It appears this photo of Rose Emmeline Beaton (nee Dober) and James Norman Beaton - back row - was taken in 1894, in the same year that my great grandmother, Violet Gladys (the baby in the centre) was born. To the left of Violet is Mary Ann Beaton, Violet's great grandmother, from Pictou, Nova Scotia. To the right, is Margaret Stevenson, JN Beaton's mother.
Click here or on the photo for a larger and better quality image.	Photo courtesy of Vicki Crawford

James Norman Beaton, my great, great grandfather, was born in 1870. He was married twice in the 1890s. His first marriage to my g g grandmother, Rose Emmeline, in Bendigo, only lasted four years. In 1897 he left for Western Australia, "in search of work", never to return. Rose Emmeline filed for divorce in 1902 on the grounds of "desertion". In the period between his departure in 1897 and his first marriage being dissolved, James Norman had established a whole other life with Emily Devereaux in Coolgardie, WA.

James Norman appears to have been an adventurer - vocationally as well as romantically - and dreamt of finding his fortune at Coolgardie, a town which by 1897, experienced the most frenzied gold rush in Australia's history. In that same year, there were over 700 mining companies operating in the town and by 1898 it had the 3rd largest population in Western Australia (15 000).

Source: http://www.west-oz.com/Regions/Goldfields/Coolgardie/coolgardie.asp

Life with Emily ...

We know that Emily was born in South Melbourne on the 5 September, 1872 to an Alexander Devereaux and Emily Elizabeth Devereaux (nee Best). James Norman and Emily moved around Australia a fair bit in the years at the turn of the century; they were following the mining circuit it seems. Children were born in Menzies, WA and Queenstown, Tasmania. The couple also spent some time in Chillagoe, Queensland, in the remote tropical north of the state. In 1901, JN worked for the Chillagoe Railway and Mines Company. Under the guidance of the eccentric entrepreneur, John Moffat, in the 1880s, the company had uncovered rich deposits of copper in the limestone outcrops with Moffat going on to subsequently develop a vast mining empire across Queensland.

Emily and JN Beaton stayed together for 53 years until their deaths in Carlton, Victoria.

This is a photo of JN Beaton's second family. According to my records, Emily and James Norman married in 1896 in Coolgardie. From left to right: Stanley (with the blond curls and what looks like a kilt and sporan), Lesley, Emily holding Hugh Ronald and Norman. Click here or on the photo for a larger, better quality shot of the family. Photo courtesy of Vicki Crawford

JN Beaton's Divorce ...

JN Beaton married Rose Emmeline in 1893 and they had two children, Isobel (who died at birth in 1892) and my great grandmother, Violet Gladys in 1894 (see box below).

As mentioned above, Rose Emmeline filed for divorce on the grounds of "desertion" in 1902 and later married a certain Mr. Heyes. She became commonly known as 'Grandma Heyes' by surviving descendants. We know from the divorce papers that after their marriage in 1893, JN Beaton and Rose Emmeline lived at Chum Street, Bendigo, for approx 18 months. They then moved to Creek Street, Bendigo. On 5 September, 1897, JN Beaton left for Western Australia "to seek work". He sent letters to Rose Emmeline until February 1898.

At the time of the divorce, JN Beaton's parents, James and Mary Ann, claimed that their son had "disappeared" and that they had no knowledge of his whereabouts. However, on the occassions when James and Emily had children (in the same period) postcards were exchanged between the two parties. It is probably the case that all involved - parents included - wanted a swift resolution to the divorce so that everyone could get on with their lives. Up until the 1950s divorces were notoriously difficult to obtain and often involved lots of acrimony and scandal. It seems JN Beaton and Rose Emmeline were fortunate in being able to avoid any nastiness.

In keeping with the requirements of divorce proceedings based on desertion, Rose Emmeline did, however, place advertisements in two newspapers seeking JN Beaton's whereabouts, firstly in the Argus (2-6 September, 1901) and then in the Bendigo Independent (30-31 September, 1901).

Above: four generations of the Beaton/Dober family tree starting with Violet Gladys Beaton (b. 1894, d. 1897)

A Jack of All Trades ...

