P.11, THE CAIRNS FAMILY OF BONEO.
JAMES AND JANET CAIRNS.
James and Janet Cairns (nee Cunningham) lived in Stirlingshire, Scotland. Stirlingshire is south of the river Forth and east of Loch Lomond. Some local names appearing on papers held by members of the family who made the trip to Australia, are Clackmannon (sic), Blairbogie, Alva and Menstrey(sic?).

Three sons of James and Janet Cairns, Robert, David and Alexander and a daughter Elizabeth, all came to Victoria and eventually settled at Boneo.

When James wife Janet died in Scotland he remarried. His second wife was a woman of some wealth. Together they reared a second family who were step-brothers to Robert, David, Alexander and Elizabeth. Members of the second family also came out to Australia in the 1850's. In Scotland they owned the "Carron" Timber Mills and also ships of their own. They brought with them prefabricated houses, one of which was to be erected ready to accommodate Robert and Mary Cairns on their arrival in Melbourne.

ROBERT AND MARY CAIRNS.
...with their three sons, James 3,John 2, and Robert, an infant, sailed from Scotland, via Liverpool,on the sailing ship,"Europa", 1088 tons, under its Master, Hamilton Oliver, on the 17th June 1852. They arrived in Melbourne on 15th September of the same year.

....Robert's age is shown as 36 years and Mary's 35. No reason can be given for the advancement of the ages, but they do show a discrepancy with those recorded later on the death certificates. It is generally accepted by the descendants that the ages shown on the death certificates are more accurate.

.......On the arrival of the "Europa" at Port Phillip Heads, Robert Cairns found the ship bringing his step brothers, and their prefabricated houses, delayed just inside the Heads. After an exchange of greetings, the "Europa" proceeded on to Port Melbourne.

The delay to Robert's step brothers was only short term and they were soon reunited at Port Melbourne. Robert stayed on in Melbourne and assisted with the location and erection of the prefabricated houses in Prahran.

Robert's step brothers are said to have settled at Port Melbourne, establishing the Carron Timber Mill, which in later years became Sharp's Timber Co.

Elizabeth's death certificate shows that she was indeed the sister of Robert, David and Alexander Cairns. The curious thing is that she was born in 1814 and that Alexander was born in 1827. If Janet died during or soon after Alexander's birth, the first of the step brothers would have been born in 1828, making him only 24 or so on his arrival in Port Phillip Bay in 1852.

The reason for the delay inside the heads would have been a very thorough inspection by officials from the quarantine station which had been hastily transferred from Elwood in 1852 after the arrival of the fever ship (Ticondera?) Perhaps some passengers from the step-brothers' ship were infected and had to be taken ashore to the tents awaiting them on shore, no buildings having yet been erected.

As Elizabeth was born in 1814, the ages on the shipping list may have been the correct ones, not the ones given on death certificates. In 1852, Robert's age was given as 36 and Mary's as 35. In 1854, David's age was stated as 40 and his wife's as 36; Alex was said to be 35 and his wife 30.

The approximate birth year of each, as indicated by the shipping list, is given for each below, followed in brackets by the details supplied at the end of the book.
David Cairns c.1814(1821-1870.) Janet,nee Thompson c.1818 (1818-1880.)
Robert Cairns c.1816 (1820-1884.) Mary, nee Drysdale c.1817 (1828-1901.)
Alexander Cairns c.1819 (1827-1911.) Janet, nee Dalgleish c.1824 (1827-1898.)

Oliver and Sarah Wilson's ages were falsified on the passenger lists so they could qualify as bounty (assisted) passengers and Back Yard Bob's opponent in the shovel trouble at Rosebud, Robert Henry Adams, falsified the date of his father's marriage on his own wedding certificate so gentlewoman, Miss Hopcraft,would not discover that he was a b-st-rd. However the Cairns families were unassisted passengers and had no reason to lie.

To check the possibility of the shipping records being right,let's examine the age (based on the shipping records) of each wife at the birth of their last child:
David's Janet, (Rosebud Ted 1865), 47; Robert's Mary (Mary 1872), 55; Alexander's Janet(Walter 1870), 46.
To have a child at these ages would be most unusual today but these women would have been very healthy and would have had the birthing business down to a fine art after the previous 11, 10 and 9 (respectively) births.

Let's examine the ages of the husbands in the year of the birth of their first child. (Shipping list/Death Cert.)
David (James 1840)26/19; Robert (James 1848)32/28; Alex (James 1850)31/23.
David's details present the best case for preferring the shipping list ages.



ROBERT CAIRNS (1820-1884) was married in Menstrey, Scotland to MARY DRYSDALE (1828-1901.) Robert was buried at the cemetery on Alexander's grant at Boneo and Mary was buried at Rye. Mary's parents, who came out with them, settled on the other side of the bay and gave Drysdale its name. Mary Campbell, who came out with them in 1852, with Robert as her guardian and probably helping Mary with the children, later became a relative via the Edmonds family, her daughter and Walter's daughter both marrying into this family. Robert most likely bought his grant at Boneo at auction because this was before the days of selection as far as I know; selection was enabled by the Land Acts of the 1860's. Robert had intended farming but got into lime burning which proved so lucrative that he was able to help his brothers,David and Alexander to come out in 1854.

