Moffatt

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / Leave a comment

April Passing of the Pioneers includes one of the pioneers of the Presbyterian Church in the Coleraine district, a mother of fourteen children, several Shire Councillors and a successful storekeeper.

Thomas GOODWIN: Died 7 April 1914 at Rosebrook. Thomas Goodwin was born in Tasmania about 1833 and arrived at Port Fairy as a child. He farmed first in the Glenormiston district but when land became available at Farnham, he moved there. In his later years, he farmed at Rosebrook.  He left three sons and four daughters.

Letitia WILLIAMSON: Died 11 April 1914 at Koroit. Letitia Williamson was born in County Armagh, Ireland. She arrived in Victoria in 1857 and married James O’Neill in Melbourne the following year. They spent some time in Melbourne then moved to Koroit where James was a bootmaker. James passed away around 1903 and when Letitia passed away she left six children.

William QUILL: Died 13 April 1914 at Portland. William Quill was born at Werrangourt Station, Byaduk around 1845, but his family moved to Yambuk when he was a boy. After his marriage to Miss Doherty, William and his new bride settled at Macarthur. William was on holiday in Portland when he passed away.

Samuel KEEN: Died 21 April 1914 at Hamilton. Samuel Keen was born in Stafford, England around 1846 and came to Australia aboard the ship Helen about six years later with his parents. The family travelled to Hamilton by bullock wagon, where Samuel remained for the rest of his life.

Reverend William John GILLESPIE: Died 24 April 1914 at Hawthorn. Reverend Gillespie was born in Antrim, Ireland in 1826 and trained for the ministry in Belfast. He travelled to Australia in 1867 with his wife of five years, Mary Oliphant Morrison. The following year he took up position in charge of Coleraine, Casterton, Merino, and Digby Churches and remained in that role until 1902. During his time at Coleraine, he was president of the Coleraine debating club, and chairman of the Board of Advice, Mechanics Institute, and Railway League. With his health failing, the Reverend and his wife moved to Melbourne where he remained until his death. He was buried in the Coleraine cemetery.

GRAVE OF WILLIAM JOHN GILLESPIE AND FAMILY, COLERAINE CEMETERY

Arthur Grainger HILL: Died 7 April 1917 at Edenhope. Arthur Hill was born in Somersetshire, England and when he arrived in Australia he first settled in N.S.W. He came to Victoria to work with the Railway Department of Victoria. Around 1880, he was appointed Engineer of the Wannon Shire Council. Due to a successful period of employment with the Shire, upon his retirement, Arthur was awarded a bonus of a year’s wages.

Sarah MOFFATT: Died 22 April 1917 at Hamilton. Sarah Moffatt was born in Ireland around 1836 and arrived in Australia in the late 1850s. She married Peter Lewis and they had two sons, however, Peter passed away. She married Benjamin Chamberlain of Port Fairy and they had three daughters and one son. Sarah was buried at the Port Fairy cemetery. Another obituary appeared in the Hamilton Spectator on 27 April 1917.

George TRANGMAR: Died 25 April 1917 at Melbourne. George Trangmar was born in Brighton, England around 1828  and arrived in Victoria in 1849. He started in business with his brother James in Portland before opening a store in Coleraine in 1851. He remained in business there for twenty-five years and during that time was a member of the Wannon Shire, including some years as President. During the 1870s, he purchased the Toolang Estate near Coleraine for sheep farming.  He sold Toolang around the turn of the century and moved to Melbourne. He was buried at Coleraine Cemetery with his wife Matilda McKelvey.

