- Margaret Ryan (28.05.1833 ) in Nenagh Tipperary, was the daughter of William and Margaret Ryan and lived in Northern Ireland during the potato famine 1845-1849. Some notes read she was the only survivor of her family (-parents and brother) from the famine. Margaret was a Irish orphan girl and at 16 years of age as part of 305 Irish orphans from work houses in Ireland and selected to go to Australia as part of the Earl Grey Scheme. (Girls selected whom had been at the Roscrea workhouse for a year.
Margaret sailed on either the '"Pemberton " reportedly from Roscrea Tipperary Orphanage sent out by the British Government to Port Phillip)" , arrived at Australia Port Phillip Australia 14.05.1849.
The voyage took 89 days. According to the passenger Lists, Margaret was Roman catholic aged 16 and could read only.
The orphans were kept on board for 2 weeks, presumably for administrative reasons. Eventually allowed to disembark and were admitted to the depot on the Government Block on May 26th 1849, after which they were available for hire.
305 orphans on the ship, 30 girls went to Portland.
Margaret was hired by an agent of Edward Henty for a period of 15 pounds per year. On obtaining employment, Margaret was shipped on the Brig "Raven" with another 143 orphans girls to Portland on the 16th June 1849. Margaret left the depot in April 18 to work for (probably as a house maid) for a mr Narrina ?, Little Lonsdale St melbourne at 8 pound per annun. Later employed
by Edward Henty (1810-1878) on the Muntham Station Casterten Victoria "to mind the Henty Children".
One of the Henty brothers who bought sheep out to Tasmania from England in 1830 and over to Portland in the 1830's, making them the earliest white settlers in the Port Philip district. Edwards property, Muntham is in Western District of Victoria, near Hamilton and Edward lived ter with his wife Anna Marie Galle (1820-1901)
It was at Munthan that Margaret Ryan met and later married David Munro Murray between March 1850 and february 1851. Margaret was a married woman when she fought the bush fires on Black Thursday 06.02.1851.
A 22 year old Scotsman who had only bee in Australia for a short time. As one of a small number of females in the area, Margaret would have been of great interest to all the young men around. They married c1850, with Margaret renouncing her Catholic faith and following her husband's Presbyterian faith. From the Portland Guardian & Normanby General ADvertiser (Vic :1842-1876) Monday 16th February 1857 page 2 titled Festivities in the Bush -Reads " On the evening of Thursday the 13th instant, a grand ball was given at the Muntham in Honour of Mr David Murray who had been for a number of years overseer for Mr Henty. Mr Murray has just been appointed Superintendent for Mr Geo Robertson, Glenelg being very highly esteemed by the people at Muntham. Upwards of 40 couples sat down to a sumptuous meal prepared in Portland and the German Brass band was engaged. A little time after this event , David and Margaret must have returned to Muntham for another 3 children were born there.
In the early 1880's land was opened up to small farmers and the family moved to the Telangatuk area, 25kn from Balmoral and 47 km south west of Horsham. David became a well known and successful sheep farmer
David Murray and Margaret Murray had 12 children , their first born Mary , the first female born in the "Munthan" area on 13th August 1852 and many of David's & Margaret's children took up the land around them and they all worked together and helped each other.Until their house was build, David and Margaret lived in a tent or on their cart.
David passed away suddenly in February of 1896 aged 66 years from a heart attack while reading the morning paper. Margaret was aged 63 years at this time and was cared for by the family.
Margaret died on the 21st March 1905 Telangatuk East aged 71 years of acute inflammation of the intestines and buried in the peaceful Balmoral cemetery. They erected beautiful headstones to mark her and David's grave. At her death Margaret owned several tracks of land totalling 679 acres on the banks of the Glenelg River near telangatuk East which she willed to her youngest son. He death certificate specifies that she was a farmer.
Their daughter Mary Murray married William Hallam (from Joseph & Hanna ) on the 13th March 1876 and had seven children the fifth child was William Frank Hallam (b.03.08.1988 -15.02.1960) . William Frank married Marguerite "Daisy" Ahearn.
(ref-Noel Hallam 24th January 2004 )
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1833 - 1905 (71 years)
