Elijah Nigel QUARTERMAINE
Elijah Nigel QUARTERMAINE was born in Katanning, Western Australia on 15 September, 1842, the son of Elijah and Elizabeth (nee Dickenson) Quartermaine, on the family property “Yowangup”. The WA census for 32 December, 1859, shows him as residing in York however he passed away in Katanning on 7 September, 1916.
His father Elijah Quartermaine, originally from Farthinghoe, Northamptonshire in England, was born on 31 July, 1814, and passed away in Katanning on 14 August, 1888, aged 74 years. Elijah married Elizabeth Dickenson on 30 December, 1837, at Garsington, Oxfordshire, England and they had ten children. Elizabeth was born in Marsh Baldon, Oxfordshire, England on 9 May, 1819, and died in Beverley, Western Australia on 23 November, 1873, aged 54 years.
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Elijah Nigel QUARTERMAINE
The following is a passage from Quartermaine book:
Elijah Nigel Quartermaine son of Elijah Quartermaine, built a two room cottage on the family property, intending to marry a school teacher from England whose passage to the colony he had arranged. His plans did not work out, because the woman jilted him and returned to England, allegedly taking with her 200 pounds belonging to Elijah.
Mary (nee Wartum) Quartermaine
When he was over his disappointment Elijah fell in love with Mary Anne ‘Wartum’, or ‘Wantum’, a woman of Aboriginal and European descent living in the Aboriginal encampment. A story is told of how Mary was to have been married to a tribal husband, but she fled from her camp to avoid this. Elijah offered her protection and an alternative to tribal life, and later marriage.
Another story tells of how Mary came to work for Elijah as a housekeeper, bringing with her two children by a former marriage. The couple’s common unhappy experiences in love provided a bond between them, their feelings for each other grew, and they were married or lived together. It is likely that both of these stories contain elements of what actually happened.
In any event, Elijah and Mary remained together for the rest if their lives and had a large family of twelve children, many of whom were named after their uncles and aunts on their father’s side.
On the death of Elijah Quartermaine senior, Elijah inherited part of the estate. This passed to Mary on his death, and then finally two grandchildren, Eva and Emily Rodney.
MARY ANN WARTUM
Born in York, Western Australia, Australia on 1846 to Wurgam Wurgam and Yungurt Yungurt. Mary Ann “Notuman” Wartum [2] (Wantum) married Elijah Quartermaine and had 13 children. She passed away on 8 Nov 1920 in Katanning, Western Australia.
Mary had a total of thirteen children; John (Jack) Ninyette, Louise Ward; Timothy Quartermaine; Phillip Quartermaine; Helen Nellie Quartermaine; Fanny Quartermaine; Clarence Quartermaine; Edward Quartermaine; Lily Quartermaine; Winnie Quartermaine, Meena Quartermaine and Lavinia Quartermaine
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