Pioneer Obituaries

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / Leave a comment

It never ceases to amaze me how the branches of my family tree reach out through the Western District and entwine with the branches of other family trees. The roots of each tree are different, but the branches come together by way of marriage.  In this month’s Passing of the Pioneers, two of the families represented have links to two of my own families.

This month also sees Mr and Mrs George Excell who sadly passed away within hours of each other. There is also a member of the Kittson family of Bridgewater and a dentist born in the same area. There is Margaret McWilliams, educated in Belgium and John Gorman, an Irish policeman.

William LUXTON: Died 4 June 1903 at North Hamilton. William Luxton was born in Devonshire, England about 1819.  He arrived in South Australia around 1846 before moving to Macarthur, Victoria in the 1850s where he remained until his death.  He had four daughters still alive at the time of his death including Mrs T.R. Oliver (Margaret Luxton) who was the sister-in-law of Elizabeth Oliver (wife of Reuben Harman) and Mary Oliver (wife of Jonathan Harman).

Robert ISBEL:  Died June 1908 at Ararat. Robert Isbel’s father came to Victoria from Adelaide in search of gold, with Robert and his mother joining him at Great Western in 1862. Robert settled at Concongelia.

Francis MATTHEWS: Died 6 June 1915 at Landsborough. Francis Matthews was a native of Ireland and had worked in the Dublin Customs Department before coming to Australia. He eventually settled at Joel Joel and worked hard on the land. He only had two relatives in Australia at the time of his death, an Ernest Matthews of Crowlands and a cousin.

Sarah Elizabeth PORTER: Died 8 June 1915 at Hamilton. Originally from Blackwood, Victoria, Sarah married James Reece from Purdeet, near Penshurst.  She saw Penshurst grow from nothing to a permanent town.  Sarah and James had three sons and four daughters.

Adrina McDONNELL: Died 13 June 1915 at Rhymney.  Adrina McDonnell and her husband Duncan McKenzie arrived in Victoria from Scotland in the early 1850s.  Duncan obtained a job at Allanvale Estate a large sheep station near Great Western.  Adrina died at the home of her daughter, Mrs Foley and was buried at Ararat Cemetery.

Margaret McWILLIAMS: Died 27 June 1915 at Warrnambool.  Margaret McWilliams arrived in Melbourne from Scotland in 1852 to marry Alfred M. Jukes.  After time living in Richmond, they moved to Warrnambool where Alfred took up a post of solicitor, one of the first in the town.  He was also Town Clerk for a time.  Alfred died in 1872. Margaret was a member of the Christ Church Ladies Guild and when World War 1 broke out she was particularly interested in the fate of Belgium and its residents.  As a girl, she was educated in Malines, Belgium a town later destroyed by the Germans.

George EXCELL: Died 11 June 1916 at Stockyard Hill.  George Excell was a successful breeder of dairy cattle, draught horses and sheep. He began his time in Victoria when he landed in Geelong aged around twenty-seven during the 1850s.  He went to Ballarat and was there at the time of Eureka, before residing at Swan Bay near Queenscliffe for forty years.  He later moved to Stockyard Hill, east of Ararat where he remained until his death.

Susan Angelina PRYKE: Died 11 June 1916 at Stockyard Hill.  Susan Pryke was the wife of George Excell, above. They married in 1853 in Victoria and their union was so great that Susan died only hours after George’s passing.

Alexander McBEAN: Died 13 June 1917 at Casterton.  Alexander was a blacksmith, who learnt his trade as a teenager, fresh from the boat.  His first boss was known as “Terrible Billy” Thomson.  He was then apprenticed to Mr W. Handley at Sandford before moving to the Ballarat district.  He later moved to Edenhope and then Casterton where he had a blacksmith’s business behind Cawker’s Mart.  He again moved, this time to Harrow, before once again moving back to Casterton and opening another blacksmith business which he ran until his death.

John Henry Morris BILSTON:  Died 17 June 1917 at Penola, South Australia. John Bilston was the son of Thomas Bilston, an early settler of Melbourne and brother of Frederick William Bilston, from August Passing of the Pioneers. John was born in Heywood around 1846 and his first job was an apprentice saddler which he did for five years. Finding that rather sedate, he became a gun shearer and a buckjump rider. After some time farming, he took up saddlery again in his later years.  John married Mary Mingoue, the daughter of Simon Minogue of Portland.

William MULLEN:– Died 13 June 1917 at Drik Drik. Born in Ireland, William Mullen arrived in Victoria in 1862 aged eighteen.  He married Emma Holmes of Lower Cape Bridgewater and they celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary just prior to William’s death. They had a family of nine children.

Thomas Gibson HENRY: Died 16 June 1920 at Portland. The lure of gold brought Thomas Henry to Australia from Ireland but his life soon went from that of a miner to teacher. He taught at the Heywood school from 1870 to 1876 and the Mumbanner school from 1876 to 1888 after which he retired. He then farmed until he moved to Portland in 1906.  His wife was Miss Tatham of Doncaster, Melbourne and they had five children.

Luke BYRNE: Died 18 June 1920 at Ballarat. This is obituary which tells a great pioneering story. Irishman Luke Byrne began in his time in Australia at Ballarat and his life ended in Ballarat. Luke originally carted goods from Ballarat through to Horsham and the stations beyond.  At the time, the only residents of Horsham were all male except for one woman.

Obituary. (1920, June 22). The Horsham Times (Vic. : 1882 – 1954), p. 5. Retrieved June 28, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73193445

Luke was one of the first to select land in the Wimmera in an area which became known as Byrneville.  The early years were very difficult and at times Luke had to leave his selection and take up jobs to supplement his income. By the time he retired, Luke had increased his holding to 3,000 acres of the best wheat growing land which he was able to pass on to his three sons.  Luke and his wife had a total of twelve children.

John GORMAN: Died 18 June 1922 at Geelong. As a policeman of thirty-four years, John Gorman worked in towns throughout Western Victoria. John joined the police force shortly after arriving in Victoria from Ireland in 1863. In his retirement, he lived in Geelong. He left a wife and five children.

Susannah KITTSON: Died 3 June 1926 at Portland. Susannah Kittson came to Victoria from Ireland as a six-year-old in 1841.  She was a member of the pioneering Kittson family of Bridgewater. On arrival at Geelong, her family “trekked” to Colac, then Tahara and then on to Bridgewater.

Susannah married John Harcoan and they settled at Minyip in the Wimmera.  Three months before her death, Susannah returned to live at Portland where she found “peace at last” in the place of her childhood. She left five children.

William OSBOURNE: Died 19 June 1930 at Portland. Born in Portland, William with his brothers, followed his father into the butchering business. Osbournes Butchers were known as giving  “full value and a square deal to all”. William was also a foundation member of the Portland P & A Society and was a vestryman at St Stephens Church.

St Stephens Church Portland

Caroline HUMPHRIES: – Died 8 June 1931 at Casterton. Born at Portland around 1860, Caroline was the daughter of Charles Humphries and Caroline Sampson.  Within a few years of her birth, Caroline’s family moved to Henty, between Merino and Casterton.  She later married James Lane and they settled at Dunrobin, north of Casterton where they raised a large family. I have a link to Caroline Humphries through my Diwell line. Caroline’s niece  Margaret Ley Humphries, married my 1st cousin 3 x removed, William Ralph Francis Coulson a grandson of William Diwell and Margaret Turner.

Peter GAMBETTA: – Died 5 June 1931 at Stawell. Peter Gambetta came to Stawell from his home in Ticino which lies in Italy but is a state of Switzerland. Gold was the lure but after the boom, he started a vineyard “St Bernards” near Stawell.

Joseph Henry PORTER: Died 22 June 1931 at Portland. Born in England around 1840, Joseph Porter arrived in Portland around 1854.  Taking on the trade of cabinet maker, he was known for his fine craftsmanship.  His wife was Sarah Herbertson, a member of a well-known family from Portland West.  They had no children.

A MODEL BY JOSEPH HENRY PORTER.

A MODEL BY JOSEPH HENRY PORTER.

Dr James Thompson TUNNOCK: Died 16 June 1933 at Hamilton. Despite moving away at a young age, Dr Tunnock had strong links to the early pioneers of south-west Victoria. James was the son of Jonathon Carrick More Tunnock and Jane Kennedy and was born at Cape Bridgwater in 1853. Being bright at school and having no interest in farming, James took himself off to Melbourne to study dentistry. Maybe I should not have put the prefix of Dr. in front of James’ name as in 1913, he was fined £5 for using the title Dr. on signage, breaching the Dentists Act 1910.

Advertising. (1908, September 5). Independent (Footscray, Vic. : 1883 – 1922), p. 1. Retrieved June 27, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73259572

I don’t think I would fancy visiting a Dental Parlor. It sounds too much like Funeral Parlor!

Ann BEGLEN:  Died 7 June 1940 at Portland. Miss Ann Beglen’s Irish parents John and Margaret, arrived at Williamstown in 1841 before travelling on the Frances Henty to Portland. On arrival, John set up a butcher shop. Ann was born in 1848 and educated at Miss Dunbar’s private school at Portland. In her later years, Ann could still remember playing as a child around the foundations of the then under construction”Burswood” built by Edward Henty. At the time of her death, Ann was living with her nieces at “Pioneer Cottage” the home where she was born.

