Joshua Josiah Harwood

Joshua Josiah Harwood was born on 27 January 1826 in London, England, died 28 May 1897 in Fremantle (WA BDM 970/18971, 11), and was buried May 1897 in Karrakatta Cemetery at Anglican, CA-0005B, KB0003166114. He married Janetta Tucknott (daughter of George Tucknott and Sophia Ettridge) on 28-Jan-1849 in Adelaide (SA BDM 3/206, 12). She was born about 1829 in Bishopstone, Sussex, died 17 September 1891 in Fremantle (WA BDM 259/189013), and was buried at Fremantle.

The Daily News, Saturday 29 May 1897 page 4, article
Mr. Joshua Josiah Harwood, a very old colonist, died at his residence, Cantonment-street, Fremantle, yesterday morning at the age of 71. He arrived in the colony from England in 1842, and making his home at Fremantle, had resided there ever since.

Southern Times, Saturday 29 May 1897, page 3
DEATH OF MR. J. J. HARWOOD
Perth, This day. Another old colonist, in the person of Mr J. J. Harwood, passed away at an early hour yesterday morning at his residence, Cantonment-street, Fremantle. His death was due to a complicated affection of the kidneys, and was expected for some time He arrived in this colony in 1842, in the ship Simon Taylor. He was 72 years of age, and leaves a family of six daughters and four sons, his wife having pre-deceased him by seven years. Well-known and widely respected, foremost in charitable and other matters with the interests of the town at heart, Mr. J. J. Harwood was a man whose death will be widely and deeply lamented.

Daily News, Friday 1 May 1903, page 1
Probates of Wills.
During the last week probate was granted of the will of the late Joshua Josiah Harwood, a well-known contractor, of Fremantle, whose executors are Joshua James Harwood, inspector in the Public Works Department, David Wm. Harwood, and Lewis James Stirling, postmaster, of Fremantle. The real and personal estate is valued at £6,113 16s., and testator stipulates that after realization of the whole, and payment of certain debts, one-third shall be divided equally between his son Samuel Colin Harwood, and his daughters Mesdames Mary Jane Ward, and Sophie Eleanor Stirling. The remaining two-thirds are to be divided between his unmarried daughters, Adelaide Larbey, Georgina Florence, and Zoe Matilda Harwood.

Western Mail, Thursday 15 March 1951, page 16
History of the State's first goldmine - The Three Wonders
by W. E. BROWN
PHIL SAUNDERS is credited with having at Nicol Bay, Hall's Creek, discovered in 1886, the first authentic goldfield in Western Australia. The Mines Department concede that gold may have been discovered prior to that date. Records show that on July 3, 1882, Joshua Josiah Harwood, Chairman of the Gold and General Mining Co., wrote to both the Colonial Secretary and the Commissioner for Crown Lands claiming the £5,000 reward offered by the Government to the discoverers of the first payable goldmine in this State. The shareholders in this company - Henry Brown, William Thorpe, William Hedley Thorpe, George Edward Thorpe, Joshua Josiah Harwood and Joshua James Harwood - all of Fremantle, claimed to have found near Wongong Brook, Cockburn Sound, gold platina or white gold, specimens of which they forwarded to both the Colonial Secretary and the Commissioner for Crown Lands.

Notes for Janetta Tucknott:
HARWOOD.- On the 17th inst. [September 1891] after a short illness, JANET the beloved wife of Thomas Harwood of this town, aged 69 years. Deeply regretted. Deceased was a native of Blackburn Lancashire, and arrived in this colony per brig James, May, 1830. (all of the above: Ward)

J.J. Harwood built (among others): the (third) courthouse, Marine Parade; the Kerosene Store (Kidogo).

J.J. Harwood's second daughter Mary Jane married Captain Frank Ward, master of the Caroline Hutchings, on which both of them nearly died when the ship was wrecked on the shore of Formosa (Taiwan) in 1874.

HARWOOD, Joshua Josiah b. 1823 (England), d. 25.5.1897, only son of David & Mary, arr. 5.6.1851 per Laurel from SA, m. (Adelaide) 1846 Janetta TUCKNOTT b. 1827 d. 17.9.1871. Chd. (all except eldest b. WA), Joshua James b. 1849 d. 1943, Elizabeth Jeanette b. 1852. Mary Jane b. 1853 d. 1874, David William b. 1855 d. 1888, John b. 1857, Adelaide Larby b. 1860 d. 1921, Helena Sophie b. 1862, Georgina Florence b. 1864 d. 1953, Hacilda Zoe b. 1868 d. 1941. Samuel Colio b. 1869, Richard Arthur b. 1873 d. 1886: Frem., 1837 as crew leader in whaling boat. To SA 1.1848 per Arpenteur. 1856 whale fishing partner Sanford & J. Bateman at Pt. Gregory, Frem, Bunbury. 1861 Valuator for Frem. Town Trust, Member Frem. Council 1862-6. 1863 Frem. Town Trust: Chairman Frem. Mech. Inst. 1866: Captain Lady Stirling: Victualler, builder & contractor. Took his son Joshua James as partner 1872 in building etc. Frem. 1877 building contractor. Employed over 100 T/L men 1863-1883. Qualified as Juror 1860 with £1000 real estate. Corresp. re grant at Albany 1864. (Erickson)

Photograph taken to record the wedding of Ross Harwood and Louisa Caroline Rockliffe (nee Barker) 16 November 1904, taken outside Joshua James Harwood's house, at 11 Point Street. This Joshua was the eldest son of the patriarch Joshua Josiah.
From left, standing: Jeanette Harwood, Joshua James Harwood, William Barker, Ross Harwood, Jean Richardson. From left, seated: Adelaide Larby Harwood, Colin Harwood, Susannah Harwood, Edna Harwood, Louisa Caroline Rockliffe (widow - nee Barker), Oliver Gravden, Leopold Owen Harwood. (Identifications from Fremantle Library's text for its image #676, 1904)

Hitchcock:
Before dismissing the subject of whaling I should mention that another old resident of Fremantle, who sought to woo fortune from the bosom of the misty deep, was Mr. J. J. Harwood, senior, whose whaling station was on Rous’ Head. There were few more enterprising citizens in Fremantle in the early days than Mr. Harwood, and his versatility was something to marvel at. No job was too big or too difficult and no enterprise too risky for him to tackle. One instance of his genius for turning his activities into new channels may be given. In 1857 the steamer Lady Stirling (the first to ply regularly between Perth and Fremantle) was brought out from England in sections ; Mr. Harwood undertook and carried out the work of her reconstruction, and so well did he perform his task that the boat regularly ran her daily trips between the port and capital until the opening of the railway in 1881, when, like Othello, she found her occupation gone.
As builders and contractors it may be truly said that none played a more conspicuous part in the town’s evolution from a village to a city than did the old firm of J. J. Harwood and Sons. During the transition stage their imprint was everywhere discernible in the improved architectural features of the new buildings that replaced the earlier structures. Hitchcock 1919.

References, Links, Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Rob Ward for an invaluable and comprehensive genealogy of the Harwood family.

Erickson, Rica et al. 1987 (etc.), Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians, UWAP.

Hitchcock J.K. 1919, 'Early days of Fremantle: High Street 50 years ago', published in 12 parts in the Fremantle Times 21 March - 20 June 1919.

Images thanks to Philip Pope; Fremantle Library also has a copy of the second photo in the Local History collection @ 4234K, Western Publishers, 1929.

Freotopia

This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 13 June, 2018 and hosted at freotopia.org/people/harwoodjj.html (it was last updated on 6 March, 2024), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.