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William Wilson (abt. 1834 - 1928)

William Wilson
Born about in Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdommap
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married 10 Jan 1876 in Boambolo (Yass), NSW, Australiamap
Descendants descendants
Died at about age 94 in Barmedman, New South Wales, Australiamap
Problems/Questions Profile manager: John Hunter private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 31 May 2011
This page has been accessed 924 times.

Biography

All of the information below this comment were prepared before DNA entered the equation. A direct male line descendant of William has taken a Y chromosome test (FTDNA Y37) and that has found no connection anywhere to a Wilson. YDNA characteristics are passed down the male line, from father to son, and stay "true" for many generations. The DNA profile of this test however fits to the Kincaid clan DNA profile with numerous matched to many Kincaids across the planet. The test reults have been accepted as "Kincaid" by the moderators of the Kincaid DNA project.
This raises the question of the real identity of the 14 year old on board that ship (even if that is actually accepted as true). Was he really a Kincaid and just "borrowed" the name of another passenger on board. What we need is some more of his direct male line descendants to take a Y chromosome DNA test to help verify if William was a Wilson or a Kincaid.
Marriage Certificate NSW BDM 4605/1876
Death Certificate NSW BDM 1928/013361


His death certificate lists his parents, William Wilson and Jean Jennett.

Birth Date:

1. Died in 1928 and was reported as being 92 so possible birth year 1836
2. No age recorded on his marriage certificate
3. On the birth certificate of his first child Michael (1879) he is recorded as being 41 so possible birth year is 1837
4. On the birth certificate of his second child John (1881) he is recorded as being 41 again so possible birth year is 1840
5. On the birth certificate of his third child Henry (1885) he is recorded as being 46 so possible birth year is 1839
6. On the birth certificate of his fourth child Catherine (1888) he is recorded as being 56 so possible birth year is 1832

Take your pick.

Note

The newspaer report below says that he "came to Australia with a brother" but as yet there is nothing more about the brother.

His Death Certificate notes that he migrated from Ayr, Scotland in around 1855 and his birthplace on his children's birth certificates is given as Scotland.
His parent's names come from his death certificate.
His name is spelt with two l's ie Willson on the birth certificate of his son John William (Birth Certificate NSW BDM 1881/028404) but that is the only place it is found with that spelling so that is a clerical error.
He is buried in the Roman Catholic portion of the Barmedman Cemetery and was also married in according to "the rites and ceremonies of the Church of Rome" so for most of his life at least he appears to have been a Catholic (from Scotland?).

The Sydney Morning Herald of Saturday 4 August 1928 has this to say about his death...

NONAGENARIAN'S DEATH WEST WYALONG, Friday.
Mr. William Wilson, who died at Barmenman aged 92 years, came to Australia when 14 years old. He had a thrilling experience in a sailing vessel. The storm blew the masts away, and the vessel was helpless for three days. Mr. Wilson lived at Barmedman for 40 years, and leaves three sons.

The West Wyalong Advocate, on Friday 3, August 1928 (page 2) had the following article:

PIONEER PASSES
MR. W. WILSON
The death occurred at Barmedman on Wednesday morning last of Mr. William Wilson, one of the oldest residents of that district and of the State, at the age of 92 years. Born at Ayrshire, Scotland, Mr. Wilson came to Australia with a brother when 14 years of age. After spending some years about the Hawkesbury River, and afterwards in Sydney, he went to the Yass district, where he remained until he came to the Barmedman district 40 years .ago. His wife predeceased him at Barmedman 11 years ago.
When coming to Australia in a sailing vessel, deceased had a thrilling experience. Between Tasmania and Australia, a terrific storm was encountered. The masts were blown away, and for three days the vessel was completely out of control. No one on board expected to see land again, but at the end of the third day the storm abated, and after nine days, the ship came safely to port. Another outstanding incident in the life of the deceased was the wreck of the Dunbar. He was in Sydney at the time, and was present when the sole survivor from this famous wreck was rescued near the Heads.
The late Mr. Wilson passed through this district on various occasions long before the goldfields broke out. As a shearer, with Binalong as headquarters, he passed through to Lake Cargelligo and Condoblin to carry out shearing engagements.
The remains were interred in the R.C. portion of the Barmedman Cemetery on Thursday afternoon, the Rev. Father Kinnane of Temora officiating at the graveside. The funeral arrangements were conducted by Mr. Mills.
Deceased is survived by three sons - Michael, of West Wyalong, John, of "Kildare" West Wyalong, and Henry of Barmedman.

