Peter McAlpin (1768 - 1850)

Born 1768 in Killin-Bridge, Perthshire, Scotland

Husband of Elisabeth (Elton) McAlpin — married 16 Dec 1798 in Cape of Good Hope Colony

Husband of Eleanor Blake — married 7 Mar 1820 in St. Peter's Church Richmond, NSW Australia

Descendants

Died 23 Feb 1850 at about age 82 in Windsor, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Denise Perkins [send private message]

Biography

Peter McALPIN was born in 1768 in Killin-Bridge, End Of Dochart, Perthshire, Scotland, died on 23 Feb 1850 in Richmond, NSW, Australia at age 82, and was buried on 25 Feb 1850 in St Matthew's, Church of England cemetery, Windsor, NSW, Australia.

He joined the Scottish Army and by the age of 26 had attained the rank of sergeant. On 21 April 1794 he transferred to the Princess Louise Argyllshire Highlanders at Stirling Castle. He marched with his Regiment in June 1794 to Leith and there embarked for Netley Common near Southampton. There the Regiment joined the 98th Regiment of Foot, and on 5 May 1795 embarked at Spit head as part of a joint expedition to South Africa against the Dutch. It landed at Simon's Town on 9 September 1795 and camped at Muysenberg. After a battle with the Dutch at Wynberg, the Regiment entered Cape Town Castle on 16 September and the Dutch garrison surrendered. The 98th stayed in South Africa until 1803

Peter married Elisabeth ELTON b:1778 in London, d: 15 Nov 1817, Windsor, NSW. on 16 Dec 1798 in Garrison Church, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, South Africa. ^[1]

NOTE: There has been some question as to whether Elizabeth Elton was actually Elizabeth HILTON because HILTON as a forename and second forename is prevalent throughout the family. Perhaps the family believed it was. I have William Glas McALPIN's birth certificate which clearly states her surname as ELTON. janilye

Elisabeth ELTON - age about 20 years, sailed from Deptford, England with her mother Sarah ELTON (nee not known) and step-father Francis WHEELER on the storeship HMS "Buffalo" - the ship arrived in Table Bay, Cape Town, South Africa on Sunday 13 October 1798 to leave stores and pick up cattle for Sydney Cove.

The ship "Buffalo" stayed moored in Table Bay until it sailed on Tuesday 5 February 1799 for Sydney Cove, where it arrived on Friday 3 March 1799.

Elisabeth did not accompany her mother and step-father on the continuation of the journey to New South Wales as she had met Peter McALPIN whilst the ship was moored in Cape Town - Peter & Elisabeth were married in Cape Town before Francis & Sarah sailed

Peter McALPIN & Elisabeth ELTON lived in Cape Town until Peter returned to the army barracks on 25 March 1801, Peter & Elizabeth remained at the barracks until 24 April 1802 when he was discharged - they remained in Cape Town until 9 December 1802 when they sailed back to Portsmouth and returned to Killin, Scotland - they settled in Stirling where 3 children were born.

The family moved to London November 1810 immediately after their third child William Glas McALPIN was christened - whilst in London the family were strongly encouraged by letters from Elisabeth's mother to join her in the NSW colony as Francis WHEELER had died - they eventually gained a free passage to the colony after letters to the Governor of NSW.

The ship "General Graham" sailed from England via Rio de Janeiro to Sydney Town - The family arrived from London as free settlers on the ship "General Graham" 29 January 1812 with 3 of their children.

The children of this marriage were:

1. Sarah MCALPIN b: 15 September 1805 Stirling, Scotland died on the 1 March 1884 Richmond, NSW. m. Thomas EATHER 1800-1886 on the 24 August 1824 at St.Matthews Church of England, Windsor, NSW.

2. Peter McAlpin b: 4 April 1809 Stirling, Scotland and died 23 September 1898 m.Elizabeth HARRISON real name Phoebe Coles nee STIRRUP 1807-1885 at Christ Church of England, Maitland, NSW. Peter's death certificate states her name as Elizabeth COLES and he was married for 25 years. He spent 51 years in NSW and 35 years in Victoria. He was without issue.

3. William Glas McAlpin b:6 October,1810 Stirling, Scotland died 2 February 1902 at Bulga, NSW. m. Susannah ONUS 1815-1882 the daughter of Joseph ONUS 1782-1835 and Ann EATHER 1793-1865 on the 1 February 1833 at Christ Church, Castlereagh, NSW.

4. Catherine 'Kite' MCALPIN born in the colony, 9 May 1814 Richmond and died 28 July 1893 Cullen Bullen, NSW. m. William CLARK 1812-1879 on the 16 January 1832 at St.Peter's Church, Richmond. Catherine McALPIN was the first of the McALPIN family born in Australia.