Nonogenarian’s Birthday. (1938, July 18). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 2 Edition: EVENING.. Retrieved June 27, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64279644

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / 3 Comments

If some of the pioneers from May Passing of the Pioneers could be gathered in one room, the stories would be flowing.  Many of them enjoyed telling stories from the past and had great recollections of the early days. Subjects would include Queen Victoria, the Henty brothers, the Eureka Stockade, lands sales, and gold. I’m sure they would have all agreed with fellow pioneer John Waters’ philosophy to “paddle your own canoe”.

Agnes PATERSON: Died 29 May 1901 at Portland. Agnes was the daughter of a Tasmanian solicitor, Alex Paterson.  She married John Norman McLEOD and they first arrived in the Portland district around 1850. John built Maretimo before purchasing Castlemaddie, a property at Tyrendarra. Between 1851 and 1856, John McLeod was the MLA for Portland.  Agnes was seventy-five at the time of her death and left three sons.

MARETIMO. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image no. H31761 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/172772

MARETIMO. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image no. H31761 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/172772

James KITTSON:  Died 20 May 1911 at Melbourne. James Kittson was one of the original pioneers of the Bridgewater area.  He was the father of Rebecca Kittson and James Trotter Kittson both of whom have featured in Passing of the Pioneers. James was a Councillor with Portland Shire Council.

John GILLIES:  Died May 1914 at Moonee Ponds. John Gillies was a farming pioneer around the Ararat district. He was a member of the Farmers’ Co-operative Company and the Ararat Agriculture Society.

Emily Julia BENNETT:  Died May 1914 at Stawell. Emily Bennett was a Stawell pioneer. Originally from London, she arrived in Victoria around 1860 with her parents Dr. Edwin Bennett and Mrs. Bennett. They settled around Stawell around 1865. Gold was the main focus in Stawell at the time and the town consisted mostly of tents. Dr Bennett took up a position as hospital doctor which he held for many years.  Emily married Richard Z. DAVIES at the Stawell West Anglican church.  Richard was the headmaster at the Stawell State School.

William B. BRADSHAW:  Died 26 May 1915 at Ballarat. Born in Cambridgeshire, England, William Bradshaw arrived in Adelaide as an eleven-year-old in 1837. One of the last events he attended in London before his departure was the ceremony for the Proclamation of the accession of Queen Victoria. Once in South Australia, his father established one of the first bakeries in Adelaide. William was lured to the goldfields of Victoria in 1851. He had reached Ballarat by1854 the time of the Eureka Stockade. He was one of the first Justices of the Peace appointed in Victoria.

John WATERS:  Died 4 May 1917 at Nareen. John Waters was born in Lurgan, Northern Ireland in 1830. He and his wife arrived at Portland aboard the General Hewitt in 1856 and headed towards the Casterton district. After some moving around he finally settled at Rock View at Nareen in 1867 where he remained until his death. John’s pioneering story is similar to so many others of his time:

Obituary. (1917, May 7). The Casterton News and the Merino and Sandford Record (Vic. : 1914 – 1918), p. 2 Edition: Bi-Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74489225

If John was concerned about “coddling legislation” almost 100 years ago, what would he think of our society today?

John CHRISTIE:  Died 15 May 1918 at Byaduk. Born at Garvald, East Lothian, Scotland in 1834 and arrived at Portland in 1851. He settled at Byaduk, naming his property Garvald Vale. With his brother, they breed fine Lincoln sheep. A further obituary can be read at Obituaries Australia

Margaret JENNINGS:  Died 19 May 1927 at Heywood. Although she was only eight at the time, Margaret Jennings retained memories of her voyage to Melbourne in 1840 with her parents Cook Abraham Jennings and Hannah Birchall.  She also recalled the early days of Portland, the Hentys, William Dutton, Black Thursday of 1851 and the wreck of the steamer Admella. She married Hugh Kittson and they settled at Bridgewater Lakes.  In her later years, she retained her wit and loved the company of children. She was a contributor to the Red Cross during WW1.  You can read more about Margaret in the post “In the News – May 26, 1927“.

William Primrose ANDERSON:  Died 26 May 1927 at Portland. William Anderson was a well-known resident of Portland and was known around the town as “W.P.”. He was born in 1845 in Melbourne and arrived in Portland with his parents around 1857. His first job was working in a grocery and hardware store in Portland. By the age of twenty-eight, he had taken over the business. He set up a wool export business and had many other business interests around the town. His obituary is lengthy and is worth reading to learn more, not only about “W.P’s” life but also the early days of Portland.  William Anderson demonstrated the qualities shown by many other pioneers:

Obituary. (1927, May 30). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 3 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved May 24, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64257336

William McINTYRE:  Died 23 May 1936 at Hamilton. William McIntyre arrived at Portland in 1852 with his parents aboard the John Davis. He was born in Inverness, Scotland only three years earlier. By 1855, the McIntyres arrived at Muddy Creek near Hamilton via Strathdownie and South Australia. William was a gun shearer, with his record being 209 sheep in one day. He also was a good athlete, winning many prizes at sports days from Penshurst to Branxholme.

Mary MUMFORD:  Died 5 May 1940 at Camperdown. Mary Mumford was born in England in 1845 and arrived in Australia with her parents in the late 1840s.  She married Frederick TILL in 1863 and lived in Cobden. Frederick was killed in an accident, leaving Mary with four children.  She married John PETER and they had a further five girls. It is not mentioned what happened to Mr Peter, but Mary left Cobden for Cowley’s Creek where she resided for 25 years.  Later in life, she married Mr NELSON.  At the time of her death, she had one son, six daughters, forty-four grandchildren, fifty-five great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. Her son William Till played a part in the rescue of the two survivors of the Loch Ard.

Mary LOUREY:  Died 3 May 1941 at Glenormiston. Mary Lourey was the last surviving child of Thomas and Johanna Lourey.  She was born at Kirkstall around 1858. Twenty-two years later she married Thomas KELLY and they eventually settled at Glenormiston. Thomas was behind the construction of the Glenormiston butter factory. At Mary’s funeral at the Noorat Catholic Church, the children from St Joseph’s School formed a guard of honour. The cortege was said to stretch from Noorat to Terang where Mary was buried.

Henry Cowap WILLIAMSON:  Died 25 May 1948 at Portland. Henry Williamson was a pioneer of the fruit growing industry in the Gorae district. He and his brother grew apples and later built cool stores at Gorae which were a profitable ongoing concern.  Henry retired into Portland and was a prominent member of the Wesley Church and the Portland P & A Society,

Robert John MALSEED:  Died May1950 at Portland. Robert Malseed was the youngest son of Irish immigrants, Stewart and Margaret Malseed. Robert was born at Portland in 1860 and married Elizabeth Ann TRENEAR in 1888.  Robert and Elizabeth lived all their married lives at 88 Garden Street, Portland where Robert had an orchard.  One of his proudest moments was representing the Malseed family at the 100th anniversary reunion of the arrival of his parents.  He was the oldest surviving member of the Portland Oddfellows Lodge.

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / Leave a comment

April Passing of the Pioneers reminds me how much can be learnt about Western Victorian history from reading pioneer obituaries. This month sees some prominent men of 19th century Western Victoria, James Dawson, James Thomson, and John Kirby.

I am also learning more about the wonderful homesteads dotted throughout the Western District. The Monivae, Longerenong, and Mt. Koroite Homesteads are all mentioned this month.  If you click on the homestead name in the obituary, the link will take you through to the Victorian Heritage Database and relevant homestead’s listing.

James DAWSON: Died 19 April 1900 at Camperdown. James Dawson was born at Linlithgow, Scotland in 1806. His mother, Johannah Park, was a niece of explorer Mungo Park. James left Scotland in 1840, bound for Victoria. He initially purchased a property on the Upper Yarra at Melbourne, but later bought a property at Port Fairy.  He erected a house he had brought in pieces from Scotland. The property was known as Kangatong Estate.  While there, he commissioned artist Eugene von Guerard to paint nearby Tower Hill.

He sold the property and moved to Keilor then Camperdown.  After two years away in Scotland, James returned and was appointed Protector of Aboriginals, a role that saw his greatest contribution to Victorian history. He was also an honourary superintendent of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and amateur taxidermist. A large collection of his taxidermy was presented to the Museum connected to the Melbourne Mechanics Institute.

William BAILEY:  Died 25 April 1906 at Ballarat. Born in about 1828, William arrived in Victoria in 1848. He went to Ballarat during the gold rush and remained there until his death.  he Ballarat papers were speculating at the time of his death the value of his estate, thought to be £400,000 thanks to mining and squatting. He had a number of children who had been successful including Stephen who was a station owner at Orange N.S.W.  The boys were also good cricketers.

Margaret Bennett MARTIN:  Died 22 April 1909 at Portland. The wife of Mr Francis Findon Levett, Margaret Martin was eighty-five years old at the time of her death.  She had been in Victoria since her early teens.  She had many stories about the early days of the Portland district.