According to this SMH article his birth would have been in 1836 and as he would have emigrated in about 1850. To date the only ship I can find around that time with migrants on board that suffered this fate was the Joshua, a ship of 1250 tons, which sailed from Plymouth on November 5, 1851 with 257 Government Emigrants on board. An article in the Melbourne Argus reported:

The Argus Monday 2 February 1852 p 2
The ship Joshua, which arrived on Friday night with emigrants, from Plymouth, has made a very good passage of eighty-five days from that Port more especially when the following casualties are taken into consideration. On the 15th November, in latitude 30° N, longitude 22° 15" W, the ship was struck by a heavy squall which carried away the fore and main top-masts, the fore topsail yard, the three top-gallant masts, and the lower trussed trees of the fore-mast. Not having a spar on board sufficiently long for a main top-mast, the broken one was obliged to be tongued, and sent up again, consequently a double reefed main topsail only could be carried for the remainder of the passage. This, Captain Varian considers, retarded him fully ten days. The Joshua was built at Bideford, and is a fine model of a ship; she belongs to Messrs. J. Prowse, and Co, of Liverpool, the owners of the Anglia, which vessel was here, a short time since. It is likewise worthy of remark, that but a few days over three months elapsed from the time the Joshua was launched until she arrived here.

The Joshua stayed in Hobson's Bay until December 15, 1851 no doubt undergoing repairs.

The passenger list for the Joshua (obtained from http://prov.vic.gov.au/) has these two Wilsons listed:

WILSON ELIZABETH 21 FEB 1852 JOSHUA
WILSON WM 18 FEB 1852 JOSHUA

There is an article in the Melbourne Age dated 26 January 1935 that has another account of the voyage of the Joshua.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE AGE.
Sir, — Amongst ships of the past I noticed the Joshua. It was in this ship that my mother came to Australia, arriving in the summer of 1852. This was, I think, the Joshua's first voyage. My mother, being at that time a young girl, accustomed only to life in old-world cities, found that voyage full of adventure. The first thrill experienced was the loss of the mainmast during a terrific storm. Another was furnished in the threatened attack by pirates, when a strange ship, showing no colors, and refusing to reply to the signals of the Joshua, "shadowed" them for some days. The situation became alarming, when one evening the unknown vessel began slowly to approach them. It was then that the captain, acting on the advice of the surgeon (a former navy officer), had all the men to dress alike, — dark trousers and white shirts — and marched on to the deck, hoping that in the fading light of the evening, they would be mistaken for troops. Evidently the ruse was successful, for the other ship, instead of coming nearer, suddenly altered her course and sailed away.
On arrival In Melbourne, the Joshua's crew deserted In order to go to the diggings. So the passengers booked for Geelong were obliged to make this part of their voyage on a small sailing boat, it was during this trip that my mother obtained her first glimpse of the natural beauty of an Australian landscape. From the northern shores of the Bay, the plains stretched away— a sheet of shining gold under the midsummer sun, the few trees dotting them here and there looking brilliantly green in contrast to the bleached grays. The You Yangs, to the north, appeared dark blue, with the thickly-timbered peninsula far away to the south, completed a picture of unique loveliness never to be forgotten. We hear much of the hardships endured by these pioneers. But, from what I have learned, those first colonists enjoyed a glorious time. And I have never known any of them who would not have lived It all over again, if they could. They had a brand-new country, teeming with beautiful birds, harmless beasts and fishes — all to themselves — and was not that old ship the Joshua well named ?
Yours, etc., A.L,
Geelong West.


The first article has the dismasting occurring in the North Atlantic and the other somewhere in Bass Strait.

If he left Scotland in 1851 he should appear in the 1841 Scottish Census. There are a few census returns found so far with 2 Williams and a Jean in the household and one of those, for example, is in Canongate which was the main road between Holyrood Palace and the Royal Mile up to the Castle so Palace Yards would probably have been adjacent to Holyrood Palace itself (possibly where the modern parliament is sited).

