The Gardner Family of Rouchel Brook Compiled by Margaret Ashford And
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THE GARDNER FAMILY OF ROUCHEL BROOK This material regarding the Gardner Family of Rouchel Brook has been compiled by Margaret Ashford and Jim MacDougall in February 2016. It consists of four sections: 1. The initial history of the Gardner Family by Malcolm Henry Bridge, 16 Skellatar Street, Muswellbrook, NSW “from memory and hearsay”, which he wrote by hand in 1957. It was then typed by a now unknown person. It has now been retyped by his granddaughter, Margaret Ashford. Some editing has occurred (e.g. paragraphing, spelling correction and some punctuation) to make it more coherent but care has been taken not to lose the original “voice” of Mac Bridge. Births, Deaths and Marriages [BDM] official records have been used to re-order some families chronologically and to provide dates. References and additional explanatory notes added in this edition are italicised in square brackets. This section includes: The Gardner Family of Rouchel Brook, 1840-1958. A listing of family names plus anecdotes or descriptions regarding individuals. Note that the Gardners arrived in Australia in 1842. Arbor Day at Rouchel School. A description of the Arbor Day event about 1893 and Gardner involvement. Six Generations of Gardners. A listing of those Mac Bridge knew to be members of this generation. Gardner Descendants and War Service. Gardner involvement in the Boer War, World War I and World War II. Explanatory note. Why Mac Bridge undertook this history, dated 1958. Errata. Correction to his identification of the builder of the Segenhoe Hotel, Aberdeen. 2. Gardner Family additional information written by Mac Bridge after 1958; items are included in the order in which they were written. This section includes: Obituary of Elizabeth Adam, nee Morrison with explanatory notes by Mac Bridge Explanation of William Gardner’s burial place, correcting his earlier assertion that William Gardner was buried under the current St. Luke’s Church of England, Scone. Rouchel History dated 1967. Information about the earliest European settlements in the Rouchel Valley. The Gardner Story continued. Written in 1962, information which came to Mac Bridge after he had completed the initial history. Letter to Evelyn Collison, a Gardner descendant, answering her questions about the family. 3. Index to both sections. 4. Gardner Family names listing. This listing of Gardner family names, birth, marriage and death dates, has been compiled by Jim MacDougall (grandson-in-law of Mac Bridge). It is based on Mac Bridge’s history of the Gardners, our own family records and further research using the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages online site, continuing the generations down to the latest dates possible through BDM. (These records stop at 100 years ago for births, 50 years ago for marriages and 30 years ago for deaths.) This listing has been produced using Legacy Family Tree 8.0. It also contains an index. Margaret Ashford Jim MacDougall email: [email protected] 1 THE GARDNER FAMILY OF ROUCHELBROOK 1840-1958 The late heads of the family were Enniskillen born in the County Fermanagh Northern Ireland, as were five of their children, four children of a first marriage – Mary born 1822, Eliza born 1828, William Irwin born 1831, Ann time of birth unknown, and James son of second marriage, born 1840. Children born after reaching Australia were John and sister Jennie. The years of births of John and Jennie are unknown to writer. The maiden names of the two Mrs. Gardners unknown by the present generations. But it is believed the first Mrs. Gardner’s maiden name was Irwin, Irvin or Irvine, as one or other of those names was given in the Christian names of at least seven of her descendants. [Some family records indicate that William’s second wife was Elizabeth Burnside. Shipping records show William, Elizabeth and 4 children listed together. Mary is not included in this list; she appears to be old enough to have been included amongst a group of single women, unnamed but counted, on board the ship. There were two other Gardner families on board, also from County Fermanagh] However the original Gardner [William] with his second wife [Elizabeth] and five children came to Australia 13 February 1842. The boat [Broom – shipping records research] called at Glasgow and before sailing from that port a Mrs. Morrison came to the wharf and said she lived in the Candlerigs and asked the head of the family would he please deliver a letter to her son John Morrison, saying that he was sure to see him as he had some time previously sailed for Australia. At that time it appeared as though at least some of the people in the home countries [sic] must have thought Australia was somebody’s back yard. The letter was addressed to John Morrison Australia. However