James ALGIE: Died 17 April 1910 at Stawell. Jame Algie was a veteran of the Crimean War. He was born in Glasgow around 1832 and joined the 71st Highland Light Infantry from Glasgow in 1849 and served in Greece and India. He lived in Stawell for forty years.

Thomas CLOHESY:  Died 24 April 1910 at Hamilton. Thomas Clohesy had been in Victoria since 1871. He made the journey from Ireland with his father and brother, but sadly his father passed away on the voyage. He at one time worked at the estates of the Chirnside brothers. In 1894, he married Mary Jeanes.  Thomas and Mary were buried at the Hamilton (Old) Cemetery.

GRAVE OF THOMAS AND MARY CLOHESY, HAMILTON (OLD) CEMETERY.

James THOMSON:  Died 25 April 1910 at Hamilton. James Thomson was born in Balnachole, Scotland in 1823. He and his wife travelled to Australia in 1852. With him, he brought sheep farming experience which he tried, first at Edenhope in a partnership and later at Hamilton at the well known Monivae estate. James purchased Monivae in 1870 from the estate of Police Magistrate Acheson Ffrench. The property was 18,000 acres and James ran Angus cattle and Lincoln sheep. The Victorian Heritage Database lists he also bred rare Scottish ponies, collie dogs and goats.

MONIVAE 1966. Image Couresy of the J.T. Collins Collection, La Trobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria. Image no. H97.250/44 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/230077

MONIVAE 1966. Image courtesy of the J.T. Collins Collection, La Trobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria. Image no. H97.250/44 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/230077

I have an interest in the history of the Monivae property and it’s homestead as I attended Monivae College in Hamilton which, for a short time in the 1950s, ran the school from the homestead before moving to the current site. The school retained the Monivae name.  At school, we learnt a lot about Acheson Ffrench, the original owner, but I knew nothing of James Thomson’s links to the homestead.  Ffrench named Monivae after Monivaea Castle, his father’s castle in Galway, Ireland.

I discovered, thanks to the Victorian Heritage Database, that James Thomson built the existing Monivae homestead, known as “Old Monivae”, rather than Ffrench. Ffrench had lived in another home on the property and it was later left empty by Thomson.  The bluestone for the new homestead was taken from a quarry on the property. James also donated bluestone for St. Andrew’s  Presbyterian Church, which stands with the Hamilton Anglican Church on Hamilton’s “Church Hill”. Their spires are landmarks on the Hamilton skyline.  Nana and several other Haddens were married at the Presbyterian Church.

 

 

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Hamilton

James Thomson was buried at the Hamilton (Old) Cemetery.

James INGLIS:  Died 12 April 1914 at Ballarat. James Inglis ran the Ballarat coachbuilding business of J. & J. Inglis. with his brother John. His father started the business in 1860 after he took his family from Melbourne to Ballarat. James was just three at that time. The original business was at Market Square but later moved to nearby Creswick Road.

Robert DALGLEISH: Died 12 April 1914 at Learmonth. Robert Dalgliesh arrived in Ballarat around 1850 from his native Roxboroughshire, Scotland. He tried his luck on the diggings, brought property with his brothers, then returned home to Scotland in 1856.  In 1860, he was back and bought a property at Learmonth, Salwick Hall“, from his brother. It was there he died in 1914.

William UREN:  Died 19 April 1914 at Berringa. Before travelling to South Australia with his wife during the 1860s, Cornish-born William spent time in Chile, South America.  He and his father worked in silver mines.  While in South Australia he worked in the copper mines before moving to Ballarat.  He was a shift boss at the Midas and Lone Hand mines.

Agnes LUNDY:  Died 16 April 1916 at Horsham. Agnes came to Australia from Scotland during the 1860s and worked for Sir Samuel Wilson at Longerenong near Horsham. That is where she met her future husband, William McClintock. William was a cousin of Sir Samuel and worked as an overseer at Longerenong.  They remained at Longerenong for some time, before William bought land and bred fine woolled sheep and thoroughbred horses.

Sybil GAIN:  Died 28 April 1921 at Horsham. Sybil Gain was ninety years old at the time of her death and was one of the Horsham district’s oldest pioneers. She arrived in Victoria from Scotland during the 1850s.  She married three times. Her husbands were  John Morrison who she married at nineteen, William Knipe and John Gillies. Gillies was a pioneer of the flour milling industry at Horsham while Sybil was a foundation member of the Horsham Presbyterian Church.

John RUNDELL: Died 19 April 1925 at Condah. Born in Cornwall around 1840, John Rundell was a well-known member of the Condah community. He arrived as a child aboard Birmingham with his parents and spent time with his father at the Ararat goldfields.  He married Matilda Hardy upon his return. Matilda later died and John married Agnes Willling. John was a road contractor and spent many years building roads between Portland and Hamilton for the Shire.

Catherine HANLEY:  Died 12 April 1929 at Hamilton. Catherine Hanley was an early pioneer of the Portland district, having arrived in Adelaide around 1856 from Donegal, Ireland. It was in Adelaide that she married her husband, James Ball in 1858. They then journeyed to Portland where James farmed. After the death of James Ball, Catherine moved to Hamilton.

Hannah HATHERELL: Died 13 April 1934 at Lyons. Hannah Barr would have had some great pioneering stories to tell.  She and her husband ran the first and apparently the only hotel in the Lyons/Greenwald area.

Obituary. (1934, April 16). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 2 Edition: EVENING.. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64285471

Eliza FEATHERBY: Died April 1934 at Hamilton. Eliza was born in England and travelled to Portland with her parents aboard the Flora McDonald. While in Portland she knew Stephen, Edward and John Henty and had many stories to tell about them. She moved with her parents to Coleraine and after her marriage to John Molloy in 1867, she moved to Hamilton. She was a devout Roman Catholic and crocheted an altar cloth for the St. Marys Church, Hamilton.

St Marys Church

ST MARY’S CATHOLIC CHURCH, HAMILTON. Image courtesy of the Museums Victoria Collections https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/items/769324

Eliza CALLAWAY:  Died 3 April 1942 at Maryborough. Eliza was the daughter of Charles and Anne Callaway and was born in Amherst, Victoria in the mid-1860s.  During the 1870s, the Callaways moved to the Heytesbury Forest near Timboon where Charles selected 240 acres. He cleared the land and grew hops until red spiders began destroying the crops.

callaway.jpg

Obituary. (1942, April 10). Camperdown Chronicle (Vic. : 1877 – 1954), p. 3. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26091893

John Finn KIRBY:  Died 7 April 1942 at Portland. John Kirby was quite a man. Born at Springbank Casterton in 1858, he completed his schooling at Ballarat College. He then worked for seven years as a stock and station agent in Ballarat, before returning closer to home in 1882 to work as a stock and station agent at Coleraine. He eventually bought the business.

Among his many positions around the district, he was both a Councillor and three-time president of the Wannon shire.  He was a chairman of directors of the Western District Butter Factory Ltd. and a Justice of the Peace. John was a talented sportsman and excelled as a footballer, including a stint in the metropolitan league. Probably his greatest sporting achievement was as a racehorse owner.  His horse The Parisian won the 1911 Melbourne Cup.  He also had success with a steeplechaser, Napier which won the Great Eastern Steeple at Oakbank, South Australia, and the Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool.

John Kirby married Elizabeth Crowe in 1885. They resided in the Mt. Koroite homestead overlooking the Coleraine racecourse. The Victorian Heritage Database mentions extensive renovations to the homestead after Parisian’s success in the Cup.

John was buried at the Coleraine Cemetery (below).

KIRBY FAMILY PLOT, COLERAINE CEMETERY

Robert Arthur LIGHTBODY: Died April 1949 at Drik Drik.  Robert Lightbody was the third son of the wonderful Rebecca Kitson remembered in the January Passing of the Pioneers. Robert had fine clerical skills and was a Justice of the Peace, secretary of the Drik Drik Butter factory, Drik Drik P & A Society, Drik Drik school, Drik Drik Repatriation committee and the Drik Drik cricket club. As if wasn’t busy enough, he was also a local preacher of the Methodist church for sixty-five years. His wife, Ellen Jones, must never have seen him.  All that activity must have contributed to him living to the ripe old age of ninety-three.

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / Leave a comment

I enjoy finding stories of pioneer women, as they give me some idea of the lives lived by my own pioneering female ancestors.  March Passing of the Pioneers introduces a plucky pioneer, Elizabeth Cole.  Elizabeth and another pioneer, Annie Alexander both made their mark in roles not traditionally considered the domain of women. Among the passing gentleman, I enjoyed the story of John McClounan, a well-travelled pioneer.

Mr John Lang CURRIE: Died 12 March 1898 at St Kilda.  John Currie was born in Selkirkshire, Scotland in 1818.  He arrived in Victoria in 1841 to join his cousins who had taken up land near Melbourne and then later at Buninyong.  

JOHN LANG CURRIE 1872. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/18219

JOHN LANG CURRIE 1872. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/18219

 In 1844, John purchased Larra Estate (below) near Derrinallum with Thomas Anderson.  In 1850, he brought out Anderson’s share in the property and purchased the Mount Elephant run and two years later married Louisa Johnston.

