William Reid
THE REID FAMILY · c.1862–1924
From the streets of Aberdeen to the farmlands of Tasmania
BORN
c.1862
Scotland
OCCUPATION
Farmer
Mooreville Road, Burnie, Tasmania
DIED
5 March 1924
Latrobe, Tasmania, aged 62
CHAPTER 01 · c.1862–1882
Early Life in Scotland
William Reid was born in Scotland around 1861 or 1862, the son of John Reid and Mary Robertson. His early years remain largely undocumented, but by 1882 he was living in Aberdeen, where he worked as a general labourer.
A reconstruction of Aberdeen in the 1880s, incorporating an illustrated extract from the marriage registration of William Reid and Annie Dallas, who married on 21 December 1882. Original record: National Records of Scotland, Statutory Marriage Register 168/2/32.
On 21 December 1882, William married Annie Dallas in Aberdeen. Annie was the daughter of Hugh Dallas and Ann Walker and was employed as a domestic servant. Their marriage certificate records William as aged 20 and Annie as aged 22. The couple began their married life in Scotland before making the decision to emigrate to Tasmania, where William would eventually establish himself as a farmer in the Burnie district.
CHAPTER 02 · 1887
A New Life in Tasmania
The SS Doric, which sailed from London on 27 January 1887 and arrived in Hobart on 11 March 1887. The illustration incorporates a recreated extract from the passenger register listing William Reid, his wife and their three sons, William, John and Hugh. Their identification as the family of William Reid and Annie Dallas remains provisional.
In January 1887, William Reid and his family appear to have embarked on a journey that would change their lives forever. A surviving passenger register for the steamship SS Doric records a Scottish farm labourer named William Reid, aged 28, travelling from London to Hobart with his wife and three young sons. The family listed in the register comprised William, his wife, also aged 28, and their sons William, aged five, John, aged three, and Hugh, aged one. The ages recorded for the parents differ from those suggested by William and Annie’s marriage certificate, but the family circumstances and timing make this a promising identification.
The Doric departed London on 27 January 1887 and travelled via Cape Town before arriving in Hobart at nine o’clock on the morning of 11 March 1887. The ship’s arrival attracted considerable attention because Tasmania’s newly appointed Governor, Sir Robert Hamilton, was among its passengers. Newspaper reports described an enthusiastic reception, with government officials, a guard of honour and crowds gathering to welcome him ashore.
For the Reid family, the voyage may have marked the beginning of a new chapter in a distant country. By June 1887, William and Annie’s daughter Margaret Annie Reid was born in Launceston, providing further evidence that the family had established itself in Tasmania by that time.
CHAPTER 03 · 1887–1915
Farming and Family Life in Tasmania
Over the following years, the family developed strong connections with Tasmania’s north-west coast. Their son Thomas Reid was born around 1892 in Waratah, a mining settlement in the region. By the early twentieth century, William was living at Mooreville Road, Burnie, where he worked as a farmer.
An enhanced historical interpretation of Burnie’s town centre in the early twentieth century. William Reid and his family lived nearby on Mooreville Road, where he worked as a farmer.
Farming was an important part of Burnie’s developing economy, with surrounding properties supplying livestock and produce to the growing community. Although the precise location and extent of William’s farm remain uncertain, Mooreville Road was the family address recorded in Thomas Reid’s military service documents during the First World War.
CHAPTER 04 · 1915–1916
The Loss of a Son
A battlefield reconstruction incorporating illustrated military correspondence to William Reid following the death of his son Thomas in France.
On 29 July 1916, Thomas was killed in France at the age of 24. For William and Annie, the loss of their son was a devastating consequence of a war being fought thousands of kilometres from home.
In the years that followed, William received Thomas’s personal effects and official memorial items, including the Memorial Plaque, Scroll and Victory Medal. The surviving military correspondence records these deliveries through 1923, providing a poignant reminder that the family’s loss continued to be acknowledged long after the fighting ended.
CHAPTER 05 · 1922–1924
William’s Final Years
On 17 March 1922, William Reid, a farmer of Mooreville Road, Burnie, signed his last will and testament. He appointed his wife, Annie, as sole executrix and left his entire estate to her, providing for her future after his death.
William died on 5 March 1924 at Devon Hospital in Latrobe, aged 62. His funeral took place in Burnie, where he was buried at Wivenhoe General Cemetery. His death marked the end of a life that had taken him from Scotland to the farming communities of north-west Tasmania.
William Reid’s final years, 1922–1924. A historical rural scene incorporating his will and newspaper death notice, documenting the end of his life in north-west Tasmania.
Probate was granted to Annie on 27 June 1924, with William’s estate valued at less than £6,736. The surviving will and probate documents provide a final record of the property and family responsibilities he left behind.
CHAPTER 06 · 1924-1944
A Lasting Family Legacy
The shared gravestone (recreated with AI) of William and Annie Reid at Wivenhoe General Cemetery, Burnie. William died in 1924 and Annie in 1944, twenty years apart.
