William Malcolm Orr MURRAY and Sarah SCOTT

The Grand-Parents of Sarah Rebecca Mary MURRAY

The Scottish-Irish Connection

William Malcolm Orr MURRAY

William Malcolm Orr MURRAY
1906.
(Courtesy of Geoff Morgan)

William, son of James and Ann (McMoran) Murray, was born in about 1831 in East Kilbride – now a large town near Glasgow in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. During the 18th and 19th centuries, East Kilbride was a small weaving village with a population of around 1,000 people. His father James was listed as a labourer on William’s marriage certificate and a farmer on William’s death certificate. He was also deceased by 1853 when William was married.

In the the obituary of his son Robert Tait Murray, William was a sergeant in the British Army.

Sarah SCOTT

Sarah MURRAY (nee SCOTT)
(Courtesy Brian Grenier)

According to her death certificate, Sarah Scott was born in about 1832 at Ballereen, County Down, Ireland. I could not find a Ballereen in Ireland but did find a Ballycreen near Newtownards. Sarah was the daughter of Robert Scott and his wife Ellen Laurie. Robert is listed as a soldier and maybe, this was how she met William. Robert was deceased by the time Sarah was married in 1853.

Marriage

Little is known of their early life before marriage. However, William had travelled from Scotland to Ireland by 8 April 1853, when he married Sarah in the Regent Street Presbyterian Church, in Newtownards, County Down. The witnesses were Jane Murray and Robert Doggart. If William had been a soldier, he had taken up a different profession as he is listed as a cotton weaver on his marriage record.

Marriage Certificate of William Malcolm Orr MURRAY and Sarah SCOTT.

Regent Street Presbyterian Church, Newtownards.

Family

William and Sarah stayed in Ireland for several years as their first child Ann Jane (Annie) was born in Newtownards on 30 June, 1855.

The family then moved back to Scotland, where their second child Helen was born in Glasgow, on 29 March, 1857. Sadly, Helen only lived for 10 days, dying on 6 April, and was buried in the Eastern Necropolis (cemetery), Glasgow. On Helen’s death record, the family was living at 133 Westmuir Street, Glasgow and William’s profession is listed as being a handloom weaver. Perhaps William had learned to weave from his childhood in East Kilbride as this town was known for its cotton and weaving. Or perhaps, he learnt while in Ireland as during the 1850’s in Newtownards, the weaving of muslin employed a large number of the male population and the embroidering of muslin occupied the females.2 So perhaps William had taken up this work back in Ireland when he left the army.

A year later in 1858, we find the Murray family in Kent, where William and Sarah’s first set of twins James and Sarah were born on 16 April – James being born at 8.30pm.3.

Mystery Solved

It was always a mystery to me why the Murray family were in the Sandgate area of England in 1858 when they had previously only been in Ireland and Scotland and were again back in Scotland in 1861. However, on attaining James‘ birth certificate, the mystery was solved. It is mentioned on that certificate that William was a Corporal in the North Down Militia and James, and his twin sister Sarah were born at the Shorncliffe Barracks at Cheriton in the Folkstone District. Possibly William had joined the North Down Militia when he was in Ireland before his marriage but was de-mobilised until the call-up for the Indian War from 1857 to 1859.

North Down Militia and Shorncliffe Army Camp

Family Story

There is a story about these twins although I never heard it from my mother (Sybil Johnson) and I’m sure, being the only daughter, she would have heard it from her mother Sarah (Jame’s daughter), if it was mentioned in the family. However, many other descendants of William and Sarah’s children repeat it.

Apparently, Sarah Murray was a small woman and one day she was pushing the twins in a pram along a street, possibly with her older child, Annie in tow. Queen Victoria was driving past in her coach and saw Sarah and stopped. Queen Victoria got out of her coach and talked to Sarah – saying how she was such a small and young person to have 3 children including the twins. Queen Victoria then gave Sarah 2 sovereigns – one for each twin.

If the story is true – one wonders where it happened – at the Barracks on an official visit or perhaps near here. And why would a Queen do this? Perhaps it was because Queen Victoria had just had her ninth and last child in 1856.

