James (Jnr.) McMurtrie : Short Biography

James McMurtrie (Snr.) and his family left CarrickFergus in County Antrim and arrived in Australia as assisted immigrants on the barque Sultana, 588 tons, under Captain David Mainland, which sailed out of London on the 23rd March 1850. It stopped at Plymouth to allow the McMurtrie family and other emigrants to board and left there on the 6th April 1850 with 251 passengers. It arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia on the 25th July 1850. The ship took 47 days to reach the equator, and then made the run to Port Adelaide in 62 days.

The McMurtrie family, headed by James, an Agricultural Labourer from Antrim, went on to Melbourne with the Murphy family who were also on this voyage. The family was recorded as McMurtrie James (37), Margaret (36), John (16), James (Jnr.) (14), Thomas (11) and Jenny (infant)

He married Elizabeth Selby (b.Dec 5 1854 in Ashby nr Geelong – d. Oct 1899 in Stawell) on 2^nd January 1878 (Registration No. at Victorian BDM is 214)

James (Jnr) was an uncle of Hector Ellrington McMurtrie whose bio-pic is on IrelandXO Chronicles

The trip from Port Adelaide to Melbourne was per the brigantine Elizabeth, 68 tons with Master Foyle heading towards Melbourne on Monday 5th August 1850. They thus spent 10 full days in Adelaide and arrived in Melbourne on Saturday August 10th as reported in The Argus on Monday August 12th on page 2

The Murphy family were all from Kilkenny and had 3 brothers and sister already in Melbourne. The traveller companions were John (32) a Labourer, Bridget (28) a Servant and Matthew (26) a Labourer.

James (Jnr.) establishes himself in Western Victoria

James McMurtrie (Jnr.) was born in 1839 in Carrickfergus, County Antrim Ireland. He came to Australia with his father James (1806-1866) and mother Margaret Russel (nee Muir 1811-1851) in 1850. He lived with his father farming until he was fourteen years of age. After carting to the diggings for an employer for some time he purchased a team of his own, and for ten years followed this calling.

He next rented a farm at Creswick north of Ballarat, from Mr William Clark, and had the misfortune to be burned out the second year losing everything he had, crop included. He was then employed as an overseer on one of the largest farms in the colony, belonging at that time to Messrs. John Leishman and William Sims, who had 300 acres under crop.  He remained there until the partnership was dissolved, and then went west to the Wimmera, where he was engaged in contracting at road making and fencing for about four years.  He next selected on the Lallat Plains and farmed there for four years. His License (3288 Horsham) under Section 19 of the Land Act was approved on 1^st April 1876. It was for 319a 1r 4p on the north east corner of Florences Road and Lallat School Road and cost him £16 to be paid to be paid half-yearly.  It is now known as Lot 41 Florences Road Rupanyup. (-36.697816, 142.704307)

In 1876 Head Teacher John Teasdale opened State School 1686 Lallat Plains in a leased Wesleyan hall. The Education Department rented this building until 1883, when a new wooden school,24ftx16ft, to accommodate 40, and with residence attached, was constructed. Teasdale taught here for 27 years. Other early teachers included Robert Milligan (1903-08), M. Morgan (1908), Lily Henderson (1909-10), Bertrand Godbehear (1911-12), and John Barrett (1912-16). When numbers declined this school was taught part-time with SS2388 Lallat North from 1^st of January 1903 until 1909 when SS2388 closed.

In 1880 James sold out at Lallat and removed to Warranook, where his wife had selected previously, and where he remained until 1887.

He had the good fortune to discover a gravel pit of some forty acres in extent on his land, whence the ballast was obtained for the railway lines constructed in the Wimmera district, and from which James netted a handsome return.

Their children were:

Jane 1879-1884

William John 1881-1938

Thomas James 1883-1949

Priscilla Margaret 1885-1968

Jessie 1886-1952

James Richard (1889-1889)

Annie (1890-1890)

Jean (1894-1920)

Elizabeth Flora (1898-1973)

In 1887 he sold the farm and went to Glenorchy and conducted the Royal Mail Hotel at 34 Bunbury Street, which was built in 1862 for John Meredith and then owned by Mr Pine. He also was the owner of nearly 300 acres of land at 43 Phillips Road in the Gampola Shire, adjoining the Glenorchy township.