William Reid was laid to rest at Wivenhoe General Cemetery in Burnie, where his gravestone records his death on 5 March 1924. His wife Annie survived him for another twenty years, dying on 16 November 1944, aged 85. Their shared memorial remains a tangible connection to the Scottish couple who made Tasmania their home.
Through their children and subsequent generations, William and Annie’s family became part of the history of north-west Tasmania. Their journey from Aberdeen in the 1880s to a farming life in Burnie reflects the experiences of many immigrant families whose descendants continue to call Tasmania home.
1882 — Marriage in Aberdeen, Scotland
National Records of Scotland, Statutory Marriage Register 168/2/32. Records the marriage of William Reid and Annie Dallas on 21 December 1882, including their ages, occupations, residences and parents.
1887 — Immigration aboard the SS Doric
Descriptive List of Immigrants, London to Hobart, departing 27 January 1887. Lists William Reid, his wife and three sons. The family’s identification with William and Annie Dallas remains provisional.
1887 — Arrival of the SS Doric in Hobart
Contemporary newspaper report confirming the vessel’s arrival on 11 March 1887, carrying Tasmania’s newly appointed Governor, Sir Robert Hamilton.
1915–1923 — Military Records of Thomas Reid
National Archives of Australia, First World War service file, Private Thomas Reid, No. 1825, 26th Battalion. Identifies William Reid as his father and next of kin at Mooreville Road, Burnie, and documents the distribution of Thomas’s personal effects and memorial items.
1922 — Last Will and Testament
William Reid’s will, signed 17 March 1922. Identifies him as a farmer of Mooreville Road, Burnie, and appoints his wife Ann Reid as sole executrix.
1924 — Death and Funeral Notices
Contemporary Tasmanian newspaper notices recording William Reid’s death at Devon Hospital, Latrobe, on 5 March 1924, aged 62, and his burial at Wivenhoe General Cemetery.
1924 — Probate Records
Tasmanian Supreme Court probate file No. 14742, granted 27 June 1924. Documents the administration of William’s estate by his widow.
1924–1944 — Wivenhoe General Cemetery
Cemetery records and shared gravestone commemorating William Reid, who died 5 March 1924, and Annie Reid, who died 16 November 1944.
William Reid’s Records
1882 — Marriage Certificate
Original Scottish marriage registration for William Reid and Annie Dallas, married in Aberdeen on 21 December 1882.
1887 — SS Doric Passenger Register
Immigration register listing William Reid, his wife and three sons, William, John and Hugh. Their identification remains provisional.
1916–1923 — Military Correspondence
Documents addressed to William Reid concerning the death of his son Thomas and the distribution of his effects and memorial items.
1922 — Last Will and Testament
William’s signed will, naming his wife Ann as sole executrix and beneficiary.
1924 — Death and Funeral Notices
Newspaper notices recording William’s death at Latrobe and funeral at Wivenhoe General Cemetery.
1924–1944 — Family Gravestone
Original photograph of the shared memorial commemorating William and Annie Reid.
Parents
John Reid — Father
Recorded as a farmer on William’s 1882 Scottish marriage certificate.
Mary Robertson — Mother
Identified on William’s marriage certificate as Mary Reid, formerly Robertson.
Spouse
Annie Dallas (c.1860–1944)
Married William Reid on 21 December 1882 in Aberdeen, Scotland. The couple subsequently settled in Tasmania, where they raised their family. Annie survived William by approximately twenty years.
Children
| Name | Born | Location | Death |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Reid | c.1881–1882 | Scotland | Unknown |
| John Reid | c.1883–1884 | Scotland | Unknown |
| Hugh Reid | c.1885–1886 | Scotland | Unknown |
| Margaret Annie Reid | 24 June 1887 | Launceston, Tasmania | 12 Aug 1976 |
| Thomas Reid | 1892 | Waratah, Tasmania | 29 July 1916 |
Research note: The three children recorded on the Doric passenger list have not yet been independently confirmed as members of this particular Reid family. William Reid and William Dallas Reid may also be the same individual.
Research Notes
Birth Date Discrepancy
William’s 1882 marriage certificate records his age as 20, suggesting a birth around 1861–1862. His 1924 death notice gives his age as 62, while the Doric passenger register records a William Reid aged 28 in 1887. His precise birth date remains unconfirmed.
Identification of the Doric Passengers
The 1887 immigration register lists William Reid, his wife and three sons. Although the family’s circumstances are consistent with William Reid and Annie Dallas, further evidence is needed to establish a definitive connection.
Identification of the Children
The birth registrations of William, John and Hugh Reid in Scotland require verification. It also remains uncertain whether William Reid and William Dallas Reid are the same person.
Mooreville Road Property
William was recorded as a farmer of Mooreville Road, Burnie. The precise location, ownership history and extent of his property have not yet been established.
Annie Dallas’s Death Registration
The shared gravestone records Annie Reid’s death on 16 November 1944. Her death registration may provide further confirmation of her parents and maiden name.