Our Scottish Ancestors
Hugh Connell McKenzie, son of Peter McKenzie and Agnes Connell, was born on 1 Dec 1831 in Newmilns, Ayrshire, Scotland.
In 1851, Hugh was twenty years old. He was employed as a clerk in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland. It is said that Hugh was very good at arithmetic and could add up three columns of figures at once. But Hugh had bigger ambitions and thought that his fortune awaited him elsewhere, just like his brothers Peter and John before him. Hugh’s older brother John Connell McKenzie and his bride, Janet Hunter, had left Scotland for Australia towards the end of 1848. A few short years later, on 9 August 1851, the New South Wales government announced the discovery of gold at Sovereign Hill, near Ballarat, Victoria. John, a carpenter by trade, was like most men in the colony at this time – he went seeking gold. Wanting to join John and Janet in the Victorian goldfields, Hugh saved diligently until he had enough money to pay for his passage. He arrived in Geelong, Victoria in about 1853 and set about walking to Ballarat – some fifty two miles away. |
By 1853, Ballarat had grown from a rough mining camp into a town with a population of 25,000. Along the main street, hotels, concert halls, boarding houses, eating places and shops catered for the diggers. Life was rough on the diggings though and hard physical work would have left John and Hugh with blistered hands and aching backs.
There were rumblings on the goldfields before the end of 1854. The surface gold had been exhausted and the miners now had to dig shafts hoping to find leads. Claim disputes arose, there were frequent ‘license hunts’ and ‘sly grog raids’ by the authorities. Mass protest meetings in Ballarat were attracting large crowds. On 7 October 1854 a Scottish miner, James Scobie, was murdered in a brawl outside the Eureka Hotel. Thousands of miners gathered to protest that the hotel proprietor and prime suspect, James Bentley, had not been charged with the murder. The crowd, incited by the perceived injustice, torched the hotel. Three of the protesters were arrested.
On 11 November, 10,000 diggers met to demand the release of the three diggers and the abolition of the Miner’s Licence. This was followed 18 days later by an even larger meeting where the diggers publicly burned their licences. The Eureka Flag was flown for the first time here. On 30 November another mass protest meeting took place on Bakery Hill.
Under the leadership of Peter Lalor, the diggers marched to the Eureka diggings where they constructed a rough stockade and armed themselves with firearms and forged pikes. John and Janet McKenzie, together with their one-year-old daughter and John’s brother Hugh, were living in a tent between the soldiers’ camp on the hills above Main Street and the Eureka stockade. They had taken no part in the protests and hoped that things would settle down. On the night of Saturday 2nd December, Janet attended to the baby as usual and the McKenzie’s turned in for the night. |
The original is in the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery.
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They were awoken just before dawn as the authorities launched an attack on the stockade. Lifting the tent flap and cautiously sticking his head out, Hugh tried to make sense of the confused scene in the darkness. He could see soldiers and police attacking the unsuspecting diggers with muskets and bayonets. Within twenty minutes and after a brief resistance, it was all over. Dead and wounded diggers lay on the battlefield and the troopers were rounding up prisoners. Hugh’s first concern was for the injured and, as soon as it was safe, he emerged from the tent to do what he could for them.
In the aftermath of this fateful day, martial law was declared and a curfew prohibited lights after 8 pm. On the following Monday night the McKenzie’s had gone to bed early when Janet became ill. The men lit a candle to attend to her. Suddenly they heard shouting and then a musket ball ripped through the tent. Quickly they doused the light, they were very lucky, no one was hurt. That night soldiers fired into other tents that illegally showed lights and three more lives were lost.
One of the reforms that resulted from Eureka was to extend the vote to men holding a one pound miner’s right. Previously a six month residency and an eight pound yearly licence were required before a digger could register to vote. Both Hugh and John McKenzie are listed on the 1855 electoral roll. In the ensuing years, the brothers moved around the Ballarat goldfields trying to find that lucky strike. In 1856 they were at Black Hill in the north-east and in 1858 they were at Canadian Gully at the southern end of Main Street.