GRAVE OF GEORGE TRANGMAR, COLERAINE CEMETERY

Thomas Lewis WYATT: Died 15 April 1918 at Hamilton. Thomas Wyatt was born in London, England around 1831 and married at St., Brides Church, London in 1853. In 1855, Thomas and Mrs Wyatt. a young son and Thomas’ brother James, left Plymouth aboard the Anna Maria, arriving at Portland in February 1856.  He took up the trade of plasterer and his work took him to Mt. Gambier and Melbourne before he went into partnership in Hamilton. He was a founding member of the Portland Oddfellows lodge. Thomas left a widow, two sons and three daughters

Johanna STEVEN: Died April 1925 at Heywood. Johanna Steven was born near Glasgow, Scotland, and arrived in Victoria with her parents around 1860. Her father owned what was known around Portland as the “Wee Station” in South Portland,  a small acreage as up to date as a large pastoral station attracting visits by tourists to the town. Johanna married William Reid at Portland and they raised a family of fourteen children. Johanna and William were foundation members of the Heywood Presbyterian Church.

William PHILIP: Died April 1933 at Hamilton. William Philip was born around 1858 and was educated at the Hamilton Academy and Geelong College. After Geelong, he returned to the Western District and owned properties including Violet Creek, Kenilworth, and Mt. William. He was a member of the Dundas Shire Council for twenty years and was a member of the racing, golf, and swimming clubs as well as the Masonic Lodge. His support assisted the financing of the Hamilton War Memorial and local swimming pool.

 

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / 3 Comments

When an obituary has only a female pioneer’s married name, I do like to find their maiden name. This month, there was one such pioneer, Mrs Susan Sloan. After a quick search, I found on her death record her father’s name recorded as Francis Sloan. As I don’t want to make assumptions based on a death certificate, I will continue to call her Mrs Susan Sloan, however, I will keep trying to find her maiden name in the future as I have an interest in Susan as you will see in her obituary below.

Marks DAFFY: Died 22 February 1902 at Cundare. Marks Daffy was born in County Clare, Ireland, and arrived in Melbourne in 1857. He spent his first five years in the colony around the Barrabool Hills near Geelong, working on various farms.  With money saved, Marks selected land in the Colac district after the passing of the 1862 Duffy Lands Act. He set about building a fine dairy farm, using his good eye for stock to select the best dairy cows.  He gave up dairy-farming after twenty-five years and settled into an “easier” life as a grazier.  In 1887, after dissatisfaction with the Colac Shire, he ran for a seat which he won. Around eighteen months before his death, a fall from his buggy eventually left him bedridden and ultimately claimed his life.  His funeral procession was a mile long and was the largest to arrive at the Cundare cemetery.

William MOODIE:  Died 25 February 1914 at Coleraine. William Moodie arrived in the Coleraine district with his Scottish parents at the age of six weeks around 1841. His father took up the property Wando Dale at Nareen and so began William’s life on the land, breeding some of the finest wool stock. After taking over the property from his parents, he built the current Wando Dale Homestead (below) in 1901.

“WANDO DALE”, NAREEN. Image courtesy of the J.T. Collins Collection, La Trobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria. Image No. H94.200/302
http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/217385

He also spent a good part of his seventy-three years in public life. He was a member of the Casterton Roads Board and the Wannon Shire Council. He was also involved with the P&A Society, the local Horticultural Society and St Andrews Church at Coleraine. William Moodie left a widow, seven sons and five daughters.

John KELLY: Died 7 February 1915 at Macarthur. John Kelly arrived from Tasmania, his birthplace, with his family when he was three years old. If John was eighty-five at the time of his death, it would mean that he arrived in Victoria in 1833, so I’m thinking it may have been a little later. Even still, he was an early arrival in the colony. John worked as a carrier with his brother, working the route between Geelong and stations as far west as Casterton.  He also ran a store at Yambuk for many years and took up property at Codrington.  He died at the home of his daughter Mrs Hindhaugh of Macarthur.

John MURRAY: Died 13 February 1915 at Hamilton. Born in Stirlingshire, Scotland, John Murray was a resident of Hamilton for over fifty years by the time of his death. His family arrived at Geelong aboard the Chariot of Fame and went directly to Hamilton. He spent much of his working life as a labourer and was a member of the Court Brotherhood of the Ancient Order of Foresters for over forty-five years. He was a widow and left five sons and one daughter from a family of twelve children.

