Dadswell Family History

Generation 9
Ethel May (Ciss) Dadswell (1897-1943)

On this page:
Ancestors of Ethel May Dadswell
Ethel May's story
Key family dates
Photographs
Further information

Ancestors of Ethel May Dadswell

Robert Doudeswell 1560 > Robert Doudeswell 1606 > Edward Dodswell 1659 > Alexander Dodswell 1686 > Thomas Dadswell 1732 > James Dadswell 1786 > Thomas William Dadswell 1828 > Alfred Otto Dadswell 1860 > Ethel May Dadswell 1897

Ethel May's story

Ethel May ('Ciss') Dadswell, third child of Alfred Otto and Emma (Lewin) Dadswell, was born was born at Buangor on 13 August 1897.

She attended Mt Cole school with her brothers and also took violin lessons locally.

She was known to have been a good cook and after the death of her mother Emma in 1918, she looked after her father and, when they had returned from serving overseas during World War One, her brothers.

She could crochet beautifully and her daughter Elsie Mitting has in her possession some of her mother's work which was done prior to her marriage.

'Ciss' was a keen horsewoman and had a horse called 'Bob' that she had reared since a foal and rode whenever possible.

She was married at Maryborough on 4 October 1919 to Charles Lawrence Mitting, a former Australian Army soldier in the First World War, and son of William and Ellen (Bromley) Mitting of Ridge Road, Merbein, Victoria. Charles had been captured and held as a prisoner of war in Germany from April 1917 until December 1918, when he was repatriated to England and then Australia.

They lived at his parents' grape-growing property, and their four children were born in the district.

The couple had four children -

• Elsie Mavis, born 20 May 1920, died 15 August 2015, unmarried, formerly a secretary in Melbourne;
• Ellen Ethel, born 18 March 1922, died 22 June 2007, accounting machine operator, married (i) Jack Tutor, (ii) Syd Plymin;
• William Alfred, born 28 September 1923, died 1 August 1984, Telecom engineer, married Eunice Bryan; and
• Desmond Charles, born 15 June 1925, died 6 May 1989, worked at Bendigo Ordnance Factory, married Margaret (Peg) Boyd.

Charles suffered ill health following his return from World War One service, during which time he was a prisoner-of-war in Germany. On 28 July 1929, a neighbour found him drowned in a well on the property, but a subsequent inquiry was not able to determine how he came to be there.

'Ciss' and the four children moved to a vineyard in Cureton Avenue, Mildura, where she worked the property and raised her family until her sudden death, also by drowning, at the age of 45 on 2 February 1943. She was buried with her husband at Merbein Cemetery.

The block in Cureton Avenue later became known as the Humpty Dumpty Tourist Farm.

Key family dates

Children -

1. Elsie Mavis Mitting born 20 May 1920 - died 15 August 2015

2. Ellen Ethel Mitting born 18 March 1922 - died 27 June 2007

3. William Alfred Mitting born 28 September 1923 - died 1 August 1984

4. Desmond Charles Mitting born 15 June 1925 - died 6 May 1989

Photographs

Click on any picture to see a larger size photograph.

Another early photograph of Ethel Dadswell is on this website - see:
   Dadswell/Lewin Family Photograph, 1904 or 1905.

Further information

Children of Charles and Ethel Mitting
Mitting ancestors
Generation 9 brothers of Ethel May Dadswell
Alfred Otto Dadswell (generation 8, father of Ethel May (Ciss) Dadswell)