One of the reforms that resulted from Eureka was to extend the vote to men holding a one pound miner’s right. Previously a six month residency and an eight pound yearly licence were required before a digger could register to vote. Both Hugh and John McKenzie are listed on the 1855 electoral roll. In the ensuing years, the brothers moved around the Ballarat goldfields trying to find that lucky strike. In 1856 they were at Black Hill in the north-east and in 1858 they were at Canadian Gully at the southern end of Main Street.
It was at Canadian Gully that the McKenzie’s made friends with a Scottish family called Salisbury. John and Margaret Salisbury had been in Australia since 1842. The family had been living in Melbourne and John Salisbury had tried his hand at farming for a while. However, deciding to try their luck on the goldfields, John, Margaret and their five children found themselves at the Ballarat diggings in 1858. Elizabeth Salisbury, the eldest of the Salisbury children at 16, was attracted to the tall, bearded Hugh McKenzie. Although Elizabeth was very young and 27 year old Hugh was not of their religion, John and Margaret gave their consent for Hugh and Elizabeth to marry. Hugh married Elizabeth Salisbury on 27 December 1858 at St Andrews Church, Sturt Street, Ballarat, Victoria.
Hugh and Elizabeth McKenzie’s first born was a son, Peter, born on 20 October 1859. Elizabeth followed, born on 30 May 1861. Hugh had made a reasonable living from gold-mining up until this time, but the lure of a new gold strike was hard to resist. In 1861, news had come through of a major gold find in New Zealand and thousands of miners left Victoria to cross the Tasman. Hugh decided to join them, and in late 1862, after moving Elizabeth and the two babies to a respectable hotel in Main Street, he set off for Dunedin. |
The New Zealand adventure turned out to be a disaster for both Hugh and many other hopeful miners. The gold was scarce, there was constant rain and snow, they had no fuel and little food and supplies. After just a few months, Hugh returned to Ballarat. Elizabeth was relieved to have him home safely, especially as their young daughter had taken ill. Tragically, little Elizabeth died soon after Hugh’s return on 30 January 1863. She was 20 months old.
Despite the sad loss, the McKenzie family settled into a house in Plank Street, Ballarat. Hugh carried on mining and was doing well. Another daughter was born later that year, Agnes, born on 24 October 1863.
Ballarat was by now a thriving community; rail-links to Geelong had been completed in 1862 opening up opportunities for trade. On the goldfields small-scale shaft mining was gradually replaced by deep-lead mining enterprises. Despite the dangerous conditions, the miners now worked for wages, employed by large companies who were investing in the town. Ballarat prospered. |
Hugh, starting to become disillusioned with mining around this time, began to look for new opportunities. He tried farming for a few months but found that didn't pay. He now had another mouth to feed; Mary Young McKenzie was born on 11 December 1865. He was thirty-four years old, with a wife and three children to support. Hard physical labour was no way to earn a living as he grew older. A change of direction was needed. He had business contacts and his training and skills as a clerk were too good to waste. So for the next eight years or so he set himself up as a storekeeper in Eureka Street, Ballarat.
A new baby was born on 19 December 1867, Jessie Elizabeth. Sadly Jessie died just before her first birthday and was buried in the family grave at Ballarat Cemetery. The family moved to a new house in Main Street, Ballarat. One of their neighbours was John Cail, the owner of the New Zealand store in Bridge Street. John Cail was an associate of Hugh McKenzie, they both worked together in the early 1860's on the goldfields. When a son was born to Hugh and Elizabeth on 18 November 1869, he was named John Cail McKenzie in honour of his friend and neighbour. |
Two years later when their seventh child was born on 13 December 1871, he was named William Manson McKenzie after Hugh’s brother-in-law back in Scotland. Young William died just before his second birthday, in September 1873, and he joined his baby sisters, Elizabeth and Jessie in the family grave.
Hugh and Elizabeth were now living in Eureka Street, Ballarat. Their eldest child, Peter, was fourteen, Agnes was ten, Mary Young was eight and John Cail was four years old. It was twenty years since Hugh had left Glasgow. Once again Hugh decided to change direction and in June 1874 he obtained a licence to operate as an accountant and land and commission agent. He set up practice in Lynn's Chambers, 26 Lydiard Street – right in the centre of town. He did well and the family enjoyed modest prosperity.