"LARRA" c1859. Photographer John Lang Currie. Image no. H2013.345/42 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/320299

“LARRA” c1859. Photographer John Lang Currie. Image no. H2013.345/42 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/320299

In 1886, John bought Tintanga and Gala estates near Lismore along with having interests in properties in New South Wales and Queensland. He bred merino sheep known for the high quality of their wool.  John died at his town residence Eildon in Grey Street, St Kilda.  

EILDON, ST KILDA. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/151371

EILDON, ST KILDA. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/151371

Not surprisingly, John Currie left a large estate and news of its value made news across Australia. John’s son Henry Alan Currie inherited Mount Elephant station.

"A Wealthy Pastoralist's Will." Riverine Herald (Echuca, Vic. : Moama, NSW : 1869 - 1954) 21 July 1898: .

“A Wealthy Pastoralist’s Will.” Riverine Herald (Echuca, Vic. : Moama, NSW : 1869 – 1954) 21 July 1898: <http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article114964506&gt;.

For more information, John Lang Currie’s biography is on the Australian Directory of Biography site.

John McCLOUNAN: Died 2 March 1902 at Green Lake. John McClounan was born in Scotland in 1832 but left when he was twenty-one.  But not straight to Australia.  He first travelled to America where he spent seven years and then on to New Zealand for around six years.  He and his brother, his travelling companion, then moved to the goldfields of N.S.W. and then to Victoria and Deep Lead near Stawell.  They gave up on mining and moved to Green Lake to farm.  It was on this property John died, forty years later.  He was unmarried.

Isabella SPALDING:  Died March 1907 at Warrnambool. Isabella Spalding was “another pioneer “Mother of Israel”” lost to the Western District.  Aged ninety-one, her husband, James Davidson had died forty-six years before and according to the obituary, she “trained up five sons and four daughters to man and womanhood”

John Henry OLIVER:  Died 23 March 1909 at Horsham. John Oliver was the brother-in-law of Jonathon and Reuben Harman. The obituary states John arrived in Melbourne with his family in 1848. It was in fact 1849 aboard the Courier.  John had spent time around Byaduk where his family settled, however, he bought land at Sailors Home near Dimboola in the early 1870s.  After a stroke, John did return to Byaduk trying to regain his health, but he eventually returned to the Wimmera to live out his last months.

William Snaith WARD: Died 14 March 1913 at Ballarat. On arrival at Geelong in 1857, William Ward headed straight for the goldfields of Ballarat. He mined the “Hit and Miss” shaft at Creswick before taking time off mining to run the coach on the Ballarat-Buninyong Road. The lure of gold was too great and he headed to the goldfields of N.S.W. and one time drilled for coal in Gippsland.

Margaret CAMPBELL: Died 10 March 1914 at Casterton. Margaret arrived at Portland with her parents in 1855 after sailing aboard the Athletae.  She married Donald Ross in 1857 when she was around twenty-six.  They moved to Hamilton, then Sandford before settling in Casterton on the corner of Jackson and Clarkes Street in the house both Margaret and Donald died about fifty years later.

James FERGUSON: Died March 1914 at Beulah. Scottish-born James was one of the early settlers at Beulah and was known around the town as “The Laird”. He was one of the first representatives of the newly formed Karkarooc Shire in 1896.  In 1908, he travelled to England and visited the place of his birth in Scotland.

Dugald MAIN:  Died 9 March 1916 at Ballarat. Dugald arrived in Geelong aboard the Star of the East in 1854 and then settled in Ballarat.  He was a builder by trade and sat on the committee of the Ballarat Orphan Asylum.

Alexander McKAY:  March 1919 at Carlton. Alexander, formerly of Mortlake, was a Scot through and through and was a keen participant in Highland games throughout the district. He was an excellent player of the pipes and excelled at the heavy lifting events of the games, such as the caber toss.

Edmond DWYER:  Died 14 March 1930 at Condah. Edmond at ninety-two was the last of the pioneers to arrive on General Hewitt in 1856. He initially went in search of gold near Beaufort at the Fiery Creek diggings, before turning to road contracting at Portland. He worked the road from Portland to Hamilton for many years.

Mary McDONALD:  Died 4 March 1932 at Hotspur. Mary McDonald was a very old pioneer when she passed away in 1932.  She was born in the Isle of Skye in 1838 and was a teenager when she arrived at Portland with her parents in 1853 aboard New Zealand.  She married Archibald McLean in 1862 and they settled at Hotspur and raised eight children.

Mary Jane JONES:  Died March 1932 at Portland. Mary Jane Jones was born in Portland in 1859.  She first married a Mr Jennings and they had two sons before she married Alfred Fredericks.  They had a further six children.

Martha RIGBY:  Died 11 March 1934 at Hamilton. Born in Lancashire, Martha Jackson arrived at Portland with her parents, John and Sarah Rigby, in 1859. They settled at Heywood where she married John Jackson.  They later moved to Hamilton.  Martha left a large family of ten children, thirty-two grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren (this was reported as seven great-great-grandchildren, so they either forgot the great-grandchildren or it was meant to read great-grandchildren).

GRAVE OF MARTHA JACKSON, HAMILTON (OLD) CEMETERY

Emma HOLMES: Died March 1935 at Drik Drik.  Emma was a knitter.  She knitted during the Great War for the troops and later for the Methodist Babies Home at South Yarra.  Emma arrived at Portland as a seven-year-old in 1852.  She married William Mullins and they settled at Drik Drik, with Emma considered to be the first white woman to settle there.  Surely a tough time for a new bride.

Annie Gray ALEXANDER: Died 14  March 1937 at Toorak.  Annie Alexander was born near Beechworth around 1861.  She married Henry William Witton in the early 1880s.  They took up residence at Dimboola in the 1890s.  After Henry’s death, Annie did something a little different to some of the pioneer women I have written of before. She published the Dimboola Banner newspaper until 1918.

Maria Jane TAYLOR:  Died 20 March 1939 at Portland. Maria Taylor was an active member of the Myamyn community even up until months before her death at aged ninety.  She was born at South Portland and later married John Treloar at Myamyn where they lived out their lives.  Maria had a large family of thirteen, eight of whom were still living at the time of her death.

Elizabeth COLE: Died March 1942 at Bostocks Creek. What a great pioneer Elizabeth Cole was. Born at Poplar, London in 1845, she came to Australia with her parents in the early 1850s.  She married Alexander Dalziel at Lethbridge in 1862.  At the time of her death, Elizabeth and Alexander had 120 descendants including sixty-five great-grandchildren.  What got me about Elizabeth was that she had been a bullock driver and one with great skill.  She also had memories of Eureka, could recall Lethbridge as a canvas town and the slab huts of Port Fairy and considered kangaroo a delicacy.  In her later years, she enjoyed listening to that modern contraption, the wireless.

PIONEER DIES IN 97th YEAR. (1942, March 17). Camperdown Chronicle (Vic. : 1877 – 1954), p. 3. Retrieved March 23, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26091631

Mary MURRAY:  Died 17 March 1944 at Hamilton. Mary’s father was an overseer for Edward Henty at Muntham where she was born.  At the time, she was the first white child born at Muntham.  At some time, she married Mr. Hallam and had many great pioneering stories.

Jean EDGAR:  Died March 1947 at Harrow. Jean was another wonderful pioneer who had been in Victoria for ninety years.  She arrived aboard the Severn which carried another great pioneer, the thoroughbred King Alfred, one of Australia’s early champion sires.

OBITUARY. (1947, March 13). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 4 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved March 23, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64410609

In 1874 she married into the pioneering Minogue family at Harrow where she lived for the rest of her life.

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / 2 Comments

Once again an interesting band of Western Victorian pioneers were found in newspaper obituaries from February.  There is a tightrope walker, philanthropist, a motor car pioneer and several hardy pioneer women.  It continues to amaze me the lives the pioneers lived.  I mean, who could imagine a tightrope walker living in Portland in the 19th century, in fact at any time!

Thomas STODDART: Died 20 February 1905 at Ballarat. When next in Ballarat admiring the many statues in Sturt Street and the Botanical Gardens, thank Thomas Stoddart. He was responsible for getting the ball rolling for leading Ballarat identities to give statues or money towards statues, to the city. From digger to stockbroker, Stoddart donated twelve statues to the city of Ballarat in 1884 after a trip to Europe. This act of philanthropy saw some of Ballarat’s other wealthy citizens bequeath money to fund more statues.  In fact, John Permewan who featured in December Passing of the Pioneers donated the well know “Hebe” which stands in Sturt Street.  As well as the obituary from the Horsham Times, a lengthier obituary appeared in The Argus on February 21.

“FLORA”

“POMONA”

John COFFEY:  Died 9 February 1908 at Melbourne. John Coffey was born in Limerick, Ireland, and came to Australia with his brother in the 1860s. He first went to the Wimmera while carting between Melbourne and the Wimmera. Making a permanent home there, he worked as a farmer and a hotel keeper.  He left a wife, Catherine Almond, five daughters, and three sons.

