John Ritchie Shaw (1831 - 1896)

Born 1831 in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Anne (Little) Shaw — married about 25 Apr 1853 in Greenock, Scotland

Descendants

Died 30 Jan 1896 at about age 65 in 174 Victoria St, Ballarat, Victoria

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Historic and social times of John Ritchie Shaw

John started his life in Greenock, at the time the town was the busy port for Glasgow. Greenock in the early 19th century had become a major shipping port for the British Empire.

In 1851 Gold had been discovered in Australia. The Victorian gold fields of Ballarat was the epicenter of this rush. News had reached this far northern port of Greenock by the end of that year. These Goldfields attracted hundreds of thousands of gold miners from across the world.

A the goldfields matured and surface gold mining gave way to deep shafts requiring steam driven machinery. Johns skill in steam machinery became a valuable commodity.

Biography

Childhood Each ship that left for a distant port a on a voyage had to be provisioned with barrels of food ,water and the making to support several dozen men. For passenger ships , this population of a ship would number hundreds. John's Father ran a cooperage provisioning such ships. His wife's father owned several as a prominent cooperage business' in the town. John was born in 1831^[1], the son of John Shaw and Jean Hunter. His mother was the second wife of his father.

His father is listed as not living with the family in the 1841 census in Greenock. He has a a half brother called William Hunter Shaw listed as being born in 1838 near largs as a Natural son to a John Ritchie Shaw. The mother is listed as Margaret Hunter . This would imply that by the age of 10 10 his Father had left the family to live with his mothers sister. .

Early Working and love life

In addition the International trade out of Greenock There was an active steam ship trade as ferries to the islands of the West of Scotland The Steam ship wharf of Greenock served as a key hub for these ships. Services also ran to Ireland .

John starting working as a steam engineer , then manager of steam boat wharf in Greenock Scotland. ^[2]. The steam ship terminus dealt with these short trip ships.

The brother of Mary Little , Robert Little, had his business next to the steam ship terminal where John would have worked. The 1861 census had Johns sister and mother living in the same house as Mary's mother. Obviously the link between the family the the Little family was close. The Little family were left a few years earlier a number of Cooperage factories . Mary had two left to her by her father.

His father was listed as a Cooper that could mean anything from working as a Cooper to running one of Mary's Factories. ^[3]

It appears that He and Mary lived in Greenock lived in Greenock up until the death of his father in 1854. They married soon after his fathers death. They then sailed to Melbourne in the Africa . He migrated to Australia with his wife Mary Anne Little, and his two eldest children ,Mary , Campbell and John , in 1857. They arrived in Melbourne on the "Africa" 14th of August 1858. ^[4]

Working Life and the Gold fields of Victoria

It would be assumed that to hold this position he would been a qualified Engineer, or ships master. John had by his 22nd birthday been trained and served to manage the growing port as a steam engine engineer. This training put him in good stead for the gold fields where he ran the engines on the gold mines.

Evidence of his engineering qualifications is strong. He is listed several times as an early pioneer of deep lead mining in Ballarat, using Steam pumps and machinery head works of the deep lead mines. At least two of his sons followed this profession.

He managed several mines in the Ballarat region as mine manager. There is evidence that he may have been a teacher for a short while at the Anglican school in Little Bendigo ( now Nerrina) until the establishment of the government school in the village in 1873. Following his grand fathers profession as a teacher ^[5]

Life in Victoria

In Victoria , he lived first in Castlemaine , then in Ballarat's Loften Street, Little Bendigo. A few years before his death after retirement to 154 Victoria Street Ballarat East. He moved this address to live and have a small business selling tobacco. He died in in 1896. ^[6][7] His death notice was published in the Melbourne Argus : Death Notice: SHAW -On the 30th ult., at 154 Victoria-street, Ballarat, John Ritchie Shaw (late mining manager), beloved husband of Mary Ann Shaw, aged 65 years. Deeply regretted.^[8]

He appears to have run various head works for mines running the steam equipment that came into play at about the time of his arrival. a profession his sons , Campbell, John, Henry and James all followed.

Sources

1. ↑ marriage John Shaw and Mary Ann Little, 25 Apr 1853; citing West Or Old Parish,Greenock,Renfrew,Scotland, as published on
2. ↑ Census, Scotland , 1851, Greenock Parish, as held by Scottish records office.
3. ↑ marriage record listed in other footnotes here.
4. ↑ Nominal list, "Africa", as held in public records office Victoria
5. ↑ The four schools of Little Bendigo, compiled by Walter Everett Burt, II, published by Nerrina primary school.
6. ↑ Death record, 1896, held at the Victorian Public records office
7. ↑ Victorian death registration 1896: 00339/ 1896,,Shaw, John Ritchie,Shaw John Ritchie, Hunter Jane, Ballarat,65,
8. ↑ "Family Notices" The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) 3 February 1896: 1. Web. 19 Jan 2017 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8889767

1. Marriage records Scotland 2. death and cemetery records Victoria. 3. shipping records for arriving passengers.