Josiah Francis (Queensland politician)

Josiah Francis (7 March 1825 – 11 May 1891) was a miner and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.[1]

Josiah Francis
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Ipswich
In office 8 August 1881 – 21 August 1883 Serving with John MacFarlane
Preceded by	John Thompson
Succeeded by	William Salkeld
Personal details
Born	Josiah Youlten 7 March 1825 St Ann's Chapel, Cornwall, England
Died	11 May 1891 (aged 66) Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
Resting place	Ipswich General Cemetery
Nationality	English Australian
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Dunstan (m.1849 d.1910)
Occupation	Miner

Biography

Francis was born at St Ann's Chapel, Cornwall, England, to father Joseph Youlten (1783-1832) and mother, Grace Nichols (1786-1852) was educated in St Ann's Chapel. After arriving in Australia he took up mining, working at Burra Burra in South Australia and in Ballarat and Bendigo in Victoria.[1]

At Burra Burra in 1849 he married Elizabeth Dunstan[1] (died 1910)[2] and together had eight sons and six daughters. Some time after 10 August 1861 (the birth of Henry Alfred Youlten in South Australia) and before the birth of James Dunstone FRANCIS in Queensland on 30 Sept 1863, the Youlten family migrated from South Australia to Queensland. On the 10 April 1861, an auction was conducted at Norwood, South Australia, for the sale of all goods, livestock, etc. The dwelling was advertised within the same auction notice "to let". As well, all outstanding accounts were called for to enable settlement, as the family was "relocating to Yorke's Peninsula".

The first seven children of Josiah and Elizabeth were registered under the name of Youlten in South Australia between 1850 and 1861 and it would appear the Youlten children who survived and subsequently moved to Queensland with their parents were raised under the surname Francis so the family's name change probably coincided with there residency in Queensland.

The reasons for the name change are not known. He died in Ipswich, Queensland[1] and was buried in the Ipswich General Cemetery.[3]

Public career

Francis was an alderman in Ipswich from 1876 until 1887. During that time he was twice Mayor, in 1878-1879 and 1884–1886.[1]

He was the member for Ipswich in the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1881–1883.[1]

References

1. "Former Members". Parliament of Queensland. 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
2. Family history research — Queensland Government births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
3. Methodist Uniting B Section — Australian Cemeteries. Retrieved 3 April 2016.