William Frederick Joyce

On 5 July 1878, in Stanley Street, Collingwood, Melbourne, Ellen (nee Carne) gave birth to her first son.  She and her husband, Albert Samuel Joyce, already had two daughters.  They named their son William Frederick Joyce.

William was the name of Ellen's father and also the name of her brother closest in age to her who had tragically died in the Merri Creek when Ellen was 11 years old.

Albert Samuel Joyce was a plumber.  He had developed a type of milk bucket, which had become very popular due to it's effective lid - you still can pick up "Joyce Milk Buckets" - they make good letterboxes!  Albert and Ellen had a very comfortable life!  Following William, they had a further three girls (two of whom died young), then finished with two boys.

William was a committed Christian, and was very active in the George Street Baptist Church, Fitzroy.   Then one day he fell heavily - tripping on the footpath in Smith Street, Collingwood.  Probably now, 114 years later, he'd be taken to a hospital, with x-rays or an MRI to determine what was happening and whether his injury could be treated.  But they didn't have those options available.  So William's injury was left and it appeared that he had recovered.  Unfortunately he hadn't recovered!  I don't understand the science of his injury, but in the last five months of his life he suffered from extreme pain.  Through it all he remained cheerful and peaceful, living from day to day - very eager to talk to others about his faith.  He died on 16 November 1898, age 20, surrounded by his family and close friends.

We wouldn't know anything about his story, except that some time after his death a small booklet was written by Rev Edward Isaac, called "A Young Man's Dying Testimony".  And for the price of one penny, one could read the story of this admirable young man.  The language is flowery to the point of being a little "over the top", but it is a story from the heart written by someone who obviously liked William very much.  Fortunately one of William's younger brothers kept the booklet and I found it in his papers.  Without it, William Frederick Joyce's life would simply have read: born 5/7/1878 Collingwood; died 16/11/1898 Collingwood; no children...

(Relationship to SNR = Great-grandfather's brother)