extensive as Australia is, strange though it may seem, the letter was delivered to John Morrison, the rightful owner. When the family disembarked in Sydney and started to travel north they seemed to realise that Australia was a pretty extensive country and by the time they arrived in Muswellbrook in June or July 1843 had practically given up hopes of finding the addressee but after being in Muswellbrook some time the son, William, came home one day and said “I believe I have found the whereabouts of John Morrison”, so investigations were made and John Morrison was found working as engineer for people by name Chivers who owned and were operating a tweed factory in the building at the dead end of what is now Mill Street, at present occupied by the Commercial Freezing Company Ltd for the purpose of freezing rabbits. This building was opened as a tweed factory in 1841, it is at least 117 years old and still very solid. The said letter was delivered and a friendship struck up between the recipient and the Gardner family and later [1st December 1845 – BDM records] John Morrison and Eliza Gardner became man and wife. The Gardner family shifted to Aberdeen and as far as it is known the heads of the family also lived in Scone, for it was there that the original Gardner died and was buried in the St. Luke’s Churchyard at the corner of Hill and Liverpool Streets Scone. A headstone was ordered to mark the spot and was cut and completed at Thornthwaite 12 miles west of Scone. The stone was being brought to Scone by dray and when crossing the Middle Brook about ¾ of a mile from its 2 destination was broken, there was never another stone made to replace it. The ground was cleared for the erection of the present St. Luke’s and the church was erected in 1888, over his grave. [see page 41] There is no mark to verify this on the church. In 1896 whilst standing near the intersection of Hill and St. Aubins Streets I heard his daughter Jenny say whilst looking towards the church, “What a wonderful monument to my father”. She then went on to give details mentioned above. MARY GARDNER: the oldest of the Gardner family married John McMullin and for some time resided at Oswald on the Hunter River between Greta and Lochinvar, where most of her family were born. The McMullins later shifted to Rouchel Brook and settled at Bingeberrie, at present the home of two of their grandchildren, Reg and Jack McMullin. Later they shifted to what is now Brooklyn but at that time it was called Half Moon because of the bend in the Brook and the road. The old lady occupied a cottage on the place, which she called Oswald Cottage. The cottage was rebuilt some years after her death and is still known as Oswald Cottage, situated on a hill near George McMullin’s woolshed. George is present owner of Brooklyn. John and Mary McMullin nee Gardner raised a family of eight – two sons and six daughters, viz. William, John, Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah, Beckie, Emma and Ellen. Family of Mary McMullin (nee Gardner) to 1958. 1. William G. McMullin born 1868, late owner of Brooklyn, Brookdale, Cockcrow and also a property known as Sandy Creek Paddock now owned by Allan Bell. All properties are on the Rouchel watershed. Married Catherine McDonald of Rouchelbrook, raised a family of four sons and three daughters as follows: 1. Alfred McMullin born 1885, retired grazier, married Miss Eather, now living at Tamworth. Army rank Lieut. Colonel, World War I 2. Walter McMullin born 1889, late Rouchel, killed in action, World War I. Rank Captain 3. Eva McMullin born 1892, married Norman Brooker, present owner of Main Camp Upper Rouchel. One son, Brian 4. George McMullin [appears on BDM as William G, born 1895, Rouchel], present owner of Brooklyn and Brookdale 5. Ellen McMullin born 1896, married --- Sparke of Sparke and Co. Maitland, Auctioneers 6. Alister McMullin born 1900, now Sir Alister, Chairman of the Senate in the Federal Parliament, Canberra, present owner of Cockcrow estate Upper Rouchel, Yarramor [?Yarraman has been corrected to this], Scone and resides at St. Aubins Scone where his wife Lady McMullin (nee Thelma Smith) has an interest in the said property. Alister served in the RAAF during World War II. 7. Ida McMullin – married Bill Hamilton, Builder, Singleton No particulars of Ida and Ellen’s families 2. John I McMullin – late owner of Bingeberrie, Broad Gully, Bridgelands, and Kean’s Creek properties. Married Bella Jones of Muscle Creek. Raised a family of six, four sons and two daughters, as follows: 1. Irwin McMullin born 1887, now deceased, had grazing property in the Narrabri district. No details of family. 2. Clarrie McMullin born 1891, his wife’s maiden name I do not know but believe she came from Narrabri district where Clarrie had a property and later had Broonie, Jerry’s Plains and now owns and lives at Ridgeland North, Wybong.