McKechnie Family
Since last week I have been lucky enough to find a copy of William McKechnie’s death certificate. Although his descendants said he died on 1st December 1901, it was actually the 5th November, 1901. He suffered from pneumonia and heart problems. He was buried on 7th November in Inverell. All six of William’s children survived their father and as we know the boys had building connections with Barraba and some of the girls also had Barraba connections. The eldest child and daughter, Jane, was born at Rocky River the year after her parents arrived there. She married one of her father’s carriers, Elliott Butler, and they had a son, also Elliott Butler, before her husband was tragically killed when a log he was loading onto a wagon fell on him. Jane’s second son was born prematurely a few weeks later and named William after his mother’s father. Both sons grew up and married and Jane went to live with her mother after her father’s passing. She died in Inverell in the late 1920’s. The second daughter, Isobel McGilvra, was also born at Rocky River about 1857. She married George Walden and they had a family of four children. This family has spread far and wide over the north coast and into Queensland and there is little information about them. The third daughter, Annie Purvis, was born at Rocky River, on 3rd May, 1859. She married a Yorkshire man, William Oliver Anderson in 1877. Both William and his brother David were builders in Bingara. Annie and William settled there for some 40 years, becoming parents of eight children. They lost a child in infancy and their eldest son died at sixteen when he fell from a horse. The Andersons built a number of buildings in Bingara during their lives and some of their descendants still live in the area. William contracted pneumonia flu and died in 1919 in Bingara. Annie then moved to Sydney where she died six years later at Randwick. Fourth daughter, Marion McDonald (Mary), was born in Inverell in 1861. She married a plumber, David Scott, on 22nd May, 1882 at Inverell. The Scott’s has eight children. After living in Inverell for some years they moved to Coraki and finally to Sydney where David died on 2nd September, 1924. Mary lived on until the 13th January, 1946. All four of David and Mary Scott’s sons served in the 1914/18 war. On son, Douglas, lost his life at Gallipoli. To finish William and Jane McKechnie’s family there were two sons – Lachlan and John William. Lachlan was the bricklayer born in Inverell in 1864. He came to Barraba at an early age to learn bricklaying on the first school building. He later went out on his own building a number of early buildings including the hospital and other early brick buildings.
Lachlan married Christina Sinclair at Barraba on 8th May, 1883. They were both rather young but successfully settled down to live in Barraba and three children were born – Iris, Nigel and Heather. The marriage broke down and Lachlan left Barraba taking Nigel with him. The two girls remained with their mother and married into the Swain and King families. Christina is buried in Barraba. John William, the youngest child of William and Jane McKechnie, was born in Inverell on 12th August, 1866. He actually worked with Ashton’s Circus before he settled down and became a builder, working with his brother building in Barraba. He was also an excellent runner capable of defeating most in a sprint event, even as he aged. John married Edith Alice Etheridge on 19th October, 1886, at her fathers’ home at Hawkins Creek. There were eight children including Alice Eva McKechnie, who married Charles Mason in 1904. Some of her memories have been used in history notes in the past. John and Edith McKechnie made a home for John’s mother in Barraba in 1924 and Jane lived there for most of the time before her death in April, 1927. Her son, John died in 1935 at the age of 69 and his widow, Edith, outlived him by many years until 1962, when she was 96 years of age.
Lachlan married Christina Sinclair at Barraba on 8th May, 1883. They were both rather young but successfully settled down to live in Barraba and three children were born – Iris, Nigel and Heather. The marriage broke down and Lachlan left Barraba taking Nigel with him. The two girls remained with their mother and married into the Swain and King families. Christina is buried in Barraba. John William, the youngest child of William and Jane McKechnie, was born in Inverell on 12th August, 1866. He actually worked with Ashton’s Circus before he settled down and became a builder, working with his brother building in Barraba. He was also an excellent runner capable of defeating most in a sprint event, even as he aged. John married Edith Alice Etheridge on 19th October, 1886, at her fathers’ home at Hawkins Creek. There were eight children including Alice Eva McKechnie, who married Charles Mason in 1904. Some of her memories have been used in history notes in the past. John and Edith McKechnie made a home for John’s mother in Barraba in 1924 and Jane lived there for most of the time before her death in April, 1927. Her son, John died in 1935 at the age of 69 and his widow, Edith, outlived him by many years until 1962, when she was 96 years of age.