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L 29 January 15th,2010
Dear Researcher
I was interested in the note in the local paper requesting news of Scottish families who came to Australia.The following details are of my family and I am keen to learn more of their lives in Scotland before they came to Australia.
The Potts family arrived in Australia on "The Herald" from Glasgow on 10th January,1844 under the H.M.Land and Immigration Policy and were engaged by Robert Campbell of Sydney to work at Camden for a period of one year for fifteen pounds plus rations of ten pounds of beef/mutton,eight pounds of flour,one pound of sugar and three ounces of tea per person.Rev.James Donaldson of the Presbyterian Manse,Canonbie signed the Immigration Statement as to the correctness for most of the family,and Dr.John Weir,Surgeon of Eskedale,Canonbie signed their medical papers.The family consisted of Robert b1797 and d 2.4.1866 at Hyandra Station,Lake Cargelligo and his wife Mary Margaret (nee Plenderleith) b12.1.1800 and died on board "The Herald" whilst it was in Sydney Harbour.The children who accompanied the parents were Barbara,John,William,Thomas,Agnes,Grace,James and Margaret.
I have fairly full details of the children who settled in Australia although only half of them married and had families.I am descended from Thomas.
Letter kindly submitted by; Mrs Margaret Potts Collyer of East Kew,Victoria.
L30 January 11th,2010
Hello Mr Smurthwaite
I read an article in the Coffs Harbour Advocate that you were researching Scottish Australian Heritage and would like to hear from people about their Scottish Roots.
My G-G-grandparents came from Scotland .John Dobbie was born 1822 Saint Quivox,Ayrshire,Scotland and came to NSW & settled at Mt Lambie in 1841.His wife Elizabeth Thomson was born 1823 in Edinburgh and at this stage we have not established the date she arrived in NSW,but she & John were married in 1843.John was well respected in the area and was appointed as a JP/Magistrate in 1851.John and Elizabeth had 12 children.
Letter kindly submitted by;Gina Troy of Coffs Harbour NSW
L 31 January 8th,2010
Dear Trevor
It has happened only through chance that I recieved your invitation regarding your search for people here in Australia with Scottish ancestry.
Unfortunately for me,I am not descended from Robert the Bruce,however,I still feel a very strong allegiance to the Scottish and Irish.
My full name is Iain Ross Montgomery,to my family and friends I am known as Ross.I was born in Sydney in 1958 to a father known as (Jock),but officially as John Ross Montgomery.He too was born in Australia to a father known as Robert Hamilton Montgomery.I believe he as the son of Hamilton Ross Montgomery who was the son of James Montgomery from Northern Ireland.
I believe either he or his father were the ones that sailed from Scotland to Ireland to start potatoe farming in the north eastern county of Northern Antrim.He bought and settled in a little town called Ballymena.I know that other than my g/g/grandfather,he must have had siblings other than the one related to me.
All I can tell you is that somewhere in this descendant line a daughter to a Montgomery was named Kathleen.Her maiden name is Humphrey.She is married to a man called Fraser and they still live in Ballymena close to the "Montgomery" farm where her two brothers live.
I have actually had the pleasure of meeting and staying with these two lovely people after I worked in the UK for three months as a Paramedic.The year was 1997 and I believe their ages at the time were mid fifties.
Her brothers names are Tommy and Alexander,and I think William.I know that Alexander was the youngest.
Anyway,her two elder brothers named Tommy and Alexander changed their surname by dipole back to Montgomery.
My father's father name was Hamilton Ross Montgomery but he had an elder brother named Ross,?William Montgomery.When he retired he travelled to Northern Ireland to visit his cousins and the Humphrey brothers were very worried that he had come to make a claim on the family farm.This was due to the fact that he was more direct in line to it than they were.
The same thing occurred when my father retired and travelled the world before settling back at home in Australia.
I now know that Tommy has since died,but Alexander is still a bachelor and still lives and runs the "Montgomery Family Farm".
Letter kindly submitted by: Iain Ross Montgomery of Australia
L 32 January,2010
Hello Trevor
I was interested to read your article in the coffs Advocate regarding research on Scottish Australian heritage and request for information from people with Scottish Ancestry.