Jane O’MAY: Died 17 February 1916 at Buckley Swamp. Jane O’May was born in Paisley, Scotland in 1822 and married William Kirkwood in 1842. William and Jane arrived in Portland in 1852 aboard the John Davis. They travelled by bullock dray to Warrock, near Casterton.

First Issue, August 20 1842. (1916, February 23). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 - 1953), p. 2 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved February 22, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64013668

First Issue, August 20 1842. (1916, February 23). Portland Guardian (Vic. : 1876 – 1953), p. 2 Edition: EVENING. Retrieved February 22, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64013668

The Kirkwoods were hard-working pioneers and Jane left a large family at the time of her death.  Three daughters were still alive along with twenty-four grandchildren and twenty-one great-grandchildren. Jane’s grandson, William Kirkwood of the Hamilton South area, married my first cousin 4 x removed, Sarah Ann Reed.

James COWELL: Died 24 February 1917 at Mortlake. James Cowell was born in Cambridgeshire around 1838 and by 1868, had already established a butcher’s shop at Mortlake. He later became a road contractor for the local Shire. One of James’ three sons, Pte Harry Cowell, lost his life at Gallipoli.

Joseph WOMBWELL: Died 9 February 1918 at Casterton.  Arriving in Portland in 1853 aged seventeen years from Essex, England, Joseph Wombwell’s first job was at the Henty’s Muntham Station.  He married Betsy Ann Coulson in 1869, the daughter of Christopher Coulson and Mary Frances Stubbs and stayed in Merino until 1875. They then moved to Casterton and lived in a bark hut while Joseph ran a carrying business between Casterton and Portland. One claim to fame is that he delivered the “first load of grog” to the Sandford Hotel. The Hamilton Spectator also published a lengthy obituary for Joseph Wombwell

Susan SLOAN: Died 9 February 1918 at Hamilton. Susan Sloan was born in Glasgow, Scotland and after arriving in Portland in 1855, she went to Ararat where she married Thomas Sloan. They returned to Portland and ran a shipping business, but the trade was tough and they moved inland to Hamilton where there were greater opportunities, and they established a cordial business. Thomas died in 1910 and Susan continued to run the business until her death, after which time family members continued its operations until 1930. The Sloan’s cottage Whinhill in Pope Street, Hamilton was featured in an I’ve Lived in Hamilton, Victoria group post as it is a highly visible and known to most who have lived in Hamilton. None of us knew the history of the cottage and there is still more we would like to find out.  The cordial business operated behind the cottage.


 
John MOFFATT: Died 9 February 1926 at Chatsworth. John Moffatt was born in Scotland in 1854 and arrived in Victoria with his parents in 1872 and resumed his education at Geelong Grammar.  At age 19 he took up the running of the Burnewang Estate near Bendigo before he inherited Chatsworth House from his uncle John Moffatt in 1879. He also leased his uncle’s property Hopkins Hill from the estate’s trustees. John Moffatt was a sat on the Shire of Mt Rouse and was a member of the Landowner’s Council.

DEATH OF MR. JOHN MOFFATT. (1926, February 10). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 21. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3733963

DEATH OF MR. JOHN MOFFATT. (1926, February 10). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957), p. 21. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3733963

John Moffatt’s uncle, John Moffatt, has been a Passing Pioneer and his obituary offers more history about the Moffatt family.

 

Passing of the Pioneers

/ Merron Riddiford / 5 Comments

This September’s Passing of the Pioneers includes some early colonists, many offering up some interesting extra tidbits.

The images I have used in this post show how Trove can help illustrate your family stories. Simply pick a landmark, ship, or even a theme (thinking of the recent post Stretching my Genealogy Muscles), and then do a Trove search. I find many “out of copyright” images from both the State Library of Victoria and the State Library of South Australia. As long as you cite the image correctly, you are free to use that image. Other repositories require that “out of copyright” images be used for personal use only, except with permission from the institution. For the purposes of my blog, that’s not practical as I’m usually searching on a whim, but would not be a problem if writing an article or book.

