52Ancestors # 5 - Dugald Cameron Connor - a first cousin 2x removed

This post is for Week 5 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge - 2015 - by Amy Johnson Crow from No Story Too Small. Prompt for Week 5, Ploughing through. 

Ploughing with horses - National Library of Australia

With this week's prompt I am going to write about some of my Connor ancestors, those who settled around the Clarence River, New South Wales. During the 1800's there were many opportunities for farmers to show their skills - one was a ploughing competition. This was where a group of farmers would go against each other in various categories to show off their skill and win prize money.


Dugald Cameron Connor entered many of these matches as did his brothers and cousins. After all there was little entertainment for farming men in the late 1800s and this was a great opportunity to show your skill. 

Dugald was listed as a farmer from South Arm, near Grafton when he married Lydia Matilda Spry 10 1885. I am not sure when Dugald gave up farming, the electoral rolls of 1903/1913 list Dugald as a builder. 

You can read an extract (or the full article here) from the Clarence & Richmond Examiner of 22^nd January 1889 below:

Ulmarra Ploughing Matches, a Great Success.

A NUMBER of ploughing matches arranged under the auspices of a number of the leading residents of Ulmarra, was held on the parade ground, in the centre of a large swamp known as the Racecourse Swamp, at the rear of Corndale. The matches were the most successful yet held in the district, and speak volumes for the enterprise of the promoters. There were fully 1000 persons present, and the Reserve seemed covered with people, horses and vehicles ...

Following are the awards:DOUBLE-FURROW PRIZE-1st prize £8 8s, 2nd £2 2s, 3rd £1 1s. Each competitor to plough 1 acre, using double-furrow ploughs. Furrows to be 4 ½ inches deep and 9 inches wide. Competitors to have the option of opening their respective lands for two rounds, with swing ploughs.

B. Johnson, Clarenza (plough by McDermid and Scott). 1

J. McPherson, Clarenza (plough ditto). 2

D. Connor, Ulmarra (plough ditto). 3

This is just one of the many ploughing competitions that Dugald entered, all well reported in the Clarence & Richmond Examiner - it is worth reading the full article via the link above, it gives the reader a good understanding of how important these sort of events were for country people.

Dugald died on the 2nd October 1919 at his sister's house in Terranora, New South Wales, and is buried at the Tweed Heads General Cemetery.