I am a descendant from the Dundee Yeaman's,the earliest listing is a George Yeaman a tenant bishop of Moray 1565 a later descendent George was Dundee Provost 1706-1708 and again in 1710-1712.
There is a beach in that area named after him.Many of the Yeaman's lived in Canongate.
The first Australian connection was when Charles and Euphemia Yeaman and their 6 children came out under the Bounty Immigration scheme in the 1800's.
They departed Greenoch, June 4th 1841 on the "India" which burnt and sank in the South Atlantic on July 19th 1841.All but 19 were saved and continued on to Australia disembarking in Melbourne.
I have a particular interest in all this as I am organizing a reunion of the descendents of Charles and Euphemia to be held near Echuca,Victoria on the weekend of April 10th and 11th,2010.
I am amazed at the amount of information we have gleaned so far.My cousin Marisa Yeaman has been working on the family tree for a number of years and will be presenting the Yeaman trail at the reunion.
I know there is no recognised Clan as such,but our forebears were sympathizers for Charles the first.I was trying to find which tartan they were entitled to wear and have been told the Dundee tartan.
Whilst many of the descendants are living in Victoria,they are also spread all over Australia including Norfolk island.
Letter kindly submitted by;Cherrill Johnson (nee Yeaman) of Australia
L 33 January 11th,2010
Hi Trevor
I have just read the letter you wrote in the local paper requesting information on Aussie-Scots.
My mother was brought to Australia around 1910 when she was about 3 years of age by her parents.Her dad was Robert Dickson Bauchop and her mother Mary Elizabeth (nee Wright).
My mother was born in Causeyside Street,Paisley where her family had lived for several generations.
Just prior to 1900,the family name changed from Bachop to Bauchop..why?...no idea.
I believe the name was originally Wauchope,but dropping letters and adding them over many generations seemed to be some sort of practice that I can only guess was because of illiteracy and poor handwritting when stating Births,Deaths and Marriage details to officials.
Letter kindly submitted by;Ronald Francis Bauchop Bastian of Australia
L 34 January 10th,2010
Dear Mr Smurthwaite
I am replying to your letter in our local paper re-information on Scottish roots.
My mother's maiden name was McLean.
My brothers 2nd name is Campbell
I have a cousin in Kent(England),whose surname is McLaurin-Hawley.
I am very fond of anything Scottish and bagpipes make me weep with their wonderful music.
Sadly I know little of my mother's parents background,or her grandparents-when they came to Australia or just where they originally came from.
Letter kindly submitted by;Mrs Jennifer Hawley of Northmead NSW.
L 35 January 16th,2010
Dear Trevor
A distant cousin of mine alerted me to your endeavour after reading about it on Fife,Scotland mailing list.
I am a member of the Carnamah Historical Society in Western Australia.Carnamah is a town and farming district about 300 kilometres north of Perth.Many of Carnamah's early settlers were from Scotland and as a result Carnamah was on occasion coined "the Scottish settlement".We have been compiling names and details on all of Carnamah's residents and they,including the numerous ones from Scotland,appear in The Carnamah-Winchester Database on our website at www.carnamah.com.au
For many of them they settled in Carnamah for farming despite having no firm agricultural knowledge.Many of the district's more prominent people were the Scots and it had a long lasting impact on the community-with social events ending in Auld Lang Syne until at least the 1950's.
If you search Scotland through our database you will find them.The earlier Scottish settlers include those with the surnames Macpherson,Niven,Lang,Raffan,Christie,McIntosh,Hunter,Bowman,Forrester,Robertson and Lawson.
Letter kindly submitted by;Andrew S.Bowman,Carnamah Historical Society of Carnamah,Western Australia
L 36 January 9th,2010
Dear Trevor
I was interested to read your letter in the "Messenger" newspaper as I myself do have Scottish ancestry but my information is limited and I was hpoing maybe you would be able to maybe put some light on this for me.