John MOFFATT: Died 5 September 1871. The story of John Moffatt is something of a rags to riches story and easily could have ended in rags again. Moffatt was born in Scotland around 1817. He arrived in Victoria around 1839 and began work as a shepherd at Hopkins Hills Estate, then run by the Clyde Company. He then went to The Grange at Hamilton owned by Captain William Lonsdale.

In 1854, prophecies of financial doom were directed at the squatters. The Clyde Company got cold feet and sold Hopkins Hill.  John Moffatt was able to buy the property where he worked as a shepherd, fifteen years before, presumably at a reasonable price. In the late 1850s, he built Chatsworth House for around £20,000, and given his small freehold, many thought such a lavish investment would lead to his demise. By the time of his death, however, he was earning £35,000 per annum from the rental on his properties.

HOPKINS HILL HOMESTEAD. Engraving by Grosse, Frederick, d 1828-1894, Image Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image No. IAN04/02/68/SUPP/4 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/237805

HOPKINS HILL HOMESTEAD. Engraving by Grosse, Frederick, d 1828-1894,
Image Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image No. IAN04/02/68/SUPP/4 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/237805

John Moffat sat as a member of Villiers and Heytesbury from November 1864 to December 1865 in the Victorian Parliament.  He also imported horses with some of the finest bloodlines seen in the colony. His greatest triumph was hosting Prince Alfred in 1867 as depicted in the sketch below by Nicholas Chevalier.  An extensive report of the visit, including Chevalier’s sketch, was published in the Illustrated Australian News for Home Readers (Melbourne: 1867-1875) on 4 February 1868. Unfortunately, the Prince was a keen hunter and was able to indulge in his “sport” at Hopkins Hill which sadly involved a yard of kangaroos. That incident too was reported on at length.

THE ENTRANCE HALL, HOPKINS HILL. - Nicholas Chevalier. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image no. IAN04/02/68/SUPP/1 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/237840

THE ENTRANCE HALL, HOPKINS HILL. – Nicholas Chevalier. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image no. IAN04/02/68/SUPP/1
http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/237840

John Moffatt travelled to England around 1869.  In 1871, he decided to return to Australia, taking an overland route,  but died during the course of the trip and was buried at Galle, Sri Lanka.  He never married.  A line at the end of the obituary gives some insight into John’s character.  His brother, Robert Moffatt, was described as “even more eccentric” than John.

Thomas MUST: Died 2 September 1905 at Portland. Thomas Must was born in London in 1815 and arrived in Sydney in 1832 aboard the Guardian. He worked for general merchants and shipping agents, Marsden and Flower and in 1842 he married Anne Wilcox. Marsden and Flower sent Thomas to Victoria in 1846 and he established an agency at Portland.   Horace Flower joined him and they formed the partnership, Flower, Must & Co., traders. A large warehouse was built in Bentick Street.

After seven years, Must bought out Flower’s share in the company. Thomas later set up a branch at Port McDonnell, South Australia. He operated his business for a further twenty-seven years, but in the meantime, he served on local government and sat on the Victorian Legislative Assembly and saw some shaky financial times. Thomas had the family home Prospect built in 1855, and from there he and Ann raised eight daughters and four sons.

“Prospect” Portland circa 1962-1966. Photographer: John T. Collins. J.T. Collins Collection, La Trobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria. Image No. H98.250/2022 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/233117

Angus McDOUGALL:  Died 4 September 1914 at Hamilton. Angus McDougall, a Scot, arrived at Portland around 1854 aged seventeen, aboard the Edward Johnstone. He started working as a carrier between Portland and Hamilton but eventually took up land at Buckley’s Swamp. He married, but he and his wife never had children. Eight of his siblings were still alive at the time of his death and the funeral was one of the largest seen in the district, with around sixty vehicles and many on horseback.

