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the family of james belcher of waterford, ireland - University of ...

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28 CHAPTER 3. THIRD GENERATION 1850 - 1868<br />

newly married couple on <strong>the</strong>ir honeymoon, and that it was on this journey that <strong>the</strong><br />

bridesmaid, Ellen Jamieson, got to know William Belcher, who lived next door to <strong>the</strong><br />

Wades and whom she was later to marry. Ellen had been born at Spring Hill near<br />

Creswick, on 11th November 1859, <strong>the</strong> 5th daughter <strong>of</strong> Robert Jamieson, a farmer,<br />

but former ship’s carpenter, from Bute in Scotland, and Jean (or Jane) Cunning,<br />

who had come out to Australia with her fa<strong>the</strong>r and stepmo<strong>the</strong>r and <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>family</strong> from<br />

FalkirkinScotland. ItispresumedthatshecameacrosstoMiepollSouthtostaywith<br />

her sister from time to time, for, on 3rd March 1886, when William was 30 years old<br />

and Ellen 26, <strong>the</strong>y were married, at <strong>the</strong> home <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bride’s fa<strong>the</strong>r, Robert Jamieson,<br />

at Franklinford. They were married according to <strong>the</strong> rites <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>Presbyterian Church,<br />

and <strong>the</strong> witnesses were John Wade and Jean Jamieson.<br />

Settling in at Meipoll<br />

They settled on William’s 320 acre farm in a three room log, plaster and paling house<br />

- 30 feet by 16 feet in size. There was an orchard and also a kitchen garden. By<br />

May 1887, when William applied to convert his licence on <strong>the</strong> property to a Crown<br />

Lease, 160 acres had been cleared. The property had been completely fenced, with<br />

a mixture <strong>of</strong> chock and log, brush and post, and wire fences which he had erected<br />

himself without payment by his neighbours, and valued at £121 10 shillings. As well<br />

as <strong>the</strong> house, William erected a wood and bark ro<strong>of</strong> outhouse, 16 feet by 12 feet, and<br />

two sheds, one 40 feet by 16 feet and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r 40 feet by 30 feet <strong>of</strong> wood and bark<br />

with a straw thatched ro<strong>of</strong>.<br />

Over <strong>the</strong> previous three years, he had cropped 50 acres with wheat, oats and<br />

barley with yields between 8 and 16 bushels per acre. Although not mentioned in<br />

his application, he had almost certainly commenced dairying on <strong>the</strong> property by this<br />

time. At intervals over <strong>the</strong> next 13 years, William Belcher wrote many letters to<br />

<strong>the</strong> local paper, <strong>the</strong> Euroa Advertiser, on various subjects relating to dairying, and<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r types <strong>of</strong> farming. During this period, a neighbour, William Murray who had<br />

not verified his land claim on Allotment 46 B, parish <strong>of</strong> Miepoll adequately, and had<br />

first built his house on an adjacent property and <strong>the</strong>n had problems <strong>of</strong> illness in a<br />

large <strong>family</strong>, had to abandon his licence, because he failed to meet <strong>the</strong> requirements<br />

for improvements and payments. William Belcher took up <strong>the</strong> crown lease <strong>of</strong> this<br />

property, known <strong>the</strong>reafter to <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong> as “Murrays”, later to pass it on to William<br />

Belcher junior. Later, William Belcher purchased <strong>the</strong> crown lease <strong>of</strong> ano<strong>the</strong>r property<br />

Allotments 31 and 32 at Rigg’s Creek, in <strong>the</strong> parish <strong>of</strong> Moglonemby, where <strong>the</strong>re had<br />

been built a fine house, with <strong>the</strong> intention <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>family</strong> moving <strong>the</strong>re. This property

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