My great-grandfathers surname was McCandlish,I dont know his first name,and all relations are deceased including his grandson (my father).Are you able to tell me anything about the McCandlish name,clan,etc.Great -grandad spent time in Deal,Kent in England,Wed in England had two daughters Marian and Dorothy,migrated to Australia in early 1950's and is buried in Adelaide.
Letter kindly submitted by;Mrs Lisa Ayoub of Mawson Lakes,South Australia
L 37 January 12th,2010
Dear Trevor
Re-Scottish Research-The Examiner 12th Jan,2010
I read your article in The Examiner with interest.I have been researching the history of my husband Tim's family,and believe that he is also related to Robert the Bruce.
Tim's great-great grandmother was Eliza Clarendon Forbes,grand daughter of Lieut-Colonel Thomas Forbes (killed in the battle of Toulouse in 1814) and Elizabeth Stewart,and the great grand daughter of the Rev George Forbes and Katherine Stewart of Lochell.Katherine was the daughter of Gordon Stewart of Drumin.This Stewart line can be traced back through Alexander,Earl of Buchan (Wolf of Badenoch) to Robert the Bruce.
According to the book,The House of Forbes by Alistair and Henrietta Tayler,Eliza Clarendon Forbes died unmarried.This is incorrect.She became the second wife of John Thistlewood Davenport,a prominent English pharaceutical chemist,and had one son,Stewart Forbes Davenport.Stewart was Tim's great-grandfather.
Letter kindly submitted by;Mrs Jo-Anne Smallbon of Longford,Tasmania
L 38 January,2010
Dear Trevor
In responce to your article in the Mt.Druit,St.Marys Standard regarding Scottish ancestry.
My fathers parents came to Australia in 1908 from Scotland.Leading up to the 100th anniversary I tried to get the remaining family to write their story of them and their parents lives.As usual some were great and some came to nothing.
My family has always had a close relationship with Scotland and I am very interested in what you are doing.
My niece is in a pipe band,they went to Scotland 2 or 3 years ago,she is going there again this august.
Garmonsway is my married name,I am an Allan.
Letter kindly submitted by; Pauline Garmonsway of Wilmot,NSW
L39 January 16th,2010
Hi Trevor
My sister lives in the Blactown area and she passed your article on to me I'm at Bankstown.
Last year I decided to try and research our Scottish heritage.Unfortunately by this time our parents were deceased and the one uncle we had on our Scottish side had passed away a year ago.I guess bringing up a family and all that entails you dont think of these things until you have more time on your hands.
But when I look back I can never remember my father speaking of cousins in Scotland at all.I feel this is all a bit strange because even if money was tight as it was there is always mail.I have a feeling they were estranged.Maybe I'm wrong I am just guessing.Another reason that I say this is because I have friends of my parents who are constantly in touch with their German relos by email,phone and visit them.
Anyhow my maiden name is Matheson the only thing I remember is that my grandfather came from Inverness and Glasgow was also mentioned.
Originally I had help from the Church of the Latter Day saints on where to start and since I work at Bankstown City Council a friend at work put me on to our local historian at the library.
I have discovered that my grandfather had eight other siblings on the 1891 Scotland census he was the youngest 9 months at the time and born at Moy,Inverness-Shire his name was Donald Matheson.They resided at the Freeburn Hotel disrict Moy and Dalrossie and his father Kenneth Matheson was Inn Keeper and farmer on the census.
By 1901 they were staying at Gorthieck Farm in the Dores Parish and he is recorded as a farmer there.Both Kenneth and Ann (my great grandparents)are buried in the Dores district.I was going to get their death certs,but read that children aren't recorded on the cert.
My grandparents Donald and Jessie (nee Dow) arrived in Australia on the "Suevic" in March 1920.My father Alistair Kenneth Matheson was born in September 1920.
I know Donald was a Engineer sub lieutenant on the "Orama" when she was torpedoed and sunk at the destruction of "Emdem" Royal Navy.
So as you can see I have only sketchy info on the family-I have googled Clan Matheson and see they are based in Melbourne do you think its worth contacting them to see if any of Donalds relatives migrated to Australia as well?