Thomas HENNESSY: Died 19 February 1908 at Horsham. Thomas Hennessy arrived in Victoria in 1859 aboard the Royal Charter from Limerick, Ireland. He began farming around Koroit, lost a leg, and moved to the Pimpinio district, where he farmed for many years.  An accident before his death contributed to his demise.

James DAVIDSON: Died 12 February 1913 at Narrawong. James Davidson, born at Narrawong, was described as a “good all-round citizen” in his obituary. He was involved in the mounted rifles and athletics.

Matilda GILCHRIST: Died 14 February 1914 at Hawthorn.  Born in Paisley, Scotland, in 1920, she arrived on the Star of the East in 1855.  Her husband, Thomas Lang, was a well-known horticulturist in the late 19th century.  Matilda was the principal of a girls’ school in Ballarat for a time.

Mary Ann DREW: Died 15 February 1915 at Willaura.  Born in Buckinghamshire, England,  Mary Ann Drew came to Victoria in her twenties during the 1850s. She worked at Golf Hill Station at Shelford for George Russell before moving to Sandford, where she married William Lindon. Mary Ann lived at Willaura with her daughter for the last ten years of her life.

Edward Harewood  LASCELLES: Died 12 February 1917 at Geelong. Lascelles is a well-known name in Western Victoria.  Not only does his name form part of the Geelong wool broking firm Denneys Lascelles & Co., but the town of Lascelles in the Mallee was named after him.  Edward Lascelles was born in Tasmania in 1847, married Ethel Denney, and they had six children.  He was a leader in vermin extermination on his property in the Mallee and was the first to introduce share farming in Victoria.

Isabella McDONALD: Died February 1918 at Dandenong. Isabella McDonald arrived in Victoria with her widowed mother in 1863. The following year, she married journalist Mr Dudeney, who had gone to Ballarat to report on the Eureka Stockade riots. Only after a few years of marriage, Mr Dudeney passed away, and she married John Whitehead, a worker at the Ballarat Post Office and later the GPO in Melbourne

Martha MATHEWS: Died 14 February 1918 at Buninyong. Martha Mathews was a colonist of 64 years, arriving in Victoria to join her husband, Richard Phillips, on the goldfields of Ballarat. Martha enjoyed telling stories of the gold rush days.

OBITUARY. (1918, February 18). The Ballarat Courier (Vic. : 1914 – 1918), p. 6 Edition: DAILY.. Retrieved February 26, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article75176846

Janet SIMPSON: Died 19 February 1920 at  Bondi, New South Wales.  Janet Simpson, her husband Robert Clark, and four children sailed for Australia in 1857. One child, Agnes, died during the journey. At the time of their arrival, the train line to Horsham was under construction, so the family took a coach to Stawell, then a bullock wagon to Horsham.  She was one of the many pioneer women who coped under tough conditions.

Obituary. (1920, February 27). The Horsham Times (Vic. : 1882 – 1954), p. 5. Retrieved February 26, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73190179

William HANLON: Died 19 February 1923 at Portland. William Hanlon was the mayor of Portland 11 times.  His interests within the municipality included the President of the Portland Free Library.

William ROBERTSON: Died 2 February 1924 at Portland.  A colonist of seventy-seven years, William Robertson, arrived in Portland as a five-year-old with his parents.  He had travelled to New Guinea and Western Australia as well, once riding in the Great Western Steeplechase at Coleraine.

Charles Francis PATTERSON: Died 17 February 1933 at Portland. Charles was born in Portland in 1857 and spent some time in Western Australia on the railways.  It was there he met his future wife, and after marriage, they returned to Portland to raise ten children.  Charles was a popular figure around the town, and he worked in the fish distribution business.

Alfred Irvine HOGAN: Died 8 February 1934 at Portland. From tightrope walker to saw miller, Alfred Hogan was an interesting chap.  Arriving in Portland as a young man, he gained notoriety as a tightrope walker performing daredevil tricks in the mould of “Blondin” the French tightrope walker.  Age must have caught up with his tightrope walking feats, and he turned to sawmilling, with his obituary crediting him as a pioneer of sawmilling in the Portland district, an industry which became one of the biggest in the area.  Alfred also had a keen interest in Australian Rules football and was one of the people behind the development of Hanlon Park, which is still home to the Portland Football Club today.

Mary Jane SPIKEN:  Died February 1934 at Warrnambool. Mary Jane Spiken’s mother, Anna Harland, arrived in Victoria with members of the Henty family.  Anna married John George Spiken, with Mary Jane born around 1861 at the Henty homestead.  Mary Jane married William Jenkins, and they had seven children.  She had a wealth of knowledge on the early days of Portland.

Fanny Ann MALSEED: Died 13 February 1936 at Myamyn. Fanny Ann was the daughter of James and Eliza Malseed of Mount Richmond.  She married Thomas Edmund Adamson around 1886 and they raised eight children.

Richard YOUNG: Died 16 February 1939 at Horsham. Richard was born at Clunes and moved to Horsham with his parents as a ten-year-old. He married Isabella Anderson, and they raised a large family. Richard was a keen footballer and played for the United Traders football club.  He was a founding member of the Horsham Football Club and was an active member of the local fire brigade.

Walter Birmingham EDGAR: Died 22 February 1939 at Portland. Walter Edgar was born at Pine Hills Station at Harrow in 1856.  Educated at Hamilton College, he achieved the double honor of dux of the college and athletic champion.  Despite studying civil engineering at Melbourne University, he returned to Pine Hills to take up agriculture pursuits.  In 1882, he married Jessie Swan of Konongwootong.  In the years before his death, Walter toured England, Scotland, Norway, and Sweden with his daughter.  In his younger days, Walter was something of a cricketer and golfer.  He and his father played some part in the Aboriginal cricket team touring England in 1867.  The team included Johnny Mullagh, with whom Walter often played cricket.

Obituary. (1939, February 27). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 3 Edition: EVENING.. Retrieved February 28, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64391911

Ann NIVEN: Died 24 February 1942 at Coleraine. Ann Niven came to Australia at five, but without her parents.  They arrived at a later date, but until then, Ann was under the guardianship of Mr and Mrs Christorphen.  They lived where Balmoral now stands, but then it was only bush.  She married William Bird, living at Wombelano, and then for the last thirty-two years of her life, at Coleraine.  Mrs Bird was the mother of eleven children.

Patrick HENRY: Died February 1942 at Terang. Patrick Henry, with his parents, settled in the Woodford area upon their arrival in Australia in 1866.  He began driving bullock wagons as a teenager and worked in that occupation until he was eighty-six.  When he finally retired, it was thought he was the oldest bullock wagon driver in the Western District.

Thomas Turner SHAW:  Died 1 February 1949 at Beaumaris. Thomas Shaw was the son of Thomas and Catherine Shaw. He was born in Victoria in 1864.

THOMAS TURNER SHAW c1866. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image no. H2013.172/23 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/235471

THOMAS TURNER SHAW c1866. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image no. H2013.172/23 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/235471

Thomas Shaw was not only a pioneer of fine merino wool production but also of motoring in Victoria.  He drove one of the first steam cars and was also a founding member of the Royal Auto Club (RACV).

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / 4 Comments

Seventeen more obituaries of Western District pioneers join the collection this month, and what a group they are.  I must say I had to pass a lot over, but it will ensure Passing with the Pioneers will be going to at least January 2014!  New papers at Trove has guaranteed that. Obituaries came from the Portland Guardian, Horsham Times and Ballarat Courier.

There are a couple of special ones, those of  James HENTY and Rebecca KITTSON and I highly recommend that you read the obituary in full.  I actually found Rebecca’s obituary rather moving and after driving through the Bridgewater area recently, I have great respect for her family and others that settled there.  To read the full obituary, just click on the pioneer’s name and the obituary will open in a new tab.  Some are a little hard to read, but magnifying the page helps.

I have also included a “young” pioneer who has a family link to me.  Thank you to Rachael Boatwright for allowing me to include a photo of her family member.

James HENTY: – Died 12 January 1882 at Richmond.  I thought trashy magazines today told all, but the obituary of the Honourable James HENTY M.L.C. shared every detail of the last twenty-four hours or so his life.  How can I possibly give a summary of the life of James HENTY, one of the pioneering HENTY clan?  Instead, read the obituary.  I think James’ life may have ended prematurely, if that is possible at eighty-two, due to a collision with a Newfoundland dog the week before.

JAMES HENTY c1855. Image Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image no. H83.158/2 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/290239

JAMES HENTY c1855. Image Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image no. H83.158/2 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/290239

Hugh MCDONALD: Died 30 January 1899 at Portland. This is a timely obituary coming so soon after my Portland trip.  While there, I learnt something of the wreck of the steamer Admella in 1859 and the Portland lifeboat crew that went to her aid. Hugh McDONALD was one of the brave men on board the life boat during that daring rescue.

William GARDINER: Died 17 January 1904 at Warracknabeal.  William GARDINER, another pioneer with an interesting life.  He arrived in Victoria in 1849 aboard the barque Saxon and spent time in Melbourne, Geelong and the goldfields, before heading to New Zealand.  On his return to Australia, he lived in Port Fairy and Hamilton, working as a journalist, before moving to the Wimmera as a correspondent for the Belfast Gazette.  He like it so much, he decided to select land at Warracknabeal.  He also worked as a correspondent for the Horsham Times and built houses!