By April 1861, when we have the first census that I could find for William and Sarah, the family was back in Glasgow, Scotland. They were living at 396 Great Eastern Road and William was still a cotton weaver. The children are listed as Jean – 5 years and James and Sarah – aged 2 years. I thought the child Jean could be Annie Jane but other trees have Jean as a separate daughter. And, if so, where is Annie Jane? Annie Jane was born on 30 June, 1855 and the 1861 census was taken on 7 April, 1861, so Annie wouldn’t have turned 6 years until after the 1861 census. It would be good if we could see a copy of the hand-written census form rather than one that has been transcribed about 140 years later.

Sarah would have been heavily pregnant as she gave birth to their 5th child Agnes Black on 18 June. However, bad luck seemed to follow William and Sarah as Agnes was ‘accidentally smothered in her bed’ and pronounced dead at 7.30am on 7 July, 1861 and certified by Robert Clement – Surgeon. No doubt as was the habit and out of small rooms and poverty, families or children at least, slept in the one bed.

1861 saw the beginning of the cotton famine in England and Scotland. The boom years of 1859 and 1860 had produced more woven cotton than could be sold and a cutback in production was needed. then the famine of raw cotton caused by the interruption of baled cotton imports from America because of the American Civil War, caused a change in circumstances for the cotton workforce.

Perhaps it was the scarcity of cotton for weaving and the inducement of the Assisted Passages to Queensland Scheme Queensland that spurred William and Sarah to abandon their homelands and migrate to Queensland.

Immigration

The Assisted Passages to Queensland scheme was set up by the Queensland government and was granted to a limited number of persons eligible by age and occupation. The payment was £8 per adult and two children of twelve months and under twelve years were classed as one adult. men had to be under 40 years and women under 35 years.4

William and Sarah left Great Britain at Queenstown (now Cobh), Cork and migrated on the ‘Golden Dream’ on 18 February, 1863 with their three young children, Annie (7), and James and Sarah (4). Also William and Sarah would have known that Sarah was pregnant with another child. They arrived in Moreton Bay on 28 May, a journey of 99 days. There were 664 people on board. A copy of the Ship’s Log with the Murray family can be found here.

Below is an account from the Brisbane Courier – Saturday, May 30, 1863 on the arrival of the ‘Golden Dream’.

Arrival of the ‘Golden Dream’

The voyage must have impressed the passengers as in the Brisbane Courier, Wednesday, June 3, 1863 appeared:-

Published Letter of Thanks.

‘Presented by the Intermediate and Steerage Passengers of the Ship Golden Dream to Captain Griffiths, Commander.

RESPECTED SIR, -It being the unanimous desire of the Intermediate and Steerage Passengers to express their unqualified admiration and esteem for the able manner in which you have conduced them on their voyage to Queensland, now so happily terminated.

Under the all-disposing band of Providence we ascribe to your general management of both vessel and passengers, the principal cause of the successful termination of our voyage – a voyage which of-time proves to many vessels, and particularly to those laden with emigrants, dangerous and full of perils; but, in our case, singularly free from all those evils which usually attend long sea voyages.

Sir, we have seen and appreciated the able and vigilant manner in which you have guided our vessel’s course; we have felt and acknowledged the constant care and kindness which you have always evinced in attending to all our wants and wishes; your gentlemanly demeanour and urbanity to all have been the constant theme of our discourse, and it is with extreme pleasure we take this opportunity to mark our grateful sense of it, by presenting you with this address.

We also wish to thank your principal officers, Mr Norburgh and Mr Cowal for their general bearing towards all on board, particularly Mr Cowal, who, at the risk of his own and the lives of five brave volunteer seamen who accompanied him, gallantly dashed to the rescue of O’Leary, who fell overboard while a heavy sea was running, and who would have been saved had the most strenuous exertions of human help availed. And last, though not least, we wish to include the crew, whose conduct has been that of constant attendance to their duties, and of kindness towards the passengers.

Knowing that this address does not do your many merits full justice, we hope you will receive it in the spirit in which it is offered.

Wishing you good bye, and God speed in your voyage through life, we earnestly pray the Almighty disposer of all events that he make it as prosperous, and that it may terminate as happily, as our to Queensland.

Signed:- By 325 persons (including William Murray)

There were several other families on the ‘Golden Dream’ from Scotland. One of them was James Orr (26), and his wife Mary (26) and young child James (2). Perhaps they were related as William had Orr as one of his own names.

