History Notes - some older district families

History Notes
As the end of the year is fast approaching, we have our end of year/Christmas markets this week - it is definitely this week. There will be a few Christmas items around on the stalls and of course all the usual sales including our calendars and history books. Our next market will probably be in February if we have not all melted by then!
After last week's notes about the Sinclairs and McKids towards the end of the 1880's perhaps it is time to find some of the other early families as well - I think most people have heard of Mrs Adams walking around the village (past the McKid establishment) in the late 1850's, with her two nieces before she had any children of her own.
Archibald Bell owned a lot of land north of Barraba by the late 1830's but he did not live in the area. Those listed in the Licences for Depasturing Stock beyond the boundaries up to 1837 included Arndell, Brown, Baldwin, Hoskinson and Pringle. They named the country where they were as Liverpool Plains, and Brisbane/Banaba Plains. We know that Hoskisson was actually Barraba Creek Plains, Arndell settled at Rocky Creek, Baldwin was Manilla and there was no mention of Archibald Bell although the Eaton boys bought Cobbadah Station from Archibald Bell in 1836.
I have found a reference to the land owned by Archibald Bell - his country apparently originally stretched from Bell's Mountain west down the Horton valley including places such as Ulumbarella in 1848. It seems he was the "estate agent"!
Piedmont had several early owners before Daniel Capel brought his family up to Barraba. The station was auctioned in 1846 when William Bowman bought it from F. G. Foote. Bowman soon sold it to Ben Lee who came up to see his new property and found it un-stocked. Bowman got the property back and then sold it to Dan Capel for 300 pounds. The Capel family were in residence at Piedmont soon after purchase.
To the east of Barraba, the Spencers settled at lronbark in the 1850s a large area of land in those days but there were soon lots of miners living at Woodsreef and following lronbark Creek up to the station in the search for gold.
The stations mostly ordered their supplies in bulk from the Newcastle area and there was trade for the Barraba store at first from those passing through.
Later as things began to open up and the gold was discovered there was more traffic and more families for Barraba.
Gradually a few houses were built as businesses arrived to service the travellers with repairs to their vehicles, to provide more food outlets and of course to provide accommodation for travellers.