Family background
William Ebenezer Fairy Setchell was born c1830 Middlesex, England, the son of George Robert Setchell and Mary Farey. He immigrated to Australia on the ship ‘Herefordshire’ which arrived at Sydney on 10 December 1853. He married (1) Mary Ann Downes (1833-77) on 15 February 1858 at Chippendale, NSW, and they had three sons and four daughters. He married (2) Sarah Ann Challenger in 1885 at Redfern, NSW. William Setchell died at Waterloo, NSW, on 10 December 1893, aged 63 years; he was buried at Rookwood Cemetery in the Old Church of England section. He left a Will and his estate and assets were assessed at £4,028. He lived in Raglan Street, Alexandria.
Occupation & interests
William Setchell was a stonemason. He constructed a lot of the principal business structures in the Alexandria municipality. He was declared bankrupt in 1869.
Community activity
Setchell was a mason.
Local government service
William Setchell was an alderman on Alexandria Council 1884-89 representing the East Ward. His sons William and George were also aldermen on the council as was his grandson Edward.
References
‘Municipal Elections’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 February 1884, p. 3, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13552692