On November 13, 1891 the funeral of John George Morris, mayor of Bowral, took place. The Goulburn Herald noted that "it was the largest ever seen in Bowral. There were 44 floral wreaths, the gifts of former friends and tributes of esteem. The remains were interred in the Wesleyan Cemetery, Bowral." His story follows here.

Morris had moved from Goulburn to Bowral in 1873 and set up as a store-keeper. By the 1880s he owned a residence in Oxley Street and was a well-respected auctioneer and proprietor of general stores at Bowral and Kangaloon. He also owned a stock saleyards near Bowral's railway yards. Despite ongoing poor health, he helped build the district's prosperity and was a leading force in community and civic matters. He served as a Justice of the Peace, stood as a councillor at Bowral's council elections in 1886, receiving the most votes, and then served as mayor in 1888 and 1891.

Morris was only in his 50th year when he died. Shortly after his death, his widow Sarah and her two sons by a previous marriage left the district. With no children of his own to keep his memory alive locally, JG Morris soon became just a name. No photo of him can be identified in the Berrima District Historical Society's extensive collection and Jervis' "A History of the Berrima District" has only a few mentions. In a compilation of early Bowral councillors published by local historian AVJ Parry in 1950, he notes that early local newspapers were his main source for Morris.

An obituary of John G Morris published in the Bowral Free Press on November 14, 1891 included details of his early life, perhaps provided by him beforehand as his death was not unexpected. He had long suffered from an affliction of the lungs, and was palpably wasting away.

He was born at Marshall Mount, Illawarra, on January 16, 1842. His parents were among the early settlers in Illawarra. Shortly after his birth, they moved to Jamberoo and eventually to Mittagong, where Mr Morris senior, a devout Wesleyan Methodist, had charge of the public school for years.

Read also: Boy felled by tree in 1891

John received his early education at Illawarra House Academy, Kiama. On leaving school he went into commercial pursuits at David Jones & Co in Sydney. His health failing him, for he was not very strong, he was urged to leave Sydney for the Southern Tablelands, and he accordingly went to Mittagong in 1865, where for several years he managed the business of Mr Burritt. He moved to Goulburn in 1868, where he spent five years in the employ of Davies, Alexander and Co, a major retailer and stock agent with stores throughout the region.

In 1871 John married Sarah Wickham at Goulburn. Both were aged around 30. She was a widow with three young children, her first husband Ebenezer having died in 1870 after suffering with a low fever. Ebenezer had married Sarah Myers at Yass in 1861. They were Wesleyan Methodists and moved to Goulburn where he first owned a boot and shoe shop, then worked as a book-keeper at the same firm where John Morris would start in 1868. Described as possessing an obliging disposition and extreme urbanity, Ebenezer earned local fame as a thespian, having a good singing voice and producing amateur plays. He and Sarah's children were Edward (1863), Ann (1864) and Henry (1867).

In June 1872 the Goulburn Herald noted that the Wesleyan Mutual Improvement Society held a complimentary tea for one of its members, John G Morris, who was about to leave town. It mentioned that he was going to the goldfields out west, which he may have done for a time.

Morris moved to Bowral in 1873 with his wife Sarah and step-children. According to his BFP obituary, he "at once started in business for himself. At that time Bowral was still little more than a village, a small homely place where everybody knew everybody, and where existed less of that exclusiveness that seems to become a feature of larger places. Mr Morris began his fortunes in a humble way in a humble place."

As the town grew so his business developed.

Do you have memories of the Southern Highlands to share with our readers? If you have stories from the past, or old photos that will give us a window to years gone by, just fill out the form below.