Jean McCLINTOCK:  Died 19 January 1904 at Melbourne. While only forty at the time of her death and not an “old pioneer”, I have included Jean as she was the sister-in-law of  Alfred Winslow HARMAN.  Jean married William MILLER and they resided at Rupanyup.  After some illness, Jean travelled to Melbourne for an operation, but she died as a result.

Jean McClintock & William Eaton Miller. Photo courtesy of Rachael Boatwright & family.

Joseph JELBART: Died 17 January 1904 at Carapook. Joseph worked as the mail contractor between Carapook and Casterton up until his death. Prior to that, he had worked as a blacksmith and a wheelwright at Chetwynd, Merino and Natimuk. Interesting coincidence, just as Joseph did, his father and brother both died on a Sunday morning in the same house.

Rachel Forward READ: Died 15 January 1904 at Lower Cape Bridgewater.  Rachel Forward READ and her husband Richard Charlton HEDDITCH arrived in Adelaide in 1838 and settled at Cape Bridgewater from 1845 after a stint teaching at the Portland Church of England school.  They resided at the Lal Lal Homestead.  The  Victorian Heritage Database listing for Lal Lal includes a letter home by Rachel after their arrival at Cape Bridgewater.  Rachel was buried at the Cape Bridgewater cemetery rather than the Hedditch family cemetery at Lal Lal.

Donald McRAE: Died 12 January 1914 at Tooan.  Donald McRAE was born in Inverness, Scotland in 1842 and travelled with his parents to Portland. In 1865, he moved to Muntham near Hamilton to farm with brother. The pair eventually selected 320 acres of land each at Natimuk.  Donald was a member of the Horsham Caledonian Society.

Samuel WALKER: Died 24 January 1914 at  Ballarat. Samuel WALKER was born in Cheshire, England around 1828 and travelled to Australia in 1852.  After his arrival on the goldfields of Ballarat, he set up a soda water factory which proved profitable for him.  He then became a partner in Evans and Walkers and worked as an accountant.  He was also the registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages at Ballarat from 1872.

Selina MILLER: Died January 1917 at Wickliffe. Selina MILLER had resided at Wickliffe for almost sixty years.  She was twice married.  Her first husband was Mr HAIG and her second, George HARRIOTT. Selina was buried at the Wickliffe Cemetery (below).

Elizabeth HUBBARD: Died 3 January 1919 at Horsham.  Elizabeth HUBBARD was born in Norwich, England around 1831 and travelled to Australia with her husband, Mathias HARDINGHAM in the mid-1850s.  From Geelong, they travelled to the Horsham area and were two of the first pioneers in that district.  Mathias ran the Horsham Hotel for some time.

Christina FOX: Died 8 January 1921 at Vectis.  Christine FOX was born in Yorkshire, England around 1835.  As a teenager, she travelled to South Australia with her parents.  She married Robert SANDERS who had also travelled with his parents on the same immigrant ship.

John W. DAVIS: Died 24 January 1928 at Horsham.  John or “Jack” as he was known, arrived in Australia as a three old, living in Williamstown and then Stawell.  He played with the Temperance Union Band in Stawell and then moved to Horsham in 1877 to play with one of two brass bands in the town.  Known throughout the northwest for his ability as a euphonium player, Jack was also a bandmaster at Natimuk and Noradjuha.

Rebecca KITTSON: Died 4 January 1929 at Portland. What a grand old pioneer Rebecca KITTSON was.  A colonist of eighty-eight years, she was a month from her 102nd birthday.  Arriving in Melbourne from Ireland aged eleven, she spent the next year in Melbourne, before joining her family at Cape Bridgewater where her father James Kittson had settled.  She married Reverend William LIGHTBODY, a Wesleyan minister in 1852.  This obituary is a must read.  Mrs LIGHTBODY, as she was known for most of her life, was the last surviving member of her family and the obituary gives a glimpse at how the KITTSON’S came to be in Australia.

Obituary. (1929, January 7). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 2 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved January 17, 2012, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64268096

Adrian ANDERSON: Died 16 January 1932 at Horsham. This is a first for Passing of the Pioneers.  Adrian ANDERSON was an immigrant from the United States. Wisconsin to be precise. He arrived aged four, with his parents and resided in Western Australia until he was ten.  The family moved to Victoria, where he remained.  He ran a shop in Jeparit before his death in the Horsham Base Hospital.

Agnes Sarah COOK: Died 18 January 1942 at Casterton. This obituary begins “Born in a small house on the banks of the  Glenelg River at Casterton seventy-nine years ago…”.  Agnes was a lady that like the past and the future, knowledgeable about the history of Casterton, she also liked to predict the future.  Agnes married  Robert SYLVESTER and they had four children.

Helen GULL: Died 18 January 1942 at Casterton. Helen was born on the ship Helen during her parents’ voyage to Australia in 1852.  The GULL family became respected pioneers throughout the Western District.  Helen married Frederick PERRY in 1876 and they resided at well known Western District properties, Rifle Downs at Digby and Runnymeade at Sandford.  Frederick later ran the Digby Hotel.

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / 2 Comments

The final “Passing of the Pioneers” for 2011 sees another thirteen Western District pioneers remembered.  That takes the number of obituaries recorded into the sixties. The information in each listing is from the newspaper obituary which is a secondary source. If I have found a pioneer interesting, I may include further information, for which there will be a reference available. All “Passing of the Pioneers” posts can be found under “Obituary” in the Category tab in the sidebar.

“Passing of the Pioneers” will be back in 2012 and with more Western District newspapers available at Trove, there were will be even more obituaries to choose from. I have also updated the post “The Horsham Times goes Digital” to reflect the current additions at Trove.

Bridget Priscilla TALBOT: Died December 1904 at Hamilton.  Bridget Talbot was born in County Cork, Ireland in 1834 and arrived in Australia in 1848.  She married John Jennings in Adelaide in 1849 and they moved to Hamilton in 1852 where she resided until her death.

HAMILTON PIONEER. (1912, January 13). Leader (Melbourne, Vic. : 1862 – 1918, 1935), p. 32. Retrieved May 27, 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article198127055

Bridget was buried at the Hamilton (Old) Cemetery (below).

Richard PRICE: Died 15 December 1904 at Milltown.  Richard Price arrived in Victoria in the late 1850s and settled at Digby.  He later went on to Heywood before making his final home at Milltown where he worked in the sawmilling trade.  He had eight sons and two daughters.

John PERMEWAN: Died 23 December 1904 at Ballarat.  Born around 1837, John Permewan gave his name to the well-known stores of Victoria, Permewan Wright & Co. He was known around Australia in commercial circles.  Permewans still exists in Hamilton.  It has seen a couple of name and location changes, but I would often visit there with my parents in the 1970s and 80s for horse feed and saddlery, but it also stocked hardware and still does today.

Effie MURDOCH: Died December 1914 at Romsey.  Effie Murdoch is the oldest pioneer I have come across to date.  She died at age 106.  Effie was from the Isle of Skye, Scotland and arrived in Australia in around 1852.

Margaret HOARE:  Died 16 December 1914 at Nhill.  Margaret Hoare and her husband Bernhardt Mulraney arrived in Australia from Ireland during the 1850s.  After spending time around Hamilton, Mt. Gambier and Goroke, they settled in the Mallee at Nhill.  Margaret was eighty at the time of her death.

John HARRIES: Died 18 December 1914 at Stawell. John Harries was born at Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales in 1843 and arrived in Stawell in 1875.  Like many with Welshmen, John could sing and was a member of Prout’s band at Ballarat and sang in the Presbyterian church choir.

John THORNTON: Died 15 December 1919 at Mount Myrtoon.  John was born in Yorkshire in 1835 and travelled to Australia at age eighteen.  He spent time in Melbourne and Gippsland before settling at Mount Myrtoon.  He set up a successful stock and station business with links to Dalgetys. He was an accomplished cricketer and played for Victoria in his younger days.  He was the Melbourne Cricket Club’s oldest member at the time of his death.

Mary McLEOD: Died December 1928 at Narracoorte. Mary McLeod was born in the Isle of Skye in 1842. After her mother died when she was eleven, her father moved the family to Australia.  Mary took on the role of mother to her younger brothers. After they arrived in Melbourne, they travelled to Portland and then Narracoorte, South Australia by bullock wagon. She later married Angus MORRISON and they had eight children while living around the Apsley area.

Jenny Sage CRABBIE: Died 17 December 1932 at Branxholme. Jenny Crabbie was born in Edinburgh and having seen the boat the Julia Percy built in Scotland, she was offered passage to Australia by the ship’s directors, whom she knew.  It was because of the ship that Jenny met her husband Benjamin Lear in Portland.  Benjamin worked on the Julia Percy and continued to do so for some years after. Jenny would have been popular among Portland children. She was a confectioner, with a shop in Bentick Street, Portland for many years.