Letter kindly submitted by; Sandra Hutchinson of Bankstown,NSW
Dear Researcher
I was interested in the note in the local paper requesting news of Scottish families who came to Australia.The following details are of my family and I am keen to learn more of their lives in Scotland before they came to Australia.
The Potts family arrived in Australia on "The Herald" from Glasgow on 10th January,1844 under the H.M.Land and Immigration Policy and were engaged by Robert Campbell of Sydney to work at Camden for a period of one year for fifteen pounds plus rations of ten pounds of beef/mutton,eight pounds of flour,one pound of sugar and three ounces of tea per person.Rev.James Donaldson of the Presbyterian Manse,Canonbie signed the Immigration Statement as to the correctness for most of the family,and Dr.John Weir,Surgeon of Eskedale,Canonbie signed their medical papers.The family consisted of Robert b1797 and d 2.4.1866 at Hyandra Station,Lake Cargelligo and his wife Mary Margaret (nee Plenderleith) b12.1.1800 and died on board "The Herald" whilst it was in Sydney Harbour.The children who accompanied the parents were Barbara,John,William,Thomas,Agnes,Grace,James and Margaret.
I have fairly full details of the children who settled in Australia although only half of them married and had families.I am descended from Thomas.
Letter kindly submitted by; Mrs Margaret Potts Collyer of East Kew,Victoria.
L30 January 11th,2010
Hello Mr Smurthwaite
I read an article in the Coffs Harbour Advocate that you were researching Scottish Australian Heritage and would like to hear from people about their Scottish Roots.
My G-G-grandparents came from Scotland .John Dobbie was born 1822 Saint Quivox,Ayrshire,Scotland and came to NSW & settled at Mt Lambie in 1841.His wife Elizabeth Thomson was born 1823 in Edinburgh and at this stage we have not established the date she arrived in NSW,but she & John were married in 1843.John was well respected in the area and was appointed as a JP/Magistrate in 1851.John and Elizabeth had 12 children.
Letter kindly submitted by;Gina Troy of Coffs Harbour NSW
L 31 January 8th,2010
Dear Trevor
It has happened only through chance that I recieved your invitation regarding your search for people here in Australia with Scottish ancestry.
Unfortunately for me,I am not descended from Robert the Bruce,however,I still feel a very strong allegiance to the Scottish and Irish.
My full name is Iain Ross Montgomery,to my family and friends I am known as Ross.I was born in Sydney in 1958 to a father known as (Jock),but officially as John Ross Montgomery.He too was born in Australia to a father known as Robert Hamilton Montgomery.I believe he as the son of Hamilton Ross Montgomery who was the son of James Montgomery from Northern Ireland.
I believe either he or his father were the ones that sailed from Scotland to Ireland to start potatoe farming in the north eastern county of Northern Antrim.He bought and settled in a little town called Ballymena.I know that other than my g/g/grandfather,he must have had siblings other than the one related to me.
All I can tell you is that somewhere in this descendant line a daughter to a Montgomery was named Kathleen.Her maiden name is Humphrey.She is married to a man called Fraser and they still live in Ballymena close to the "Montgomery" farm where her two brothers live.
I have actually had the pleasure of meeting and staying with these two lovely people after I worked in the UK for three months as a Paramedic.The year was 1997 and I believe their ages at the time were mid fifties.
Her brothers names are Tommy and Alexander,and I think William.I know that Alexander was the youngest.
Anyway,her two elder brothers named Tommy and Alexander changed their surname by dipole back to Montgomery.
My father's father name was Hamilton Ross Montgomery but he had an elder brother named Ross,?William Montgomery.When he retired he travelled to Northern Ireland to visit his cousins and the Humphrey brothers were very worried that he had come to make a claim on the family farm.This was due to the fact that he was more direct in line to it than they were.
The same thing occurred when my father retired and travelled the world before settling back at home in Australia.
I now know that Tommy has since died,but Alexander is still a bachelor and still lives and runs the "Montgomery Family Farm".
Letter kindly submitted by: Iain Ross Montgomery of Australia
L 32 January,2010
Hello Trevor
I was interested to read your article in the coffs Advocate regarding research on Scottish Australian heritage and request for information from people with Scottish Ancestry.