Sarah Ann BURNETT:  Died 7 September 1914 at Warrnambool.  Sarah Ann Burnett arrived at Port Fairy aboard the Persian in 1852 with her husband William Miller and three of their children. They lived first between Port Fairy and Tower Hill, then settled on the Merri River at Cassidy’s Bridge. Sarah and William raised seven children. Her obituary states there were two grandchildren and twenty-five great-grandchildren at the time of her death.  Reverse that I think…or, maybe, her two grandchildren were just prolific breeders.

Sarah and her fellow Methodist churchgoer, Henry Beardsley (below), died a day apart and were both remembered at a service at the Warrnambool Methodist Church led by Reverend Harris.

WARRNAMBOOL METHODIST CHURCH. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image No. H32492/2746 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/63534

WARRNAMBOOL METHODIST CHURCH. Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image No. H32492/2746 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/63534

Fortunately, the Warrnambool Standard documented the service. Reverend Harris reminded the congregation of the great contribution pioneer women made to the colony, a fact often forgotten.

METHODIST CHURCH. (1914, September 14). Warrnambool Standard (Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 4 Edition: DAILY.. Retrieved September 25, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73581774

METHODIST CHURCH. (1914, September 14). Warrnambool Standard (Vic. : 1914 – 1918), p. 4 Edition: DAILY.. Retrieved September 25, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73581774

Henry BEARDSLEY: Died 9 September 1914 at Russell’s Creek. Henry Beardsley, born in Derbyshire on Christmas Day, 1842, arrived at Hobsons Bay in 1852 aboard the Marco Polo. He accompanied his parents, John and Elizabeth, and four siblings.  That information is from the PROV Index to Assisted British Immigration (1839-1871), something the writer of Henry Beardleys’ obituary did not have access to.  If he did, he would have known that the Marco Polo didn’t land at Geelong in 1850.

Henry first went to Ararat with his family, then on to Warrnambool where he took a job at “Spring Gardens” nursery. After nine years he took a managerial role at the nursery of Mr R. S. Harris. He remained there for another nine years.  After eighteen years in the industry, he started his own nursery at Russell’s Creek.

At the Warrnambool Methodist Church memorial service, Henry, a Sunday School teacher, was remembered as the children’s friend.

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METHODIST CHURCH. (1914, September 14). Warrnambool Standard (Vic. : 1914 - 1918), p. 4 Edition: DAILY.. Retrieved September 25, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73581774

METHODIST CHURCH. (1914, September 14). Warrnambool Standard (Vic. : 1914 – 1918), p. 4 Edition: DAILY.. Retrieved September 25, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73581774

Margaret BISSETT: Died 14 September 1914 at Richmond. Margaret Bissett was born in Scotland and came to Victoria around the 1850s. She went to Dunmore Station (below), between Port Fairy and Macarthur, owned by Charles MacKnight. It was there she met her future husband, Michael Horan, a worker at the property.

DUNMORE c1866. Photographer Joseph Henry Sodden. Image Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image No. H1736 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/74132

After Charles and Margaret’s marriage, they moved to Orford, near Warrnambool, and purchased the Horse and Jockey Hotel which they ran for several years Margaret also ran the Post Office. Margaret passed away at her daughter’s home in Richmond and she was buried at the Port Fairy Cemetery.

James PAPLEY: Died 18 September 1914 at Port Fairy. In 1852, James Papley from Orkney Island, Scotland, his wife Jessie and two babies, and a female relative, presumably his sister, left Birkenhead for Port Phillip aboard the Ticonderoga on what was to become a hellish voyage with 170 passengers dying during the passage. 

MELBOURNE SHIPPING. (1852, November 15). Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 - 1875), p. 2. Retrieved September 28, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60132168

MELBOURNE SHIPPING. (1852, November 15). Empire (Sydney, NSW : 1850 – 1875), p. 2. Retrieved September 28, 2013, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60132168

There is an excellent website Ticonderoga that documents the voyage, the passengers, and related articles.  It is well worth a look.

