Archer is
an interesting name, isn't it? I really feel it will prove an
important key in cracking my O'Toole brick wall (ie working out
exactly who was his great grandfather). The difficulty with this post
will be in not writing an epic. Archer's name is sufficiently unusual
that it has been very easy to work out what he was up to, and he did
a lot in his life. Sometimes his name appears in newspapers as
“Archibald” - someone has seen “Arch. O'Toole” and
erroneously expanded it to Archibald. But his name was definitely
Archer.
Archer
was born to Laurence and Ann on 15 November 1862 in a house off 7
Kent Street. It was stone with an iron roof and consisted of two
rooms. It was owned by William Andrews and was part of what was known
as the Curintons Buildings.
The large warehouse structure that now occupies the site was built
later. The Lord Nelson Hotel
(marked as 9 on the map below) was always on the corner and is still there, beautifully renovated. The Hotel was owned by William Wells, who
owned part of the Curintons Buildings. In the rates returns for the
City of Sydney three residences were listed as “off 7 Kent Street”,
each owned by a different landlord, while 3, 5, 7 and 9 Kent Street
were all owned by William Wells. Behind 7 Kent Street was a large
yard in which a number of houses were built, a common practice in the
area. These houses were “off 7 Kent Street”. The City Details
Sheet of Sydney 1855 on the City of Sydney Map Collection clearly
shows the layout of the area. These sheets were colour-coded to show
building type, such as blue for stone, brown for wood.
 |
| Section of Detail Sheet 27 of Sydney 1855, from City of Sydney Map Collection. I have darkened the lines and strengthened the colours. Go and look at this site yourself. It is well worth it and has so much more on the site. The house marked with the X? is the one I think might be Laurence and Anne's house as the rate book describes it as next to vacant land. |
At about
the age of fourteen, Archer was a bell ringer at St Phillips, now
known as York Street Anglican, in Sydney.
 |
| St Phillips, York Street, Sydney, from Wikipedia |
Sometime between then and
1882 the family switched from the Anglican church to the
Christadelphian Church. In The Christadelphian
of 1882 on page 94 appeared the following:
“SYDNEY.-Brother
Hawkins reports the obedience of ARCHER O'TOOLE (18) and LAURENCE
O'TOOLE (20), sons of Brother and Sister O'Toole”.
Although no date is given in Stephen Genusa's document, this must
have been prior to 27 September, 1882, as the indication is that
Archer's father was still alive at this point. Laurence and Archer's
ages are both incorrect (Archer would have been 19 and Laurence 21).
Archer
was working as a cadet journalist on the Sydney Morning Herald at the
time, and journalism stayed in his blood for the rest of his life. He
also took a keen interest in politics and the plight of the working
man. His name frequently appeared in the papers, attached to open
letters to politicians, requesting relief for striking workers, both
in Australia and in England,
or when organising fund-raising concerts for strikers. Archer also
spoke at public meetings in support of community initiatives, such as
the agitation for a tram to Balmain.
During the Queensland floods of 1893, Archer organised a “Grand
Classical Concert” to raise money for the relief fund.
Music was a big part of life the O'Toole family and here Archer used
it to help others.
By 1884 Archer had left the Herald and set up his own printing
business, in partnership with F. Mumby, in Darling Street, Balmain. I
am fairly certain that Archer's brother, Laurence, was employed in
the business. O'Toole and Mumby had an interesting little sideline,
selling medicines and cure-alls, such as the one advertised in the
Evening News in 1884. They remained in Darling Street until 1888,
when the operation moved to 52 Beattie Street. In this same year they
started the Balmain Leader, a “penny weekly newspaper for all
classes”.
The first edition appeared on 12 March, 1888. Brothers John
(definitely) and Laurence (probably) worked on the Leader.
1888 was a big year for Archer in another way. He married Gertrude
Margaret Robinson, daughter of John Robinson and Ann Perkins. John
was from London and Ann from Forres in Scotland. They had met and
married in Sydney, but later moved to Queensland, where they remained
until their deaths in 1913
and 1926
respectively.
Gertrude and Archer had four children together, all born in Balmain:
Stanley Archer (1889 to 1916),
Clarice Gertrude (1891-1902), Hermoine Anne (1895-?) and Keith John
(1898-1974).
Under Archer the Leader was a friendly little paper. Lots of
advertising (had to pay its way), but the front page featured
community announcements and the service times for all the churches in
the area, regardless of the denomination. There were general interest
pieces, the usual notices such as who was entering or leaving the
area and why, police arrests, council notices, etc. There were pieces
to make people laugh and pieces to make people think. What there
wasn't was gossip.
The history of the Leader has taken a bit of work to unravel, and I
am still not sure I have it all correct, but bear with me and I will
do my best with what I have so far (this has been pieced together
from newspaper reports and the Sands Directory).
12 March 1888 The Leader starts production
October 1889 William Kellaway, former editor of the Northern Star in
Lismore, purchases a half share of the paper for about £1150.