I am a descendant from the Dundee Yeaman's,the earliest listing is a George Yeaman a tenant bishop of Moray 1565 a later descendent George was Dundee Provost 1706-1708 and again in 1710-1712.
There is a beach in that area named after him.Many of the Yeaman's lived in Canongate.
The first Australian connection was when Charles and Euphemia Yeaman and their 6 children came out under the Bounty Immigration scheme in the 1800's.
They departed Greenoch, June 4th 1841 on the "India" which burnt and sank in the South Atlantic on July 19th 1841.All but 19 were saved and continued on to Australia disembarking in Melbourne.
I have a particular interest in all this as I am organizing a reunion of the descendents of Charles and Euphemia to be held near Echuca,Victoria on the weekend of April 10th and 11th,2010.
I am amazed at the amount of information we have gleaned so far.My cousin Marisa Yeaman has been working on the family tree for a number of years and will be presenting the Yeaman trail at the reunion.
I know there is no recognised Clan as such,but our forebears were sympathizers for Charles the first.I was trying to find which tartan they were entitled to wear and have been told the Dundee tartan.
Whilst many of the descendants are living in Victoria,they are also spread all over Australia including Norfolk island.
Letter kindly submitted by;Cherrill Johnson (nee Yeaman) of Australia
L 33 January 11th,2010
Hi Trevor
I have just read the letter you wrote in the local paper requesting information on Aussie-Scots.
My mother was brought to Australia around 1910 when she was about 3 years of age by her parents.Her dad was Robert Dickson Bauchop and her mother Mary Elizabeth (nee Wright).
My mother was born in Causeyside Street,Paisley where her family had lived for several generations.
Just prior to 1900,the family name changed from Bachop to Bauchop..why?...no idea.
I believe the name was originally Wauchope,but dropping letters and adding them over many generations seemed to be some sort of practice that I can only guess was because of illiteracy and poor handwritting when stating Births,Deaths and Marriage details to officials.
Letter kindly submitted by;Ronald Francis Bauchop Bastian of Australia
L 34 January 10th,2010
Dear Mr Smurthwaite
I am replying to your letter in our local paper re-information on Scottish roots.
My mother's maiden name was McLean.
My brothers 2nd name is Campbell
I have a cousin in Kent(England),whose surname is McLaurin-Hawley.
I am very fond of anything Scottish and bagpipes make me weep with their wonderful music.
Sadly I know little of my mother's parents background,or her grandparents-when they came to Australia or just where they originally came from.
Letter kindly submitted by;Mrs Jennifer Hawley of Northmead NSW.
L 35 January 16th,2010
Dear Trevor
A distant cousin of mine alerted me to your endeavour after reading about it on Fife,Scotland mailing list.
I am a member of the Carnamah Historical Society in Western Australia.Carnamah is a town and farming district about 300 kilometres north of Perth.Many of Carnamah's early settlers were from Scotland and as a result Carnamah was on occasion coined "the Scottish settlement".We have been compiling names and details on all of Carnamah's residents and they,including the numerous ones from Scotland,appear in The Carnamah-Winchester Database on our website at www.carnamah.com.au
For many of them they settled in Carnamah for farming despite having no firm agricultural knowledge.Many of the district's more prominent people were the Scots and it had a long lasting impact on the community-with social events ending in Auld Lang Syne until at least the 1950's.
If you search Scotland through our database you will find them.The earlier Scottish settlers include those with the surnames Macpherson,Niven,Lang,Raffan,Christie,McIntosh,Hunter,Bowman,Forrester,Robertson and Lawson.
Letter kindly submitted by;Andrew S.Bowman,Carnamah Historical Society of Carnamah,Western Australia
L 36 January 9th,2010
Dear Trevor
I was interested to read your letter in the "Messenger" newspaper as I myself do have Scottish ancestry but my information is limited and I was hpoing maybe you would be able to maybe put some light on this for me.
