William was 9 years old when he arrived in South Australia. It is believed that William first worked in the Burra copper mines, as his father and brother James when he became old enough to commence work. At one time he was doing contract cartage work for a mine somewhere in the vicinity of Kadina, South Australia. This could have been in the 1860s as it was about 1861 when work was begun on opening up the mines in Walleroo, Moonta and Kadina in South Australia.

When the railway reached Burra from Adelaide in 1870, William carted goods between Burra and Broken Hill. Whether he began carting as soon as the line was finished, or at a later date is not known. In 1878 William was listed as a damsinker when registering his daughters Fanny and Clara for school in Kooringa, Burra. William and his sons worked at dam sinking for a period of time, possibly from the late 1870s and early 1880s. William and his family were apparently still living in Burra in 1879 because a daughter, Mary Elizabeth, died aged 10, and was buried in the same grave as her uncle Thomas Sampson. In 1886 there was a great deal of unemployment in Burra and many of the families moved to Broken Hill where mining had begun in the previous year of 1885. It was about this time that William and his family were living in Mica Street, Broken Hill. In Broken Hill William was a teamster at one stage. It is believed he also worked on the mines in Broken Hill. William died of pneumonia on 24 July 1891 at the age of 53. He was buried at Broken Hill in the Methodist Section 2, Grave no. 46. The Rev. W.W. Finch of the Bible Christians officiated.

Following the discovery of the “Golden Mile” east of Coolgardie in Western Australia the decision was made to leave Broken Hill. In late 1895, just over four years after the death of her husband, Elizabeth and some of her family left and came by ship from Port Adelaide to Albany, Western Australia and then made their way to the goldfields. In coming all that way from Broken Hill to Western Australia in those tough pioneering days, Elizabeth, now a widow, showed courage, fortitude and stoicism, and I feel sure all her descendants will be proud to call her Grandma. The children who came to Western Australia were Janet (Mrs Robert Castle Hopkins) Thomas Sampson, Clara Sampson (later Mrs O’Brien), James Sampson, Mary Elizabeth Sampson (later Mrs George Grenfell), Amy Sampson (later Mrs George Mckennay) and Lily Sampson. Lily later returned to Broken Hill where she married Thomas E. L. Virgo in 1905 and lived there. Elizabeth lived at 90 North Terrace, Boulder.

FUNERAL THE LATE MRS. SAMPSON. There passed away at the age of 79, at her daughter’s (Mr. Geo. MeKennay’s) residence on November 27, after a long and painful illness, a very old resident in the person of Mrs. Elizabeth Sampson, who first came to these fields in 1886 and resided at Golden Gate, where she endeared herself to all who  knew her by her kindly and sympathetic nature. The deceased lady was born in Forfar, Scotland, arriving in Australia on Christmas Day 1853, proceeding direct to  Burra, South Australia. Later her parents settled in the Clare district, where they owned a very fine orchard and vineyard. After her marriage to Wm. Sampson, she resided for a long period in the Burra later on going to Broken Hill in the early days of that field, her husband dying in that centre in 1891. Deceased leaves three sons, five daughters, 34 grand children and 39 great grandchildren to mourn their loss. The funeral took place on November 28 in the Methodist portion of the Boulder cemetery, the cortege leaving the residence of Mr. G. McKennay, 90 North Terrace, Boulder, and was largely attended. Many wreaths and floral tributes were received. Western Argus Tue 16 Dec 1919, p.9 TROVE