"Jock" John MACPHERSON
Born 6 May 1849 in Toodyay, Western Australia [119]
Son of Duncan MACPHERSON and Mary WILSON [15]
He was born and initially resided with his parents on Erindine Farm in Toodyay, where his father was working as a Labourer [40]
Resided with his parents at Byeen Farm in the Newcastle-Toodyay district, where his father farmed, 1849-1867 [40] [127: pages 86, 182]
He arrived in what is now the Carnamah district with his parents, five brothers and two sisters in 1868 [120: 9-Jan-1930]
Farmer & Grazier of Carnamah Station in Carnamah 1868-1873 [4: 29-Jul-1939] [140: 21-Feb-1873]
On arrival in Carnamah he commenced grazing and farming with his father and elder brother Lachlan [4: 29-Jul-1939]
Initially resided with his parents and siblings in a three-room stone cottage near the Mulliah / Yarra Yarra Lakes in Carnamah [119]
A short time later they built and shifted to Carnamah House, now known as the Macpherson Homestead [119]
Signed the petition for the exoneration and release from Fremantle Prison of Lockier C. BURGES of Irwin in 1873 [140: 21-Feb-1873]
By May 1874, while still a single man, he had left Carnamah and commenced farming in Greenough [160: 13-May-1874]
Married "Annie" Ann CONNOLLY in 1874 [15]
Farmer on the Greenough Flats in Greenough 1874-1896 [160: 13-May-1874] [225: 28-Apr-1896]
Won 1st prize for Cows exhibited at the Agricultural Produce & Stock Show on the Greenough Flats in 1880 [383: 15-Sep-1880]
In 1881 the Greenough Road Board requested he repair a well on Company and Wakeford Road near his home [383: 17-Aug-1881]
He'd helped clean the well every season but refused to repair it as it was used most frequently by someone else [383: 24-Aug-1881]
Member of the Greenough Farmers' Club 1883-1885 [383: 29-Aug-1883, 27-Aug-1884, 27-Jun-1885]
His father's "celebrated" dapple grey cart stallion named Lock stood at his farm in Greenough for two months in 1883 [383]
Mares could be mated with Lock for £2 plus a groom's fee of 2/6 for "anybody wishing to improve their stock" [383: 17-Oct-1883]
About 12 telegraph poles near his farm at the end of the Greenough Flats were shattered by lightning in April 1884 [383: 23-Apr-1884]
Member of the Greenough Race Club in 1885 [383: 4-Mar-1885]
His horse Edith won the Maiden Plate at the races held in Northampton on Friday 17 April 1885 [383: 2-May-1885]
In late 1888 he secured a three-year contract to transport mail from Long's Station in Coorow to Geraldton [39: 3-Dec-1888]
The contract was to transport the mail once a week by horseback in return for £298 per year [39: 3-Dec-1888]
He was Clerk of Course at the Racing Carnival held at Strawberry near Mingenew on 2 February 1888 [160: 29-Feb-1888]
Two of his horses ran in the annual race meeting of farmers at the Back Flats Hotel in Greenough on Boxing Day in 1888 [383]
His horse Leo came 2nd in the Maiden Plate and Losers' Handicap while his horse Rodney won the Hurry Scurry [383: 29-Dec-1888]
In August 1892 the Chief Inspector of Stock put him in charge of Lockier C. BURGES' Oakabella Station near Northampton [383]
The sheep at Oakabella were quarantined with scab in mid 1891 and he was appointed to get the station clean [383: 19-Aug-1892]
He was also the Innkeeper of the Travellers' Rest in Greenough from 1874 until at least 1877 [160: 13-May-1874, 21-Feb-1977]
He initially occupied the Travellers' Rest which consisted of personal living rooms and an inn, or small hotel [160]
The inn portion of the building comprised of a bar, tap-room, parlour and three bedrooms [160]
On 6 May 1874 he advertised his intention for a Wayside House License "for the sale of fermented and spirituous liquors" [160]
He was fined 40/- plus costs in April 1877 for allowing an intoxicated person to remain at his Travellers' Rest Hotel [322: 28-Apr-1877]
His Travellers' Rest was located halfway between Dongara and Greenough [160: 19-Jan-1876]
