Major Henry Blackshaw 1836 - 1907

A crack shot of the NSW colony.

He eyed the mark that was 600 yards away and aimed his rifle carefully, taking his time.

The crowd went silent, but Henry knew that he was going to win the prize and slowly squeezed  the trigger.  A cheer went up as the crowd watching the competition cheered for one of their favorites.  Sure enough it was a bulls eye, after all, Henry was the crack shot of the Goulburn Volunteer Regiment.   A Captain at the time, Henry beat two of his Sergeants to win in the wind and rain on a cold day in August.

It was 1884, and he was competing for money at the Goulburn Volunteer Rifle Association Annual Event.     Two years after winning the Event at Goulburn he competed in London and won the 1886 Windmill contest in an event at Wimbledon.  He shot over 200 and 500 yards, and won a Martini-Henry rifle and 25 PDS.

A Martini Henry Rifle like the one that Henry won.

 

In the 1850's the provision of responsible government to the colonies led to increased responsibility and self-reliance, and volunteer infantry units were formed. These were unpaid positions and men were required to provide their own uniforms, although the government furnished them with arms and ammunition. Goulburn was the first inland city to form its own unit.

Henry was just  7 years old when he immigrated from Scropton, Derbyshire, England to Australia.  His father John was the brewer at Goulburn Brewery for a period in the 1800's, his mother was born Mary Slater and they married in 1825 at Broughton Church, Derbershire, England.

The church where Henry's parents were married as it is today.

Henry was educated at the St Saviours Church of England School, and served an apprenticeship as a saddler to Mr. T. Musgrave.  He operated his own saddlery business in Goulburn for 20 years.  In the 1872 Postal Directory, he is listed at Auburn Street.  Some investigation reveals that the saddlery business had some interesting history. 

Henry married Mary McKinlay in Goulburn in 1858, and they had 13 children in total, living in Goulburn all their married life.

In 1869, when the volunteer regiment was formed, Henry was one of the founding members.  By 1900 he was the President of the Association.  When he retired he was given the  honorary rank of Major, and with permission to wear the Uniform of the regiment by the Governor, and received the Queens decoration for long service in 1895.  Henry clearly had a competitive spirit, he won many footraces when he was in his 20's, played cricket,  and then went on to shoot competitively, winning many contests.

The Queens medal presented to Henry in 1895.

Henry's wife, Mary, died in 1889, and in 1891 he married Sarah Jane Bushell.  They had one child together, Henrietta Louise Jane Blackshaw, born in 1893.  Not much is known of Sarah, other than her birth in 1850 at Kurrajong, NSW.  This made her 41 when she married  Henry who was then 55 years old.

In 1901 Goulburn was flooded, and 460 points of rain fell in 24 hours, as a result the Mulwaree River overflowed.   The family took refuge in large pine trees near the house, which was almost completely covered by water.  Fortunately they were rescued, but it was a very close thing, particularly as they had seven young children.

One of the reports of the rescue of Henry Blackshaw and his family during the 1901 flooding of Goulburn.

Henry died on 6th January, 1907 and was buried at Saint Saviours Anglican Cemetery, Goulburn, NSW.  Sarah died in 1936 and she and Mary are both buried at the same Cemetery.  Henry's funeral was very well attended, and (along with other newspapers)  the Goulburn Herald contained an obituary. 

 A final point - Henry kept a diary, and excerpts were published in 1907 just after his death.  Presumably someone in his family has the diary, it would be very interesting indeed to read.

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More Information? If you are researching

Major Henry Blackshaw, Mary McKinlay or Sarah Jane Bushell

 and would like the sources for this story, 

please contact me or comment below.  I would be happy to collaborate with you.

The Goulburn Saddlery

Mary McKinlay

John Fraser - b1809

John Fraser - A journey from Inverness to Goulburn.

Poverty, famine and epidemics in Scotland in the 1820s and 1830s caused the first significant Scottish emigration to Australia.  By 1837, when John Fraser's family immigrated to Goulburn, it appears they had already lost two of their children, two more died on the journey.  What a heartbreaking start to their new life that must have been.

