William Williams, father of Cyrus John Richard Williams, lived a long and active life, succeeding in business, marrying twice, and fathering many children. Though not often referred to in Cyrus's Journals there is a vague sense that he was a loving and fun father who encouraged Cyrus in his interests in sailing and marine engineering.
William clearly had a deeply loving marriage to his first wife, mother of his first three children, of whom Cyrus was the youngest. When she died young, and was buried in Sydney, William erected a very touching memorial on her grave. He then ensured the children maintained close and loving relationships with their mother's very large family, the Doyles. These relationships continued throughout Cyrus's life.
William later remarried and fathered 10 more children, none of whom are mentioned in Cyrus's Journals.
The last time Cyrus and his father spent time together was in 1912 when Cyrus was en route to the UK to order a new dredge for the Lyttleton Harbour Board:
"In Hobart we had two days golfing at the links there which are prettily situated and well laid out from a player’s point of view. Fremantle interested me as an almost entirely artificial port protected by moles such as I had projected for the entrance at Sumner Head, and in spite of the evidence given by the shipmasters to Cordes, presents no difficulties of entrance. I was much interested in the wharves constructed of Jarrah timber, reputed to be immune from the depredations of the Teredo, but as I understand have not proved entirely so. At Perth I visited my father, then seventy-nine years of age and he nearly walked me off my legs showing me the sights of Perth."
Somewhat typically, the relationship with his father gets less attention than the wharves at Freemantle! His half brother and sisters who were still alive and with whom William lived, get no mention whatsoever, as was the case throughout the Journals.
William clearly had a deeply loving marriage to his first wife, mother of his first three children, of whom Cyrus was the youngest. When she died young, and was buried in Sydney, William erected a very touching memorial on her grave. He then ensured the children maintained close and loving relationships with their mother's very large family, the Doyles. These relationships continued throughout Cyrus's life.
William later remarried and fathered 10 more children, none of whom are mentioned in Cyrus's Journals.
The last time Cyrus and his father spent time together was in 1912 when Cyrus was en route to the UK to order a new dredge for the Lyttleton Harbour Board:
"In Hobart we had two days golfing at the links there which are prettily situated and well laid out from a player’s point of view. Fremantle interested me as an almost entirely artificial port protected by moles such as I had projected for the entrance at Sumner Head, and in spite of the evidence given by the shipmasters to Cordes, presents no difficulties of entrance. I was much interested in the wharves constructed of Jarrah timber, reputed to be immune from the depredations of the Teredo, but as I understand have not proved entirely so. At Perth I visited my father, then seventy-nine years of age and he nearly walked me off my legs showing me the sights of Perth."
Somewhat typically, the relationship with his father gets less attention than the wharves at Freemantle! His half brother and sisters who were still alive and with whom William lived, get no mention whatsoever, as was the case throughout the Journals.