Australia

Coopers Plains

One week after arriving in Brisbane (1863), Sarah gave birth to another daughter Mary on 5 June.5 They must have been glad to be on solid ground for the birth. The Murray family lived in the Oxley/Coopers Plains area until after 1875 with William doing labouring work. Coopers Plains was originally known as Cowper’s Plains. It was named by Patrick Logan, commandant of the Moreton Bay Penal Settlement, after Dr. Henry Cowper, who was Assistant Surgeon-in-Charge at the settlement.

Their family increased by at least another seven children – Robert and William – twins (29/04/1867);6 Rose Anna and Robert Tait – twins (09/05/1869);7 Ellen (Helen) Tait (29/07/1871);8 Thomas Banks (14/05/1873)9 and Hannah Matilda (19/09/1875).10

Most, if not all, of these children would have been delivered by a midwife probably experienced but not necessarily trained. We have Mrs Banks attending Thomas Banks birth and Mrs Millbank attending Hannah Matilda’s birth. However, these were tragic times for pioneers especially women in childbirth and very young children as the first Robert, twin to William, died within 5 hours of being born and Rose Anna died aged 5 months.

Both of these children were buried at the Grenier’s Private Cemetery or commonly known as God’s Acre, Coopers Plains. No minister attended either burial. This site was dedicated as a cemetery when Volney Grenier, aged 16, was killed in a fall from his horse during a fox hunt on 26 October, 1859. His parents, Thomas and Mary Ann Grenier, buried him at this site and set aside a small area of 3/4 acre from their property as a family cemetery. The Grenier family gave permission to other local pioneers to bury their loved ones here also.11 This cemetery’s present site is at the entrance to the Archerfield Aerodrome.

Archibald Banks and his wife Helen Banks (nee Tait) were early pioneers in Coopers Plains and, no doubt, friends of the Murrays, or, perhaps, the Murrays worked for the Banks. William Murray was one of the witnesses to Archibald Banks burial service at Grenier’s Cemetery in 1885. Perhaps Helen Banks was the Mrs Banks at the birth of Thomas Banks Murray and this is where his second name Banks came from. Also the name Tait being the second name for Ellen (Helen) Tait and Robert Tait, could have come from Mrs Banks whose maiden name was Tait.

It is confusing as to the exact number of children born to William and Sarah. Other descendant researchers have the number as high as 17 while some have 15 children. Sarah declares on the birth certificates of her last two children – Thomas Banks (1873) and Hannah Matilda (1875), that there were 4 females and 1 male had deceased in the family. We have the deaths of Helen (d.1857), Agnes Black (d.1861), Robert (d.1867) and Rose Hannah (d.1869), but we a are missing a female. We then have the death certificate of William Malcolm Orr (d.1906), which lists 5 females and 1 male pre-deceasing him..This would correspond with the two birth certificates mentioned above with Ellen Tait dying in 1902 and if you count the missing female. However, Sarah’s death certificate (d.1916) lists only 1 male and 2 females. And we know that James had died in 1909, which would make it 2 males. I’m not sure what happened to the other females who had died, but perhaps it was that the informant was Robert Tait Murray and he did not know all the facts, or, it was a transposing error.

And to add to the mystery, some websites have a daughter Jean being born in 1856 in Ireland. On the 1861, there is a Jean mentioned but no daughter Annie Jane. I looked for Ann Jane Murray on the census but could not find one. Perhaps Jean is the missing female death on the two birth certificates mentioned above, and she died before they left Ireland to come to Australia as she is not mentioned on the ‘Golden Dream’ ship’s log. Again, I have not put her in the family as I need more evidence.

The mystery son William

For other people’s research purposes and people querying the number of children, I will add this. There is also another William Murray (child) which I have not included in the Murray family. He is mentioned and put into the family by other descendants of William MO and Sarah Murray. The only record I could find for this William is a death certificate dated 16 March, 1874. The parents listed were William and Sarah Murray and he was born in Ireland. However, he was 11 years old when he died, which meant he was born around 1863 or late 1862 and also in Ireland. Also, he is not listed on the Golden Dream’s ship’s log even though other children are listed as infants with no age added. And remember ,Sarah was pregnant with Mary from about September 1862 to her birth in June, 1863. On William’s death certificate, he is listed as being in the colony 7 years, whereas the Murray family had been here for 11 years and I couldn’t find a William Murray aged 4 arriving in Australia during this time. This William died in the Brisbane hospital and was buried in the Church of England section of the cemetery at Milton(present Lang Park), whereas Robert and Rose Hannah were buried at Grenier’s Private cemetery, Archerfield. Also, William and Sarah had another son William Malcolm Orr jnr. (the twin) born in 1867 while this William was still alive. Therefore they would have had two sons named William at the same time.

