John Norman
| First name | John |
|---|---|
| Last name | Norman |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | 6/5/1828 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1869 |
| Submitted by | Priscilla Chapman |
Story
John Norman was born in Penrith, Cumberland, England in 1828. A landscape gardener, he sailed to Australia in 1869 on the “Corona”, arriving with his wife, Elizabeth (born 1826 in Felton, Northumberland) and their children, Isabella (11), Elizabeth (9), John (7) and Martin (3).
Elizabeth’s sister, Ann, and her husband, John Graham, were already established in Australia. They were amongst the earliest settlers to establish vineyards in Victoria. John Norman was encouraged to come to Australia by his brother-in-law, John Graham. In 1866, nine of John Graham’s relatives, en route to Australia, had perished in the shipwreck of the “London” in the Bay of Biscay, so it must have been with considerable trepidation (and bravery!) that the Normans left family and friends to sail to Australia.
Upon arrival, John Norman worked with his brother and sister-in-law at their first vineyard in the Wahgunyah (Rutherglen) area. John and Ann Graham established vineyards and cellars at their property, “Netherby”, cultivating 600 acres of the best soil and becoming the largest vineyard in the Rutherglen district. John Graham, an engineer, imported the first steam plough into Victoria.
In 1870 John Norman selected land at Corowa, New South Wales. He named his property “Linden” after Linden Hall, Northumberland, England, where he had worked as a landscape gardener. John’s property, “Linden” was part of the 96,000 acres “Quat Quatta Run” which was subdivided in one of the Closer Settlement Schemes. John grew wheat at Linden and ran sheep. John Norman registered the first earmark for sheep in the Corowa area. He died in 1893, well-respected and prosperous. Linden continued to prosper in the hands of his only surviving son, John (Jack), a bachelor, who lived there until his death in 1940.
Elizabeth and John Norman’s daughters, Isabella, Elizabeth and Anne (Anne was born at Waygunyah in 1870, the only child born in Australia), all married and had children, resulting in a great many Norman descendants today, living in both Australia and overseas.