 |
Heath & Co
Ginger Beer Bottles
| John Heath (senior) is believed to have been a ship’s captain before settling in Wallaroo around 1860. The earliest documentary evidence of his business activities appears on 16 February 1867, when he was recorded as a ginger beer manufacturer at the time of the birth of his twin daughters. From 1867 until 1899, John Heath operated in partnership with his brother, Henry Heath, a local grocer. In 1899, John’s son William Heath (born Wallaroo, 31 December 1870; died Prospect, 21 December 1950) briefly joined the business for one year. Following John Heath’s death on 1 September 1900, his widow Janet Heath continued the operation under the name Heath & Co. After her death on 15 April 1907, the business passed to their children Charles Heath (born Wallaroo, 26 August 1863; died Wallaroo, 14 August 1945) and Harriet Emma Heath (born Wallaroo, 15 December 1875; died Wallaroo, 15 August 1909). Another son, John Gunn Heath (born Wallaroo, 25 November 1861; died Kensington, 27 August 1954), was also involved in the business by 1910. From 1910, the firm traded as C. Heath & Co. until it was sold to H. E. Simmons in 1925. |