And then you have some trees on Ancestry with a William being born in 1854 in Ireland and dying on 29 April, 1867 in Queensland. I imagine they had his birth year of 1854 because this was the time the Murrays were in Ireland just after they were married and before they had Annie Jane. However, in the 1861 Scotland census, there is no William living the family back in Glascow. Also if he was born in 1854, he would have travelled with the family aboard the ‘Golden Dream’ and be listed in the ships log, and he isn’t there. And somehow, these trees have his death on 29 April 1867 which is the same day that their son William Malcolm Orr Murray was born (died. 10/08/1950).

As you can see, there is much confusion about the ‘other’ William. So, until it can be proven with more documented evidence that William (d.1874) is their child, I have left him in the tree (above) with questions marks but out of the children below.

And while I am on the subject, there will also be confusion if people research Grenier’s cemetery, as there is a listing of all the people buried there was from a website. The list mentions a William Malcolm Orr Murray and a Margaret Murray, both listed as ‘child’ and with no dates of death. However, they do not mention either Robert or Rose Hannah Murray, who we know are buried there. The list was from a booklet researched by two women. Why we have another William MO Murray being listed is a mystery. Perhaps, there was confusion and the father’s name was written down instead of Robert.

Yeerongpilly

William MO was on the 1874-75 Electoral Roll of Queensland. He is listed as living on freehold land at Yeerongpilly in the Electoral District of Oxley. I don’t know when he moved there, how long for or whether he had land there or was on a small residential block.

Beaudesert/Canungra

Before 1880 the family had moved to Beaudesert as Annie Jane, the eldest daughter was married at Telemon Station. ‘Telemon’ was a large property of about 89.600 acres and situated near the head waters of the Logan River and bounded on the north by Beau Desert, another property. The property was primarily known as a cattle run.

By 1880 Beaudesert had a Store, Hotel, Blacksmith’s Shop, Saddlers Shop, Post Office and Office of the Tabragalba Divisional Board (later Tabragalba Shire Council). A school was operating by March 1882 and a Courthouse, Police Station, Post and Telegraph Office followed by 1889.12

William MO is mentioned several times on the Electoral Roll for Veresdale/Fassifern. In 1882, he is living at Beaudesert but has leasehold land. In 1883 and 1884, he is living at Undullah which is north of the present Wyaralong Dam.

It is mentioned in his son William’s obituary that William M.O. was a ganger on the Beaudesert Shire Council for about 16 years. There were other reports that William worked as a timber feller/getter in the Canungra area, however, this could have been his son William M.O. Jnr. In 1884, David Lahey established the Lahey Canungra Sawmill which operated until 1935.

William M.O. Snr. and Jnr., Thomas Banks and Robert Tait were listed on the Electoral Roll for Maranoa in 1892, 1894, 1898, 1899 & 1900 – all residing at Hodgson. Sons James (who is not on some electoral rolls) was granted 80 acres and Robert Tait, 47 acres. In 1891 a William Malcolm Orr Murray received a lease of 80 Acres of Crown Land in the Hodgson Area and this was purchased in 1896-7.

However, it seemed that William MO returned to Canungra by about 1901 as he enrolled on the Electoral Roll then and was noted as being a farmer at Canungra in 1906. However, William died on 13 December of that year, aged 75 years, and was buried in Duncan’s Private Cemetery at Canungra.

Sarah survived for another ten years and passed away on 16 July, 1916, aged 84 years. She was buried with William at Duncan’s Private Cemetery at Canungra. Her obituary was in the Beaudesert Times on 28 July, 1916.



Loving Memory
of
WILLIAM MALCOLM ORR MURRAY
Died 1906
Aged 75 Years
And of his wife
SARAH
Died 17th July 1916
Aged 84 Years.
________
AT REST.