On Hugh’s death certificate it is recorded that another son was born possibly about 1876 – William Hugh McKenzie. However no further records of this birth have been located at this time. As it turned out though, it was possibly about this time that Elizabeth McKenzie became fed up with Hugh and their life in Ballarat. She was thirty-five years old and had been married for more than half her life. She had dealt with the grief of losing three, possibly four, babies over the past fifteen years. She decided to take a break from her life of cooking, cleaning and sewing for her family. What triggered Elizabeth leaving her family in Ballarat and moving to Deniliquin, New South Wales, we may never know – possibly there was another man, a man who later deserted her, and then she was obliged to find herself work ... for whatever reasons, Elizabeth was working as a domestic servant at the North Deniliquin Inn in February 1878. Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s break for freedom ended on 2 February 1878 when she died from Cholera at Deniliquin, New South Wales. The Innkeeper, George Nicholson, reported her death. She was buried the next day at the Deniliquin Cemetery. |
Hugh was informed of Elizabeth’s death, but he was not prostrated with grief for any length of time. He soon began courting and within fifteen months of Elizabeth’s death he had remarried. On 27 May 1879, aged forty-eight, Hugh married Ursella Edwards Annear, a thirty-three year old school teacher.
Ursella, daughter of Benjamin Francis Job Annear and Selina Edwards, had been teaching at the Brown Hill State School, Ballarat for a number of years. She boarded with the family of a friend and former pupil, Lizzie Ham. Hugh and Ursella traveled to Melbourne for their wedding which took place at the Annear house at 12 Albion Street, South Yarra. Hugh continued his work as an accountant, commission agent and real estate agent in Ballarat and Ursella adapted to her new role as housewife and stepmother. |
Ursella soon had babies of her own to care for. The first, Hugh Annear Bell McKenzie, (Hugo) arrived a year after the wedding on 25 May 1880.
A daughter, Selina Lily (Lil), was born on 4 March 1882 followed by Ursella Rose (Rose) on 2 November 1883 and Enid Ethel on 15 May 1887. After a number of moves, Victoria Street and Eureka Street in the 1870's and Hunt Street in the mid-1880's, the McKenzie finally settled at 5 Clissold Street, Ballarat East. They called the house Fernhill. |
The McKenzie household was disciplined and orderly. They were a very Christian family, attending St John’s Presbyterian Church in Peel Street every Sunday. Hugh was treasurer at St John’s, a position of some responsibility. When Hugh retired from this position on 9 April 1890, he was presented with a magnificent silver tea service.
Hugh must have made a reasonable living from his business as the family appeared to have been quite comfortable, even during the 1890's depression. They took holidays often, all of the children learnt piano and the home was filled with books and music. Ursella maintained her interest in art, both painting and drawing herself and attending exhibitions. The family also valued the written word. They wrote accounts of their experiences in journals and saved letters and documents for posterity – for which we, as descendants, are truly grateful.
Hugh took ill in the middle of 1904, suffering from abdominal pain, possibly an ulcer. The family all gathered around Hugh’s bedside and he had a word with each of the children in turn. On the 8 September 1904, Hugh Connell McKenzie died at his home, 5 Clissold Street, Ballarat East at age 72. He was buried in the family grave at Ballarat Old Cemetery, beside the three infant children of his first marriage. |
Peter McKenzie, like his father before him, succumbed to gold fever and left for the goldfields of Central Victoria after gold was discovered at Dunolly in 1906. In what became known as the ‘Poseidon Rush’, 3000 miners hurried to the site but the shallow gold was soon worked out. Peter contracted pneumonia and died in the Dunolly hospital. He never married and had no children.
Lil McKenzie trained as a nurse, qualifying in 1907. She obtained her qualifications as a midwife three years later and in 1913 went to New Zealand where she was Matron in a private hospital. Lil enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service on 1 October 1915 and served in Egypt and Northern Italy. She earned the Red Cross Medal for Service in 1919. She also served in France and in the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service. When discharged from the AANS in 1920, Lil ran a home nursing service with her step-sister, Mary Young McKenzie, from the family home. In 1921, Lil purchased a property in Boronia, Victoria with her sisters, Rose and Enid. They ran a rest home from the property, Lil named the home ‘The Lavenders.’ When she retired, Lil purchased land at Belgrave Heights and built a small house where she lived happily until advancing age drove her into a retirement home. She died on 29 May 1975 at the RSL home for nurses, RSL House in Saint Kilda, Victoria at age 93.
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Agnes McKenzie earned an independent living as a dressmaker and was often away from home. In late spring 1911 she decided to surprise the family with an unannounced visit. She took ill on the train journey to Ballarat but managed to walk the mile from the station to Fernhill carrying her suitcase, overnight bag and a bird in a cage. She stumbled over the threshold and fell, hitting her head. Agnes lay critically ill for several days, but died without ever regaining consciousness. The cause of death was given as cerebral embolism and heart failure.
Mary McKenzie trained as a nurse and spent time in both New Zealand and Western Australia. She enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service in 1917 but did not see any overseas service due to an ongoing heart condition. Mary later ran a home nursing round with her step-sister Lil (Selina Lily) from the family home. She died from breast cancer on 19 July 1942 at the Charitas Christi Hospice in Kew, Victoria at age 76.
Hugo McKenzie had an active and inquiring mind; he liked to read, had a great interest in photography and took part in public speaking competitions. Hugo married May Alice Brown on 9 September 1912 in Ballarat, Victoria. He became a commercial traveller and later was a sales representative for his wife’s cousin, Mac Robertson.
Rose McKenzie was an exceptional pianist. She taught piano and played at the local Presbyterian Church for many years. In 1921, Rose purchased a property in Boronia, Victoria with her sisters, Lil and Enid. Known as ‘The Homestead’, the sisters planned to run a herb farm on the property but when this failed, they combined their skills and opened a rest home. Rose later set up her own rest home ‘Belfayre’ in The Basin, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. In about 1940, Rose sold Belfayre and purchased a home in Boronia close to her sister Enid. In 1970, with her health gradually fading, she moved to ‘Hurlingham’, a nursing home in Brighton, Victoria. Rose died on 5 June 1973 at Hurlingham nursing home, Brighton, Victoria at the age of 89.
Enid McKenzie was an outstanding scholar with a special interest in Botany. She studied at the Ballarat School of Mines for three years from the early age of eleven. After qualifying as a teacher, Enid obtained a position at the Bendigo School of Mines, boarding with a mine manager. She joined her sisters at Boronia in 1921 after the death of their mother, and on 15 July 1925 Enid married David John Paton at ‘The Homestead’ in Boronia, Victoria. Enid and David shared an interest in native plant and orchids. David had qualified as a pharmacist and purchased a chemist shop at 167 High Street, Kew, Victoria. Although Enid was 38 when she married, they hoped to be able to have a family. After two failed pregnancies, David Hugh Paton was born on 18 August 1927 at Kew, Victoria. Bunty, as he was known, was badly affected with Downs Syndrome. Eighteen months later they had another son, Robin John Paton, born on 16 March 1929 at Kew, Victoria and on 12 October 1930, Rosemary Ruth Paton was born at Kew, Victoria. Rosemary is the keeper of the McKenzie family papers which were passed on to her by her mother, Enid, and she was instrumental in discovering the McKenzie family history.
Rosemary tells us that her mother lost the use of her right hand in 1933. Enid bravely learnt to do everything with her left hand. The family often traveled to Boronia where Enid owned a block of land. They would camp there and enjoy the natural flora and fauna. One weekend when they were camping, Bunty ran across the road in front of a car. He was taken to Ferntree Gully Hospital but died that night, 2 May 1937, from a fractured skull.
In 1940, David Paton, became ill and had a series of severe operations. He died on 19 January 1941 at Kew, Victoria, most likely from bowel cancer. Enid was now faced with supporting herself and two children with only one hand. She opened a florist shop at 145 High Street, Kew. The shop did well, especially during the war years. In 1953, Enid retired to Boronia. In September 1970, she had a fall at home and broke her hip. She was admitted to Royal Melbourne Hospital for surgery but died on 27 September 1970 at age 83. |
Ursella McKenzie remained at the family home on Clissold street after Hugh's death. She was a member of the Ballarat Seventh Day Adventist Church for more than twenty years. Ursella died on 18 April 1921 at her residence in Ballarat, she was 73 years old. She was buried in the McKenzie family grave at Ballarat Old Cemetery on 19 April 1921.
