John Kilgour
| Town/City | Melbourne |
|---|---|
| First name | John |
| Last name | Kilgour |
| Country of Origin | Scotland |
| Date of Birth | 1854 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 6/1/1882 |
| Submitted by | Jeffrey Kilgour |
Story
John Kilgour was born in 1854, in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. His parents were John Melville Kilgour & Margaret Dow. John was a Watchmaker & Jeweller in Glasgow in the eighteen seventies and married Helen Howden, (born: 1858), on 8 April 1879 in Glasgow. In the traditional manner, their first-born son was named John Kilgour, born in Glasgow in September 1880.
In May 1882, John Kilgour and his younger brother William Kilgour, (born 1866), emigrated to Australia via the Port of LONDON – GRAVESEND, on board the Steamship AUSTRAL. John was 27 years old while William was listed on the passenger ticket as 11 years old. According to his birth date, William was actually 16 years old. This was probably to enable a half price ticket for William. They had a combined Steerage Passage ticket for the two of them, Ticket No.2 in an Intermediate Cabin. The total cost of the ticket was 34 Pounds, 13 Shillings and they landed in the Port of Melbourne in June, 1882. The Steamship AUSTRAL had some turbulent history, with numerous engine defects and on the 11 November 1882 she capsized and sank while re-coaling in Neutral Bay, Sydney. After an extensive effort in 1883, the ship was re-floated and repaired.
John brought excellent written references with him from previous employers. It\’s uncertain when John\’s wife and young son came to Australia, but it\’s believed to be late in 1882 or early 1883. It\’s also uncertain why they came to Australia, although one of John\’s employer references stated that he was ‘going abroad for the benefit of his health’, but also likely to be in the search of a new life.
Typically, Kilgours in this branch of the family were business people with a trade background, such as Tailors, Watchmakers & Jewellers, Weavers…ETC. John Kilgour worked as a watchmaker/repairer for Kilpatrick & Co., Goldsmiths & Jewellers in Melbourne for about three years before settling in the township of Numurkah, Northern Victoria. While in Melbourne, John and Helen had another child, Agnes Baxter Kilgour, born in Prahran, November 1883.
About 1885, John and his family established their Watchmaker & Jewellers shop in 44 Melville Street, Numurkah, Northern Victoria. Although a considerable distance from Melbourne, sometimes John would be sent intricate and delicate watch repairs from Melbourne jewellers. On special occasions, John donated a trophy cup to the local cricket teams and a clock to the local council. Like many tradespeople of the day, John belonged to the local Numurkah Branch of the Masonic Lodge. In a letter to John from another of his brothers, Andrew Kilgour, in North Melbourne in May 1892, at the beginning of an economic depression, Andrew mentions how times are very difficult:
‘I am pleased to say business is looking up this last 3 weeks. I have been very busy and I have a big weeks work on the books now and this is Saturday night. I am hoping it will continue for a while so that I can pull myself together a bit. Trusting you are likewise.
I think we are going to have a revival of trade in Melbourne, I hope so, for it has been dreadful all round. Although I have been able to keep out of debt throughout all the bad times and I consider myself very fortunate indeed.’
John Kilgour and Helen Howden\’s first child, John Kilgour, went on to have an extensive career as a Government Secretary in Port Darwin. In later years he went on to train in accountancy and worked in a bank in Adelaide, South Australia. Their second child, Agnes Baxter Kilgour, stayed and worked at the Kilgour jewellers shop for many years. In later years, she worked for the Speirs family Jewellers in N.S.W. Australia. Agnes never married, she remained at home and cared for her step-mother until she died.
Unfortunately, John\’s wife Helen (nee Howden) died in April 1886. John remarried in March 1890 to Mary Mather. Mary was born in Creswick, Victoria in February 1860 and was from a local district family. John and Mary had two children, Leslie Melville Kilgour and George Dow Kilgour. George Dow Kilgour died age 21 of typhoid fever while in an army training camp in Melbourne during W.W.1. Leslie Melville Kilgour had a career in retail sales and went on to marry and have a family.
Sometime between 1904 and 1910, John Kilgour and Mary Mather moved their family and Watchmaker & Jeweller shop to Corowa, N.S.W. Australia. John died on the 26 December 1915 in Corowa, N.S.W. and is buried in the old Corowa Cemetery, along with his son, George Dow Kilgour. John\’s second wife, Mary Mather, died in Wagga Wagga, N.S.W. on 13 November 1940.