Before his departure in 1897, JN Beaton was an active and civic minded man with participation in a number of committees, clubs and societies continuing throughout his life. He seems to have been very talented and did not resile from risk taking whatever the line of work he pursued or wherever he went. He seems to have been able to adapt to new circumstances and new jobs with relative ease.

He was elected a member of the "Temperance Fire Brigade", Bendigo on 26 April, 1896. He filled the position of Appartus Officer, then Hose Officer and finally Foreman. A reference from that time speaks glowingly of him :

He was also at one time our resident station keeper having charge of the horse and horse cart. He was a first class driver, very careful, and is a thoroughly practical fireman. He is one of the coolest of men and can take in the situation at a flash and we are sure that he will do credit to this brigade if elected to the Metropolitan Fire Brigade.

James also worked his way up the hierarchy of the Freemasons. Bro. J.N Beaton became Grand Master of the IOOF of Menzies Lodge No.22 in WA between 1909-1910. He was elected Secretary of the Branch 28.3.1904 - 20.6.1904 and 29.1.1907 - 29.6.1912 and was also Treasurer between 1904 and 1907.

Bro. JN Beaton, Grandmaster, IOOF, Menzies, W.A. 1909-1910. Second row from top, fifth man from the left. Photo courtesy of Vicki Crawford

In 1915 the family returned to Victoria. JN Beaton entered the SEC at Yallourn as a bricklayer in 1923 and worked there until 1939 as a guide. It seems that mining was in JN Beaton's blood as he had started out searching for gold as a young man, moved on to copper mining in Queensland and finally ended up working in a town dedicated to brown coal mining. His work on various committees in the community showed that he was also very civic minded and a capable organiser. The work he did after his retirement as a guide for the SEC and lecturer for the Workers Education Association - presumably on a voluntary basis - also showed that he was engaged intellectually and valued adult education.

There are references to JN Beaton in two books produced about the town, the first called, Yallourn Was by P McGoldrick. The other book about the early history of brown coal mining in the area is The Old Brown Coal Mine by Kath Ringin. References to JN Beaton are as follows:

In October 1929 one hundred people turned out to see the 60 slides of places seen from the Metropolitan Tramways Board tourist tram. Lecturer for the evening was J.N. Beaton, President of the Working Mens Club. (page 65)

(Referring to the Yallourn Medical Fund) The first board of management was elected from 24 nominations on 28th March, 1929. It was composed of J.N. Beaton (President), V. H Burrage (Vice President). (page 74)

(Referring to the swimming club) A month later (Feb 1930) a Swimming Club was formed with the following office bearers, Pres. R.D Dixon, Vice Pres. B.J Drummond, J.M McCafferty and J.Beaton. (page 89)

On his retirement in 1939, James N Beaton was an SEC Guide. When asked "How many people work here"? his stock reply was "About half of them". When he joined the Commission as a bricklayer in 1923, he lived in the Western Camp where he lectured for the Workers Education Association on aborigines, astronomy and other subjects. He was a member of the Victorian Astronomical Society, he studied at the Bendigo School of Mines prior to gaining mining experience in four states. He was a J.P in North Coolgardie and a Victorian District Grand Master of the Independent Order of Oddfellows and first president of the Yallourn Medical and Hospital Society. (page 180)

Left: James Norman in the 1940s. Click here or on the photo for a larger, better quality image. Photo courtesy of Vicki Crawford James Norman Beaton was obviously an intelligent man with a range of talents and lots of get up and go. He and Emily were, however, ill late in life and were looked after by their son, Hugh Ronald, in their house in Drummond Street, Carlton, for a number of years. James died in September, 1948, at the age of 78. Emily died in 1949 aged 76. After generations of knowing almost nothing about one another, this story thankfully bridges the gulf between descendants from JN Beaton's first marriage to Rose Emmeline (which includes me) and the descendants from his marriage to Emily (including Vicki and Jenny). That we are now mutually engaged in researching the history of the Beatons and sharing information, speaks volumes for the value of knowing and not forgetting the past.

Last updated: October 8, 2002

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