Annie PITTS: Died 12 December 1934 at Portland. Annie Pitts was born in Somerset, England and travelled to Australia with her parents, James and Sarah when she was three. She married John JENNINGS of Portland when she was twenty-one and they had ten children. Annie was eighty-five at the time of her death.

Louisa BROWN: Died 26 December 1937 at Camperdown. Louisa was just a baby when her family arrived in Victoria from Westminster, England. She married Henry SHARP, a stonemason, at Terang. They had four daughters and five sons, with the sons forming a quarrying business, Sharp Bros.

OBITUARY. (1937, December 30). Camperdown Chronicle (Vic. : 1877 – 1954), p. 7. Retrieved December 26, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28321980

Nicholas WHITE: Died 17 December 1942 at Portland. Born in 1869 at Cape Bridgewater, Nicholas was a farmer but a keen sporting interest and was knowledgeable about all matters of cricket and horse racing. His wife had previously passed away and they had one married daughter, Ethel.

James Trotter KITTSON: Died 11 December 1945 at Cape Bridgewater. James was a member of the pioneering Kittson family.

OBITUARY. (1945, December 17). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 2 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved December 26, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64406262

James left a wife, son and daughter and was buried at the Bridgewater cemetery.

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / 1 Comment

November sees more interesting obituaries from the Portland Guardian.  The Horsham Times is now available at Trove, so I have included obituaries from that paper.

Read about a long time manager of Burswood, the Henty homestead, a man who grew new teeth at 80 and two women who lived in the same houses for over 60 years.

Benjamin EDRICH: Died 18 November 1887 at Portland. The Portland Guardian reported at the time of Benjamin EDRICH’s death that another resident “had been removed by the hand of the “Grim Destroyer”.  Benjamin had been in the hotel business for many years.

George BUSH: Died 18 November 1909 at Portland. George BUSH arrived in Portland in 1853 in his early twenties.  A seaman, George was instrumental in rescuing passengers from the wreck of the “Jane” at Bridgewater some years later.

Peter GOLDSMITH: Died 23 November 1909 at Portland. Peter GOLDSMITH arrived in Portland in 1853 aboard the Cornelius captained by Thomas H. CLARKE. Clarke’s son Thomas Denton CLARKE was mentioned in the October Passing of the Pioneers.  Four months after his arrival Peter GOLDSMITH married Miss BLAY and they had nine children. He was eighty-five at the time of his death.

Michael TOBIN: Died 13 November 1916 at Murtoa. The Horsham Times reported the death of Michael Tobin, a Justice of the Peace and former Councillor with the Dunmunkle Shire.  Michael arrived at Geelong in 1853, with his parents from Kilkenny, Ireland.  He worked with his father who ran a carrying business to the diggings.  Michael later lived in the Warrnambool area where he married Mary CLUNE.  In 1872, Michael was one of the first settlers in the Wimmera.

Obituary. (1916, November 21). The Horsham Times (Vic. : 1882 – 1954), p. 4. Retrieved November 24, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72983888

George JARRATT: Died November 1919 at Portland. George JARRATT arrived in 1848 to Portland and married soon after.  He and his wife, a daughter of Thomas KEAN, had twelve children.

Rose Genevive McCRYSTAL: – Died 8 November 1920 at Caulfield. Rose McCRYSTAL, was the daughter of well-known Portland resident Pat McCrystal. She married W. PEARSON, and moved to Hamilton. After her husband was killed in a buggy accident, she moved back to Portland where she married Antonio RIZZO in 1891. They later returned to Hamilton.

Rizzo

GRAVE OF ROSINA RIZZO (nee McCRYSTAL) AND HER HUSBAND ANTONIO RIZZO, HAMILTON OLD CEMETERY.

William POLAND: Died 20 November 1922 at Portland. William POLAND arrived in Portland in 1856. He met Edward HENTY and acquired the position of manager of Burswood, the Henty’s original homestead. William held the position for twenty-five years.

“BURSWOOD” PORTLAND. Image courtesy of Colin Caldwell Trust collection, State Library of Victoria. Image no. H84.276/6/44A http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/72455

Mary Stanton SLEEP: Died 3 November 1923 at Portland. I enlarged this obituary to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me.

OBITUARY. (1923, November 8). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 2 Edition: EVENING.. Retrieved November 24, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64103714

Mary Sleep was ninety-five when she died in 1923, however, the obituary reads she arrived in Portland in 1836 as a married woman!  I think this may have been a typo. A check of the Victorian Marriage Index shows Mary married Francis ROW in 1853.

Isabella MARSHALL: Died 8 November 1927 at Portland. Isabella MARSHALL managed to pass Mary SLEEP (above) for the longest time in one house.  She lived in the same house for sixty-five years. Originally from Scotland, Isabella arrived in Portland aboard the Indian Ocean in 1854 with her husband William ROBB.  She was ninety-six when she died and left seven children, twenty-three grandchildren, twenty-nine great-great-grandchildren and one great-great-great grandchild.  She was buried at the North Portland Cemetery.

Sarah MILLARD: Died 10 November 1927 at Paschendale. Sarah MILLARD was the daughter of William MILLARD of Narrawong. She married William Henry ANNETT in 1870 and they had ten children, eight sons and two daughters.  William, or Henry as he was known, was also known as the “Father of Wallacedale”.  He died only weeks earlier than Sarah on 29 September. Unfortunately, I missed his obituary for the September Passing of the Pioneers, as it appeared in an October issue, but it will definitely appear in September 2012.  Henry’s obituary is one of the best I have read, and what a life he led, especially before he married Sarah.  If you can wait until next year, this is the link:  Obituary of William Henry Annett.  I also spent too much time trying to find a link between Sarah MILLARD and William MILLARD, the winner of the first Stawell Gift.  He may have been Sarah’s brother, but there were a lot of Millards.  Research for another time.

Agnes MUIR: Died 10 November 1942 at Horsham. Agnes MUIR arrived in Brisbane with her new husband Ralph CHEQUER in 1886 aboard the Roma, having married in their home country of Scotland before departing. Over the years, they spent time in Melbourne, Portland and Quantong. At Quantong, the CHEQUERS cleared the land and planted orchards and for thirty years Agnes helped Ralph with the orchard work. One memorable event for the CHEQUERS was in 1911 when they travelled to England for the coronation of King George V.

James COLES: Died 18 November 1944 at Stawell. James COLES was born in the mid-1850s close to the Melbourne GPO.  After time in Avoca, James moved to Stawell as a teenager, later to marry Louisa GILHAM.  He remained in Stawell until his death at ninety-one, aside from a short stint at nearby Fyans Creek.

Thomas THOMPSON: Died 17 November 1945 at Portland. Thomas THOMPSON from Ireland began his time in Australia in Western Australia as a miner. Unsuccessful he headed to Victoria and the Portland district.

OBITUARY. (1945, November 19). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 3 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64406000

Annie KERR: Died November 1947 at Portland. Annie KERR was the daughter of early Portland residents, her father a doctor. Interesting that he had not practised before his arrival in Portland!  Annie went on to marry John NEWTON.

Joseph Levi Richard BAKER: Died 27 November 1950 at Hamilton. Joseph BAKER was born around 1877 and lived in Collins Street Hamilton. He enjoyed tennis and summer trips to Portland. The obituary reported he was known throughout the Commonwealth for his calligraphy skill. He left a wife Bertha and two daughters.

Carl Frederick Wilhelm PULS: Died 12 November 1953 at Lower Norton. Carl PULS had many claims to fame, but one was his ability to grow new teeth at the age of eighty. Carl was a respected pioneer of the Horsham district and was sadly found dead by his car after a trip to gather wood.

John BERRY: Died 12 November 1953 at Horsham. John BERRY’S death came on the same day as Carl ULS (above).  The BERRY family were pioneers in the Blackheath district, north of Horsham. They later moved to Horsham and John attended the Horsham State School.  John married Ethel KNIPE of Ballarat and worked at Horsham car dealer Wilson Bolton for over forty years. He held one of the first driving licences in Victoria but had driven previous to that, in a time when a licence was not required…scary. I noted that John had a brother James from Hamilton. This may have been the same James BERRY of James Berry & Sons Jewellers, a long-established business in Hamilton when I was growing up there in the 1970s and 80s.

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / 2 Comments

This is the fourth “Passing of the Pioneers” and includes a chess champion who lived in Merino and plenty of Irish influence.  They highlight some of the pioneers of Victoria’s Western District by way of their obituaries as published in the Portland Guardian.  If you would like to read the full obituary, just click on the pioneer’s name.

Emma WITHERIDGE: Died  4 October 1888 at Portland. This obituary demonstrates the tone of many at the time.

OBITUARY. (1888, October 5). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 2 Edition: EVENING.. Retrieved October 26, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63590480

George BEVAN: Died  17 October 1888 at Portland. George owned and died at the London Hotel in Portland.  His family notice shows he was born in Somerset, England and was fifty-nine at the time of death.  George had been in Portland since the early 1860s and was a keen sportsman and former Town Councillor.

