FAMILY research for more than a decade has led to the discovery of a 104-year-old unmarked grave in the Beechworth Public Cemetery with a granite memorial headstone linked to history now in place.
Melbourne’s Debbie Williams researched family history for more than 15 years sparked by questions from her late father about his heritage.
Ms Williams said she had researched her entire family tree finding the grave of her great, great grandfather William McFeeters.
“I did bring Dad up here six years ago to look for William’s grave,” she remarked.
“I said to Dad we'll get back here one day but he passed away a couple of years ago, and this was something I wanted to do for him and to get William’s name on his grave.”
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Ms Williams said she found a beautiful large stone for the headstone on the McFeeters farm where another descendant lives who she visits.
“I think it is lovely now that there is that connection to the farm, stone and William,” she said.
“A well-known identity, William lived in a little shack at Reids Creek, had a horse and cart and drove to Chiltern and Rutherglen and all around the area selling his fruit trying to make ends meet.”
Born in 1839 in Northern Ireland, William had migrated to the region with his wife Isabella in 1862.
“He and Isabella had nine children - one died when a baby and another at aged three,” Ms Williams said.
“The rest married and the Beechworth cemetery is full of his descendants.
“Every time I drive down the hill towards the McFeeters' farm, I always think of him because he had a heart attack on his cart when returning to the family farm from a day's selling and didn't make it home.
“He died on April 27, 1905, and luckily, his wife and daughter were on board to take his body back to the farm.
“I admire William and his tenacity, because it would have been very hard back then.
“It’s been a culmination and full circle of my research on William and finding everything I could about him, his life, children and family.”
Ms Williams said family members would now visit his gravesite as well as other gravesites of family members in the cemetery too.
The family history researcher also had a plaque made at the Broadford Cemetery where William’s wife is buried.
“I know their stories now and feel really happy with names on their graves,” she said.
Ms Williams said William McFeeters’ legacy lived on as his family members had multiplied with many spread across different areas including Broken Hill.
Beechworth Public Cemetery Trust chair Rosemary Barnett said the cemetery has policies and guidelines for clarity, among them memorial headstones on its website, as well as a noticeboard near the main entrance gate.
She said in this instance the special rock to be used prepared by a stonemason with the plaque had been approved by the trust.
All cemeteries have policies and guidelines for compliance with more details available at the Victorian Department of Health website.