Piece: 6851 Book/Folio: 10 Page: 8 Civil Parish: Canongate
Address: 2, Palace Yards, Canongate County: Midlothian
BLACKLOCH, James M 35 1806 Labourer Midlothian
BLACKLOCH, Susan F 35 1806 Midlothian
BLACKLOCH, Catherine F 12 1829 Midlothian
BLACKLOCH, John M 6 1835 Midlothian
WALLACE, William M 1 1840 Midlothian
WILISON, George M 1 1840 Midlothian
WILSON, William M 25 1816 Maltman Midlothian
WILSON, Jean F 25 1816 Scotland
WILSON, William M 3 1838 Midlothian
WILSON, James M 2 1839 Midlothian

Aged 3 in 1841 would give a birth year of 1838, again within the range observed earlier.

HOWEVER there is another claim to the William Wilson on the Joshua. There is a book about the McKays of Drummartin and Sunshine which refers to a William Wilson on the Joshua who is said to have "accompanied" the McKays, see this extract from the book "The MacKays and Shaws of Drummartin and Sunshine":

"The McKay family were accompanied by William Wilson and his sister Mary from Mullabane (Mary was to marry Nathaniel in Melbourne in 1853); and also the Shaw brothers, Gavin, Adam and William Burnett and other family friends. Their names were not upon the shipping list but the La Trobe Library explanation is that only assisted emigrants' names were kept on record".
"One of Mary McKay's brothers, William Wilson and one sister Hannah Forward came to Australia. William had a property at Junee in the Riverina. Gordon McKay remembered him as an immensely tall man with a stick which he liked to use to hit the boys about the legs if they annoyed him. He said he also tasted Grandma McKay's stick at times. William suffered from rheumatism, so the story goes and he used to drive his buggy with his two fine horses, "Irish Bill" and "Protestant Mag" as far as Drummartin, leave them there, and proceed by coach to St. Kilda where he took hot sea baths for relief".

The stories about the two William Wilsons clearly refer to two different people and this profile is about the one from Ayrshire, Scotland and not the one from Drummartin which is in Ulster, Northern Ireland as outlined below.This one was born in Ireland and not Scotland so that is a problem and he has a farm in Junee not Barmedman.

(Note the passenger list that is available lists Elizabeth Wilson, not Mary and "the McKay family" included William McKay and his wife Hannah {nee Wilson} and their son Nathaniel - who did marry a Mary Wilson. Perhaps there were two William Wilsons on board, one a paying passenger and one an assisted migrant).

Research Notes

These items may bear no connection to the William Wilson. the subject of this profile. In the time of these incidents the subject was a resident of Barmedman. There are also other items aout fraud.

IN BANKRUPTCY. Re William Wilson, of Wyalong, miner. NOTICE is hereby given that a Sequestration Order has this day been made against the abovenamed bankrupt, on his own petition.—Dated at Sydney, this 20th day of December, A.3>. 1899.

Re William Wilson, of Wyalong, miner. NOTICE is hereby given that the Single Meeting of creditors in the above matter will bo held at the Court-house, Wyalong, before the District Registrar in Bankruptcy, on the 5th day of February, 1900, at 11 a.m., or as soon after as the course of business will permit. To entitle a creditor to vote thereat, hie proof must be lodged with the Acting Registrar in Bankruptcy, Moore-street, Sydney, not later than the 26th day of January, 1900. F. H. SALUSBURY, Acting Registrar in Bankruptcy. Official Assignee — Norman Frederick Giblin.

WYALONG, Tuesday.— The District Court opened yesterday, before Judge Forbes. The hearing of a trespass action brought by William Wilson, by his agent, G. H. Forbes, against Wal ter Thomas Coonan, occupied the whole of the day. From the evidence it appeared that the defendant had bought the machinery attached to the battery and dam site known as Horrocks' some two months ago, and it was while this ma chinery was being removed that the alleged tres pass took- place. Wilson is tho owner of the site by final registration. The sum of £200 was claimed as damages. The Jury failed to agree, after being locked up for five hours, and were discharged. The parties have since come to an amicable settlement.





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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with William by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with William:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



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