John Howden Heley was a son of Marion Howden (daughter of John Howden and Euphemia Craig of Old Crichton Dean, Humbie Parish, East Lothian, Scotland) and her first husband Robert Heley. Marion's father and most of her siblings emigrated to the Kilmore district of Victoria, Australia in the 1850s. However, Marion remained in Scotland until 1875.
In 1853 she married Robert Heley and resided in the Glasgow district. They had 5 children including John Howard Heley born 3 March 1860 at Greenock. Following the death of Robert Heley, Marion married Donald McGregor (in 1867). They had 4 children born at Edinburgh. In 1875, Marion, Donald and several of Marion's children (by either marriage) emigrated to Brisbane, Queensland, including John Howden Heley.
Marion and Donald had a fifth child Jessie McGregor born in 1877 during a sojourn in Victoria (possibly when visiting her siblings).
I will paste below part of a Howden family table that I compiled.
Walter Savige
9. MARION HOWDEN (1832-1887), of 23 Dublin Street, St Mary, Edinburgh (1851 – servant of Andrew Webster); 4 Nelson Street, Greenock West, Renfrewshire (1861); 108 Rose Street, St George, Edinburgh (1871); b 10 Mar 1832 Old Crichton Dean, reg 17 Jan 1834 Humbie, d 2 Jan 1887 (age 54) Woolloongabba, Queensland (DQ B019484), m1/ (banns 7 Jul 1853 at Crichton, Midlothian and Greenock, Renfrew), ROBERT HELEY (son of William Heley), painter, b c.1826 England, d 1861/7. Issue: 5 (2m, 3f) -
(1) EUPHEMIA HELEY, res Pathhead, Crichton, Midlothian (in March 1851); b 1850 Greenock, Renfrewshire, m 5 Dec 1870, James Newbigging, b c.1842 Edinburgh. Issue: 9 (4m, 5f) -
i. MARION HOWDEN NEWBIGGING, b 21 Nov 1870 Edinburgh.
ii. JAMES NEWBIGGING, b 16 Dec 1872 Dundee.
iii. JANE NEWBIGGING, b 22 Nov 1874 Dundee.
iv. EUPHEMIA NEWBIGGING, b 1877 Dundee.
v. BEATRICE NEWBIGGING, b 1879 Dundee.
vi. BELLA B. NEWBIGGING, b 1882 Dundee.
vii. JOHN H. NEWBIGGING, b 1884 Dundee.
viii. JAMES NEWBIGGING, b 1888 Dundee.
ix. WILLIAM NEWBIGGING, b 1890 Dundee.
(2) WILLIAM HELEY, b 20 Mar 1856 Greenock, arr Brisbane 20 Sep 1875.
(3) MARY HELEY, b 26 Jul 1857 Greenock, arr Brisbane 20 Sep 1875.
(4) JOHN HOWDEN HELEY (1860-1929), b 3 Mar 1860 Greenock, d 21 Aug 1929 (age 69) Brisbane, Queensland, arr Brisbane 20 Sep 1875, m 11 Aug 1886 in Queensland, MARY MATILDA GREENSILL (MQ 000381) (daughter of Frederick Greensill and Matilda Cook).
Issue: 2m –
i. ROBERT FREDERICK HELEY, b 18 May 1887 Queensland (BQ BO30794).
ii. JOHN GREENSILL HELEY, b 17 Mar 1889 Queensland (BQ BO43258).
(5) ELIZABETH HELEY, b 18 May 1862 Greenock.
(6) BEATRICE HELEY, b 6 May 1864 Greenock, arr Brisbane 20 Sep 1875.
9. MARION HOWDEN (1832-1887), m2/ 15 Feb 1867 at Edinburgh, DONALD McGREGOR, joiner, b 1828 Perth, d 1902 (age c.74) Queensland. Issue: 5 (2m, 3f) –
(7) DONALD McGREGOR, b 26 Oct 1867 Edinburgh, d 1871/5? Scotland,
(
MARION HOWDEN McGREGOR (1869-1946), res Woolloongabba & Rockhampton, Queensland and Auckland, New Zealand; b 26 Mar 1869 Edinburgh, d 20 Jul 1946 (age 77) Mt Eden, NZ, arr Brisbane 20 Sep 1875, m 28 Feb 1887 in Qld, ALEXANDER CAMPBELL McMURTRIE (son of Alexander Campbell McMurtrie & Jacobina Wyllie), b 15 Jul 1864 Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, d 3 Apr 1950 Mt Eden, NZ. Issue: 8 (4m, 4f) -
i. RUTH McMURTRIE (1887-1966), b 25 Nov 1887 Woolloongabba, d 19 Dec 1966 Childers.
ii. BEATRICE JACOBINA McMURTRIE (1890-1968), b 29 Jan 1890 Wooloongabba, d 1968 New Zealand.
iii. ALEXANDER CAMPBELL McMURTRIE (1894-1971), b 9 Jan 1994 Rockhampton, Queensland, d 1971 New Zealand.
iv. ALFRED McMURTRIE (1895-1897), b 2 Oct 1895 Rockhampton, d c.1897 Rockhampton.
v. CHARLES EDWIN ROY McMURTRIE (1898-1966), b 31 Dec 1898 Rockhampton, d 1966 New Zealand.
vi. MARION JESSIE HOWDEN McMURTRIE (1902-1938), b 19 Apr 1902 Rockhampton, d 1938 New Zealand.
vii. KENNETH McMURTRIE (1904-1904), b 11 Feb 1902 Rockhampton, d 18 Feb 1902 Rockhampton.
viii. EUPHEMIA McMURTRIE (1910-1991), 21 Sep 1910 Mt Eden, NZ, d 25 Jul 1891 Auckland.
(9) ANDREW WEBSTER McGREGOR, b 28 Aug 1870 Edinburgh, arr Brisbane 20 Sep 1875.
(10) DUNCAN McGREGOR, b 28 Aug 1872 Edinburgh, d before 1875?
(11) JESSIE McALISTER McGREGOR, b 1877 Prahran, Victoria, Australia.