James Bateup

Peter Baytup was born in 1816 in London, England and his wife Mary Ann Adams was born in 1820 in London.  They came to South Australia by 1842 and had the following children:-

               John ‘James’ was born c1842 at Port Adelaide.

               William was born in 1844 at Port Adelaide.  He died on the 24 April 1853 at Adelaide.

Peter Baytup died in 1853 in Victoria aged 37 years old and his wife Mary Ann died on the 8 March 1853 at Portland Estate (Port Adelaide) aged 33, leaving James an orphan at the age of 11 years.

James apprenticed himself to the engineering trade after which he started in business for himself at Angle Vale becoming one of the leading men of the day as a plough maker.

When James was 22 years old he married Agnes Carr McMillan aged 22 years old.  They married on the 4 March 1864 at the residence of Mr. McMillan of Smithfield.  Agnes was born in 1842 at Sanquhar, Dumfrieshire, Scotland.

They had the following children:-

               William James was born on the 19 April 1870 at Angle Vale.

               John Whitelaw was born on the 10 Feb 1873 at Angle Vale.  He died six days later.

               Annie Isabella was born on the 17 March 1874 at Angle Vale.

               Mary Margaret was born on the 17 June 1876 at Angle Vale.

               John Ernest was born on the 5 May 1879 at Balaklava.

               Agnes Barbara was born on the 29 July 1881 at Balaklava.

               George Peter was born on the 10 June 1885 at Balaklava.

James spent all his life in South Australia apart from a few weeks at the Victorian gold diggings. He was an implement manufacturer and blacksmith who moved from Smithfield and built a house and shop and established a business on the southwest corner of the cross roads at Angle Vale.   Soon after there came John Whitelaw, carpenter and wheelwright who started his business across the road from Bateup’s.   The village received a big setback when Mr Bateup sold his business, many of the workmen left and the houses were left vacant and fell into ruins.  Owing to ill health, he sold the business about 1880 and took up land near Balaklava.

John Whitelaw – Carpenter and wheelwright.  A brother in law of James Bateup, worked in conjunction with him doing the woodwork and Bateup the ironwork.  The business was closed down when Mr. Whitelaw died in 1890. 

James helped make the stump jump comb and in a court case he was called as an expert witness when the makers of a fertiliser and grain drill were being sued by a hirer of the equipment in 1904.

James died on the 16 December 1916 at Croydon aged 74 years old and his wife Agnes died on the 2 October 1920 at Croydon aged 78 years old.   James left £242 in his will.

Their son John Ernest Bateup is one of best known figures of the South Australian motor trade.   He had been selling cars since 1915.   He learnt his trade from his father.   When he was 21 he left Balaklava and took up land at Milang where he farmed for three years then moved to Adelaide and opened a grocery store at Parkside.

When he was 25 years old he married Adelaide Frances May Minns aged24 years old.  They married on the 30 January 1905 at the Methodist Church, Finniss. They had one child:-

               John Macmillan was born on the 30 January 1916 at Croydon.

Two years after living at Parkside he moved to Ardrossan where he again was a plough maker.  After three years he joined John Shearer & Sons.

In 1919 he began buying and selling second hand cars.   He 1925 he became a councillor for Croydon and then in 1927 became Mayor.

John Ernest died on the 16 November 1956 at North Adelaide aged 77 years old and his wife Adelaide Frances May died on the 12 Feb 1960 at Hindmarsh aged 79 years old.