to Corack where, in 1899, he used the profits obtained from his western sojourn to purchase John Casey's farm at Massey as well as a share in the farm of a Mrs S. Stubbs of Watchem.

In February 1902 George married Martha Clara Vogel (pictured on the left in the buggy with her future mother-in-law Eliza Bruce) at Watchem. Martha was born at Mount Torrens in South Australia, the eldest daughter of Johann Carl Freidrich Vogel (1833-1924) and Clara Liersch who had earlier overlanded to the Watchem district from South Australia. According to the Donald Times the ceremony was performed by the Reverend J. H. Shallberg of Donald, and was 'attentively followed' by a large number of guests and wellwishers.

The bride, who was given away by her father, wore a white figured silk bodice, trimmed with silk lace, flounced skirt trimmed with white satin ribbon, a beautiful wreath and veil completing a charming costume. The bridesmaids were Miss Emma and Miss Elizabeth Vogel, sisters of the bride, who were handsomely dressed in cream silk, trimmed with ribbons. After the ceremony, the guests to the number of about 80 sat down to a sumptuous wedding breakfast, provided by the parents of the bride. After the usual series of festive toasts were proposed and honoured with enthusism, the tables were cleared and an extremely pleasant and enjoyable evening's entertainment followed. Many costly and useful presents were received.

Sometime before the onset of the First World War, George and Martha went to live on Melbourne's Mornington Peninsular. The 1914 and 1919 electoral rolls for the Division of Flinders show George Bruce, a farmer, and Martha living at Hastings. In 1924 they were residing at Glaisdale (or Glaesdale) on Benton's Road in Mornington and George was working as a carrier. They remained at Glaisdale for the remainder of their lives, George dying there in 1948 and Martha in 1957.

George and Martha had nine children we know of as follows:

1) Evelyn May Free (1904-80) who married the orchardist Alexander William Unthank (1893-1972) at Morooduc in 1927. The Pawley Family Tree on Ancestry.com states that Alexander's parents were Charles Frederick Unthank (1852-1913) and Caroline Scott. Charles was said to have been born at Stockton on Tees in Yorkshire in England. Ancestry's index of Australian bdms shows that they had as many as eight children in addition to Alexander, all born at either Tyabb or nearby Hastings.

The Australian Archives shows that Alexander, who was then working as an orchardist at Tyabb, enlisted in the 1st AIF on 23 May 1916. He embarked from Port Melbourne on the KAROO on 18 September 1916 and disembarked at Plymouth in England on 15 November 1916. He proceeded to France on 31 December of that year and joined the 3rd Pioneer Battalion in France. He was wounded in action on 27 May 1917 (suffering a GSW to the right arm and SWs to the right arm and leg) and was transferred to England on 8 June. On 27 September 1917 he was repatriated back to Australia and was discharged from the Army on 24 December.

The Australian electoral rolls show that Alexander continued to work as an orchardist after the war and that he and Evelyn lived on Mornington Road in Tyabb where numerous other Unthanks, many of them orchardists, were also recorded as living there. Alexander died at Tyabb in 1972 and is buried with his parents in the Hastings Cemetery. Evelyn died at Mornington in 1980. Although still to be confirmed, we think they had no children.

2) Lillian Madeleine Free (1905-91) who was born at Coongulmerang in Victoria. In 1926 she married a carpenter, Andrew Herbert Sherlock (1897-1966), the son of Andrew Sherlock and Caroline Gibney, at Mornington. They lived at Mornington all of their lives and had at least two children there: Andrew George Sherlock who married Valerie Louise Salt and worked as a clerk, and David Samuel Sherlock who married Marilyn Rice.

3) Clarence Charles Free (1907-79) who was born at Yarram, worked as a labourer and married Nancy Isobel Allison (1914-81), the daughter of Arthur Allison and Louisa Elizabeth Gibson, at Mornington in 1933. They, too, lived at Mornington all their lives and and had at least three children there.

4) Also born at Yarram, Reginald Leslie Free who married Nancy Allison's sister Irene Florence May Allison at Mornington in 1935. The Australian electoral rolls show that after their marriage they lived at different times at Mornington and neighbouring Osborne.

5) Herbert Edward Free (1911-78) was born at Somerville in 1911, and enlisted in the Second AIF at Caulfield on 20 July 1940 (he is shown in uniform in the picture on the left). He was discharged on 14 November 1945 as a private soldier in the 2/22 Infantry Battalion. After the war he continued to live and work at his parents' farm at Mornington. He married Phyllis Burton at St Kilda in 1960.

6) Born at hastings in 1913, Ida Florence Free lived with her parents at Glaisdale until her marriage to Eugene Francis Duncan, the son of Louis Robert Duncan and Grace Waterhouse, in Melbourne in 1941. During the war they lived in the Melbourne suburb of Moonee Ponds where Eugene worked as a carpenter and Ida as a munitions worker. At war's end they moved to Daylesford where Eugene was a sawmiller. Although still to be confirmed, we believe they had a daughter, Frances Duncan.

7) Vera Alice Free was born at Hastings in Victoria in 1916. She married a Tyabb farmer, John Cranston Murray, the son of William Cranston Murray and Sarah Emily Sawyer, at Morooduc in 1942. Although his exact details are still to be confirmed, it seems that John had by then enlisted in the 2nd AIF and may even was proceeding overseas. The 1942 electoral roll has Vera living at the Melbourne suburb of Moonee Ponds, with her sister Ida and her husband, and, like Ida, working as a munitions worker. The 1949 roll has John also as a munitions worker and living at Moonee Ponds (at a different address). We think that he and Vera had by then separated although this is still to be confirmed.

8) John ('Jack') Allan Free (1918-86) married Dulcie Mary Henry (1918-2002). They lived at Moonee Ponds during the Second World War but later went back to Mornington where both died and are buried. They had seven children: Jacqueline Ann, Cheryl Marie, Peter Charles, Michael George, Timothy John, Paul Bruce and David Alan Free.

9) Born at Mornington in 1921, Arthur George Free (1921-2006) married Mildred Ellen Anderson (1920-82) at St Kilda in 1947. According to the Free Family Tree on Ancestry.com, Mildred was the youngest daughter of Percival William Thomas Anderson (1880-1947) and Lily Eliza Florence Woolley (1888-1935). Arthur and Mildred spent their married lives at Mornington where Arthur worked as a farmer, and had two children there. Mildred died at Mornington in 1982 and Authur in Cairns in 2006.

Arthur George and Mildred Ellen Free nee Anderson on their honeymoon

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Image sources:

'Martha Vogel in buggy with Eliza Bruce nee Free', courtesy of Cheryl Kerr.
'Arthur and Mildred Free' and 'Herbert Edward Free', from the 'Free Family Tree' on Ancestry.com.