The second child of Agnes Elizabeth and Archie McPhee
Born 18 April 1875
Died 9 October 1958
Married 7 January 1898 Reuben Field Boothey in South Australia
Children
1.1.2.1. Mary Hetta Field Boothey
Born Cir 1898 in Fremantle WA
1.1.2.2. Lilian Violet Boothey
Born Cir 1900 Stawell Vic
Died Cir 1978
Married Harold Nelson Cir 1929
1.1.2.3. Kenneth McPhee Boothey
Born Cir1903
Died Cir 1985
Married Mabel Moon, Mabel Moon was the sixth child of Charles Moon & Mary Jane Jenkins
1.1.2.4. Arthur Reuben Boothy
Born Cir 1905 St Arnaud Vic
Died Cir 1954 Parkville Vic
1.1.2.5. William John Leslie Boothey
Born Cir 1907 St Arnaud
Married Cir 1927 Doreen Frazer
1.1.2.6. Archie Boothey
Born Cir 1909 Maryborough Vic
Died Cir 1981 Prahan Vic
1.1.2.7. Nellie Mona Boothey
Born Cir 1912 Warburton Vic
Died Cir 1943 Prahan Vic
* Family McPhee from the story ‘Kaleidoscope’ by Merle Houlden
The eldest daughter of Henry and Elizabeth, Agnes Elizabeth (20), married Archibald Cameron McPhee (29) at Horsham on the 8th. July 1873. Archibald had arrived in Australia on the “Childe Harold”, which sailed from Liverpool on the 11 March 1853 and arrived at Geelong on the 16th June 1853. He was in the care of his father, John, who was listed as a shepherd, and living in Inverness in Scotland, at the time of their departure. The family comprised Margaret aged 22, Alexander 20, John 18, Anne 16, Isabella 14, Robert 10, and Archibald, the youngest, just 8 years old.
Their mother Charlotte McArthur had died sometime before. John Sen. could neither read nor write, but three of his children, Alexander, John, and Anne could and Isabella could read. John was engaged to work for Mr. D. Atchison at Wardy Yalloc, a place near Geelong, for a generous six-monthly salary of one hundred and sixty five pounds, and Anne was to work for Mr. T. McVien also at Wardy Yalloc. The family was listed as Presbyterian, but there is a suggestion that the McArthur family was Catholic and that the children, or maybe the girls, had been baptised in this faith. Certainly most of them embraced it once here in Australia.
The information I have about John McPhee has been gathered from a book McPhee’s put together. After his life as a shepherd John McPhee appears to have lived in Geelong West, off Clarence St. with Anne and Margaret nearby, after their marriages. Little else seems to be known about John’s life here in Australia. And so it was that, on the 13th January, 1867 John McPhee, Senior, who had been born in Scotland in 1796, and who was the son of Duncan McPhee and Ann Cameron.died at the home of his neighbour, Mr. Ewan McPherson at Little River, between Werribee and Geelong, and was buried at the Rothwell General Cemetery, Little River. He was 71 years old.
This man was my great, great, grandfather. It seems very sad to me that he was buried in a pauper’s grave just outside the cemetery boundary, as a McPhee descendant told me. It also seems that his last days must have been rather sad. His family had all dispersed by then. Margaret and Isabella had gone to New Zealand, Ann had died, and her husband had taken their children to America. Robert had wandered away, and Alexander, John and Archibald had moved to Vectis. With no children or grandchildren around he must have been rather lonely.
When Agnes married Archibald her place of residence was given as Walmer Station. Whether she was working there or with her family there I do not know. The marriage took place on 8th. July 1873 at the Presbyterian Manse at Horsham and was witnessed by William Hudson and Christina Cochrane.
