John Laughton
| Town/City | Orange. |
|---|---|
| First name | John |
| Last name | Laughton |
| Country of Origin | Orkney islands , Scotland |
| Date of Birth | 31 / 1 / 1815 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 2/1/2014 |
| Submitted by | kevin lindsay Laughton |
Story
As far as I know the only reason for leaving the Orkney Islands was to make a better life for himself in the new colony. His father Peter (born 1781 , in a census in 1821 he was 40) was a Ships Captain and he knew that the “Stirling Castle” was heading for Australia in late 1835.
John was appointed as the ships carpenter under Captain James Fraser and the journey was made via Hobart then to Sydney arriving there on the (I think ) 14/2/1836. When they weighed anchor “there were 47 other sailing vessels anchored around them ”
Shortly after getting to shore, most of the ships company “jumped ship” and the captain put a notice in the paper saying that he would not be responsible for and debts incurred by them .
As he was a ships carpenter he made his way to the Hawkesbury River below Wisemans Ferry where he set up a boat building business and set up “Laughtondale” where he and his wife together with Elijah his son are to be found in the Laughtondale cemetry. They had 10 children. He married Charlotte Elce at the Church of England at Pitt Town in 1838.
Very instrumental in setting up a Weslyan Church at Portland on the river, he is mentioned in the book “The mosquito fleet ” about early settlers and boatbuilders on the Hawkesbury. His boats made regular trips to Sydney with fruit, vegetables and stock from the Hawkesbury area.
The “Stirling Castle was wrecked in May 1836 and James Fraser was speared on the Great sandy Island now Fraser Island. His wife Eliza survived: see the film and book “The fatal shore”.
My direct line runs Peter : John : Elijah: Willis : Karl : Kevin.