MacPherson

[Moerangi]

Looking for information on John MacPherson b. 18.1.1833 Greenock brother James Drummond MacPherson b.1831

[AMBLY]

Hi Moerangi

Kia ora and welcome to Rootschat   

Have you got any information already re: parents, Census or BDM etc  for these brothers?
(so we don't go looking for what you already have!)

Did they come to NZ?

Cheers
AMBLY

[Moerangi]

Thank you   Yes they did come to NZ   John Is my great grandfather.   I gather he came through the States as he was discharged from the Trinity Rangers during the Humbolt and Klamath Indian Wars in California in  11.10 1858.   He married a  Maori named Mariana Te Oha and their daughter Heni Tuia or Jane was my grandmother.   John was a store keeper in Matata ( also known as Richmond in the early days)Bay of Plenty and also the first post master.  He became well known in the Bay of Plenty. and died in Tauranga 13.8.1887   I have not been able to find his arrival in NZ and have really only begun to try to find out more about him.    His brother James is listed as a  Christchurch Merchant and owner of two boats in the 1860s.   John also owned two boats in the 1870s.  Is this any help?

[AMBLY]

Hi Moerangi

On the IGI, extracted birth is :
James McPHERSON b 29 Jul 1829, Greenock - parents John McPHERSON & Jean DRUMMOND

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/frameset_search.asp?PAGE=igi/search_IGI.asp&clear_form=true

Also on IGI, all extracted:  - To those same named parents are:
Isabella McPHERSON, b 3 Jun 1831, Greenock
Christian McPHERSON b 14 Oct 1834 Barony Glasgow
Elizabeth McPHERSON b 1 Nov 1836, Barony Glasgow
Malcolm McPHERSON b 18 Mar 1839 Barony Glasgow
(the mother is "Jane" for the Glasgow birth; Jane/Jean interchangeable in Scottish names)

The following  census, for this family:

1841: Melville St, Perth, Perthshire
John MacPHERSON 40, Exciseman, -N
Jane MacPHERSON 35 - Y
James MacPHERSON 11 - N
John MacPHERSON 8 - N
Christian MacPHERSON 6 - N
Elizabeth MacPHERSON 4 - N
Malcolm MacPHERSON 2 - N
Jessie McNAUGHTON 20, F.S. - N

1851 : 12 Salisbury Street, Laurieston, Gorbals, Lanarkshire
Head: Jane McPHERSON 48,  widow, Annuitant, b Crieff, Perthshire
Son: Jas McPHERSON 21, unm, Merchants Clerk, b Greenock Renfrewshire
Dau: Christian McPHERSON 16, b Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Son: Malcolm McPHERSON 12, Scholar, b Glasgow, Lanarkshire
Son: Thos McPHERSON 8, Scholar, b Perth, Perthshire

The 1851 can be found on FreeCEN:
http://www.freecen.org.uk/cgi/search.pl

Some of the children on the Census, I haven't found an IGI birth entry for. Not all parish records (up to circa 1873)  have made it onto the IGI, for various reasons. Some scottish counties have better coverage than others - Lanarkshire is pretty good, but I think Perthshire less so.

If your John had already joined the Army by 1851, that explains his absence above. I do think this is your McPHERSONs - James may have adopted the use of middle name "Drummond" - his mother's maiden name  - even though he was not baptised as such.  Have often see this type of 'adoption' in  people who have immigrated away (particulary but not only, in the Americas).

Scotlands People index in their wills section:
http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
Jane MacPHERSON  or DRUMMONOD (sic),  Helensburgh, widow of John MacPHERSON, Perth
Died 28 Aug 1877 at Helensburgh (Bumbartonshire), Intestate - Admin  30 Oct 1877.

There are at least 3 John Mc/Mac PHERSON in the wills section which might be her late husband - but nothing to as yet positively identify. Two of them were boat captains/masters - I imagine an Exciseman might own a boat ?  Not sure if that's a valid imagination or not 

Cheers
AMBLY

[AMBLY]

James Drummond McPHERSON was in NZ  by 1859, according to the following:
http://canterburyheritage.blogspot.com/
"To the Right in the top photograph is the store of James Drummond Macpherson (1829-1894), built in 1859 on piers above the original beach....... A Customs Agent, Lloyd's Agent, Ship owner, General Merchant, Coalmonger and Farmer, Macpherson was the first representative of Mathieson's Agency, a London company which shipped merchandise to the colony on consignment."

He died in Waverley, Sydney  on 1 Oct 1894, age 64
http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/searchHistoricalRecords.htm
NSW BDM: Death in Waverley District - 1894 - James D MacPHERSON, father John, mother Jane

Death Notice AU and NZ
http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/3588574?searchTerm=Drummond+MacPherson
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast

My Gosh - by 8 October 1894, a week after he died - they were Auctioning off his stuff (5th Column along, quite a way down)
http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/13971430?searchTerm=%22Drummond+MacPherson%22

Loads of mentions in the Aussie papers site, including marriages of his daughters etc. One of the daughters was named Kate Malcom MacPHERSON (his youngest). He was often referred to as J. Drummond MacMcPHERSON, sometimes justr as Drummond.

I saw the very nice Obit for your John in Papers Past - he was obviously very well thought of.

I came across this - a photo entitled "Portrait of John MacPherson's two daughters"
http://find.natlib.govt.nz/primo_library/libweb/action/dlDisplay.do?vid=TF&docId=nlnz_tapuhi204871
Wondered if they could they be your John's?

Cheers
AMBLY

[Moerangi]

Hi there  Amberly   I am new to this research business and can't find the obit for John on the Past Pages.  Could you tell me how to get it?

On looking properly at the Indian war discharge I find that John was  mustered into the service of the State of California in October 58 and was honouraly discharged on 4 April 59 so only spent eight months as a ranger.

I would expect that he sailed from here to either Australia or NZ perhaps following James as he definately was owner in the Bay of Plenty of two boats the Bella and the Brunette between 1870 and 1875

Re the two daughters. I can't be sure  - John had 6 daughters and two sons
Mary, Christina, Elizabeth, Jane, John, Catherine, Hugh and Isobel   Jane was married in 1885 to my grandfather Harry William Burt 

Many thanks for your help so far   Moerangi

[AMBLY]

Hi Moerangi

This is the link to his obituary in BoP Times:
http://www.rootschat.com/links/09ef/


Cheers
AMBLY

[LCR]

Kia Ora Moerangi. great to see another family member searching. I have been doing this now for about 6 years off and on and still im no where.
John and mariana are my GG GrandParents, i come down the line of John
Have photos of John, James , johns mother etc

went to a tangi several years ago at matata and went to awakaponga cemertery, so sad to see all the burt family and names i used to hear the old people talk about.

Hope to hear from you soon

[Moerangi]

Dear LCR

Great to hear from you    I gather like me you are in NZ   I am one of those that you spoke of in your bit and am the grand daughter of Jane MacPherson.
I have just started to find out about John but it is a hard job though Ambly has been very helpful with a start.

I gather that there is someway that we can exchange emails or telephone messages but I am not sure how to do that   Do you Know and would you be interested?

Looking forward to a reply    Moerangi