A is for Alexander #AtoZChallenge2016

Friday 1 April - the start of the 2016 A to Z Challenge.

So, starting with A, who was Alexander Walker? 

Alexander or Alex Walker as he was known, was born in Belfast, Co. Antrim, Ireland on 11 June 1825. He migrated to New Zealand and then to Australia, arriving on 26th April 1863 in Hobson's Bay, Victoria on the Alhambra from Port Chalmers, Dunedin, NZ. Alex then made his way to Mackay arriving there in the mid-1860s. 

He married Mary Jane Young in 1872 in Mackay and had three daughters of the marriage. Alex and Mary Jane selected a farm near Walkerston where he was listed as both a farmer and a carpenter in various publications.

Alex died on 13th November 1909 and was buried in the Walkerston Cemetery on 14th November 1909. He was survived by his wife and three daughters.

1909 'DEATH OF AN OLD RESIDENT.', Daily Mercury (Mackay, Qld. : 1906 - 1954), 23 November, p. 4. , viewed 30 Mar 2016, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article173266812

Burial Card from Walkerston Cemetery

As you can see there is a problem with the date of death. The Qld Births, Deaths & Marriages Registry records his death as 1909 (C2346) as does the Daily Mercury, however, the burial record of the Walkerston Cemetery records his death as 13th November 1910. Obviously a transcription error, it just shows how you have to check and check again.

Now, just a little bit about Mackay, Queensland where Alex married Mary Jane. The useful website, Queensland Places, that you can visit here, tells us that Mackay was named after the explorer, John Mackay who led an expedition from Armidale, New South Wales, in search of northern grazing lands. In May 1860, after exploring inland regions, Mackay reached the Pioneer River, upon which the town of Mackay was later established.

Municipal government began in 1869 and the Mackay township's population tripled during the 1870s. Mackay was described in the Australian Handbook in 1876:

From the Australian Handbook, 1872 accessed from
http://queenslandplaces.com.au/mackay on 1 April 2016

More about the Mackay District as the Challenge develops ...

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Source Citations:

Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (New Zealand Ports). Microfiche VPRS 13439, copy of VRPS 947. Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria.

http://queenslandplaces.com.au/mackay accessed 1 April 2016