Not long after they were married, William received the licence to the "Woolpack Inn" in Maitland, NSW on 5 July 1833, which he held for the next two years. The family settled in Bulga and lived at "Kegney's Hill" in Bulga in 1846. They left the district in the late 1860's and settled on a property in Ben Bullen on the road between Lithgow and Mudgee - Catherine, did not remarry and remained there after the death of William in 1879.

Peter MCALPIN 1768-1850 next married Eleanor BLAKE b:1788 London, d: July 1850 in Richmond, NSW. on 7 March 1820 in St Peter's, Church of England, Richmond, NSW, Australia. Eleanor BLAKE was assigned from the female factory compound at Parramatta to Peter McALPIN to help out in his home and care for his 4 young children following the premature death of his wife Elisabeth ELTON.

After they married, Eleanor was granted her freedom, it was a disaster, because as soon as she was free, she absconded in 1821 - returned - and left again in 1823. She returned again at some time as she was living in one of the MCALPIN houses when she died.

'Cuimhnich Bas Ailpein' janilye

For more history and information have a look see at The Clan this story I contributed to their newsletter.

One other thing I wanted to mention re the name, MacAlpine, McAlpine and McAlpin.

In newspaper articles the name is printed as M'Alpin. On Peter McAlpin's land grant in 1820 the name is printed as Peter M'Alpin. On the New South Wales 1841 census it appears as McAlpine in the electoral roll of 1844 it's McAlpin, which is probably about when it became common use within the family. On William Glas McAlpin baptisimal record in Stirlingshire it's McAlpine on the Death cert. 1902 McAlpin. On the death certificate of Peter McAlpin 1768-1850 McAlpine On all other certificates registered in NSW it appears as McAlpin. My great grandfather was registered as Alfred McAlpin Eather; However, the MacAlpine, McAlpine's who settled in Victoria retained the 'E' on the tail. Ever since I can remember If it was McAlpin it was nsw and ours, and if you were McAlpine you were Victorian, with the statement "they are not related to us!" Whether it was because of the 'E' or the fact that they were in Victoria, I don't know. A lot of it was of course due to illiteracy or the uniquely Australian penchant for shortening just about every word in the english language.

Sources

Birth about 1768 Killin, Perthshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Source: Spurway, John, ed. Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record. Series 1, 1788-1841, with series 2 supplement, 1842-1899. Sydney: A.B.G.R., 1992 Note: Peter was the 11th child of 12, born on or near the McNab Estate of Kinnell at Killin, Scotland between 1749 and 1772. Christening 14 March 1768 Killin, Perthshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Address: Kirk of Killin Source: Spurway, John, ed. Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record. Series 1, 1788-1841, with series 2 supplement, 1842-1899. Sydney: A.B.G.R., 1992 Military Military 91st Argyllshire Regiment 21 April 1794 (Age 26) , Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom

Source: Spurway, John, ed. Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record. Series 1, 1788-1841, with series 2 supplement, 1842-1899. Sydney: A.B.G.R., 1992 Text: Trained as a blacksmith, Peter joined the army at an early age. On 21 Apr 1794 he was one of 33 sergeants who enlisted in the newly formed 98th Princess Louise Argyllshire Highlanders which later became the 91st Regiment. He served in South Africa with the regiment from 1795-1802 and whilst there he worked with the Royal Engineers. Marriage Elizabeth Hilton - View family 16 December 1798 (Age 30) Cape Town, South Africa

Source: Spurway, John, ed. Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record. Series 1, 1788-1841, with series 2 supplement, 1842-1899. Sydney: A.B.G.R., 1992 Text: Peter met his future wife, Elizabeth Elton when the store ship HMS 'Buffalo' docked at Cape Town for cattle. Elizabeth was accompanying her mother Sarah Elton and her step father Francis Wheeler a carpenter to New South Wales. Peter was discharged in 1802 because of ill health and stayed in Cape Town until 1803 when they returned to Portsmouth, Hampshire, England with the regiment. They settled in Stirling Scotland where their children Sarah, Peter and William Glas were born. Immigration Immigration 29 January 1812 (Age 44) Sydney Cove, Greater Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Source: Spurway, John, ed. Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record. Series 1, 1788-1841, with series 2 supplement, 1842-1899. Sydney: A.B.G.R., 1992 Text: Peter arrived in the colony on board the store ship 'GeneralGraham' as a free immigrant with his family. They travelled to Windsor where Peter began a business as a blacksmith. Marriage Eleanor Blake - View family 7 March 1820 (Age 52) , Central Tablelands, New South Wales, Australia

Address: St. Peter's Church of England Source: Spurway, John, ed. Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record. Series 1, 1788-1841, with series 2 supplement, 1842-1899. Sydney: A.B.G.R., 1992 Source: www.ancestry.com. Ancestry.com. Public Member Trees [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006 Text: Eleanor BLAKE was assigned from the female factory compound at Parramatta to Peter McALPIN to help out in his home and care for his 4 young children following the premature death of his wife Elisabeth ELTON. Census November 1828 (Age 60) Richmond, Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia

Source: Census of New South Wales November 1828, ed. by Malcolm R. Sainty and Keith A. Johnson. Sydney: Library of Australian History, 1985 ie. 1980 Text: McAlpin, Peter, 60, came free, General Graham, 1812, Protestant, blacksmith, Richmond McAlpin, Eleanor, 40, free by servitude, Broxbornebury, 1814, 7 years, Catholic McAlpin, William, 18, came free, General Hewitt, 1912, Protestant, son of Peter McAlpin Death 23 February 1850 (Age 82) Richmond, Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia

Source: Spurway, John, ed. Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record. Series 1, 1788-1841, with series 2 supplement, 1842-1899. Sydney: A.B.G.R., 1992 Source: Smee, C.J. and Provis, J. Selkirk, comp., The 1788-1820 Association's Pioneer Register, second edition - volume I. Sydney, N.S.W., The Association, 1981 Note: Peter lived out his life as a businessman and blacksmith at Richmond. He was a devoted member of the Church of Scotland and was an original member of the church before St. Andrews was built at Richmond in 1845. Burial 25 February 1850 (2 days after death) Windsor, Hawkesbury, New South Wales, Australia

Cemetery: St. Matthews Church of England Cemetery Source: Spurway, John, ed. Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record. Series 1, 1788-1841, with series 2 supplement, 1842-1899. Sydney: A.B.G.R., 1992

1. ↑ Peter Moore direct descendant

• MCALPIN Clan Scotland to New South Wales
• UK National Archives: Class: HO 10; Piece: 20 File @M454
• NRS 898; Reel or Fiche Numbers: Reels 6020-6040, 6070; Fiche 3260-3312 File @M457

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Phillip Clark for starting this profile.

Notes

Peter McALPIN was a blacksmith by trade taught by his father from a young boy and joined the army at a young age. Peter enlisted as a sergeant in the Princess Louise Argyllshire Regiment 1794 - 1802 in Stirling, Scotland. Peter McALPIN met his wife Elisabeth ELTON when the storeship HMS "Buffalo" arrived in Cape Town Sunday 13 October 1798 to leave stores and pick up cattle for Sydney Cove - Elisabeth had sailed from Deptford, England with her mother Sarah ELTON (nee not known) and step-father Francis WHEELER, a carpenter who had been given passage with five other families of tradesmen on condition that they would work on Norfolk Island upon arrival in the Colony. The ship "Buffalo" stayed moored in Table Bay until it sailed on Tuesday 5 February 1799 for Sydney Cove, where it arrived on Friday 3 May 1799.

Peter McALPIN & Elisabeth ELTON were married 16 December 1798 whilst Sarah's parents were still in South Africa and they lived in Cape Town until Peter returned to the army barracks on 25 March 1801. Peter & Sarah remained at the barracks until 24 April 1802 when he was discharged - they remained in Cape Town until 9 December 1802 when they sailed back to Portsmouth and returned to Killin, Scotland - they settled in Stirling where 3 children were born. The family moved to London November 1810 immediately after their third child (William Glas McALPIN) was christened - whilst in London the family were strongly encouraged by letters from Elisabeth's mother Sarah to join her in the NSW colony as Francis WHEELER had died - they eventually gained a free passage to the colony after letters to the Governor of NSW.

The ship "General Graham" sailed from England via Rio de Janiero to Sydney Town - The family arrived from London as free settlers on the ship "General Graham" 29 January 1812 with their 3 children to find that Elisabeth's mother Sarah ELTON had died a few months prior to their arrival.

Peter McALPIN, as a free settler, received 2 cows from the Government on credit in June 1814. In 1818 Peter had received a grant of 2 acres in the town of Richmond. This land was situated on the corner of Francis and West Market Streets, Richmond, and there Peter built a house with a blacksmith's shop, where he lived until his death on 23 February 1850.

Eleanor BLAKE was assigned from the female factory compound at Parramatta to Peter McALPIN to help out in his home and care for his 4 young children following the premature death of his wife Elisabeth ELTON. Eleanor BLAKE was a convict - trial at Middlesex Assizes for stealing a watch and money from one Phineas TAYTASAC, a merchant and sentenced to transportation for 7 years, sailed on the ship "Emu" which was captured by the American privateer "Holkar" - after being freed by the Americans the female convicts were landed on the island of St Vincent - one of the Cape Verde Islands - and sent back to England, eventually arriving on the ship "Broxburnbury" 28 July 1814. They married in 1820 and Eleanor was granted her freedom - however this was a disaster as it was apparently a marriage of convenience for Eleanor simply to obtain her freedom - she absconded in 1821 - returned - and left again in 1823.