(Something I had intended to put into the GEORGE AND OLLIE JOHNSTONE journal. Robert obviously came with some money. Alex Johnstone stated that the limestone houses erected by Cairns family members were indicative of money. However the fact is that pioneers used the material that was most readily available, and limestone was common from Rosebud/Boneo to the Heads. Slab huts were more likely to be built in forest areas, and much of the Arthurs Seat timber disappeared for piers,sleepers, firewood etc so some limestone houses may have been built further east for want of timber. Slab buildings were not a sign of lower financial status, the McCrae Homestead being a good example.)

Robert, David and Alexander shared Little Scotland on the north east corner of Boneo and Browns Rd until in 1870, Alexander moved to his grant on the north west corner.Colin McLear recalled a visit to Little Scotland made by George McLear, accompanying his mother's business partner, hawker, Charles Graves (who sold Marysfield to her in 1860 to become a Shoreham storekeeper with over 300 acres in the parish of Flinders.) One of the flock of snowy-haired children complained,"Ae Cannae crruck a whee whup yet!" (P.98, A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA.)


Robert did later select some land in the parish of Fingal, 198 acres on the east side of Boneo Rd, in July 1871 and on it built Maroolaba in 1873.Give location details from p.map later!!!

Robert and Mary's children were:
1. JAMES ,1848-1914, married Emily Hynes, buried Macclesfield; he and brothers contracted to Victorian Railways at Camperdown and then near Murchison. Erected a theatre in Queenstown, Tas. C.1895. Issue:Robert, Alan,Donald, Charles, Herbert and Alice.
2. JOHN, 1850-1914, married Mary Russell, buried Rye. Issue:Robert and Charles.
3. ROBERT, 1852-1920, buried Rye.
4. MARGARET, 1854-1920, buried Rye. Married William Patterson in 1880 after Christina (David?s 6th) had died. Issue: William Jnr. who married Rosebud Ted's daughter Ruby.
5. DAVID, 1856-7, buried Boneo.
6. ALEX, 1859-1930, married Suzanne Lawson, buried Tasmania. Issue: Jean.
7. CHARLES, 1862-1889, buried Boneo.
8. DAVID, 1863-1930, buried Rye.
9. JANET, 1865-1934, married Robert Wilson, buried Rye. Issue:Mary, Frank, Madge.
10. HENRY, 1867-1948, married Mary Agnes Cain (daughter of Michael), buried Rye. HILL HARRY. Inherited Maroolaba. Issue:Charles, Raymond (made one more century!), Harry.
12. MARY, 1872-1914, buried Rye.

ALEXANDER CAIRNS (1827-1911) was married in Scotland to JANET DALGLEISH (1827-1898.) Both were buried at Rye. Janet's maiden name is recalled by Dalgleish St (Melway 170A2) on crown allotment 13, section A, Wannaeue, purchased in the early 1900's by her sons David and William.)
Alexander and Janet's children were:
1. JAMES , born 1850.
2. JOHN, 1852-1951, married Emma Baldry, buried Rye.Issue: Douglas*, Mabel, Reuban (A.I.F.), Beatrice.
3. ALEX, 1854-1912, buried Rye.
4. ROBERT, 1856-1910, buried Rye.
5. JANET, 1859-1909,married William Brent, buried Flinders. Issue:Richard (A.I.F.), Alexander.
6. DAVID, 1861-1935, buried Rye. ELEANORA DAVEY.
7. WILLIAM, 1864-1938, buried Rye.
8. ELIZABETH, 1865-1948, buried Rye.
9. HELEN, 1869-1946, buried Rye.
10. WALTER, 1870-1956, married Flo Laughton, buried Rye.
See the GEORGE AND OLLIE JOHNSTONE journal.

DAVID CAIRNS (1821-1870) was married in Scotland to JANET THOMPSON (1819-1880.) Both were buried at Rye.