Children

Annie Jane was the oldest child and was born on 30 June, 1855 in Newtownards, County Down in Ireland. Being the oldest daughter, Annie would have had to help her mother look after her younger siblings after she arrived in Australia.

Annie married Charles Wesley Sheppard Nowell on 9 March, 1880, at Telemon (Telemon) Station, at Beaudesert in Queensland. Charles was born on 9 march, 1854. I believe Charles arrived in Queensland in 1874 aboard the “Ramsay” aged 18 years.

Annie and Charles had 6 children, Annie Jane Janette; Gertrude Elizabeth Amud; constance Sarah Ellen’ Norman Jon’ Jessie Emily Mary’ and Charles Wesley Sheppard Jnr.

They lived in the Childers area. Annie died on 7 November, 1936 and Charles on 29 December, 1944. They are both buried in the Childers Cemetery.

If anyone has more information about Annie and Charles, could you please contact me so I can add to their story.

As mentioned above in her parents story, Helen was born on 27 March, 1857 in Glasgow, Scotland. Helen only had a short life as she died 10 days later on 6 April. She was buried in the Eastern Necropolis (cemetery) in Glasgow.

James, a twin, married Emily GIBSON and their story is told here.

Sarah, twin of James, was born in Sandgate in Kent, England in May 1858. Sarah arrived in Queensland aboard the ‘Golden Dream’ with her parents and siblings on 28 May, 1863.

Sarah married William Finch HUTCHINSON on 16 September, 1877 in Beaudesert, Queensland.13 William was born on 23 December, 1853 in London, England.

Sarah and William settled in the Toowoomba/Dalby area and had 10 children.

They were: Samuel Finch; James Henry; William Malcolm; Robert Henry; Charles Wesley; Robert Thomas; Sarah; Hannah Matilda Lilian; Violet Isobel and Ethel.

William died on 16 August, 1916 at Dalby, Queensland and was buried at the Dalby Cemetery.

Sarah was brought from Duleen – north of Dalby – by rail motor ambulance to the Dalby Hospital on Wednesday 4, February 1931. She died two days later 6 February aged 78 years. Sarah was buried at the Dalby cemetery.

If anyone has more information about Sarah and William, could you please contact me so I can add to their story.

If you have any more information,
Could you please contact me so I can add to this story.

Agnes, the fifth child and fourth daughter of William and Sarah was born on 18 June, 1861 in Glasgow, Scotland. Agnes was another of the children who had a short and sad life.

Agnes died at just 3 weeks of age by being ‘accidentally smothered in her bed’ on 7 July. She was treated by surgeon Robert Clements and he announced her dead at 7.30am.

As was usual in those days, babies often slept with their parents or siblings. Interestingly, on the same page of her death in the Glasgow death register, were two other deaths – both babies. One 7 months – dying from teething for 8 days. And the other-9 1/2 hours being a premature birth.

Mary MURRAY was the first child born in Australia to William M.O. and Sarah. The family arrived in Moreton Bay on 28 May, 1863 on the ‘Golden Dream’. Mary was born 8 days later on 5 June.

Mary married William ADAMS on 5 June, 1882, probably in the Beaudesert area, as her older sister was married here in 1880. William was born in 1857 in Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire, England, the son of William George and Rachel Adams. William was also the older brother of Mary George who married Robert Tait MURRAY, younger brother to Mary MURRAY his wife, in 1894.

Mary and William had eleven children: Sarah Isabella; Joseph William; Henry James; Rachel Annie; Mary Ellen; William Percival; Robert Tait; Ruby Stella; Stanley Thomas; Ida Esther and Arthur Cresswell .


Mary died in Beaudesert on 2 July, 1910. William died in 1945.
They are both buried in the Beaudesert Cemetery.
(The broken worded stone on the bottom has William Adams and 87 years and, no doubt, fell off the bottom of the tombstone).

Grave of Mary & William Adams. Beaudesert Cemetery

If anyone has more information about Mary and William, could you please contact me so I can add to their story.

Robert – twin of William Malcolm Orr MURRAY (Jnr) – was born on 29 July, 1867 at Coopers Plains. Sadly Robert only survived one day and died on 30 July. He was buried in the Coopers Plains cemetery or Grenier’s Cemetery ‘God’s Acre’. An explanation about this cemetery is above in his parents story.

