John McKANNA (McKenna) & Mary McQUARIE

[Dundee]

Hi Rob,

I was just going to say the same thing regarding the death of his first wife - a bit of a bonus getting that information on his marriage cert.  The Charles MacQUARIE that I spoke of earlier returned to England with his family, so unfortunately I think you might find that your little Mary was an orphan.  I have to check some baptism records for someone else sometime in the next week so I will have a look at Mary's as well to see if it gives any information.

Looks like John and Helen/Ellen were also married in NSW in 1843, and had children.  This could be Helen/Ellen's arrival:

Lalla Rookh
Arr. NSW Dec 1841

Ellen CRAFFY
aged 20
Dairy Maid
Native of Dunmore, Galway
Under the protection of James HENERY and wife

James was also looking after two other girls, Margaret TOMLIN and Bridget  DURNAN DONELAN? "old friends of his at home, says he is willing to do anything he can for them"

Also a possible for John, but the age is quite a lot out:

Portand
Arr. NSW March 1841

John McKENNA
aged 21
Labourer
Native of County Tyrone, parish of Aghaloo, barony of Dungannon  (Phew!)

Debra

[Dundee]

A few convicts there who also look quite promising.  Do you have any other references to John's age besides the marriage cert?

Debra

[Full]

Hi Debra,
Thank you heaps for the Ellen Caffrey link.
I hadn't made the link but I did have the information from a little while back. I had put it aside because of the age difference.

I checked back and I found an email from Noeleen Daley who I found on Ireland Roots. She advised:
John Mckanna, b. Armagh NI 1809
died 7 or 9/11/1863 Maitland, NSW

Married Ellen Caffrey or Helen born 1822 County Galway
d.31/5/1858 and buried Ravensworth Cemetery, NSW

Children all born in Pt Macquarie
Thomas b 18/8/1844
John b 7/4/1846
Catherine b 1846/48
Laurence b 1849
Helen b 1851.

Now I found that John was married twice, it all fits together. I will contact Noeleen as she is descendant from the Thomas Mckanna 1844

You have been a great help, please, if you can find out any more info on little Mary I would be very thankful.
Isn't it great when a plan comes together.
Good on ya............Rob

[davecrowley]

Hi,
I'm just going to throw a wildcard into the discussion. One of my family tree branches has a Julia Macquarie or McQuarie, who married James Standage Buckland on 05 April 1886. Julia was the daughter of Mary McQuarie (also known as Mary Evans), who was born in 1834 and died on 12 August 1917. This Mary McQuarie is buried at Comboyne (I think) with James and Julia. She was a bush midwife, and the daughter of Major Archibald Innes and a Ngamba girl (rather than by his wife Margaret McLeay).

[Dundee]

Hi davecrowley,

I did have a look at the baptism entry for Mary MacQUARIE for Rob.

On Aug 26 1849, two girls were baptised; Mary, age unknown, supposed born 1840, and Elizabeth, age unknown, supposed born 1846, surname and christian name of parents has two dashes (for father's name?) and under that is Aboriginal Native which I think refers to the mother.  Abode is Lake Innes, baptised by Thomas O'REILLY, sponsors were the Misses. JONES.

Debra 

[Dundee]

So this would be the baptism of Julia at Port Macquarie:

1858
V18581340 44A
ABORIGINAL,  JULIA MACQUARIE
Father: UNKNOWN
Mother: MARY

This was the year before Rob's Mary married, so could be the same person.  Your Mary's death cert should list her children and marriage info if known by the informant, so you would need to see a son Charles and daughter Margaret, as well as Julia.

Debra 

[RobertGG]

Mary Evans Macquarie is my great great grandmother.
Her burial was at Ellenborough.
Her sponsor at Baptism was the Misses Innes (ie the wife of Major Innes, and not Misses Jones as supplied by Debra)
As passed down from my grandparents, it was understood that Mary's mother was also called Mary, a local Aboriginal native that was taken in and worked in the Innes household as a house servant. Major Innes may have fathered Mary Evans Macquarie. (and siblings)
Both Mary Evans Macquarie and Elizabeth Macquarie were baptised the same day, the surname understood to be provided by the Misses Innes, in sequential numbering in church records. And their abode was Lake Innes.
Alice Macquarie was baptised 5 weeks later, who I believe is also their sibling (birthdate unknown, supposed 1842.  Although her abode states Huntington Hastings River (sic Huntingdon), and her sponsors were Mrs and Miss Gray.
All three girls have dashes in place of fathers name, with the mother listed as Aboriginal Native on the church records.
In 1852 Major Innes was appointed an Assistant Commissioner for Crown Lands.  At some point he apparently arranged for Mary Evans Macquarie to he a house servant for the Browning family on their property "Llanthony", where she later had a daughter Julia. and a year later married John McKenne (or McKenna).
For at least the last 16 years of her life, and probably longer she resided with her daughter and son-in-law at their property "Toms Creek"

Kind regards Robert

[Dundee]

Hi Robert,

  Welcome to Rootschat 

Her sponsor at Baptism was the Misses Innes (ie the wife of Major Innes, and not Misses Jones as supplied by Debra)

Kind regards Robert

Of course you're right, I should have noticed that the two INNES words looked the same 

It does say Sponsors (plural), the Misses INNES, so I think it more likely refers to more than one INNES female.  Major INNES' daughters were probably too young, but it could be his nieces, the daughters of his brother George.  Annabella was 23 and single, and Margaret was 20 and also single.

Have you read any of Annabella's published diaries/journals?

Annabella expressed nostalgia for her birthplace by publishing three books based on her diaries. Her pamphlet, Recollections of Some Australian Blacks, was written in 1890. Some Recollections of My Early Days (1908) was republished as Annabella Boswell's Journal (Sydney, 1965 and reprinted 1981 and 1993). Her vivid account of colonial life, Further Recollections of My Early Days in Australia (1911), was republished as Annabella Boswell's Other Journal (Canberra, 1992).


Debra 

[RobertGG]

"From 1843 to 1848, Annabella and her mother and sister lived with her uncle, Archibald Innes"
 source "Female genteel class in colonial Port Macquarie" Nov 16  by frankdyball
If this is correct, then neither niece was still at the Innes abode to be a sponsor at the time of the baptisms.

I do have Annabella Boswell's Journal, and now Recollections of Some Australian Blacks, neither of which has been read completely as I have trouble concentrating for long periods.  Yet to get my own copy of Annabella Boswell's Other Journal.

Thanks for your speedy reply!
Kind regards, Robert