William Davis emigrated from London, England departing 8 August 1848, aboard a Sailing Ship the Babboo, with his family Wife Mary son John and William, daughters Emily and Mary Adelaide ( born at sea) arriving in Port Adelaide, South Australia on 5 December 1848.
It is said that William was married 3 times and had fathered 22 children. This has been handed down through his descendants, further details discoverd that the 1841 census for Middle Street, Brompton, Gillingham, County of Kent, District of Medway,shows a daughter Betsy was living with William at Middle Street,her where abouts from that time are unknown. The Census also shows his Occupation as a Policeman, prior to him coming to Australia.
William was a veteran of the Battle of Waterloo had half his left foot shoot of by a cannon ball, and survive a bayonet thrust to the chest.
William's Occupations: Labourer, Blacksmith, Gardener.
No details of Mary are currently available it is assumed she died in her early infancy as was common in those days, before their parents came to Australia.
William is buried in the West Terrace Cemetery in Adelaide South Australia, the inscription on William's Tombstone gives his age when he died as 90 years old. However it is believed he was closer to 100 years old.
Mary died on the 24th May 1885, and is buried in the Aldinga Uniting Church cemetery, the only remains of her grave is the wrought iron surround, the Head Stone is no longer there.
Quoting from:
The South Australian Register.
ADELAIDE: December 6, 1848.
SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE
ARRIVED
Tuesday, December 5th The barque Boboo, 423 tons, Barker, master from London and Plymouth.
Passengers- Mr John Southam, Mr Isaac Solomon Henry, Mr James Alex. Irvine, Mr John Parker
Buttfield, lady, one daughter and two sons, and Thos. Hunt, Esq., surgeon-superintendent, in the cabin;
William Bennett, Mary Ann Coad, Ann Coad, Charles Coad, Thomas Coad, James Coad, Jane Cook,
Susan Cummings, Wm. Cur-now, wife and two children, Andrew Curnow, Wm. Curnow, George
Curnow, Wm. Fitzgerald and wife, Jane Fitzpatrick, Thomas Geach, Anne Gibney, George Hicks wife
and four children, Elisha Hicks and wife, Jeffrey Moody wife and two children, Joseph Moody, Emma
Moody, Elizabeth Moody, Elizabeth Moody, Mary Moody, Wm. Jose and wife (infant son died at sea),
Dorothy C. Kindley, Catherine Kindley, Mary Ann Molony, Martius Matius wife and four children,
Jon May wife and child, Richard Oats and wife, Stephen Pengelly wife and two children, Simon
Richards, Elizabeth Simmons, Thomas Thomas and wife, Richard Sincock wife and three children,
Mary Ann Spargo, Elizabeth Trevaskis, Wm. H. Trevaskis, Elizabeth Trevaskis, Henry Udy and wife,
Eliza Davis, Cordelia Hicks, Eleanor Paynter, Eliza-beth Reynolds, Rebecca Atkinson, Wm. Booth,
Gridin Caut and one child, Betsy Caut, Charlotte Caut, Mary Selina Caut George Gaut, Ann Carter,
Henry Chamberlain, Alice Chapman, Charles Chiners and wife, Robert Clark, Murray Coventry wife
and two children, Wm. Davis wife and four children (a daughter born at sea), Flora Dawson, John
Faragher, Jane H. Dean, Zillah Dean, Sarah Fishenden, James Foster wife and one child, Richard Fry
and wife, John Gad, Robert Griffiths wife and two children, William Gunn wife and two children
(daughter born at sea), Sarah Hankin, Elizabeth Headland, John Heslop, Joel Harwood wife and five children, Jemima Harwood, Ann Harwood, Joel Harwood, S. A. Howard, Robert Howard, Martha
Howard, Thomas Jervis, Amelia Jones, George Limb and wife (and one child born at sea), Hannibal
Mackenzie wife and child, John Mackenzie, Peggy Mackenzie, Alex. Mackenzie, Colin Mackenzie,
George Mackenzie, James Mackenzie, Donald Mackenzie, Catherine Mackenzie, J. B. Mather wife
and three children, Byron Mather, Washington Mather, Archibald Mather, Ann Mather, Wm. Moore
wife and one child, Wm. Neighbour wife and one child, Charles Perrett, Thomas Raggatt and wife,
Harriet Revett, Richard Robins wife and two children, Wm. Sharrod, John Shepley and two children,
Hannah Shepley, Sarah Shepley, Enoch Shepley, Abel Shepley, James Smith and wife, Murdoch
Tolmie, Wm Tolmie, Alice Thompson, Thomas Turner wife and two children, Isaac Turner1 Martha
Turner, Mary Wilkinson, E. A. Wikinson, David Wilkinson, Elias Devenish, wife and three children,
A. Sydney Devenish, E. E. Devenish, and Margaret Smith in the steerage.
Transcribed in Sep 2OO4 by Malcolm Frost
Mary died on the 24th May 1885, and is buried in the Aldinga Uniting Church cemetery, the only remains of her grave is the wrought iron surround, the Head Stone is no longer there.