Mary ROGERS: Died October 1912 at Greenwald.  Mary Rogers was aged eighty-six at the time of her death and had lived in Victoria for sixty years.  She originally went to Tasmania from Ireland with her parents as a small child.  Mary married Francis Egan who had passed away thirty years earlier.

William Sudgen Price LEWIS: Died 4 October 1915 at Hamilton. William Sudgen Price Lewis was the stepson of Richard Lewis, a former owner of Rifle Downs at Digby.  Born in Tasmania in 1835, William and his brother came to live with Richard Lewis when Richard and their mother married in 1841. In adult life, William leased Hilgay station for a time, bred fine livestock and was a member of several racing clubs. He later retired to Hamilton. He was buried at Hamilton (Old) Cemetery (below).

John Hawkins ROW: Died 27 October 1926 at Portland. John Row was a Portland jeweller.

Advertising. (1879, March 27). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 2 Edition: MORNINGS.. Retrieved October 27, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article63341984

At the time of his death, he was the oldest member of the Portland Free Library and the bowling club.  He was also a member of the St Stephen’s Church congregation.

St Stephens Church Portland

John McDONNELL: Died 17 October 1930 at Moree. Mr McDonnell was originally from Ireland and arrived in Australia in 1863 via Liverpool. He was considered one of the oldest people in the district. He married Catherine FAHEY and they selected land at Moree in 1865.

Catherine Bridget SAMPEY: Died October 1933 at Melbourne. Catherine Sampey arrived in Melbourne from Ireland aboard the Red Jacket in 1852. She travelled on to Chetwynd with her brother James Sampey and she later married Patrick WHITE of Casterton.

Elizabeth MONOHAN: Died 12 October 1933 at Casterton. Elizabeth Monohan was 100 when she died. Arriving from Ireland aboard the Frances Henty at age twenty-one, seventy-nine years before, she was still able to converse in Welsh and Gaelic in her later years. In 1859, she married John Glover at Sandford House.

Julia Teresa DOYLE: Died October 1934 at Portland. Born in Tipperary, Ireland but remembered as “a true type of a fine old English lady”, Julia Doyle arrived in Australia as a six-year-old in the mid-1850s. She married Frances SUTTON in 1874 and together they had six daughters and two sons.

Ernest John SEALEY: Died 25 October 1935 at Casterton. In his younger years, Ernest Sealey worked as a bullock driver transporting wool. In later worked on Portland’s deep-water pier, hauling logs from the forests to the pier.

Charles PRATT: Died 26 October 1935 at Birchip.

Obituary. (1935, November 4). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 2 Edition: EVENING.. Retrieved October 27, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64290777

And so begins the obituary of Charles Pratt.  Charles or Charley as he was widely known, was born at Mumbannar in 1870.  In 1891, he went to Beulah in the Mallee and worked with his step-brother and later selected his own land near Watchupga.  He married Annie LAVERY in 1914 and they had three sons.

Thomas Denton CLARKE: Died 5 October 1937 at Hamilton. Thomas, born around 1847 at Liverpool, was the son of Captain Thomas H. Clarke who was a trader in Portland.  Thomas jnr was a champion chess player and a composer of chess problems.  He won many competitions for both pursuits.  Composing problems up until his death, it was considered probable, according to the obituary, that he was the world’s oldest composer.

James McCLUSKEY: Died October 1942 at Koroit. James McCluskey was born at Portland in 1857, not long after the arrival of his parents on the ship, British Empire. Soon after, the family travelled by bullock wagon to Kirkstall near Warrnambool.  In his early working life, James drove pigs to Port Fairy in order to load them on the steamer Casino to go to market in Melbourne.

Mary PRATT: Died 7 October 1942 at Greenwald. Mary, the widow of George COWLAND, was eighty-seven at the time of her death.  There were twelve children in their family.  Her obituary recalled her pioneering traits.

OBITUARY. (1942, October 26). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 2 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved October 27, 2011, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64382483

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / 4 Comments

The September “Passing of the Pioneers” in the Portland Guardian saw several prominent Western Victorian residents pass away and two of my own relatives.

Richard LEWIS: Died September 1890 at Digby.  Richard owned some well-known stations in the Western District including Rifle Downs and Hilgay.  An excellent biography of Richard Lewis is on the Ballarat Genealogical Society website. Richard died as a result of Bright’s disease.

Samuel CROSS: Died 4 September 1901 at Hamilton. Samuel was seventy-nine at the time of his death and had been in Australia since 1849 after travelling from Sussex, England. He worked in and owned, department stores including the Beehive Store in Hamilton.  In his later years, he was a librarian at the Hamilton Mechanics Institute.

Jacob THEISINGER: Died 13 September 1901 at Portland. Jacob, also a sufferer of Bright’s Disease, had been in the colony since around 1854.  He was a popular person around town and was a member of the Portland German Band.

Robert Edwin Windsor Sandys STAPYLTON-BREE: Died 17 September 1907 at Hamilton. Robert Edwin Windsor Sandys Stapylton-Bree was a Hamilton stock and station agent and well know identity not only in Hamilton but also in Portland.  He married the daughter of Stephen HENTY, Annie Maria.  His funeral was well attended with Dean Parkyn presiding over the service.  He and Archdeacon Hayman had motored the 119 mile trip from Ballarat in five hours.

Christina STEWART: Died September 1921 at Hamilton. Christina STEWART was born in Kingussie, Scotland in around 1825 and travelled with her husband, Duncan McPherson, to Australia in 1851 onboard the Hooghlly.  While Duncan went off to the goldfields, Christina waited in Melbourne until they journeyed to Portland.  For a time, she and her husband ran the Dartmoor Hotel.  She was a mother of eight children.

Elizabeth GLADSTONE: Died 18 September 1925 at Millicent, South Australia.  Elizabeth Gladstone grew up near Portland and the Guardian noted she rode eighty miles each day to school.  I am assuming this was a round trip, or it was a short school day.  Elizabeth married George Plunkett in 1862 at Penola, South Australia.

May ROBERTSON: Died September 1925 at Gringalgona.  May Robertson arrived in Sydney with her family in 1847 from Scotland.  They travelled to the Coleraine district by bullock wagon.

Margaret Emily McDONALD:  Died  5 September 1928 at Nokomai, New Zealand.  Margaret McDonald’s parents were early pioneers and she spent time around Portland and Hamilton as a child with one of her early memories being that of Adam Lindsay Gordon and his riding feats.  In 1863, Margaret married Donald Cameron in Melbourne and they moved to New Zealand and raised twelve children.

Margaret BEST: Died 7 September 1933 at Hamilton. Margaret was born in County Caven, Ireland in 1853 to Mr and Mrs William Best.  They arrived at Portland on board the General Hewitt in 1856.  After time in Portland, the Bests moved to Heywood when Margaret was nine. She married James Henry BELL and remained in the Heywood area.

Ada Catherine HAYMAN: Died September 1934 at Portland.  Ada was born in Axminster, Devon, England in about 1858.  She arrived at Portland with her parents and siblings in the 1860s.  This is an interesting family.  Ada’s father was a doctor and practiced in Harrow, Edenhope, and Ararat.  One of her brothers was a doctor, another Archdeacon Hayman presided over R. Stapylton-Bree’s funeral (above).  Another brother W.R. Hayman was one of those who organised the  Aboriginal cricketers’ tour of England in 1868.  The biography of one of the players, Johnny Mullagh, describes the part Hayman played.

Finlay McPherson PATON: Died September 1936 at Tarrayoukyan. Finlay Paton was born at Stirlingshire, Scotland and after landing at Portland, took on the job of ringing the church bell and did so for 15 years. This could have been just one of the reasons for his “magnificent physique”.  Maybe it was because he claimed that he was one of those that carted stones to build Mac’s Hotel in Portland.  Or was it lifting four-bushel bags of wheat from the ground to a wagon, with little trouble.  He really must have been a fine specimen. As were his team of horses used for his carrying business. Bred by Finlay they were the “admiration of the district”

William DIWELL: – Died September 1939 at Jeparit. William was my ggg uncle.  His obituary mentioned his work as a builder and the several buildings in Portland remaining, at the time of his death, as memorials to his work.  It does mention he was a native of Portland, however, he was born at Merino.  It correctly states his wife Frances was a native of Portland.

Thomas Haliburton LAIDLAW: Died September 1941 at Hamilton. Over 500 people were reportedly at the funeral of Thomas Laidlaw, a Hamilton stock and station agent.  Thomas was the son of pioneers, Thomas and Grace Laidlaw.   The obituary offers a great description of the early days of Thomas Laidlaw senior in the colony with his four brothers.  Thomas junior, along with building his successful stock and station business was at one time a Shire of Dundas Councillor, President of the Hamilton Racing Club, and chairman of directors of the Hamilton and Western District College, today Hamilton and Alexandra College.  Laidlaw is one of the names that if I hear it, I think of Hamilton.

Henry MORTIMER: Died  6 September 1948 at Portland.  Another ggg uncle of mine, Henry was the son of James Mortimer and Rosanna Buckland.  He was born in Cavendish and was eighty at the time of his death at Portland.  He is best known on this blog as Mr Mortimer of Mr Mortimer’s Daughters.  This was an informative notice as it listed Henry’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.