William Malcolm Orr – twin of Robert – was born on 29 April, 1867 at Coopers Plains. William passed away on 10 August, 1950.

An account of his life was mentioned in his obituary in the Beaudesert Times on Friday, 18 August, 1950.

Canungra and district lost another old pioneer in the passing of Mr. Will M. Murray, in Beaudesert Hospital, on Thursday afternoon.

By a strange coincidence his next bed mate in the ward was a boy-hood friend whom he hadn’t met for years. His friend Michael Begleg, passed away shortly afterwards.

The late Mr. Murray was the second son of Willl Murray, of Glasgow, Scotland, and Sarah, of County Down, Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Murray snr. had seventeen children of whom nine survived infancy.

On coming to Australia the parents settled at Cooper’s Plains, where Bob, Will, Tilly and Tom attended the State School.

When Will was glad the family moved to Beaudesert where Mr. Murray Snr. was a Shire Council ganger for 16 years. Will was employed bY Mr. Tom Brayford to ride and train horses on a race track, the site of which is not occupied b the Beaudesert Hospital. Mr Tom Brayford was Beaudesert’s first storekeeper. The store was situated on the corner now occupied by Harty’s Cafe. Seventy yers ago Bob Murray attended a cattle sale on the land where the Commercial Bank now stands. The only house visible was the homestead occupied by Robinson and White, where St, Mary’s Convent now stands. Subsequently to the horse training Mr. Will Murray, then a man, took up timber felling and broad axe work for which he became well known throughout the South East part of the State and as far south-west as Goondiwindi. This axemanship he followed until failing health forced him to relinquish it when he retired to live at Canungra.

The late Mr. Murray was 83 years last April. He was of a retiring, courteous disposition and was held in high esteem by all. He is survived by his sister, Tilly (Mrs. M. H. Brown), and brothers Bob, of Pine Creek, and Tom, of Roma.

The funeral service was conducted in St. Luke’s Church of England by Rev. H. W. Griffiths, who also conducted a short service at the graveside. A number of old friends and relations were at the cemetery to pay their tribute and place beautiful floral emblems on the grave. The most beautiful of all was the song of the birds which he loved so well in life. S. R. LeGrand & Son was the funeral director.

Even though the obituary leaves out the Orr from his name, he is listed as William Malcolm Orr Murray on all the electoral rolls, so I have left it in.

If you have any more information,
Could you please contact me so I can add to this story.

Rose Anna, twin with Robert Tait, was born on 9 May, 1869 in the Cooper’s Plains. I have put Rose’s name as Anna rather than Hannah as hat is how it was written on the death certificate.

Sadly, Rose only survived for another 5 months dying on 9 October. Rose had been suffering from dysentery for a week.

Rose was buried at the Grenier’s Private Cemetery at Cooper’s Plains, same cemetery as her brother Robert who died in 1867.

Robert Tait – twin of Rose Anna – was born on 9 May, 1869 at Cooper’s Plains.

He would have grown up in the Canungra and Beaudesert areas. Robert also was in the Maranoa District at Hodgson from as early as 1891 until 1900.14 On 10 October, 1901, Robert applied for 47 acres of land in the Hodgson area.15 However, it seems that he split his time between Hodgson and the Canungra area.

Robert also had a property called Limerick Farm at Canungra, as he had the cattle brand NV1in 1899. From the Electoral Rolls of Queensland, Robert was a timber getter at Palen Creek, in the Rathdowney area in 1903, but by 1905, had a farm in the Pine Creek area of Canungra.

Robert Tait MURRAY16
Robert Tait MURRAY17

Robert married Mary GEORGE known as ‘Polly’ on 2 May, 1894 at Albert River, Canungra. Mary was the daughter of William GEORGE and Rachel ADAMS and was born in Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire, England on 24 June, 1873. Her older brother William had married her husband’s sister Mary in 1882. They had nine children. Many born in Canungra.


Robert died 21 November, 1954 at the Beaudesert Hospital. There was an obituary in the Beaudesert Times.
Mary survived Robert by just under a year and died on 4 November, 1955.
They are both buried at the Canungra Cemetery.

