THE STORY OF THE CUTTER FAMILY

James Cutter, born about 1774, Heworth, County Durham and Mary Robson , born about 1778, Heworth, County Durham  were married on 21/10/1798 at the parish church of St. Mary and St. Cuthbert, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England.

Mary Robson was the daughter of Robert Robson and Mary Clint. Mary's parents were married on 9/5/1773 also at the parish church of St. Mary and St. Cuthbert, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England.

They had six children. Edwin (1799 - 1807), James (1800), John (1803), George (1806), Jane (1808) and Robert (1811). Their first born (Edwin) was born at Heworth then the family moved to Chester-le-Street where the second child (James) was born. The family then moved (back) north (about 7 miles) to Heworth, (now part of Gateshead) about 1802.
John being christened on 22/5/1803 at Heworth (possibly at St Mary's Church).

John married Mary Ann Hunter; 24/5/1830 at St Hilda's Church, South Shields, County Durham. They then lived in the parish of Jarrow in the township of Heworth their dwelling being at High Felling.

They had at least five children:
John (1831),  Mary Ann (1833), Margaret (1835), James (1838) and Catherine (1840).
Great-grandfather James Cutter (son of John and Mary) was baptized on 5/7/1838 at  St Mary's Church, Heworth.

John Cutter was a builder, and it seems that James followed in his father's footsteps. He apparently served his apprenticeship in England, either with his father or someone else, he qualified as a stonemason, although at times he is described as a builder. When he was around twenty-five, probably not long after being freed from his indentures, James Cutter boarded a ship and emigrated to New Zealand. One possible reason was that at the time the Earl of Durham was sponsoring emigration to New Zealand at that time. In any event James settled at Onehunga, where he was to meet and marry his future wife.

James Cutter married Charlotte Kendall on 12/10/1865 at St Peter's Church, Onehunga, New Zealand and they settled down to married life at Onehunga. Their first child was born 10/1/1867 and although christened as James, was known to the family as Jacob. James had apparently decided to try his luck in Australia, and as soon as Charlotte and Jacob were ready to travel, the family sailed across the Tasman to Sydney and moved up to the Goulburn area where they settled. Another son, Kendall was born 1869 possibly at Goulburn, and Charlotte in 1870 at Hartley (between Katoomba and Lithgow). James established himself in the area as a stone mason of quite some respect and admiration. He acquired a 100 acre property located on Brisbane Water near Koolewong, 25 miles (40 km) north of Sydney. He named the property Glenrock.

For some reason, in late 1872, Charlotte returned to New Zealand. Whether to see her family or because her marriage was not working out, we'll never know. What we do know is that she was pregnant when she left, and that she only took her daughter (young Charlotte) with her, leaving the  two boys with their father. Jacob died on 23/4/1880, and Kendall around 1900.

After her arrival back at Onehunga, Charlotte gave birth to Percy Herbert Thomas Cutter on 10/2/1873. Charlotte remained in New Zealand and within a year she was living with a Thomas Barraclough. Thomas was married with at least two children, (one dead) but had apparently been abandoned with the  boys by his wife. Although he possibly left her and took the boys. In any event Thomas Barraclough  and his surviving son, and Charlotte with daughter Charlotte and son Percy formed a new family unit.  Possibly to escape family outrage in New Zealand the new 'family' moved across the Tasman. Thomas, Charlotte, Thomas' son (Thomas), young  Charlotte and Percy (children of Charlotte and James Cutter)) left New Zealand on the steam ship 'VICTORIA'. They arrived in Sydney from New Zealand 9th October, 1874. At some time after that they move south and settled in Euroa,  Victoria,  Australia.

It is not known if Thomas Barraclough and Charlotte Cutter (nee Kendall) ever married.
Thomas Barraclough plied his trade as a bootmaker. This is how Percy became a bootmaker, learning the trade at the knee of his "stepfather".

Thomas Barraclough and Charlotte Cutter (nee Kendall) lived as husband and wife in Euroa and were to have four more children; Dora, Ernest Athol, Hilda and Effie. Charlotte thus had a total of eight children, and Percy had at least nine siblings (counting Barraclough's from his first wife) although only six lived to adulthood and Percy would have only known five, his full sister Charlotte and his half- brothers and sisters. He never as far as we know met either James ( aka Jacob ) who died in 23/4/1880 (at Brisbane Waters) or Kendall who died 1901 (at West Maitland), although it is possible that he knew of their existence. Charlotte Barraclough (Cutter nee Kendall) died on 28/2/1882 (buried at Euroa Victoria site #34 C of E section B) , apparently of a miscarriage and resulting haemorrhage.