Within the next three years two children were to be born into the family. Margaret Elizabeth arrived on the 4th September 1873 at Vectis Station and Charlotte Ann Agnes sometime before June in 1875. It must have been very distressing for them when Archibald died in June 1876 of acute Pleuritis. He was buried at the Natimuk Cemetery. A further difficulty for Agnes was that he died without a will. From the letters of administration I have learned that he had 316 acres of land in the parish of Vectis, held under leasehold, with a dwelling house, fencing and sown crops, also 8 head of cattle, 2 horses, a bullock dray, a plough, some domestic fowls, 133 sheep, and 133 lambs. Along with these personal effects he had a half share, in a Horsham township block and a dwelling, with his brother John. His liabilities were to the Bank of Australasia for a loan to erect the cottage in the town, to Messrs H. and N. Wilson of Vectis for cattle of which 59 had since died, to his brothers Alexander and John, to storekeepers at Horsham and Natimuk, to Publicans at Horsham and Natimuk and to Dr Steel at Horsham. This left his widow with assets of Six hundred and twenty pounds, nineteen shillings and threepence halfpenny. I wonder what she did to survive with her two young children to care for.
In 1880 another daughter was born to Agnes. Lilian Rosina was to become my grandmother so I was very curious about her parentage. It seems that she was told her father was Archibald, but of course this was not so. Even on her marriage certificate it continues to state Archibald as the father. Many years later I was to discover that Alexander McPhee was her father. At the time of his death Archibald had land next to both Alexander and John. Alexander and his wife had a family of six. John, born in 1870, William 1872, Annie1875, Katie 1880, Archie 1882, and Isabella. Not only was Katie the same age as Lilian, but, they were very, very alike even as older women.
How difficult it must have been for Bridget, the wife of Alexander. At some stage the family of Alexander moved to Bealiba and Bridget had other family close by. Alexander died at Dunolly in 1902, and Bridget died some months later. All the family had moved away from Bealiba before World War 1. I understand this line of the family has now faded out.
I know that my Grandmother, Lilian went to school at Laharum so as I have said I presume the family went to live with Agnes’s parents. In 1891 Agnes married again, to David Henderson on the 20 May at Horsham. I know little about David. He was born near Geelong, the son of Francis and Agnes. The only other information comes from his obituary in the Horsham Times on January 5th 1932, which reads
“One by one the early pioneers of the Wimmera district are passing away and with the death of Mr. David Henderson, which occurred at the Horsham Base Hospital last Tuesday, a valuable link in the chain of old identities is removed. Mr. Henderson who was born at Geelong in 1853 has been a resident of the Wimmera district for 76 years. His early activities were principally confined to farming pursuits, but of late years he carried on the occupation of a carpenter. Deceased enjoyed the acquaintance of a large circle of friends and was held in high regard by all who came in contact with him.
It might be mentioned that the late Mr. Henderson was probably one of the oldest residents of the town. He leaves a widow and two surviving daughters, Grace and Alice of Horsham, (Agnes is deceased) to mourn the loss of a loving and devoted husband and father. He also leaves two brothers, Frank (Merbein) and Jack (Warracknabeal) and also four sisters, Mrs. Gulliver and Mrs. R. Young of Horsham, Mrs. Rhymill of Melbourne and Mrs. James Field of W.A. One brother, Alec is also deceased. To those he leaves behind the sympathy of many friends has been extended. The funeral left the Horsham Church of Christ last Wednesday for the Horsham cemetery where the remains were interred. The following were the pallbearers, Messrs Frank Young, Albert Young, Wilson Young, and Chas. Gulliver. Mr. R. W. Payne read the burial service at the graveside and Mr. E. H. Bye had charge of arrangements.”
Another three daughters had been born to this union. Agnes Jessie Elizabeth on the 3rd January 1892, at Darlott St. Horsham, Grace Susan Isabella on the 21st. December 1892 at Wonwondah East, and Alice Arabella Beatrice on the 15th. February 1895 at Hopetoun. By this time Agnes was 42 years old and her eldest daughter was 22 years old.
The eldest of Agnes’s daughters, Margaret Elizabeth (24) married Joseph Hancock at South Yarra on the 4th May 1897 and as far as I know lived their married life in Maryborough. A son, William was born in 1898 and died in 1899, followed by two daughters, Lilian born in 1900 and Olive Amelia in 1903. Margaret or Maggie as my dad always referred to her died in 1941. Her death notice in the Maryborough Advertiser is as follows
Hancock: on 23rd October at her residence 20 Darling St. Maryborough, Margaret Elizabeth, wife of the late Joseph Henry Hancock and loved mother of William dec., Lily, Mrs. W. Grose and Olive.
Lilian (25) married Walter Grose at Ballarat in 1925 and also lived in Maryborough, where three children were born of the marriage, Ronald in 1927, Valda Jean in 1929 and Allen Douglas in 1932.
Valda (23) married Edward Meagher in Ballarat in 1952 and their children were Janice, 1953, Brian, 1955, and Peter, 1956. Janice married Andrew Murphy and their children were Nicole, John, and Kylie. I have followed this line because Nicole made contact with me and we have since met at a McPhee reunion. My great grandmother Agnes Jenkins, McPhee, Henderson was the mother of Nicole’s great, great grandmother, Margaret Elizabeth McPhee so that Isaac and Mary Bendall, Henry Cox Jenkins and Elizabeth and Agnes McPhee, Henderson are our common ancestors.
Charlotte Ann Agnes McPhee married Reubin Field Boothey and their family were Lilian Violet born1900 at Stawell, Kenneth McPhee, 1903, Portland, Arthur Reubin, 1905,St. Arnaud, William John Leslie, 1907, St. Arnaud, and Archie 1909 Maryborough. It can be seen they moved quite frequently. I do not know what Reubin Boothey did, but in later years I met Aunt Tot, as Charlotte was called. She and her son, Kenneth, were at my Grandmother’s 70th birthday.
I also have a photo of Kenneth and his bride Mabel Moon.
Agnes Jessie Elizabeth Henderson married in 1914 to David Edgar Reid. I know little of this family, but remember as a child going, with my mum, to Rushworth to visit either David or a son, who, at that time, was the owner of the Rushworth newspaper. My dad was the owner of the Elmore Standard. Agnes predeceased her parents, so that by 1932 she had died.
Grace Susan Isabella did not marry and supported herself as a dressmaker in Horsham, where she died on 23rd June 1975. She had lived with her parents and cared for them until their deaths.
Alice Arabella Beatrice Henderson married Albert Butler
Agnes Elizabeth Henderson died at Horsham in September 1936 and her obituary in the Horsham Times is as follows
“Yesterday the death occurred of another well known, and respected pioneer of the town in Mrs. Agnes Elizabeth Henderson, of Urquhurt St., at the advanced age of 83 years. Deceased, who was the elder daughter of the late Mr. And Mrs. Henry Cox Jenkins, was born at Cargerie, near Geelong. At an early age she went to New Zealand with her parents, spending her girlhood days there. Later the family returned to Victoria and took up residence on Vectis station, where the late Mr. Jenkins was manager for the late Mr. Arthur Wilson. Deceased was married to Mr. Archie McPhee (who predeceased her) and there are three daughters of the union, Viz. Margaret (Mrs. Hancock, Maryborough ), Charlotte (Mrs. Boothey, Prahan) Lilian (Mrs. Williamson, Lilydale). (See note re Lilian’s parentage)
Later she again married, Mr. David Henderson being the second husband, and there are two surviving daughters, viz. Alice (Mrs. Butler, Horsham), Grace (Horsham) with one daughter Agnes (Mrs. Reid) being deceased.
The late Mrs. Henderson was one of the prominent members of the Church of Christ, being connected with it for nearly 50 years. She was also an active member of the Horsham W.C.T.U. for many years. Surviving sisters are Mrs. A, Collins (Horsham), Mrs. J. Collins (Kensington) and Miss Jessie Jenkins (Kilsyth). Deep sympathy has been extended to the bereaved. The funeral will take place today at the Horsham Cemetery, the cortage leaving the Church of Christ at 1 o’clock.”
This brings me to Lilian Rosina McPhee, my grandmother. Lilian married Robert Alexander Gillespie Williamson when she was 18 years old, and so another story unfolds, as I take a peep into the past, of the Williamson line.