Grave of Robert Tait MURRAY and Mary MURRAY (nee GEORGE).
Canungra Cemetery

If you have any more information,
Could you please contact me so I can add to this story.

Helen Tait MURRAY was born on 29 July, 1871, probably in the Coopers Plains area. She would have grown up in the Beaudesert area.

Helen married Alexander Nicol on 6 June, 1887 in Brisbane. Alexander was born on 8 September 1864 in Brisbane, the son of Alexander Nicol and Christiana Nicol (nee Wyllie).18

From the Electoral Rolls, Alexander was a cab proprietor living at Kangaroo Point and also South Brisbane during the early 1900’s. Alexander is also mentioned as being at Hodgson in 1895 and applying for land at Hodgson in the Crown Land Sales of 1897.

Helen and Alexander had 6 children. Helen died on 25 December, 1902 in Brisbane. Alexander later married Agnes Wyllie and they had 4 children.

Alexander died on 27 May, 1903 and was buried with Helen in the South Brisbane (Dutton Park) Cemetery.19

Our dear parents
HELEN. T. NICOL
died 25th Dec 1902
Aged 31 Years

ALEXANDER NICOL
died 27th May 1930
Aged 66 Years

Grave of Helen Tait & Alexander NICOL

Also interred in the grave are – Cyril Wilton NICOL (Parents: Alexander Nicola & Second wife, Agnes Petersen) died 6.2.1915 and Daphne A NICOL buried 25.5.1930. Daphne died 2 days before her father – were they in an accident together? Or was it just fate?

If anyone has more information about Helen and Alexander, could you please contact me so I can add to their story.

Thomas Banks – the second last child – was born on 18 May, 1873 at Coopers Plains. His second name Banks came possibly from either Archibald Banks, who the Murray family knew very well, or Mrs Banks, who was the nurse/midwife that delivered. Of course, Mrs Banks could have been Mary Banks, wife of Archibald.

Thomas Banks grew up in the Canungra/Beaudesert area but shifted out to the Hodgson area during the 1890’s. He leased portion 70V at Hodgson on 1 July, 1892 but the lease was cancelled on 29 March, 1893. According to the Electoral Rolls, Thomas mainly did labouring jobs in the Hodgson area.

On 12 May 1897, Thomas married Annie Burton at ‘Bellevue’, Roma. (As an aside – Bellevue’ was the property where I grew up with my parents who owned it from 1953 to 1979). The witnesses to the wedding were William Gibson Murray and Mary Elizabeth Burton.20
Annie Burton was born on 21 February 1874 at ‘Walgrave’ Surat. Her parents were Henry Burton and Harriett Sanderson. Her older brother Robert had married Thomas’ younger sister Hannah Matilda at ‘Bellevue’ in 1895.

Thomas and Annie returned to Canungra between 1901 to 1906, with Thomas doing labouring at Lahey Bros’ Sawmill. They also had three daughters here. Then the family returned to the Hodgson/Roma area in about 1908. They continued living first at Hodgson then moved to Roma and were there until the early 1950’s.21

Thomas & Annie MURRAY
at Roma Show.
Thomas & Annie MURRAY
in garden at Margate.22

Thomas and Annie retired to Robertson Avenue in Margate in the early 1950’s.

Thomas died on 11 February, 1956 and was buried at the Hemmant Lawn Cemetery23

Grave of Thomas Banks MURRAY
Hemmant Cemetery

Annie died in the Amersham Convalescent Home, Margate on 17 November, 1962 and was also buried at the Hemmant Lawn Cemetery.

If you have any more information,
Could you please contact me so I can add to this story.

Hannah Matilda or ‘Tilly’ was the last child of William and Sarah Murray. She was born on 19 September, 1875 at Coopers Plains.

Tilly spent her early life at Cooper’s Plains and went to school there. But by about 1880, the family had moved to Beaudesert. The MURRAY family seemed to live in the Beaudesert/Canungra area but also had time in the Hodgson/Roma area during the 1890’s.

It would have been here while living in Hodgson that Tilly met her future husband, Robert Burton.

Robert was the son of Henry Burton and Harriet Sanderson and had been born in 1867 at ‘Walgrave’, Surat. Tilly and Robert were married at “‘Bellevue’, Roma on 5 October, 1895. (As an aside – ‘Bellevue’ was the property where I grew up with my parents who owned it from 1953 to 1979.)

I believe Robert worked for the Railways as in the census of 1906 he was described as a ‘lengthsman’. a lengthsman or fettler was a person who was appointed to maintain a certain stretch of road or railway. On the 1903 Queensland Electoral Roll, Robert was at Kilkivan. In 1906. the family were at Muckadilla Tank or Dam.

Tilly and Robert had seven children, four girls and three boys between 1896 and 1906. Robert died on 22 February, 1910 at Roma leaving Tilly with a young family. There was a small article in the Western Star and Roma Advertiser that Robert died of pneumonia. He was buried at the Roma Cemetery.

Hannah Matilda Burton and children
c1911.24

Grave of Robert BURTON (D. 1910)
Roma Cemetery.

Another article in the Western Star and Roma Advertiser showed that a social was held to raise money for Tilly and the family. It was held in the Warooby area, which is between Roma and Wallumbilla.

Much of Tilly’s later life is gleaned from the Queensland Electoral Rolls. In 1911, just after Robert died, Hannah was listed as living at the Bungil Bridge Gatehouse. However, by 1912, Tilly had moved to Toowoomba and was living at the corner of Ruthven & Klein Streets, doing domestic duties.

In 1914, Tilly married William George Brown on 28 July, and moved back to Canungra.25

Ken Burton, Bill Brown, Amelia Bruton, Mrs Hannah Brown, Cedric Burton and Mark Burton at Drynam’s House, Pine Creek, Canungra. c.1915.26

In 1915, Tilly was doing domestic duties at Canungra but by 1922 was the boarding-house keeper at ‘Leighton House’ at Canungra. This was also the year that Tilly lost her second husband after only eight years of marriage.

Leighton House established 1902 and re-erected as recreation rooms at Bunna-Burra in 1934.27

William (Bill) died on 5 January, 1922.28 I could not find where he was buried but, presumable at Canungra.

Aunt Tilly BROWN.
Hannah Matilda BROWN.

Tilly continued living at Canungra and died on 17 April, 1959. She was buried at the Canungra Cemetery.

Hannah Matilda BROWN (nee MURRAY)
Canungra Cemetery

If you have any more information,
Could you please contact me so I can add to this story.

  1. http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rosdavies/genealogy/PHOTOSwords/NewtownardsAll.htm
  2. http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rosdavies/genealogy/PHOTOSwords/NewtownardsAll.htm
  3. James Murray Birth Certificate.
  4. ‘They Came Direct’, “The Golden Dream 1863”. Compiled by Eileen B. Johnson (page 33).
  5. Qld. Birth, Deaths & Marriages. Reg. No B1853
  6. Qld. Birth, Deaths & Marriages. Reg. No. B.6999
  7. Qld. Birth, Deaths & Marriages. Reg. No.B009697
  8. Qld. Birth, Deaths & Marriages. Reg. No.B012827
  9. Qld. Birth, Deaths & Marriages. Reg. No. B015971.
  10. Qld. Birth, Deaths & Marriages. Reg. No. B019718
  11. http://chapelhill.homeip.net/FamilyHistory/Photos/Gods-Acre-Archerfield-Brisbane/index.php
  12. www.hennievandyk.bravepages.com/beaudesert/beauhisx.jpg
  13. Qld. Births, Deaths and Marriages. Reg. No. B005805.
  14. Qld. Electoral Rolls
  15. Western Star & Roma Advertiser. 10 October, 1891. Page 2. trove.nla.gov.au
  16. Ancestry.com – Kinsey Family Tree
  17. Ancestry.com – Kinsey Family Tree
  18. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Nicol-1450
  19. Dutton Park Cemetery. Location 7B-251
  20. Marriage Certificate – Courtesy of Geoff Morgan.
  21. Qld Electoral Rolls
  22. Photo courtesy of Geoff Morgan
  23. Hemmant Lawn Cemetery. Portion 1, Grave 150.
  24. Ancestry.com. Juliesanders54tree.
  25. Qld. Births, Deaths and Marriages. Reg. No. 1914/B15287
  26. Picture Qld, State Library of Qld.
  27. Qld. Pictures, State Library of Qld.
  28. Qld. Births, Deaths & Marriages. Reg. No. 1922/C1054.