Charles Cutts was born on the 8th August 1839 in Blidworth, Nottinghamshire, England.
and was a "Silkweaver " by trade.
Martha Williams was born in 1847 in Rogiet, Monmouthshire, Wales.
Charles emigrated to Australia on the ship "Queen of the Colonies" and arrived 9th April 1863 when he was 24 years old.
Martha emigrated to Australia on the ship "Queen of the Colonies" and arrived 9th July 1865 when she was 18 years old.
Charles and Martha married on 16th October 1866 at Wesleyen Parsonage, Brisbane.
They purchased the following land in Humpybong:
December 13th 1869 - portion 273 - 20 acres - paying 5 pound 10 shillings.
July 18th 1871 - portion 272 - 20 acres - paying 2 pound 10 shillings.
August 17th 1875 - portion 268 and 269 - 40 acres - paying 5 pounds.
The Saturday Night Telegraph newspaper - 14th October 1933 page 8:
"THE HUMPYBONG OF THE EIGHTIES"
"The first mail service between the peninsula and town was run by Mr Cutts, who ran a sailing boat called the "Dairy Maid", three times weekly between Woody Point and Sandgate. The bread supply came by this means also."
Queensland Newspaper December 1933 from the diary of Philip Silcock in 1878:
"About 1878 the first direct boat service between Humpybong and Sandgate was conducted by the late Mr. C. Cutts, who had a sailing boat which plied from the little bay in front of Mr. C. R. J. Dahl's present residence at Clontarf - boatshed stands there now—to Shorncliffe. Mrs. Cutts, who was a fine stamp of womanhood and is still alive and well, and resides at Indooroopilly, frequently rowed one or more passengers across when Mr. Cutts was absent, for which she received 7/6 or 10/, and sometimes less. How many women nowadays would be courageous enough—and skilful enough—to row an open 14ft. boat from Clontarf to Sandgate and back with a strong north easter or south-easter blowing? Yet Mrs. Cutts did so on many occasions!"
Charles had a sailing boat service to Sandgate in 1870's in a boat called the "Dairy Maid" and also a mail carrying contract.
In 1883 they built a house on the Cowes Estate in Clontarf. Charles won the contract for clearing the cemetery in 1891 and established a general store near the waterfront in Redcliffe in 1896. After Charles passed away in 1912, his sons ran the store well into the 1920s.
"Just behind the Congregational Church, a few yards off the main Brisbane road, is the site of the old gaol. The Cutts family owned the property many years ago, and the last actual part of the ancient gaol disappeared in the early years of the present century, when one of the Cutts family tied a horse to the last remaining post, and the animal took fright, pulling the weather-rotted old wood out of the ground. Mrs. Martha Cutts, who, at the age of 82 years, lives at Indooroopilly, has clear recollections of old posts standing in her milking yard, with iron rings in them for the convicts' chains. Until 1916 there stood in the church yard a triangular tree, into which were driven iron rings, to which the unfortunate prisoners were chained. People used to come to view this grim relic, until the minister of the time had it cut down. A big hole is still to be seen in the adjoining property, where people have dug up leg irons and other reminders of the penal days. Mrs. Cutts had in her possession crockery and other articles which had been recovered from the ground, and leg irons, and chains which have been unearthed from time to time are in the possession of several townspeople of Redcliffe."
Jack Espie Macgregor next the the Cutts Store c.1896 - with Charles, Lucy and Martha Cutts on the verandah of the house (photo : Bob Kirkwood)
Charles, Lucy and Martha Cutts: (photo : Bob Kirkwood)
Cutts Brothers General Storekeepers shop opposite the Jetty c. 1920s:
Charles and Martha had 11 children in 24 years. Alice (1867-1932) Annie Harriet (1869-1961) Lucy (1871-1949) George (1873-1945) Edward James (1876-1928) Frederick James (1876-1928) Frederick Charles (1878-1948) Ernest Cornelius (1881-1969) Arthur Reuben (1884-1962) David Henry (1888-1954) Albert William (1888-1944) Joseph Benjamin (1892-1975)
Alice (8yrs 6mths), Annie (5 yrs 9mths) and Lucy (4yrs 6 months) were in the first class to enrol at the new Provisional School at Humpybong in February 1876,
Joe Cutts (b, 1892) with friend delivering goods on the Woody Point Jetty 1918/19:.:
Lucy Cutts (b.1871) with husband John Espie McGregor c.1900
They married at 22 Bell St Kangaroo Point on 16th October 1899.
Photo from the Morton Bay Library Collection:
Fred Cutts (b.1876) was a Storekeeper with his brothers, on the Esplanade in Redcliffe:
David Cutts (b. 1888) at 19 years of age :
Lucy Cutts (b.1871) c, 1890
Ernest Cutts (b. 1881) c. 1912
Miss Cahill's Class - Humpybong State School 1913 :
On Stairs: Annie Pieper, Eva Jenkins, Lily Pikett, Lena Sparkes, Kate McFarlane. Front row: Liz Foster, Elsie Payne, Phyl Garton, Hazel Price, Gladys Shields, Edna Towell, Jean Rankin. 2nd row: Theresa Martin, Nell Garton, Grace Cutts,Ruby Jenkins, Jean McDermott, Isobel Jacques, Muriel Cutts,Jean Bird. 3rd row: Ruby Hawkins, Christina McFarlane, Lucy Beedham, Rita Maltman, Lou Pieper, Jane Hay, Marg Leighton. 4th row: Lily Towell, Hilda Brown, Ivy Towell, Maisie Cutts, Maud Kremzow, Enid Nicholls.
George Larson, Ernest Cutts, Joe Cutts and Eda Cutts (Mrs Ernest Cutts) in front of a Ford Model T (U.S.A.) Tourer .Photo from the Moreton Bay Library Collection.
George Larson, Ernest Cutts, Joe Cutts and Eda Cutts ( Mrs Ernest Cutts) in front of a Ford Model T ( U.S.A. ) Tourer in the early 1900s. Eda and Ernest lived cnr. Dix and John St Redcliffe, and Joe Cutts lived in Scarborough. Photo from the Moreton Bay Library Collection.
Joseph Cutts with his new car at Redcliffe in July 1921.Photo from the Moreton Bay Library Collection.
Redcliffe's first taxi c.1921 Joe Cutts (b.1892) owner. Behind the wheel is Jim Houghton who later to become Mayor and MLA. Photo from the Moreton Bay Library Collection.
Redcliffe Jetty 1922 - with Fountain Pikett at left and Ernie Cutts (b. 1881) right - Cutts store can be seen in the background to the left , next to the Moreton Vista Guest House. Piketts store was opposite the Jetty. next to the original Picture Pavilion.
1925 aerial:
Double Wedding of Ethel Barron and Walter Kingston and Violet Ashmole and David Barron.
From left to right - Violet ,Walter , Ethel and David.
Ethel and David are the Grandchildren of Charles and Martha Cutts
Charles died on 14th June 1912 at Redcliffe aged 72 years.
Martha died on the 1st June 1939 aged 91 years.
They are buried together in the Redcliffe cemetery:
Cutts Street in Margate is named after the family. Click here to see the history of the street: