McDonald and Potts family tree » Capt. James Donald McKie (1821-1864)

Persönliche Daten Capt. James Donald McKie 

• Er wurde geboren am 29. Mai 1821 in Barbados, West Indies.
• Berufe:
• Hotel Keeper Master mariner | Occupation:|| Date: Hotel Keeper | Place: Queenscliffe in Queenscliffe.
• Master mariner Occupation: Date: Hotel Keeper Place: Queenscliffe.
• Er ist verstorben am 7. Juli 1864 in Greenich, London, England, er war 43 Jahre alt.

  Oorzaak: Disease of the liver, Dysentery and debility.

• Er wurde beerdigt am 7. Juli 1864 in "Nunhead Cemetery" Linden Grove, Camberwell, Greter London, England.
• Ein Kind von James McKie und Unknown

Familie von Capt. James Donald McKie

Notizen bei Capt. James Donald McKie

 

Capt. James Donald McKie (1821 - 1864)

 

James Donald McKie was the first of our ancestors to see Australia. He was Master of the "Cacique" which sailed from Singapore in April 1846 via Adelaide to Melbourne and then on to Launceston in May 1846.

 

James Donald was born in Barbados, West Indies on the 29th May 1821. We know little of his parents despite detailed searches of the Archives in Barbados. Many of the relevant church records are not available, possibly due to a severe hurricane which struck Barbados in 1831, being a category 4 hurricane, killing 1500 people and destroying nearly all buildings on the island. 

From research, we believe that James McKie, merchant of Barbados was his father and John McKie his father's brother, who was also a merchant in Antigua.   Their father John McKie Sn. was a merchant in Glasgow, with business interests in Antigua and Barbados in his son’s names.

From information gained from "Ancestry.com" James Donald's father may well have been James McKie. He was born about 1790 and was a merchant and resident in St Michaels, Barbados, West Indies.

 

James Donald McKie had two brothers. The elder, John Alfred, born 1820 and a younger brother William Henry, born 1829. John Alfred McKie, a Mariner, married Charlotte Augusta Prentice on the 26th June 1844 at St. Michael’s Anglican Church in Barbados. In her Will, Charlotte Augusta McKie left everything to her son Ernest Augustus McKie. 

 

On 17th October 1846, James Donald was initiated into the Zetland in the East, Masonic Lodge, No. 508 EC in Singapore. He was passed in the Second Degree on 13th March 1847 and Raised to the subline degree of a Master Mason on 19th July 1947. (Taken from the Zetland Masonic register.)  At the time of his entry into Masonry his occupation was listed as “Capt-navy” and joined the Zetland Lodge with three other navel captains. One would therefore assume he was a member of Royal Navy at the time. He must have been held in ;very high esteem to have been invited to join, as only those of the right standing in the community with the right social connections would have been invited to participate at that time in history.

 

James Donald McKie must also have been a member of the Glasgow Lodge No 50 after he had joined the Singapore Lodge - Zetland in the East in 1846.  As he was "initiated" into that Lodge in 1846.  You only get "initiated" once.  You then just join other Lodges with proof of your initiation. Usually a certificate.  The Royal Arch is another step in the masonic movement. You have to have been initiated into the basic lodges (either the English “Blue” Lodge [EC] or the Scottish Lodge.) and do the first three degrees before you can advance into Royal Arch and other higher Lodges such as the "Rose Croix".

 

James Donald McKie became a Master Mariner when applying for his Master’s Certificate in 1863 he listed his experience as Master of the following ships - 1839/40 "Magnet" Port of Registration - London

 

1845-49 "Cacique" (barque 550t) Singapore

 

1849-53 "Brigand" Singapore

 

1848 October 6. - Wyvern, schooner, 127 tons, James Donald McKie, for Guam, in ballast. McMeckan, Blackwood, and Co., agents.

 

1854/55 “Cas Balgair"(barque) Batavia

 

October 6.1855 - Wyvern, schooner, 127 tons, James Donald McKie, for Guam, in ballast. McMeckan, Blackwood, and Co., agents.

 

1856-58 “Glasgow Citizen" Melbourne

 

1859/60 "Kangaroo" Singapore

 

1860/61 "Wm. Conqueror" Singapore

 

He obtained his Master's Certificate for Colonial Service in Bristol, England on the 12th December 1863. In addition to the ships mentioned above, local shipping records show that he visited Geelong as Master of the barque "Cas Balgair" in September 1855,  "Harp"(154t) in October 1855, Balgair" to Geelong 1853, and as Master of the schooner August 1854. He also called at Melbourne as Master of the schooner “Wyvern"(87t). These ships carrying cargo such as pick axes, palings, hay and 19 passengers on the "Cas Balgair”. It is possible that the "Cas Balgair" also took his future bride, Eleanor Edmonds and her first husband, James Henry Scott (married Melbourne on 10/02/1853), to Java, East Indies. Eleanor’s first marriage was very short, as her husband disappeared shortly after they arrived in Java. Maybe Eleanor relied on the friendship of James Donald After the disappearance of James Scott and then this friendship developed to the point where they married later in 1853.

With his new wife, he returned to Geelong as their first child, James George McKie was born at Victoria Terrace, Geelong in November 1855. Their second son, Henry Donald McKie was also born at Geelong in 1857 and John Alfred McKie at Queenscliff, Victoria in 1858. At the time of John Alfred’s birth James Donald gave his occupation as Hotel Keeper. The Royal Hotel, Queenscliff was the first hotel to be built in Queenscliff and was the hotel that he ran.  This hotel was built by William and Andrew Leihy and known as the Queenscliff or Leihy’s Hotel. It was opened for business in October 1854. Some of its bars and public spaces were partly below ground but then there were two upper storeys. Its floor' plan was very similar to the present building and appears to have been about the same size.

 

Disaster struck in Winter 1881 when the original timber building was burned to the ground. Locals rallied in the dead of a Winter’s night to save what they could, most importantly dismantling their beloved billiard table in the cellar with embers raining down on them! Undeterred, William Leahy rebuilt and reopened the following year. The building we now know and love is built in the Italian Renaissance style, unusual for that period. It is believed that parts of the original building are incorporated within the existing structure. Whilst there is much affection for the building in its white phase, it originally boasted exposed grey cement render. Let's see how she re-emerges once the scaff comes down!

 Queenscliff at this time was rather bleak with no running water such as a creek and only scrub for vegetation. There were no made roads and the buildings related primarily to its shipping activities.

In 1859 the family was again on the move, John Alfred McKie was christened in Singapore, their fourth son, George Wallace McKie was born in India in 1860 and christened in Singapore in 1862. While this was happening their eldest son James George McKie (aged 5 years), had found his way to Bristol, England and was with his grandmother, Ann Edmonds and Uncle Albert (aged 16years) on Census day, 1861.

By 1863 the family were together again in Bristol with the Edmonds and this is where James Donald made application for and received his Master Mariner’s Certificate. Unfortunately he did not survive long after this, dying in London in 1864 at the age of 44. His cause of death was stated as "Disease of the Liver, Dysentery, and Debility" probably related to his years in the tropics. He was buried in the "Nunhead Cemetery" Linden Grove, Camberwell, Surrey, England on 7th July 1864. (Taken from his record of burial.)

His wife and family later returned to Melbourne.

 

  

 

 

 

 

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