From the :Inverness Courier, 30 May 1838

‘Australian Emigration—Fort William’

After some months of expectation and anxiety, Dr. Boyter, the Government emigration agent for Australia, arrived at Fort William on x 8th current. The news of his arrival, like the fiery cross of old, soon spread through every glen of the district, and at an early hour on Monday, thousands of enterprising Gaels might be seen ranked around the Caledonian Hotel, anxious to quit the land of their forefathers and to go and possess the unbounded pastures of Australia. . . . While we regret that so many active men should feel it necessary to leave their own country, the Highlands will be considerably relieved of its over-plus population.

                      

Scotland

I do not know who John Fraser's parents were, but it is likely they were also from Inverness in Scotland, as people did not move around a lot in those days, unless they were immigrating.  I know from census information that John Fraser was born about 1809 in Inverness, Scotland.

The Fraser Clan had traditional land in Inverness-Shire, Scotland.

Fraser Castle

Family life

 John Fraser and Ann McGlashan married in Longforgan, Perthshire, Scotland on 9th May, 1831, and we know this from the Scottish Marriage records.  John was aged about 22, and Ann 21 years.

The family lived in Inverness according to the 1851 Census.  They had five children before they immigrated to Australia.  The children were born in Longforgan, and Inverness in Scotland, but when they arrived in Australia, only their daughter,  born just before the journey (Ann) was still alive.

We know from the immigration records that both John and Ann could read and write, and that they were Protestants.  John's occupation is listed as Grieve, which means he was a sheriff or bailiff in Scotland.  There are a few entries in the NSW Government Gazette naming a Constable Fraser in the Goulburn area, but it is not clear if it is my John Fraser - could be though!

It appears the family went straight to Goulburn to live, in a little town called Bungonia, and this is where my GG grandmother, Jessie Fraser was born.  The couple went on to have another 6 children, making it 12 in all.

Here is a picture of their daughter Jane Fraser and her husband William Cummings:

and, this (sorry about the quality) is their son Robert Fraser and his wife:

John Fraser died on 11th April, 1883, and his wife 5 years later.  They are both buried at the  Old Goulburn Cemetary, Goulburn, NSW, AUS.  I know nothing of their life together other than they lived and had their family in the Goulburn area, hopefully more will come to light in the future.

Transcription:

" Anne Fraser 

 11 December 1888, 80y. Wife of John Fraser. Leaving 3 sons and 5 daughter

Her beloved husband, John Fraser

 11 April 1883, 74y. Native of Fifeshire, SCT., Husband of Anne Fraser.

James Fraser

13 June 1907, 56y. 3rd son of John & Anne Fraser."



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More Information? If you are researching John Fraser and would like the sources for this story, 

please contact me or comment below.  I would be happy to collaborate with you

Ann McGlashan - b1808

Born in Inverness, Scotland in 1808, Ann's parents were Alexander McGlashan and Elizabeth.  I do not know Elizabeth's surname, or how many children they have.

There is also a birth registered in 1811 for an Ann McGlashan, so the date of birth is in dispute, although her immigration papers say she is aged 28 in 1837, so that would make here DOB about 1808/9.

The McGlashan Clan is a Sept of the Mackintosh Clan, which is a Scottish clan from Inverness with strong Jacobite ties. The Mackintoshes share a common history with the Chattan Confederation.  

McGlashan Tartan

Origins of the clan

Shaw, son of Duncan Macduff, accompanied King Malcolm IV of Scotland to Morayshire to suppress rebellion in 1160. In 1163 he was granted land in the Findhorn valley and made constable of Inverness Castle. Upon Shaw’s death in 1179, his son, Shaw the second became chief and was confirmed by William I of Scotland the Lion.

Probably the earliest authentic history of Mackintosh is traceable to Shaw or Search Macduff, a cadet son of the third Earl of Fife. The son of Macduff, for his support of King Malcolm IV, was awarded the lands of Petty and Breachley in Invernesshire and was appointed Constable of the Castle thereto. Assuming the name Mac an Taoiseach which means “Son of the Chieftain”, he became the progenitor of his own clan.

 The current Chief is John Mackintosh of Mackintosh. He has been chief since 1995 and currently resides in Singapore as a teacher at Nanyang Girls’ High School.

 I know nothing more about Ann McGlashan, other than her death on 11th February, 1888 at Goulburn.  She died 5 years after her husband John, and is burried with him at Old Goulburn Cemetary, Goulburn, NSW, Australia.  

Back to John Fraser

Bungonia - John Fraser