My great-grandfathers surname was McCandlish,I dont know his first name,and all relations are deceased including his grandson (my father).Are you able to tell me anything about the McCandlish name,clan,etc.Great -grandad spent time in Deal,Kent in England,Wed in England had two daughters Marian and Dorothy,migrated to Australia in early 1950's and is buried in Adelaide.
Letter kindly submitted by;Mrs Lisa Ayoub of Mawson Lakes,South Australia
L 37 January 12th,2010
Dear Trevor
Re-Scottish Research-The Examiner 12th Jan,2010
I read your article in The Examiner with interest.I have been researching the history of my husband Tim's family,and believe that he is also related to Robert the Bruce.
Tim's great-great grandmother was Eliza Clarendon Forbes,grand daughter of Lieut-Colonel Thomas Forbes (killed in the battle of Toulouse in 1814) and Elizabeth Stewart,and the great grand daughter of the Rev George Forbes and Katherine Stewart of Lochell.Katherine was the daughter of Gordon Stewart of Drumin.This Stewart line can be traced back through Alexander,Earl of Buchan (Wolf of Badenoch) to Robert the Bruce.
According to the book,The House of Forbes by Alistair and Henrietta Tayler,Eliza Clarendon Forbes died unmarried.This is incorrect.She became the second wife of John Thistlewood Davenport,a prominent English pharaceutical chemist,and had one son,Stewart Forbes Davenport.Stewart was Tim's great-grandfather.
Letter kindly submitted by;Mrs Jo-Anne Smallbon of Longford,Tasmania
L 38 January,2010
Dear Trevor
In responce to your article in the Mt.Druit,St.Marys Standard regarding Scottish ancestry.
My fathers parents came to Australia in 1908 from Scotland.Leading up to the 100th anniversary I tried to get the remaining family to write their story of them and their parents lives.As usual some were great and some came to nothing.
My family has always had a close relationship with Scotland and I am very interested in what you are doing.
My niece is in a pipe band,they went to Scotland 2 or 3 years ago,she is going there again this august.
Garmonsway is my married name,I am an Allan.
Letter kindly submitted by; Pauline Garmonsway of Wilmot,NSW
L39 January 16th,2010
Hi Trevor
My sister lives in the Blactown area and she passed your article on to me I'm at Bankstown.
Last year I decided to try and research our Scottish heritage.Unfortunately by this time our parents were deceased and the one uncle we had on our Scottish side had passed away a year ago.I guess bringing up a family and all that entails you dont think of these things until you have more time on your hands.
But when I look back I can never remember my father speaking of cousins in Scotland at all.I feel this is all a bit strange because even if money was tight as it was there is always mail.I have a feeling they were estranged.Maybe I'm wrong I am just guessing.Another reason that I say this is because I have friends of my parents who are constantly in touch with their German relos by email,phone and visit them.
Anyhow my maiden name is Matheson the only thing I remember is that my grandfather came from Inverness and Glasgow was also mentioned.
Originally I had help from the Church of the Latter Day saints on where to start and since I work at Bankstown City Council a friend at work put me on to our local historian at the library.
I have discovered that my grandfather had eight other siblings on the 1891 Scotland census he was the youngest 9 months at the time and born at Moy,Inverness-Shire his name was Donald Matheson.They resided at the Freeburn Hotel disrict Moy and Dalrossie and his father Kenneth Matheson was Inn Keeper and farmer on the census.
By 1901 they were staying at Gorthieck Farm in the Dores Parish and he is recorded as a farmer there.Both Kenneth and Ann (my great grandparents)are buried in the Dores district.I was going to get their death certs,but read that children aren't recorded on the cert.
My grandparents Donald and Jessie (nee Dow) arrived in Australia on the "Suevic" in March 1920.My father Alistair Kenneth Matheson was born in September 1920.
I know Donald was a Engineer sub lieutenant on the "Orama" when she was torpedoed and sunk at the destruction of "Emdem" Royal Navy.
So as you can see I have only sketchy info on the family-I have googled Clan Matheson and see they are based in Melbourne do you think its worth contacting them to see if any of Donalds relatives migrated to Australia as well?
Letter kindly submitted by; Sandra Hutchinson of Bankstown,NSW