Birth date: 1841
Birth place: Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom
Death date: 1 July 1918
Death place: Port Augusta West, South Australia
Married: Emma Stanton TORTOISE
Children:
Ella Maude Beatrice SANDERSON 1870-1962
May Eveline SANDERSON 1872-1874
Arthur Francis Villiers SANDERSON 1874-1915
Herbert Charles Sutton SANDERSON 1876-1936
George Clement Ogilve SANDERSON 1878-1968
Stanton James Edward SANDERSON 1880-1978
Lindsay Mallett SANDERSON 1884-1952
Verner Stuart Leslie SANDERSON 1887-1970
Olive Aseneth SANDERSON 1890-1946
From the book by Douglas Sanderson
The youngest child, Francis Clement Villiers Sanderson is referenced in the following pages,
he is, together with his wife, Emma Tortoise the principle ancestor of our family
In 1864 he moved into Port Augusta West and was employed by Messrs. Gooch & Hatward, as
a shipping and forwarding clerk. In the early seventies he took charge of the first store opened
at Port Augusta West for Gooch & Hayward, a position he held until 1887.
He was obviously a fairly versatile person, working in what would now be known as the
Local Govt. area in various areas, viz: Se Dept. Health, Surveying, Valuations, and Rates
collecting etc. Obviously these categories would have been performed in his capacity of Town
Clerk, a position he held for 21 years prior to retiring. Advertisements which appeared in the
Port Augusta Dispatch for the years 1888/89, indicate that he also worked in a private
capacity. VIZ. F. SANDERSON – Labour Office and General Agent for Port Augusta West, Rents
& Debt Collections.
Francis was married on the 15th Feb. 1869 to Emma Tortoise. The wedding was held in a
room of the original “Weaster Hotel” located at Port Augusta West, his occupation given at the
time, “Hotelkeeper”. Emma's father, John is alleged to have built the Hotel, he was the first
licensee. Francis and Emma built their home on the S/West corner of the Mildred and
Alexander Streets where they remained and raised their family. Francis died on the 1st July
1981. He is buried in the old Port Augusta cemetery.
Emma Sutton Tortoise was the eldest of four daughters who arrived with their parents on
the 19th January 1857, aboard the Marion out of Plymouth, embarking off Semaphore. She
arrived in Port Augusta with their family on the 27th Feb. 1858. The town was officially
surveyed in 1854, so they were among the first residents to set up home in the town. It would
have been interesting to have witnessed their reactions to the climate, arriving in the area
during the hottest period of the year.
Little is known of her early experiences living in the Port. She would have received her
education, such as it was in those days, probably from home through her mother, schools were
no then available on a permanent basis. She was an active member on committees pushing for
the availability of schooling and religious facilities etc to improve the life styles of the pioneer
families, especially the mothers and their children.
Emma and Francis raised a family of nine children during their marriage, one child died in
infancy. Emma died on the 4th August 1911 and is buried alongside Francis in the old Port
Augusta cemetery
Civic Record of South Australia 1936
Page 364 of 963
F. C. V. SANDERSON (First Town Clerk, Corporation of Port Augusta West.)
Mr. Sanderson was the first Town Clerk for Port Augusta West Corporation and held office for about 24 years.
Adelaide Observer (SA)
Dec 29 1877
Meeting at Port Augusta.
A meeting was held at Mr. Sanderson's residence, Port Augusta on Monday evening, December 17 to consider the necessity for police protection for that township and other local matters. Mr. Burgoyne presided, and there were about 20 persons present.
Mr. F. C. V. Sanderson moved :
"That this meeting, considering the large increase of population which has taken place in Port Augusta West, and the great number of travellers who come occasionally from the bush, deem it absolutely necessary that police protection should be afforded to Port Augusta
West as soon as possible, as already serious and in some cases fatal accidents have occurred, which might have been prevented had there been a policeman in the township"
He said he was in fear of having his store burnt down at night by men who wandered about the place smoking and striking matches, and he had often to get up at night in order to protect his property. Mr. D. McSporran seconded, and the motion was carried unanimously.
The question of the erection of a Post-Office in the township was then considered by the meeting, and it was resolved that as great inconvenience and delay had often occurred to the inhabitants of Port Augusta West through there being no Post-Office in the place, the Postmaster-General should be requested to establish a Post-Office at once in the township, as it could be done at a very trifling cost in connection with one of the stores in the place.
Various arrangements were then made for sending out memorials to Mr. P.B. Coglin, M.P.; and
a committee consisting of Messrs. F. C. V. Sanderson, D. McSporran, J. McCarthy, C.W. Ogilve and C. Kite were appointed to carry out the before-mentioned resolutions. During the debate high encomiums were paid to Mr. Coglin for the way in which he had watched over the interests of the district during the past sessions of Parliament.
Register (Adelaide, SA)
Aug 11 1911
Mrs. F. C. V. Sanderson, wife of Mr, F. C. V. Sanderson, of Port Augusta West, died on Friday. She was born in Lincoln shire, and arrived in South Australia in 1857. She was the daughter or the late Mr John Tortoise one of the oldest residents married in 1868, and seven sons and three daughters survive :
George, of the Engineer in-Chief's Department, Arthur, of: Port Lincoln, A.F., L.M., and Herbert of Port Augusta West, and Stanton of the South Australian Brewing Company, Port Augusta; Miss Sanderson, postmistress at Port Augusta West and Misses Vernon and Olive Sanderson.
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