Catherine Simpson Duncan (nee Meston)

For a Scottish lass with her first husband, Peter Duncan and their children, Isabella, Catherine and Esther, the climate change must have been a great shock.  The ship "Oban Bay"  built in 1876 of 1108 tons, arrived into Townsville on 19 July, 1883 having left Glasgow on 20 March, 1883.  The weather was at least winter in the southern hemisphere although, it is never cool in Townsville.  Catherine's sister, Mary Ann Meston had migrated ahead of her on the "Scottish Lassie"arriving in March 1883 and also arriving into Townsville.  Peter Duncan was a stone mason possibly giving him little prospects of getting a job in his field here.  Stone was not a medium widely used in Queensland for house building but mainly in large commercial buildings.  Peter's death which at this point in time has not been found possibly occurred in New South Wales but it is assumed it was sometime after 1889.

Old Tenaments in Glasgow, Scotland

The birth of Catherine Simpson Meston occurred on 3rd May, 1853 in Wick, Caithness, Scotland to parents George Meston and Catherine Simpson.  George was born in 1826 in Berwick Upon Tweed, Northumberland, England but some time between 1851 and 1852 he moved up to Wick, Caithness where he met Catherine Simpson.  George and Catherine married in Wick in July 1852, this being a second marriage for George who had previously been married to Catherine Brodie Home.  Catherine Meston (nee Home) died circa 1850 at Berwick Upon Tweed.  Catherine Simpson had lost both parents but was lucky to have received an inheritance.

    Wick, Caithness, Scotland

Wick Harbour, Caithness, Scotland

Children born to George and Catherine Meston (nee Simpson) were Catherine Simpson b.1853, Esther Gallon b. 7 January, 1856, Mary Ann b. 25 October, 1857, Georgina Forbes b. 30 October, 1859 (no further trace has been found of Georgina) and John George b. 6 October, 1862 died on 11 January, 1863 from disease of the brain at only 3 months of age.

At the time of the Scotland 1861 census, the family had moved into Richard Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire where George was a hairdresser.  George Meston died on 14 April, 1864 in Glasgow aged between 36 - 38 from enlargement of the liver and bronchitis.

Through necessity and after George's death, his widow Catherine re-married James Deary on 25 January 1869.  James who was aged 39 was a widower and a master shoemaker and Catherine who was aged 35 was a dressmaker.  I expect together they hoped to do quite well making their home at 71 Princes Street, Glasgow.  Luck was not on their side and their marriage was to be a short one as on the 29 June 1872 Catherine Dearie (nee Simpson) passed away at 71 Princes Street, Glasgow of cardiac disease at the age of 37.  This did not stop James Deary from getting married for a third time to Margaret Robertson, a widow and shoe binder.  They married on 3 November, 1873.  Over their adult lives, all lived at the same address of 71 Princes Street, Glasgow.

 Old Glasgow

Perhaps, Catherine's children from her first marriage to George Meston were not happy with her remarriage, because on 29 December, 1870 Catherine Jnr married Peter Duncan at the High Church in Glasgow.  Peter was listed as a mason journeyman and Catherine as a factory worker.  Their ages were just 21 and 17 respectively.  Peter's parents, Alexander Duncan and Isabella Forbes were both listed as deceased.  As per the marriage record, only Catherine's mother was living.  The 1881 Scotland census records Peter and Catherine Duncan living at 44 Glover Street, Leith South, Midlothian with three children, Isabella 9 yrs, Catherine 2 yrs and Esther 8 mths.  A son named Alexander Duncan had been born on 17 October, 1874 but died on 20 March, 1876 at Campsie, Stirlingshire, Scotland indicating that the family was moving around possibly so Peter could obtain work as a mason.

On the 23 February, 1892 Catherine Duncan lost another family member, a sister, Esther Gallon Ferguson (nee Meston).  Esther Ferguson died in Hutchesontown, Glasgow.  She had married David Snedden Ferguson on 19 September, 1889 in Glasgow, a marriage that was not to last.  By this time Catherine had suffered a number of deaths in her family.

Hutchesontown, Glasgow, Scotland

Slums of Glasgow in the 1940's

As noted earlier in my story, the Duncan family migrated to Townsville, Queensland in 1883 and presumably settled there happily where Peter's occupation became a lengthsman (working on railway lines).  It seems that Peter Duncan had died sometime after the registration of the birth of Mary Ann McJannett Duncan in 1888 (details below) or perhaps after 1889 when a son, George Meston Duncan was born in 27 Chambers Street, Ultimo, Sydney which in itself seemed a little strange being so far away from North Queensland.