Descendants of Hugh Connell McKenzie
Hugh Connell McKenzie was born on 1 December 1831 in Newmilns, Ayrshire, Scotland and died on 8 September 1904 in Ballarat, Victoria at age 72 years. Hugh married Elizabeth Salisbury on 27 December 1858 in Ballarat, Victoria. Elizabeth was born on 17 March 1842 in Melbourne, Victoria and died on 2 February 1878 in Deniliquin, New South Wales at age 35 years. They had eight children: Peter, Elizabeth, Agnes, Mary Young, Jessie Elizabeth, John Cail, William Manson and William Hugh. Hugh next married Ursella Edward Annear on 27 May 1879 in Melbourne, Victoria. Ursella was born on 24 July 1847 in Breage, Cornwall, England and died on 18 April 1921 in Ballarat, Victoria at age 73 years. They had four children: Hugh Annear Bell, Selina Lily, Ursella Rose and Enid Ethel.
- Peter McKenzie was born on 20 Oct 1859 in Ballarat, Victoria and died on 26 May 1907 in Dunolly, Victoria at age 47 years.
- Elizabeth McKenzie was born on 30 May 1861 in Ballarat, Victoria and died on 30 January 1863 in Ballarat, Victoria at age 1 year 8 months.
- Agnes McKenzie was born on 24 October 1863 in Ballarat, Victoria and died on 28 November 1911 in Ballarat, Victoria at age 48 years.
- Mary Young McKenzie was born on 11 December 1865 in Ballarat, Victoria. and died on 19 July 1942 in Kew, Victoria at age 76 years.
- Jessie Elizabeth McKenzie was born on 19 December 1867 in Ballarat, Victoria and died on 6 December 1868 in Ballarat, Victoria at age 11 months.
- John Cail McKenzie , known as Jack, was born on 18 November 1869 in Ballarat, Victoria and died on 24 February 1951 in Magill, South Australia at age 81 years. John married Lena Annie Bales on 3 April 1895 in Hawker, South Australia. Lena was born on 7 May 1870 in Saddleworth, South Australia and died on 29 April 1936 in Adelaide, South Australia at age 65 years. They had five children: Agnes, Frederick Hugh, Lilian M, Hazel Christabel and Emma Jean.
- William Manson McKenzie was born on 13 December 1871 in Ballarat, Victoria and died in September 1873 in Ballarat, Victoria at age 1 year 9 months.
- William Hugh McKenzie was believed to have been born in 1876 however there is no further information to substantiate this as yet.
- Hugh Annear Bell McKenzie, known as Hugo, was born on 25 May 1880 in Ballarat, Victoria and died on 30 December 1958 in Ferntree Gully, Victoria at age 78 years. Hugh married May Alice Brown on 9 September 1912 in Ballarat, Victoria. May was born on 31 December 1884 in Egerton, Victoria and died on 6 November 1951 in Victoria at age 66 years. They had four children: Graeme Hugh, Graeme Hugh, Wallace Roy and Maxwell Angus. Their eldest son died of convulsions when he was three weeks old.
- Selina Lily McKenzie, known as Lil, was born on 4 March 1882 in Ballarat, Victoria and died on 29 May 1975 in St Kilda, Victoria at age 93 years.
- Ursella Rose McKenzie, known as Rose, was born on 2 November 1883 in Ballarat, Victoria and died on 5 June 1973 in Brighton, Victoria at age 89 years.
- Enid Ethel McKenzie was born on 15 May 1887 in Ballarat, Victoria and died on 27 September 1970 in Melbourne, Victoria at age 83 years. Enid married David John Paton on 15 July 1925 in Boronia, Victoria. David was born in about 1890 in Prahran, Victoria and died on 19 January 1941 in Kew, Victoria at age about 51 years. They had three children: David Hugh, Robin John and Rosemary Ruth.