Alfred William THORNTON
Born 22 November 1909 in Narrogin, Western Australia [P238]
Son of Alfred George THORNTON and Mary Agnes RING [P238]
He wanted to become a doctor but his father wouldn’t finance his studies and said that he had to get a job [P238]
Resided in Clackline before shifting to Carnamah [P238]
Arrived in Carnamah in November 1926 to work for Lyndon W. RODGERS [P238]
Shop Assistant in Lyndon W. RODGERS' General Store at 7 Macpherson Street, Carnamah in later 1926 and throughout 1927 [P238]
His duties at the store were mainly grocery related but also included the weighing and bottling of goods and some clerical work [P238]
In 1926 his wages were £2/10/- per week and for his board in Carnamah he had to pay 35/- per week [P238]
He travelled down to Perth for a weekend in June 1928 [4: 16-Jun-1928]
Continued to work at the General Store at 7 Macpherson Street in Carnamah following its sale to Andrew SMART in 1928 [P238]
Attended the wedding of Kathleen HÄUSSLER and Harry ZUEGG of Winchester in Carnamah on 7 February 1928 [4: 11-Feb-1928]
Left Carnamah in September 1928 when his former employer asked him to join him in Cunderdin [P238]
Shop Assistant for Lyndon W. RODGERS at his General Store in Cunderdin [P238]
He moved with RODGERS when he sold the store in Cunderdin and purchased a rundown store in Wongan Hills [P238]
Twelve months after the financial crash of October 1929 RODGERS could no longer afford to continue his employment [P238]
He searched for work in Perth but was unsuccessful at funding a job [P238]
With £100 he'd saved, £100 from his father and a £200 loan he purchased his own store in Kulja from J. J. MURPHY [P238]
Storekeeper in Kulja near Koorda [P238]
He put all he'd learned about storekeeping from RODGERS to use and in 12 months had turned the business around [P238]
His father said that he did not want the £100 back and that it could be his brother's share of the business [P238]
This was the beginning of he and his brother Bernard B. C. THORNTON trading as "Thornton Bros" [P238] [39: 4-Oct-1954]
Married (1) Doris May HEINE at Saint Andrew’s Church in the Perth suburb of Subiaco on 3 March 1934 [39: 17-Mar-1934]
His first wife passed away at the age of 21 on 20 May 1934 and was buried at the Koorda Cemetery [39: 22-May-1934] [138]
He and his brother later moved from Kulja to the store at Brunswick Junction, which they sold after building up the business [P238]
Married (2) Winifred Hazel HUTCHINSON in Perth in 1936 [66]
In about 1937 he and his brother shifted to Kellerberrin where they continued as storekeepers [P238]
Their store at Kellerberrin sold groceries, hardware and drapery [P238]
As the local agents for the Winterbottom Company they also sold Case tractors and Austin and Chrysler cars [P238]
His second wife Winifred, mother of his elder two children, passed away aged 29 on 20 October 1941 [39: 21-Oct-1941]
Married (3) Emma Elizabeth HARRIS in Perth in 1943 [66]
After the death of his brother Bernard in 1954 he and his sister-in-law continued with the business in Kellerberrin [P238]
In 1962 he and his sister-in-law Mrs Edith M. THORNTON sold their storekeeping business in Kellerberrin for for £11,000 [P238]
He then ran a poultry farm at Wanneroo before returning to storekeeping in the Perth suburb of Roleystone [P238]
Resided in the Perth hills suburb of Roleystone until his death at the age of 59 years [2]
Father of Lucille, Kevin, David and George [39: 4-Oct-1954]
Died 3 July 1969; buried at the Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth, Western Australia (Roman Catholic, Lawn 7, 441) [2]
His son David visited Carnamah and the Carnamah Historical Society & Museum on 3 October 2016 [P8]
From The West Australian newspaper, Saturday 17 March 1934:
Marriages
"THORNTON – HEINE. – On Saturday, March 3, at St. Andrew’s Church, Subiaco, by the Rev. F. M. Oliver, Alfred William Thornton, of Kulja, W.A., eldest son of Mr and Mrs A. G. Thornton, Maylands, W.A., to Doris May, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs Harrold Heine, of Brightondale, Koorda, W.A."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'Alfred William Thornton' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 18 November 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/alfred-william-thornton [reference list] |
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