Son, George Meston Duncan was educated at Townsville Grammar School and became Dux of the school.  He studied in Sydney to become a medical doctor.  In 1915 he married Edith Susan Brissett in Newtown, Sydney and died in 1951 in Gosford, New South Wales.  It is interesting to think about who would have paid for his education at Townsville Grammar as the family was not of wealthy means.  Perhaps if his real father was Thomas McJannett and if he might have struck it lucky finding gold, then maybe the funds were provided by him.  Perhaps he won a scholarship if one was available in those times.

A story from Trove in The Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld 1866-1939, Saturday 23 November, 1889, page 48 stated that Peter Duncan went insane after been found wandering naked in the bush in North Queensland. Perhaps the extreme Queensland heat affected him or the relentless difficult job took its toll, but in any case, his health had no doubt deteriorated enough for him to just walk off into the bush.  He must have felt extremely desperate.  It is not known what became of Peter after this.

And so, it was to be that on the 16 January, 1893, Catherine Duncan (nee Meston) married a second time with her marriage certificate showing her as a widow aged 37 years.  This was not quite correct as she was born in 1853 in Scotland making her age 40 years.  Arthur John Turner was a bachelor with his age stated as 30 which was also incorrect as he was born in 1867 so his real age was closer to 26.  The age differences may have encouraged them to lie when they registered for marriage.  Arthur John Turner was living in Sturt Street, Townsville and Catherine Duncan was living in Wills Street, Townsville when they married at the "Manse", Victoria Street according to the rites of the Presbyterian Church.  Sturt and Wills Streets are very close in proximity, so it is assumed that they just met in the neighbourhood.

Arthur John and Catherine Turner were my paternal great grandparents.

One daughter was born of this marriage, Dorothy Turner, my paternal grandmother.  She was born on 29 May, 1894 at Wills Street, Townsville.  Her mother, Catherine, would have been an older mother at that time.

Family tragedy continued to happen and on the 27 September, 1900, Catherine Turner's sister, Mary Ann McJannett (nee Meston) died at Hughenden, Queensland of pneumonia and alcohol syncope (drinking alohol can cause blood pressure to fall).  Hughenden is 376 kilometers west of Townsville.  Mary Ann was only 42 years of age.  At age 25 Mary Ann Meston had married Thomas McJannett (age 20) on 30 March, 1883 having met on the ship "Scottish Lassie" on the way to Australia.  It is also known that Thomas McJannett abandoned Mary Ann to travel to Western Australia in search of gold in Coolgardie.  Whilst in Coolgardie he married again to Ellen (Nellie) Pringle in 1900, the day before his first wife, Mary Ann died.  It could be thought that Mary Ann died from a broken heart.

Thomas McJannett was later found to be living in St. Kilda in Victoria with his family from Western Australia, which included daughters, Ruth Mina b. 1902 Coolgardie, Gladys Myrtle b. 1904 Coolgardie and Jean Murial b. 1906 Coolgardie.  It is possible that Mary Ann McJannett (nee Meston) might have had a daughter named Mary Ann McJannett "Duncan" born on 24 June, 1888 but this birth was listed with parents, Peter and Catherine Duncan (Mary Ann's sister and brother in law).  It is possible that the same thing happened with George Meston Duncan's birth in 1890, but this notion could only be proven by modern day DNA tests.  Perhaps after Mary Ann McJannett (nee Meston) was abandoned by Thomas McJannett, she could not look after the children she bore to him.  Mary Ann's death certificate of 1900 has no issue stated on it.  It is unclear who the actual biological parents were, however Mary Ann McJannett Duncan married Thomas Oswald Chenoweth in 1911 in Queensland.  Mary Ann McJannett Chenoweth died in 1939 in Queensland.

On the electoral rolls between 1913 to 1936 Arthur John Turner was listed as a horse driver living in Chillagoe, Queensland but there was no mention of Catherine his wife.  Presumably she did not register to vote.  Women were only given the right to vote in Queensland in 1905.

Bullock Team

Catherine Turner (nee Meston) died on 18 November, 1912 at the General Hospital, Chillagoe, Queensland from morbus cordis, cardiac dropsy (excess fluid of soft tissue), heart failure at the age of 55 yrs although it is known from research that her actual age was 59 yrs.  Catherine was buried on 19 November, 1912 at Chillagoe cemetery.  There is no headstone to mark her grave.

Chillagoe Cemetery