2. John David Everard.

John David Everard was the second child and first son born to John Everard and Jane Sanders. No record has been found of his baptism, and civil registration in Victoria did not start until mid-1853, so John's birth date is uncertain. All evidence points to him having been born in c. 1852, at Warrnambool. He would often state that he was the first white child to be born at Warrnambool, but this is yet to be authenticated!

John David Everard was my grandmother's grandfather, so he was in turn my great-great grandfather.My grandmother was in her twenties when John David Everard died in 1931, but because she had grown up away from Warrnambool where most of the rest of the Everard family remained, she did not know her maternal grandparents at all well.
In fact, I know absolutely nothing of John Everard's life beyond the fact that he earned his living as a plasterer.He must have received some basic education at the very least, because he could read and write, unlike his sisters Elizabeth and Mary Ann.

Years ago I was in contact with Tony Everard, one of John David's grandsons who had known his grandfather well. Tony described him as follows:

" He was a man of medium build, with a friendly nature. His hobbies were fishing and card playing, and he was Captain of the Warrnambool Fire Brigade from 1895 to 1900."

Tony also transcribed for me several newspaper notices that were published in the local Warrnambool paper after John David's death in 1931. I copy them for this blog as follows:

"DEATHS: EVERARD- On the 9th inst., at his residence, 95 Timor Street, Warrnambool, John David, beloved husband of Sarah Everard. Aged 79 years.(The funeral will move from his late residence, This Day(Friday) at 2:30 p.m for the Warrnambool Cemetery. BEATTIE & PHILLIPS, Undertakers. Phone 165 (day or night)."

"WARRNAMBOOL: Mr. John Everard, one of the pioneers of Warrnambool, has died after a short illness. he was born in Warrnambool seventy-nine years ago. He was a member of the Fire Brigade for nineteen years."

" Another link with the early history of Warrnambool has been broken by the death of Mr. John David Everard, which occurred at his home, 95 Timor Street, on Wednesday last after a comparatively short illness.
Mr Everard was born in that part of East Warrnambool known as The Gully, 79 years ago, and the claim has been made that he was the first white child born in Warrnambool.Even though this is open to some slight doubt, it appears to be substantiated by the fact that Warrnambool, according to Osburne's 'History of Warrnambool', started as a township in 1847, five years before Mr. Everard's birth. The locality was discovered in 1844 by a party of sealers from Port Fairy. Living in Warrnambool all of his life, Mr Everard could tell some very interesting tales of the growth from......(rest of article torn and missing."

"The funeral of Mr John David Everard, who died on Wednesday evening last, took place at the Warrnambool Cemetery yesterday afternoon and was attended by a representative gathering of friends and citizens with whom deceased had been associated over a long period of years.
Among the numbers were members of the Warrnambool Fire Brigade, Warrnambool Anglers' Club and the Victoria Lodge, U.A.O.D. Members of the latter institution acted as coffin bearers at deceased's late residence and also at the cemetery. The burial service was conducted by the Rev. W.G Bower, Vicar of the Church of Christ, and Brother L.H Jewell, A.D., read the Druid's Funeral Service.A number of beautiful floral tributes were...(torn and missing)."

So then...John David Everard seemed to be a community-minded man, and he most certainly was family minded as his family grew to 13 children, including two baby sons who died in infancy, a stillborn son and a daughter who passed away aged 16 years. He and his wife Sarah also raised a son who was actually their grandson, born out of marriage to their daughter Hannah, and raised as Hannah's brother to avoid scandal.

John David Everard married Sarah Mary Joyce on March 25, 1873, at "the residence of the bride's father, Lava Street, Warrnambool". John was a 21 year old labourer, the son of John Everard, carpenter, and Jane Sanders, who stated that his present and usual residence was Warrnambool.
His wife Sarah Mary Joyce was 19 years old, the youngest daughter of stonemason John Joyce and Elizabeth Graham. She had been born in Newcastle, England, in 1854, and was a baby when with her parents and two siblings, 7 year old Robert and 5 year old Elizabeth, she boarded the ship 'Athletae' and set sail for Victoria.
The local baptist minister, Ebenezer Henderson, conducted the ceremony, and the bride's parents, John and Elizabeth Joyce, witnessed the event. Sarah could not read or write, and so signed the marriage certificate with a cross.

Their first child, a daughter named Elizabeth Jane,was born in 1873. Other children arrived as follows, all being born in Warrnambool:
Sarah Ann Everard born June 19, 1875 (my great-grandmother)
John Robert Everard born 1877
Hannah Marie "Annie" Everard born 1878
Thomas Henry Everard born 1879
Justina Matilda Everard born 1881
David George Everard born 1883
Isabella Everard born 1885
Beatrice Everard born 1887
Albert George Everard born 1889
Ernest Everard born 1889 (twin of Albert)
Stillborn child Everard born and died 1891
Ethel May Everard born 1892

As mentioned previously, another child named Albert (but known always as 'Mick') was born on June 19, 1897, to 19 year old Hannah 'Annie' Everard after she fell pregnant to 23 year old coach builder Thomas Randall. For whatever reason the young couple did not marry, and the baby was raised as the son of John David and his wife Sarah.
I will go into greater detail about the lives of these Everard families at a later date when I turn my attention to my Everard history...at this moment, I am concentrating on Everards purely in relation to their connection with my Sanders family.

After John David Everard's death in 1931, his wife Sarah Mary Joyce Everard lived for another nine years.She died on June 27, 1940, at 83 Koroit Street, Warrnambool, aged 84 years. Her children were listed as being:
Elizabeth Jane 65; Sarah dead; John Robert 63; Hannah 61; Thomas dead; David George dead; Justina Matilda dead; Isabella 52; Beatrice 50; Ethel May 47 and Albert 43.Her twin boys, Albert and Ernest, who had died in infancy were not mentioned.

At John David's death, his children were named as:
Elizabeth Jane; John Robert; Sarah Ann dead; Hannah;Thomas Henry dead; ? dead; David George dead; Isabella; Beatrice; Albert Ernest dead; Ethel May and Albert. I have not included ages, as the copy of the death certificate that I purchased was particularly terrible, and it is impossible to make out ages and in one case, the child's name.