Percy was only nine at the time. Thomas Barraclough remarried in 1887 and died the following year on 20/8/1888 (buried at Euroa Victoria 21/8/1888 site #4 C of E section B). It seems that at this point, at the age of fifteen. and orphaned, after the death of his mother and the only father he had ever known, that Percy embarked on an independent life.

For Percy's father James Cutter, life had also moved on. In 1879, he had also remarried, to a Harriet Bailey, presumably under the old law by which abandonment and/or separation by sea for seven years effectively negated any previous marriage.

It seems he may have known where Charlotte was, for when James died, the notice in the Sydney Morning Herald asked (as was common at the time) for the Melbourne papers to copy the notice. Why do this since there was no family or known friends in Melbourne or Victoria, except his "former" wife.

There were no children from James' second marriage. Harriet Cutter (nee Bailey) remarried as a widow on 12/9/1883. There was no apparent record of James' death, and all that there was to go on was an old family tale that he had fallen overboard from a ship between Melbourne and Sydney.

A notice in the Sydney Morning Herald dated 26/3/1885 stating the death of James Cutter, late of  Glenrock, had occurred at (of all places) Pitiuvu, Rewa, Fiji. But this raised a further question, how did James' wife Harriet remarry as a widow if James was still living until 1885? As it has finally turned out, she had remarried legitimately. James Cutter in fact died on 20/2/1882 and for some reason, it took three years to make the newspaper. Harriet had heard of the death and then  remarried, what probably happened is that someone who was with James at Fiji, reported it to the paper on their return to Sydney three years later. James had gone to Fiji as an employee of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company (now CSR) which in 1879 established sugar plantations and began to build processing plants at Rewa, Fiji. He didn't live to see processing begin, as that didn't happen until mid 1882. The caused his death is not known, and may never be able to, as it  may have occurred before official record keeping began there.

In any event, by the early 1890's Percy was living at Katamatite where he plied his trade as a bootmaker. He met Bridget O'Reilley and on the 18/6/1896 they were married at Percy's home.
Over the next few years the family grew, eventually finishing at eight. About 1903 they moved to  Cobram, then to Yea about 1907.

On 27/1/1916 Percy enlisted in the army (Serial Number 6476). After finishing basic training he  ended up with 21st/6th (21st battalion of the 6th regiment).
The regiment sailed to England on the Nestor on 2/10/1916. Possibly because of his age, Percy never saw front line service in France, but served his time in England. In 1919, he was  invalided out of the army and returned to Australia, apparently suffering from Tuberculosis. After the war Percy returned to Broadford and in 1920, he was granted a soldier settlement farm in the Rhind’s Estate at Portarlington, along with a grant of £256 ($512) “for the purchase of stock and implements” where they were market gardeners for about ten years. In 1929, with all the children off their hands, and possibly to he nearer  to their children (although advancing age and/or the depression may have played a part)  Percy and Bridget moved up to Ballarat, where Norman Percy and Dora Ellen (McKay) lived.

In Ballarat, Percy went back to his old trade of bootmaking, a fairly light occupation for a man of  almost sixty. Percy and Bridget lived at 7 Peel St, where Percy also worked from. In 1932 they  moved to Curtis St, between Grenville and Lowe Sts (where the Commonwealth Offices now  stand). 1939 saw them at 1 Eastwood St where Safeway now is. Finally the last move to 69  Humffray St North, a former wood merchants next to the railway line.
Percy retired in 1943, probably none to soon for a man of seventy suffering from arthritis and TB.

It was around this time that Percy and Bridget's paths separated. Although not know for sure,  possibly because Percy's TB flared again. He lived out the remainder of his days at Sorrento,  possibly at a sanatorium.
In late 1946, Percy was admitted to the Alfred hospital, where he died on 12/11/1946. He was  cremated on the 18/11/1946 at the Springvale Crematorium. He is buried with his youngest son (John Arthur [Jack]).

Bridget spent the rest of her days living for periods of time with each of their children, both in  Ballarat and Melbourne. She was living with her daughter Hilda, in East Coburg when she suffered a  heart attack on 20/5/1957 and was admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where she died a  few hours later. She is buried on the 21/5/1957 at the Fawkner cemetery with her eldest son (William) and his wife Myrtle.