I am grateful to Judy Marsh for some of the information on this page.
Herbert John Pettit was born 25 September 1865 (registered in the December quarter 1865 in the Thingoe district) and baptised 4 November 1866 at Hargrave, a son of John Pettit and Eliza formerly Birch.
In the 1881 census of Tuffields Farm, Whepstead, Hubbard (sic) Pettitt was the head aged 15, a farm bailiff, born at Hargrave. With him was his brother, Robert Pettitt, aged 14, born at Hargrave, Mary A. Stilt aged 62, an unmarried housekeeper, born at Barrow, his uncle, Alfred Pettitt, aged 17, a shepherd, born at Wickhambrook and Fredrick Miton aged 16 a farm labourer born at Steeple Bumstead. These relationships make it clear that Hubbard is Herbert.
He emigrated to Australia in 1891, with Robert and Samuel (Samuel returned to England after a few years), to farm.
He married Margaret Mary Caldwell 2 February 1898 at Inglewood when he was 32 years old.
She predeceased him and he died 2 October 1953, at Campwell Street, Berwick, Victoria, Australia, a labourer aged 90, of cerebral thrombosis, arteriosclerosis and senility. He was buried, 5 October 1953 at Berwick cemetery, (site was close to a creek and the graves are now probably washed away because when a creek overflowed it destroyed some graves) and had been in Victoria for 75 years.
Herbert and Margaret’s children were:
Thomas John Pettit, born about 1895 (?) and died 1978. He married
Violet Mary Pool.
Jason Pettit, died when 5 days old.
Mary Eliza Pettit, died when 8˝ months old.
Francis Charles Pettit, born about 1905. He married Ruby Saunders.
Posted December 2016