James and Jessie began work as the master and matron of the Port Fairy Hospital and remained there many years before turning to farm life at Narrawong, their home for forty-three years.

FORMER PORT FAIRY HOSPITAL c1958. Image Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria

FORMER PORT FAIRY HOSPITAL c1958. Image Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria

Letitia WALL:  Died 8 September 1915 at Toorak. Letitia Wall was born in the Wynard Barracks, Sydney in 1824, her father Colonel Charles William Wall led the 3rd Regiment (The Buffs). She married Robert Henry Woodward in 1846 at Moreton Bay and they went to the Port Fairy district soon after. In her later years, Letitia took up residence at Kilmaron Toorak Road, Toorak where she passed away.

Margaret SEFTON: Died September 1915 at Coleraine.  Margaret Sefton, born in County Down, Ireland in 1823, travelled to Port Phillip with her father and siblings. She married William Brown in 1847 at St. James Church, Melbourne. The couple spent some time in Melbourne and Hamilton before settling at Coleraine. They had thirteen children and by the time of Margaret and William’s Diamond Wedding anniversary, there were eighty-one grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren to join the celebrations.  William passed away in 1908.

The  Australia Marriage Index records Margaret and William’s marriage as 1847, as does the site “Came to Port Phillip by 1849″, however, Margaret’s obituary refers to their marriage in 1846, their Golden anniversary as 1896, and Diamond anniversary as 1906. Maybe Margaret and William forgot the year they married?

Michael CASEY: Died 8 September 1918 at Macarthur. Born in Limerick, Ireland around 1835, Michael Casey arrived at Geelong aboard the Great Australia, possibly on her 1862 voyage.

GREAT AUSTRALIA, Image Courtesy of the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no. 77078 http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/36910375?q=%22great+australia%22&c=picture&versionId=47922188

GREAT AUSTRALIA, Image Courtesy of the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no. 77078 http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/36910375?q=%22great+australia%22&c=picture&versionId=47922188

He obtained Municipal contracts for work and he also married, but the newlyweds left Geelong for Sydney when Michael obtained work as a stone mason on the new St Mary’s Cathedral.

ST MARY'S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY. Image Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image no. H92.200/429 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/22531

ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL, SYDNEY. Image Courtesy of the State Library of Victoria. Image no. H92.200/429 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/22531

After Sydney, Michael and his family moved to Colac, then the Wimmera, and finally Macarthur.

George Elias BUTLER: Died 15 September 1918 at Hamilton. A son of a doctor, George Butler was born in Tipperary, Ireland in 1844.  At the age of twenty-five, he travelled to Australia aboard the Great Britain.

GREAT BRITAIN. Image courtesy of the Brodie Collection, La Trobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria. Image No. H99.220/4119 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/14669

GREAT BRITAIN. Image courtesy of the Brodie Collection, La Trobe Picture Collection, State Library of Victoria. Image No. H99.220/4119 http://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/14669

He married at Ballarat in 1875 to Catherine Abbott. George spent time working at Blumesbury Muntham before leasing Glengleeson near Macarthur. In his later years, George moved to Hamilton and was known as a respected citizen with many friends throughout the district.

Edward SIMMONS: Died 20 September 1918 at Melbourne. Edward Simmons found his fortune but it seems he didn’t set out to do it the way he did, unlike many other that tried.  Edward started out selling stock in the Moonambel district before moving to Stawell and running a butcher shop with his brother William.

Fortunately, they obtained shares in Stawell’s Orient Mine, one of the town’s most profitable, as history would show.  Healthy dividends saw them increase their interests in other mines in the town.  Edward was able to buy Oban, now the Stawell RSL. He also purchased pastoral properties including Yarram and Drung. In his later years, he moved to Melbourne and lived with his daughter at Shanghai on St, Kilda Road.