Manager of Arrino Station in Arrino 1897-1900 [6] [39: 1-Apr-1897]
He was thrown from his horse and against a tree stump on Sunday 28 March 1897, suffering a severe gash on his head [39]
His brother and Willie WHITFIELD were with him and had to get a carriage to take him home as he wasn't capable of riding [39]
He later received medical treatment from Dr BARTLETT in Dongara and was soon reported to be "progressing favourably" [39]
Advertised in October 1898 that two horses, a Bay Gelding and a Bright Bay Filly, had been impounded at Arrino [323: 24-Oct-1898]
In 1899 he donated 5/- towards the fund being raised in aid of orphanages through his sister Bessie of Carnamah [39: 5-Dec-1899]
He requested and provided government rations on Arrino Station to an elderly and almost blind Aboriginal woman named Mary [458]
In 1900 Arrino was described as a 'sheep station' and employed a number of Aboriginal shepherds [470]
Farmer of Under Hill or Underhill on Newcastle Road in Midland Junction 1903-1905 [6] [39: 8-Jul-1903] [129: 11-Jul-1903] [50]
He advertised in July 1903 that a grissly Chestnut pony about 13 hands high had strayed into his paddock [39: 8-Jul-1939]
If no one came forward to rightfully claim the pony he was legally allow to sell it to recover the expenses of its unkeep [39]
Storekeeper in the Perth suburb of Midland Junction in 1906 [6]
He was one of five men who nominated to fill three vacancies on the Swan Road Board in 1906 [39: 9-Mar-1906, 12-Mar-1906]
Resided at Arrino House on Gingin Road in the Perth suburb of Middle Swan 1907-1919 [6] [50] [129: 3-Jan-1913, 29-Feb-1924]
In 1910 he was working as a Carrier and from 1912 he gave his occupation as Farmer [50]
Advertised for sale his Arrino House in January 1913 and a 5-year pedigree horse in May 1913 [39: 3-May-1913] [129: 3-Jan-1913]
Passed away at the age of 69 years at Saint Ives Private Hospital in the Perth suburb of Guildford [120: 21-Feb-1919]
Father of six sons - Charles Trevor Aeneas, William Bevan, Duncan, Percy Campbell, Donald Wilson and Lewin Mervyn [2] [15] [246]
Father of seven daughters - Bertha, Eliza Mary, Edith Mary, Lucia, Leta, Irene and Clarice [15]
Died 13 February 1919; buried in the churchyard of Saint Mary's Anglican Church at Swanleigh in Middle Swan [246]
Probate for his estate, which was valued at £739/13/4, was granted to his wife [225: 11-Jun-1919]
From The Western Mail newspaper, Friday 21 February 1919:
Family Notices - Deaths
"MACPHERSON - On February 13, at St. Ives Private Hospital, Guildford, John, the dearly beloved husband of Annie, in his 69th year, loving father of Mrs W. Strutridge (Dongara), Mrs L. Gertzel (Perth), Edie, Lucia, Leta, Irene, Trevor (A.I.F.), Bevan, Percy, and Donald."
From The Swan Express newspaper, Friday 21 February 1919:
Obituary
"The funeral of the late John Macpherson, formerly of Greenough, Geraldton district, and for many years a resident of Middle Swan, took place on Friday the 14th inst., and was well attended. The interment was made in the Anglican cemetery, Middle Swan. The chief mourners were Mrs. Macpherson (widow), Percy and Donald (sons), Edith and Irene (daughters), Mrs. P. Macpherson (daughter-in-law), Miss Bowman and Mrs. R. Spice (cousins) and Lewin (grandson). The following were noticed at the graveside: Messrs. S. A. Brown, J. V. Ferguson, L. Whiteman, W. Newman, H. Logue, Geo. Roberts, E. Hall, W. J. Hammer, E. Sing, Mesdames L. and E. Whiteman and Miss Whiteman, and others whose names were not ascertained. The Rev. A. Burton officiated, and the funeral arrangements were carried out by Farall Bros."
| Reference: Carnamah Historical Society & Museum and North Midlands Project, 'John Macpherson' in Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs, retrieved 26 December 2024 from www.carnamah.com.au/bio/john-macpherson [reference list] |
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