Johns River

1914 - 1960: Johns River Grows

Ellen Thompson and James William Fletcher – their marriage in 1917 and their 5 children. – Jack, Ella, Noel, James and Brian.

1900—1930

 At Grandma’s on Isaac’s Lane

Recollections from Brian Fletcher

Grandma, Dad’s mother, Catherine McNeil moved to the place just out of John’s River in Isaac’s Lane, there are still two poles there where the house was. She moved there when she married George Kidd in 1899. She also had her mother Mary Ann McNeil (nee Lewis) and her sister Mona with her. Mona lived there until she got married to Bill Cross in 1908.

Catherine and George Kidd moved over the river in the early 1900s to a farm called ‘Norwood’ not far from John’s River. George Kidd later lost his leg, when I knew him he only had one leg, he had a crutch.Catherine Kidd (McNeil) at ‘Norwood’ in the 1920s Esther Bradley (Kidd) collection

Grandma, was very nice to me, she'd cook up a great big meal, she always had a lot of boys to feed. There wouldn't be work on a Sunday and she had to work flat out to prepare a big Sunday dinner for them all. She was always attentive, she didn't visit our place much but we used to visit her place about once a month.

We kids used to play with Reg and Stan, they were about 20 years old. I, along with my sister Ella and my brother Jim, used to ride a horse in from the farm at Passionfruit Creek and turn in at the Corner Pin through the lagoons to ‘Norwood. The house had a big long kitchen with a mighty table and one end was an open fire where Grandma cooked liked a demon - cakes and roasts in a camp oven. For Sundays it would be a festive occasion with 5 or 6 big roasts, plenty of beautiful sponges and other cakes of all kinds. Music was a big thing a pianola was there and Aunty Eileen was very musical.

George Dowling Kidd had an earlier marriage to Margaret Hughes who died at age 27, there were 5 children from this marriage – George, Arthur, James, Margaret, Thomas.

Catherine and George went onto to have 7 children between 1900 and 1913 –all raised at Norwood – Douglas, Ray, Andrew Earl, Daniel, Catherine Eileen, Stanley Vincent and Austin Reginald.

Ellen Thompson and James William Fletcher – their marriage in 1917 and their 5 children. – Jack, Ella, Noel, James and Brian.

Catherine had two sons from earlier marriage – James William and Arthur Fletcher. James William Fletcher married Ellen (Nellie) Thompson in February 1917, and they had 5 children – Jack, Leo Noel, Ella, James and Brian.