History Notes - more early settlers
History Notes
The Markets this week were quite successful after a very slow start – the stall holders had time to walk around and talk to each other before anyone else arrived! There are now just two market days left for this year – the 26th November and the 17th December – the first one next year will probably be in February. In the meantime, members do not forget the meeting next week.
The anticipated visit by members of the Urquhart family was an enormous success with lots of talk and studying of Wayne Schmidt’s Urquhart history – from the arrival in 1840 to branches of the present-day family.
Congratulations to Bill Crowley for his Remembrance Day article in last week's news. It was very well done, easy to read and understand. Unfortunately, there are a couple of small, possibly typo errors which may have confused readers. Under the front-page photo – Arthur Burton (Burt) Crowley was from Glen Arthur, Gordon Williams first initial should be K and Clive Crowley was from Cobbadah Station. Towards the end of the article on page 2, Uncle Cliff Spencer was William Clifford Spencer not C.W. Spencer.
Returning to the early settlers in the Barraba District in the 1840’s John McKid and his wife and daughter, Jane, arrived in Barraba in the early 1840’s. They set up a store on what is now the eastern side of the main street about where the Fuller Gallery is now. Their second daughter, Louisa, was born on 8th August, 1844 – probably the first white child to be born at Barraba.
John McKid’s brother, Ralph, died in Barraba, two months later and was buried in the old cemetery just across Edward Street from the Uniting Church. The early history of the McKid family was generally sad as both John and his wife died in the next decade. Fortunately, they left some family to carry on the store and rear the orphaned children.
Turning to the early settlers around Barraba, the 1848 Gazette lists Mr Armitage at Barraba Station holding 45 square miles on the Manilla river although we know that William Cox was at Burindi and Ogilvie was to the west of Burindi at Tareela, George Gally is listed at Gineroi, John Hoskinson was still at Barraba Creek Station and Esther Hughes is registered as being in charge of Barraba Station.
Detached although we know it was under the management of Threlkeld. The Spencer Brothers were at Ironbark and William Wentworth owned Glen Riddle.
A study of family histories shows that a number of the above owners had actually sold their land by 1848. The Adams family were already at Barraba Station having purchased the station some years before Piedmont now appears in the Gwydir section under Capel while Cobbadah Station does not get a mention at all although the Crowley family were living there by about 1845.
It is rather obvious that those in Sydney really depend on the settlers keeping the records up to date. There are a couple of early letters in the archives from A. A. Adams who protested about paying rates on land around the town of Barraba which was used by residents for their milking cows and the teamsters who rested their horses on his land. There is also the 1864 letter re the flood covering his land and destroying his property but he had to pay rates on this land that he was unable to use.
Next week might be the week to record an early family or two.