Goding (John and Henry)

John Gordon Goding was born on the 27^th of June 1848 in Banwell, Somerset, England, now part of Avon. He arrived in Melbourne aboard the ship “Sabrina" in April 1857 with his father Arthur, his wife Mary (Stock) and six other children.

Sarah Ann aged 17

Arthur aged 14

James aged 10

Hannah  aged 6

May aged 7

Emily aged 1 died at sea.

The three elder sons came out earlier, as did some male Goding cousins from the same village. (Practically all Godings in Victoria today descend from Arthur Goding or his cousins.  John had been a brick maker for most of his working life, having managed the Ringwood and Dandenong brick works.  John was the first person to make bricks in Oakleigh, having purchased the land from Howard Tapley Clarton.

John married Ellen Elizabeth Brown on 26 Dec 1870 in South Yarra, and they had 9 children. After her death, John married her younger sister Elizabeth Diana Brown, (born 19 Sep 1858 in Brunswick, died 31 Aug 1946 in Oakleigh), and they had a further 3 daughters

Elenor Diana b 1871

Edward John b1873

Henry Walter b 1875

Winifred Louisa b 1877

Frederick James b 1879

Eloise Victoria b 1881

Arthur Ernest b 1883

Ethel Adelaide b 1887

Johnathon Bright b 1889

and

Lena Estella b1891

Emily Wilhelmina b 1896

Evelyn Florence b 1899

Henry Goding arrived on the “Lady Ann” at Sydney in 1854 at age 19.  He found employment as a stockman at Richmond, working on a property owned by Mr W Bowman.  After a few months he left for Melbourne where he began work as a Fireman with the City Insurance Company where he remained for thirty two years, becoming Foreman and holding that position for 20 years.  He retired in 1886 and moved to Oakleigh where he began making bricks with his brother John. 

The land on which the brickworks was built was purchased by the brothers on the 27^th of April 1885.  This partnership continued until the 8^th of February 1886 when John left the partnership, just in time.  

“NOTlCE is hereby given that the PARTNERSHIP carried on for some time past, at Oakleigh, in the parish of Mulgrave, in the county of Bourke, in the colony of Victoria, between us, the undersigned, Henry Goding and John Goding, under the firm of "Goding Brothers" as brickmakers, was this day DISSOLVED by mutual consent. Mr Henry Goding, by whom the business will in future be carried on, is       empowered to receive, discharge and settle all debts due to and by the said partnership concern.      

Dated this 8th day of February, 1886  

HENRY GODING  

JOHN GODING

Signed by the said Henry Godlng, and John Goding in the presence of George John Sims, Solicitor, Melbourne.”

Like many companies of the time, Henry ran foul of the finance company.  On the 10^th of April 1886, the Universal Permanent Building and Investment Company took over Henry’s share of the property.  Henry tried to sell the property in October 1887.  At that time, the works consisted of a pugmill, horse drawn rollers, two kilns and four drying houses.  He stated that 40,000 bricks were ready for burning.  This would suggest that the kilns were rectangular downdraught.  Henry continued there until the 8^th of November 1887 when the property was transferred to Edwin Wade.  Henry was by then in his early 50s.  

John must kept his hand in because he was advertising 80,000 bricks for sale in 1914, along with other building material.  He was in his mid 70s so he probably had them at his home.  John died at the age of 84 at his son in law’s home in Ferntree Gully Road Oakleigh on the 7^th o f November 1932.