Catherine McDonald

  Research Notes:

Mary McDonald (McVarish) and children Hugh, Archibald, Catherine and Sarah arrived at Port Henry on the "Araminta" in 1852 (you probably know that - however if you want copies of anything please let me know) - they travelled under the name McDonald Waurn Ponds to a Mrs. Fitzgibbon for a few months - Michael McVarish and family travelled on the same ship under the name McVarish and he and family went on his own account - after landing all records are McDonald - Michael's eldest two children, Margaret and Ann both married in Geelong and had many descendants in the area - several of his sons went to N.S.W. One interesting thing is that when Margaret (nee McVarish) married John McDonald (name McIsaacs) at St. Marys in Geelong, Ewen and Sarah were witnesses to the wedding (they may have been our McDonalds).

Sarah McDonald married Patrick McGrath at Learmonth in 1859. I am descended from their daughter Rose McGrath who married and lived in Melbourne, however the various families have always had quite a bit to do with each other and generally have a get together about once a year. Patrick McGrath, blacksmith, Ascot (d.1902) and Sarah (d. 1895) are buried at the Learmonth Cemetery (no monuments) and along with their children John (died young) and Mary (d.1929). There are a lot of McGraths in that cemetery but most are children of Patrick's brother Edward.

Archibald McDonald married Mary McMaster in 1857 at St. Marys Geelong - he showed his place of residence as being "Burrumbeet". Archibald (d. 1889) buried at Learmonth Cemetery - no monument. Archibald's wife Mary (also from Moidart) returned to Geelong with daughter Flora (she had family in the area) - Mary died in 1925 (90 years) and Flora died in 1916 - both are buried at the Geelong East Cemetery - funeral arranged by a Kennedy, who was a son of one of Mary's sisters.

Hugh (or Ewan) - died in 1881 living in the Ballarat area - he is buried at Learmonth Cemetery - no marked grave. (I don't think he married).

Mary (mother) - not sure when she died - there are several possibilities and there are also quite a few deaths that are in cemetery records with little information and not in the usual bmd.

Mary also was supposed to have had a brother Donald who came to Australia with his wife Catherine (also McDonald) - some of their descendants lived in East Brunswick. From the census Mary also had a brother Archibald (b.1819app) - I don't think he came to Australia and I am trying to following those two lines - with difficulty.

I have had some contact with Justin McDonald (about 2 years ago) and recently sent an e-mail to him telling him of a possible contact for him - a particular McDonald family that has always had a Michael in every generation of their family. I had better stop now as I can go on for ages.

My mothers cousin Frank McGrath still lives in Ascot and he is most interested in the Murray family - when he was young man some of the Murrays used to come and visit. I will be in touch with him and some of the other members of the family.

Hope you found the above interesting - good to hear from you.

regards

Joan Shanahan
shandun@ozemail.com.au

  Noted events in her life were:

• Emigration, 20 Jun 1852. Emigrated (because of the clearances of the McDonald Estates at Scardoish - see below) with mother Mary, brothers Ewan and Archibald, and sister Sarah on the "Araminta" which sailed from Liverpool on 20th June 1852 arriving at Port Phillip on 4th October 1852. On the same boat were John and Flora Graham and their infant son Neil from Skye. The eldest daughter of Catherine (and Seanair), Merran, later married Neil Graham and lived in Lake Bolac.

Among the 408 passengers on the Araminta, there were 56 Roman Catholic McDonalds, all from Moidart, Inverness Shire, members of "Clanranald" and few could speak, read or write English, but used their language "Scottish Gaelic".
- Frank McDonald (letter 27/01/1977).

"Scardoish is a small glen running approximately eastwards from the shore of Loch Moidart about 500 metres north of the Shiel Falls. It runs up to a group of lochans above Blain and a path up the glen links up with the route from Blain to Port a'Bhata. Although several people were said to have lived at Scardoish, the only old buildings I have found are above the west end of the glen on the north side, I have no idea which, if any, of these was inhabited by Father Rankin. There is still a modern house called Scardoish above the public road to Dorlin.
- John Dye"

Catherine married James "Seanair" Murray, son of Lewis Murray and Marrion Polson, on 7 Jun 1854 in St Mary's Church, Geelong. (James "Seanair" Murray was born on 25 Dec 1830 in Marrel, Loth Parish, Sutherland, Scotland, died on 5 Dec 1912 in Lake Bolac, Victoria and was buried in 1912 in Lake Bolac Cemetery, Lake Bolac, Victoria.)