Person:Alfred Nicholls (1)

Alfred Nicholls was born in 1866 at Wheathampstead in Hertfordshire, England. He was the son of a straw plaiter called Susan Warner and an agricultural labourer called Daniel William Nicholls. As Alfred's parents were not married his birth was registered as Alfred Nickols Warner, although in all subsequent records he used his father's surname. The 1871 census finds Alfred living with his parents and siblings at Nomansland in Wheathampstead.

Shortly after the 1871 census, Alfred's mother died. Later that year his father married Susan's half-sister, Maria Wright (formerly Hornet), who thus went from being Alfred's aunt to also being his stepmother.

The 1881 census finds Alfred in the tramp ward of the local workhouse in nearby St Albans. That year also saw Alfred's older brother Jesse emigrate to Queensland in Australia, followed by his brother Frederick in 1883. Alfred followed his brothers, sailing on the 'Jumna' from London on 17th December 1887, arriving at Brisbane on 6th February 1888.

Whilst Alfred's brothers settled in Queensland, he did not. By 1895 he was living at Stieglitz in Victoria, 57 miles (92km) west of Melbourne. Stieglitz was a town which had grown up in the Australian gold rushes from the 1850s. Alfred had clearly gone to work in the town's mines, as he was working as a miner. He was married on 1st May 1895 at Warrenheip in the Ballarat district, about thirty miles (50km) north of Stieglitz, to Eliza Brown, who was from Bungaree in Victoria.

After their marriage, Alfred and Eliza initially lived in Stieglitz, having their first child there in 1896. They then moved 87 miles (140km) north to Dunolly, where their second child was born in 1899.

Back in England, Alfred's father died in 1901. By that time, Eliza and Alfred had moved about 410 miles (656km) north of Dunolly to Broken Hill in New South Wales, an isolated silver mining town in the outback. There they had a further four children between 1901 and 1907.

On 1st August 1910, Alfred wrote his will, leaving all his property to his wife Eliza, including his house and land at Iodide Street West in Broken Hill. Alfred was probably seriously ill when he wrote the will; he died the next day, aged 44. Eliza outlived him by thirty years.

1.   Births index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   b. Alfred Nickols WARNER, March Quarter 1866, St Albans Registration District, Volume 3a, page 317, mother's maiden name blank

2. ↑ Baptisms register, in Church of England. Wheathampstead Parish Registers. (Hertford: Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies).

   BAPTISMS solemnized in the Parish of Wheathampstead in the County of Hertford in the Year 1866
   No.	When Baptized	Child's Christian Name	Parent's Name		Abode	Quality, Trade, or Profession	By whom the Ceremony was performed
   			Christian	Surname
   330	1866 May 27	Alfred Nickols	Daniel & Susan	Nickols Warner	Nomansland, Wheathampstead	Laborer	Owen W. Davys, Rector

3. ↑ England. England and Wales. 1871 Census Schedules. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG10; Piece 1376; Folio 51; Page 18, 2 Apr 1871.

   Address: No Man's Land, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
   Daniel Nichols, head, married, male, 37 [1833/4], Ag Labourer, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
   Susan Nichols, wife, married, female, 36 [1834/5], Straw plaiter, b. Harpenden, Hertfordshire
   William Nichols, son, male, 13 [1857/8], Ag Labourer, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
   Jessie Nichols, son, male, 11 [1859/60], Ag Labourer, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
   Frederick Nichols, son, male, 9 [1861/2], Ag Labourer, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
   Mary Ann Nichols, daughter, female, 7 [1863/4], Straw plaiter, b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
   Alfred Nichols, son, male, 5 [1865/6], b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
   Sarah Nichols, daughter, female, 3 [1867/8], b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire
   Arthur Nichols, son, male, 1m [1871], b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire

4. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 1433; Folio 57; Page 60, 3 Apr 1881.

   Address: St Albans Workhouse Tramp Ward, St Albans (St Michael), Hertfordshire
   Many inmates, including:
   Arthur Nichols, unmarried, male, 15 [1865/6], Ag[ricultural] Lab[ourer], b. Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire

   Although his name here is given as Arthur rather than Alfred, it is assumed this is a mistake - no other trace has been found of an Arthur Nicholls (or variants) from Wheathampstead, and no other sighting of Alfred in this census.

5.   Queensland, Australia. Assisted Immigration 1848-1912 (Queensland Government).

   Jumna sailed from London 17 Dec 1887 arrived Brisbane 6 Feb 1888
   Free / Brisbane
   Nicholls, Alfred, 21 [1865/6], Occupation F.L. [farm labourer?], County Herts

6. ↑ Deaths index, in New South Wales, Australia. Registry of births, deaths & marriages. (Department of Justice, New South Wales Government).

   Registration Number: 8631/1910
   Last Name: NICHOLLS
   Given Name(s): Alfred
   Father's Given Name(s): Daniel
   Mother's Given Name(s): Susan
   District: Broken Hill

7. ↑ New South Wales, Australia. New South Wales Will Books 1800-1952.

   52392 - Nicholls, Alfred - late of Broken Hill, Miner
   This is the Last Will and Testament of me Alfred Nicholls of Broken Hill in the State of New South Wales Firstly, I desire that all my just debts, funeral and testamentary expenses, be paid and satisfied by me Executrix hereinafter named as soon as conveniently may be after my decease, and Secondly, I give, devise, and bequeath A house and land being Numbered as block 3786/1698 situated in Iodide Street West off Wyman Lane in Broken Hill in the state of New South Wales all and every my Household Furniture, Linen and Wearing, Apparel, Books, Plate, Pictures, China, Horses Carts and Carriages, and also all and every sum and sums of Money which may be in my house, or be about my person, or due to me at the time of my decease, and also all other my Stocks, Funds, and securities for Money, Book Debts, Money on Bonds, Bells, Votes or other Securities, and all and every other my Estate and Effects whatsoever, and wheresoever, both real and personal, whether in possession, reversion, remainder, or expectancy, unto my good Wife Eliza Nicholls to and for her own use and benefit absolutely And I nominate, constitute, and appoint the aforesaid Eliza Nicholls to be Executrix of this my last Will; and hereby revoking all former or other Wills and Testaments by me at any time heretofore made, I declare this to be my last Will and Testament In Witness whereof I the said Alfred Nicholls have to this my last Will and Testament set my hand the first day of August in the year of our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred and ten Signed by the Tetat[or] Alfred Nicholls X His mark and Acknowledged by him to be his last Will and Testament in the presence of us present at the same time, and subscribed by us as Witnesses in the presence of the said Testator and of each other.
   Joseph Breman
   Leonard Henry Colliss
   
   25th April 1911 - On this Date Probate of the Will of the said deceased was granted to Eliza Nicholls of Broken Hill, Widow the Sole Executrix named in the said Will Testator died as Broken Hill 2nd August 1910 (P.A.) Estate sworn at £74 net ["£138-17-4 Net" crossed out]