Historical information
Photo was taken in 1924 when the land was subdivided.
Black's dairy farm occupied the area just east of Hamilton Street to near Elgar Road. It was subdivided into 88 house allotments along Churchill Street, Bruce Street, Black Street, Proudfoot Street and View Street.
The solicitors were Proudfoot & Horton, 360 Collins Street; estate agents were Duncan & Weller, 29 Queen Street.
The real estate subdivision notice on the SLV website states that Neil Black had been the owner for 50 years. To date no trace of a Neil Black has been found.
Box Hill rate books simply give BLACK as the owner in 1877 (no first name); the entry for 1878-1884 states Robert Black.
The 1909 electoral roll has entries for Mont Albert Road for Robert Black (farmer), Thomas Black (carter) & Elizabeth Black (HD).
The 1912 electoral roll has entries for Mont Albert Road for Robert Black (farmer), Thomas Black (labourer), John Arthur Black (carter) & Elizabeth Black (HD).
Robert Black died in 1920 (b. 1836) and is buried in Box Hill Cemetery (CE-*-0057). His parents were John and Margaret Black. He married Lizzie Foley in 1878. She was the daughter of Margaret & John Foley, born in 1859. She died in 1902 aged 43 years and is buried in the same grave, although the cemetery records record her age as 0 years (presumably as no age or date of birth were given at the time of burial).
Children:
1. James Hughbert (1880-1954)
2. John Arthur (1881-1959)
3. Alice (1882-1883) - died aged 6 months
4. Laura Elizabeth (1883-1951)
5. Thomas (1885-1965)
6. Isabella (1887-1963)
7. Eleanor (1889-1963)
8. Ada Maud (1890-1968)
9. Robert (1892-1930).
BDM Victoria states places of birth as Box Hill, Surrey Hills or Mont Albert. Many of the family are buried in Box Hill Cemetery. None of the girls appear to have married.
Communication from a descendant of John Arthur Black gives the following: "John Arthur Black, son of Robert & Lizzie Foley, married Gladys Anne Layton had 4 children, Robert, Elenore, Marion (Follett) & Annie; they had farm on Stud Road, Dandenong where they milked 30 cows that he retired to after being a earth-moving contractor with draft horses and dug irrigation ditches around Shepparton."
Significance
This is important as documentation of the area's transformation from farming land to residential land use.
Physical description
Black and white photo of a large 3-poled tent in an area of flat land with eucalypts in the background. There is a large crowd of people, mainly men but also women and children. There are also 3 cars to the RHS.
Subjects
- black's dairy farm,
- dairying,
- farms,
- churchill street, black street, proudfoot street, bruce street, view street, neil black, proudfoot & horton, duncan & weller, robert black, lizzie black, lizzie foley, james hubert black, john arthur black, alice black, laura elizabeth black, thomas black, isabella black, eleanor black, ada maud black, robert black jnr,
- box hill cemetery,
- land sales