David and Janet's children were:
1. JAMES, 1840-1929, married Johanna Russell, buried Rye. Rabbit Inspector for the shire. His farm was called Alva Hill. Issue: Arthur, Belle, Lily, Violet, Percy.
2. DAVID, 1842-1923, married Elizabeth Russell, buried Flinders. BLACKS CAMP DAVEY. See the GEORGE AND OLLIE JOHNSTONE journal re the 1897 accident and the guest house at Flinders. Issue: David, Edward, James, Archie, Mary*, Jennie, William, Jane Brown, Edith, Christopher Ernest, Bertie, Alice. (* See Cairns V Haddow, P.2, Mornington Standard, 3-10-1901.)
3. JANE BROWN, 1844-1897, buried Dromana. Inherited Little Scotland in 1880; this probably be part of Little Scotland. See rate records in future journal CAIRNS LAND IN WANNAEUE AND FINGAL.
4. JOHN, born 1846, married Ada Morgan. Issue: Joseph, Janet, Harry, Charles, James.
5. ROBERT, 1848-1937, married Annie Symonds, buried Dromana. BACK ROAD BOB. See SHOVEL TROUBLE AT ROSEBUD in the future CAIRNS LAND journal. Issue: James, David, George, Godfrey (A.I.F.)
6. CHRISTINA, 1850-1877, William Patterson?s first wife, buried Dromana. Issue: James, Janet, Sarah and Christina (Win.)
7. JANET, 1853-1913, married John McLear (b. N.S.W.11-7-1846) on 4-5-1874, buried Dromana. Issue: Janet (Jessie?), Martha 1876, William 1880, George (George Albert 1882), John 1884, (Mary, Jane; actually Mary Jane born in 1886), Jean 1889, Lily 1891, Christopher Henry1893, James 1896.
8. ALEX, born 1856, married Lyndhurst Lizzie.
9. MARY, born 1859, married John Boyd. Issue: Jean, Edith.
10. HENRY, born 1861, married Margaret Haddow, buried Dromana. CARRIER HARRY. Lived at junction of Boneo Rd and the now closed Cape Schanck Rd. Issue: Maude.
11. CHRISTOPHER,1863-1947,married Margaret Russell, buried Rye. Issue: Ethel, Oscar.
CAIRNS.-0n May 23, at Castlemaine,Christopher, beloved husband of the the late Margaret Cairns, loving father of Ethel(Mrs Crichton, deceased) and Oscar, aged 86 years. -At rest. (P.9, Argus, 25-5-1949.)
According to THE CAIRNS FAMILY OF BONEO, Christopher died in 1947.

12. EDWARD, 1865-1943, married Elizabeth Bucher, buried Dromana. ROSEBUD TED. Issue: Ruby (who married William Patterson Jnr.), Roy, Leslie, Ivy.

THE IN-LAWS.
HYNES, LAWSON, RUSSELL, PATTERSON, WILSON, CAIN, BALDRY, BRENT, LAUGHTON, MORGAN, SYMONDS, MCLEAR, BOYD, HADDOW, BUCHER,
The family connections with the Hynes, Lawson and Morgan families probably took place outside the Peninsula; please make a comment if you have knowledge to the contrary. The Brent/Laughton/Walter Cairns connection is discussed in my GEORGE AND OLLIE JOHNSTONE journal. The reasons for the other connections, in terms of farm locations, employment etc. will be discussed in my future journal, CAIRNS LAND IN WANNAEUE AND FINGAL, MORNINGTON PENINSULA.
Colin McLear gives much genealogical detail in A DREAMTIME OF DROMANA. John McLear (1846-1918) who married David and Janet?s 7th child, Janet, was one of three professional fishermen at Dromana, his house being next to the Dromana Hotel. (See my journal PIONEERING NEIGHBOURS NEAR CARRIGG ST, DROMANA.) From Colin?s information, I have inserted the year of birth of each of John and Janet?s children. (Above.) Alex, son of David, probably took up a selection on the Carrum Swamp in the parish of Lyndhurst (north of Seaford Road) which would explain why the family called his wife Lyndhurst Lizzie.

WELL, THAT WAS QUICK! Lizzie was Eliza!
CLAIMS AGAINST SOLICITOR Judgments for ?1,991 ADJOURNMENT SOUGHT
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Tuesday 6 October 1936 p 11 Article
... Eliza Cairns, aged 70 years, of Lyndhurst, widow, who claimed ?1,601. In an iilllduvlt Mrs. Cairns sold ... Frederick Cairns, of Lyndhurst, farmer, adopted son of the lirst applicant. Ile claimed ?300 money had und ... 443 words
Oops! I was a bit hasty there. I think Eliza was the widow of George Cairns, a pioneer of the parish of Lyndhurst, and one of the half brothers of Robert, David and Alexander.

I reckon this is our Alexander.Elizabeth would be Lyndhurst Lizzie and David's 8th child, born in 1856, would have been about 65 years old in 1920.

Family Notices
The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Tuesday 20 January 1920 p 1 Family Notices
... CAIRNS. -On the 19th January, at his residence, Cranbourne road Lyndhurst (late of Wonthaggi), Alexander Henry, the dearly loved husband of Elizabeth Cairns, aged 65 years.

FORGAN (Cairns). - On September 19. at Melbourne, Leslie, loving f0ster-son of the late Elizabeth and Alexander Cairns, and loved brother- of Frederick Cairns. Maggie, Josephine, and Elsie Forgan, late of Lynd- hurst, aged 35 years.

It now seems that Eliza was Elizabeth and the widow of Alexander unless George had one son named Frederick as well.

On 21-9-1881, G.Cairns was granted crown allotment 121 in the parish of Lyndhurst, consisting of 199 acres and 24 perches. (The map may be viewed online by googling "Lyndhurst, County of Mornington".)With so many roads closed, it is difficult to determine its position but it seems to be at Melway 94 A12 with its north east corner at the bend in Springs Drain in 94 A 11, that drain forming its north west boundary and McMahens Rd and Riverbend Rd on the south and west.