George was born on 31 May 1865, the fourth child of John and Ann(e) Davey nee Dixon. His name was not included on the birth registration on the 6 June 1865. George was one of 12 children born between 1860 and 1885. His father John died in 1888 while his mother Ann died in 1892.

George’s siblings were:

• 1860 William John
• 1861 Mary Elizabeth
• 1863 Hannah Selina
• 1867 Emma Louisa
• 1869 Adam
• 1872 Charles
• 1873 Thomas
• 1876 Samuel (Frank?)
• 1878 Harry
• 1879 Eliza Amy
• 1885 Ellen Anne

Marriage and children

When George was 24 he married Martha Jane COLGRAVE who was only 16 at the time. They married at the house of Martha’s father in English Town on 13 March 1890 and the witnesses were her father Francis Colgrave and George’s mother Annie.

George and Martha had a large family born in the Evandale area.

• 1891 Mary Ann – informant George, farmer at Blessington
• 1893 Emily Jane – informant George, farmer at English Town
• 1894 John (Jack) – informant George, farmer at Blessington
• 1895 James George – informant George, farmer at Blessington
• 1897 Elizabeth (Lizzie) – informant George, farmer at English Town
• 1899 Hannah– informant George, farmer at Blessington
• 1902 George
• 1904 Elsie
• 1907 Bertie Leonard
• 1909 Leila Jessie
• 1911 Doris Eileen
• 1914 Frederick Trevor

In March 1891 George signed a requisition asking Eustace N Cameron Esq to be nominated for the House of Assembly representing the Morven (Evandale) district. Others who signed included Francis Colgrave, Francis T Colgrave, Samuel Colgrave, Henry Colgrave, William Colgrave and William Davey.

His working life

In June 1895, George was advanced 20 pounds for his contract with the Evandale Road Trust.

In 1898, George’s tender of 6 pound 10 shillings was accepted for section 1 of the road from Corra Linn to White Hills.

In July 1900, it is mentioned that George has property fronting on the River o Plain Creek and since searching on a map, have also found a Daveys Road which branches off Deddington Road. This is probably where I drove to many years ago to find the house where my grandmother Hannah had been brought up as a child.

In 1901, he built a road from Lilybourne to the Daveys and was paid 73 pounds 4 shillings and 11 pence. I haven’t been able to find a place called Lilybourne so maybe it was a property name instead.

In 1904, he won the tender for building a road from Wisloca to Steppes near Evandale. The only Steppes I knew was a property over near Bothwell in the Central Highlands far away from Evandale. It wasn’t until 1907 that the balance owing George was paid by the Evandale Road Trust.

By 1910 he was reforming and metalling 7 chains of road from English Town to F Colgraves and being paid 30 shillings per chain. This was Tender no 25.

At the Evandale Council meeting on Monday 3 April 1911, the Davey brothers and others had written letters about using money to improve roads in their area.

George was also involved with improving roads from Patterdale to Uplands near Deddington. Contract no 13 in September 1911.

By March 1912 he was boxing and metalling a road at Whisloca Flats near Blessington as well as building a bridge at Nile Farm near Deddington. Later in the year gravelling road from Boyd’s Culvert towards Lilybourne.

In 1913, part of George’s property was acquired to be used as a public road.

I’m wondering how George had time to be a farmer when he was building roads so often in the district he lived.

George died in November 1914, this was 20 years before my mother was born, so she never met her grandfather. His last son Frederick was only a month old when his father died in Launceston. George must have been ill as he wrote his last will on 29 October 1914 and three days later, he died.

George had been a farmer at Deddington according to his will which was proved in 1915. George left all his worldly goods and chattels to his wife Martha Jane who died in 1954, two years before I was born.

George is buried at St Andrews Uniting Church Cemetery in Evandale, northern Tasmania with his wife as well as two daughters who died young, Elsie aged 11 and Leila aged 7.