John Nicol Drummond (1816 - 1906)

Born 1816 in County Cork, Ireland

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Louisa Birdsdale (Shaw) Drummond — married 19 Feb 1852 in Middle Swan, Western Australia, Australia

Died 6 Jul 1906 at about age 90 in Drummond Cove, Western Australia, Australia

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Biography

John Nicol Drummond ^[1] (1816–1906) was an early settler in Western Australia. He became the colony's first Inspector of Native Police, and helped to explore the Champion Bay district before becoming one of the district's pioneer pastoralists.

Parmelia, 1829

The fourth child of botanist James Drummond, John Drummond was born in County Cork in 1816. Among his brothers were James, who would become a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council; and Johnston, who became a respected botanical collector. An uncle, Thomas, had accompanied Sir John Franklin in his explorations into the Northwest Territories of Canada in 1819–22.

Swan River Colony 1832 Census #112

In 1829 the Drummond family emigrated to the Swan River Colony in what is now Western Australia, arriving on board the Parmelia on 1 June. John Drummond would have spent much of his youth helping with the family farm at Toodyay. As he grew older, he spent more and more time with the local indigenous Australians of the area, going on long hunting expeditions that took him away from home for many weeks at a time. In 1839 he caused a scandal in the colony when it became widely known that he had been "lent" a wife by the local tribe. . . . more . . .

Drummond died at Seaview Cottage, Drummond Cove, in 1906. He was the third-last surviving colonist to arrive on the Parmelia, the others remaining being his sister Euphemia Macintosh, and Mary Ann Strickland (Hokin).

People – LifeTree

• Police WA History Drummond, J N

John Nicol Drummond ^[2] (1816-1906), the third son, became a legendary figure for his extraordinary skill with a gun and his unsurpassed knowledge of Aboriginal language and customs. Appointed inspector of a small police force at York in 1842, when Johnston was killed he tracked the murderer and shot him. Governor Hutt censured him, and to escape possible punishment John took refuge with a native tribe disguising himself as one of them. Reinstated as a policeman his disregard of red tape continued to annoy his superiors. In 1849, when hostile Aborigines at Champion Bay jeopardized the new settlement, John was sent to conciliate them and keep order. His bride Mary Shaw, whom he married in 1852, was the first white woman to live there. They had no children.

He is buried in Geraldton Apex Park Pioneer Cemetery.

Sources

• Obituary. Western Mail 14/7/1906. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/38821243?searchTerm=drummond
• Cemetery records. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/217796918/john-nicol-drummond

1. ↑ John Drummond (Australian settler)
2. ↑ Rica Erickson, Drummond, James (1787–1863), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,
   published first in hardcopy 1966, accessed online 30 Nov 2017.