He pays a deposit, promises to pay the balance owed on a printing
machine and gives promissory notes for the remainder. Archer
continues to work on the paper.
October 1890 The Provincial Press Association is formed with Kellaway
on the committee
15 November 1890 Kellaway, “embarrassed”, sells his interest in
the Leader to Frank James Smith, MLA. Smith is to pay £750
to each of Kellaway and Archer. Kellaway is to remain on the paper
as managing editor.
Smith says he wants to float the paper as a company and therefore
needs the deed before the money is fully paid. He is given until
April the following year to achieve the float.
Some time between October 1890
and April 1891 William Kellaway became ill and was hospitalised. When
he came back he found himself locked out of the Leader offices. Also
during this time, Frank Smith didn't pay Archer or Kellaway any of
the money he owed on the paper.
April 1891 Smith sacks Kellaway.
Kellaway serves writ on Smith
June 1891 During the election
campaign Smith is heckled, the main theme of the heckling being his
treatment of Kellaway.
Smith loses his seat.
August 1891 Kellaway files for
bankruptcy, giving as his main reason Smith's failure to pay for the
Leader. Archer testifies on Kellaway's behalf. Smith claims he owes
Kellaway nothing and that he never said he would float the paper as a
company.
It took a while for me to find
the next piece of the puzzle. The Sands Directory listed the
proprietors of the Balmain Leader as Kellaway in 1891 (remember the
Directory can be a year behind in facts because of the print cycle),
Smith in 1892 and then O'Toole & Co. in 1893. Finding out why
Archer was back in possession required searching on Mr Smith, and
some of this may well have a familiar ring.
 |
| from the Evening News, 15 February 1895 page 5, Trove |
As well as being proprietor of
the Leader, Smith was a member of the Legislative Assembly (lower
house in NSW) in the government of Henry Parkes. He was also a
director of the Australian Mutual Loan and Guarantee Company. During
the 1880s there was a real estate boom and a mining boom. Both areas
were over-invested as the booms were treated as though they would
never end (where have we heard that before?). AML&G and other
financial institutions were over extended. And then the awful truths
began to leak out.
AML&G had been getting
valuations on land out near Camden, altering the figures and then
buying the land at much less than the real value. It had also been
reporting modest profits (a total of about £18,000 from 1890 to
1892) while in reality suffering huge losses (about £102,000 in the
same period).
There was a run on the company and other financial institutions began
to be more closely scrutinised, leading to a general financial
crisis.
This crisis spread to Queensland, also suffering from over-investment
in property and mining, and also with a corruption problem.
In 1892 Smith and six others were
charged with fraud. Two members of the board fled to Peru and never
returned, the remainder faced court. There were also questions raised
about Frank Smith and a coal company he was involved with and whether
or not he had received bribes to ensure a favourable report for the
mine. He was twice called in to see Parkes to explain himself.
The trial went on for some time
and in 1894 Smith and his four companions were found guilty and
sentenced to seven years' jail. He served three, later becoming an
advocate for prison reform.
Which all explains why Archer had
the Leader back in 1893. Smith was in prison while he was on trial,
and Kellaway was a bankrupt, so the paper reverted to its original
owner. Under Smith the paper had dropped the church times and begun
to peddle local gossip, one assumes as an attempt to boost
circulation. It had also changed side in the Protection/Free Trade
debate. Archer was a staunch supporter of unions and workers' rights
and included in that the desire to protect Australian jobs by
protecting Australian industry. The Leader had reflected that stance.
Frank Smith was a supporter of free trade and an end to protection.
Under his ownership the Leader espoused his views.
Under O'Toole & Co., the
Leader went back to its roots.
All the hoo-ha over the Leader
was not the last time Archer would see the inside of a court room. In
1895 he was called as a witness in Rea vs. the Balmain New Ferry
Company Limited.
Miss Ada Rea boarded a ferry after the ropes were loosed but just as
the plank was being pulled up. She was followed by a Mr William
Thompson. Miss Rea later tried to sue the Company for negligence and
sought £500 for injury and distress. Archer was on the ferry and saw
Miss Rea board. Both he and Mr Thompson said that she boarded safely.
Archer said the deck hand told her to “get off the plank”, which
she didn't do. Miss Rea said she had been very shaken by the accident
and was obliged to be off work one to two days a week for a while but
was then forced to stay home because of a weakness resulting from the
incident. The jury found the company was negligent as the ropes were
loosed before the plank was pulled up (next time you are on a ferry
watch what is done - the plank is pulled, the gate closed and THEN
the ropes are loosed). The judge awarded £5 in damages.
Archer and his family lived at 11
Hyam Street, Balmain at the time while O'Toole and Co. continued to
operate out of 52 Beattie Street. Gertrude's parents had already
moved to Queensland and in 1899 she, Archer and the children followed
them north.
To be continued...
