COOKE, William Richard

   Ancestral File Number: 1ZJL-XB2.

  General Notes:

William's father arrived from Ireland in 1855, and in the following year he married Mary Anne KING. William Richard was their first child, born on the family farm at Longbrush.

He worked with his father at both Longbrush and Broughton Vale farms. As a young man, he and his brother Samuel carried the mail on horseback between Kiama and Berry. Samuel, who was living in Kiama, carried the mailbag to Gerringong where he was met by William.

After his parents and siblings moved to Stoney Ck (between Jamberoo and Albion Park), William remained in Broughton Vale and established a bacon curing business.

When the Berry Estate was being sold off in 1892, William purchased the land east of the Catholic Church, fronting Jupiter St, and built a bacon curing factory. This quickly grew into a thriving industry, with William raising his own pigs to ensure the best quality meat. At its peak his operations covered a chain of piggeries from Dunmore to Jaspers Brush, and from Cambewarra to Kangaroo valley, with over 1200 pigs. Generally, these piggeries were established near local dairy factories, where surplus skim milk was used to feed the pigs.

The introduction of refrigeration meant that all the locally produced milk could be sold on the Sydney market, so William sold off his piggeries and worked as a buyer for C Barnes & Co for almost 25 years.

William married Jane KING, daughter of Moses KING and Janet RUSSELL, on 19 Jan 1881 in Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. (Jane KING was born on 20 Jun 1857 in Jerara Creek, Kiama, New South Wales, Australia, died on 6 Dec 1935 in Gerringong, New South Wales, Australia and was buried on 8 Dec 1935 in Gerringong, New South Wales, Australia.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Marriage Reference: 4498/1881: District of Kiama.