William Duff

1855 - 1942  (86 years)

• Name	William Duff  [1]
  Born	14 Mar 1855	Jervis Bay, New South Wales, Australia
  Gender	Male
  Died	8 Mar 1942	Casino, New South Wales, Australia   [1]
  Buried	Casino, New South Wales, Australia
  Person ID	I11054	So Many Generations
  Last Modified	21 Feb 2021

  
  

  Family	Rose Ann McKee,   b. 26 Mar 1865, Smiths Flat, New South Wales, Australia ,   d. 26 Sep 1940, Casino, New South Wales, Australia  (Age 75 years)
  Married	13 Jul 1892	Casino, New South Wales, Australia   [2]
  Last Modified	21 Feb 2021
  Family ID	F3353	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  William Duff (b.1855) Married Rose Ann McKee in 1892. Their children:William Thomas (1892) m1. Kate Sexton 1915, Lismore; m2 Amy M. Owen1929, Casino (son Thomas E. d.1932); Heather L. (1895) Casino, m.Mountford Beh 1915; David J. (1903) m. Lydia Stanford 1926, Casino(eight children*); Mary G. (1908) m. Richard O. Patch 1925 (son ofCharles Patch and Laura Olive): nine children; Margaret Isabel m.Daniel Patrick Owen (seven children). William d.8.3.1942 Casino; Rosed.26.9 1940/19788 Casino. (both in West Casino cemetery; researchcontinuing.) Although he celebrated his birthday on March 14 eachyear, his baptism registration provides a birth date of February 24,1855, so Mary was carrying him on the voyage to Australia. In theShoalhaven as a young man he had a bakery business which he latersold; he was a farmer at Cowra when he joined the NSW Police (No.5706: .January 17 1889-March 20, 1889). When the Duff family moved toPimlico, William joined them soon after. He took up farming at CampCreek where he met and married Rose Ann McKee., 1892, Casino. Williamselected a block of land at Ellangowan, Casino, February 1892 (thefirst of two), built a slab cottage, growing corn for sale. Williampioneered the Ellangowan mail run to Myrtle Creek on horseback; Roseran the Post Office, sorted the mail, and operated the telephoneexchange; they and their neighbours paid a teacher (Rose's sister,Isobel) to educate local children in their barn and later built aschool on their land, donating land for the horse paddock, theteachers living with the Duff family. The school operated until 1918,until moved to a new location despite objections from William.(Great-grandchildren still attend the present Ellangowan school.) Rosewas a seamstress, travelling from property to property, making andmending clothes, staying at the properties of the people she workedfor. She was staunch member of the St. George Anglican Church,Ellangowan, teaching the Sunday School, and walking to and from Churchin all weathers. William and Rose retired to property they owned atCasino, where William died in 1942, and Rose 1940; both are buried inthe Anglican section of the old Casino cemetery. Rose McKee was thedaughter of John Ceasar McKee and Margaret Warren Phemister(m.1864/2117), one of their eight children, born in Smith's Flats (nowCopmanhurst), NSW, March 26, 1865/9146? Other known children: RuthIsabella, 1879/14315; Edith M., 1884/19784; Elizabeth I., 1888/5424;Mary, d.1883/9296 (also other unnamed children in records). MargaretPhemister arrived in NSW with her parents and family on board the"Asia," 10 May 1839, after a horror voyage that started in Cromarty,Scotland, on 17 September 1838. On the way a son Peter died atPlymouth where the ship was undergoing repairs, and a daughter Janewas born in the Bay of Biscay. [Jane was christened in the St.Andrew's Scots Presbyterian Church, Sydney, 1839.] A son James G. wasborn in Denbie Parish, Hunter District, 1840. Margaret's parents wereGeorge Phemister (d.1867/5213), and Margery Warren Grant (b.March 30,1806; d.1877/5515, daughter of Peter Grant and Beatrice Warren,Scotland. They married February 10, 1805, Kingussie, Scotland. MargeryWarren Grant had a number of name variations over time, May, Marsley,and Margery, the original appearing to be Marsley and she was bornMarch 30, 1806, in Killiehuntly Kingussie/Insch, Scotland. [ChrisHarris] John Ceasar McKee was the son of John McKee (b.1796 Kilkenny,Ireland, d. August 15, 1888 Smiths Flat) and Lydia Caesar (b.Apr 1810Tipperary, Ireland, d.June 23, 1872, Smiths Flat). John and Lydia weremarried on July 16, 1828, and arrived in the Colony on board the"Thomas Lowery" on April 16, 1840. John Caesar was the youngest of 6children, born in 1840 either in Ireland or on board ship, andchristened in Sydney on July 14, 1840. His brother, Julius McKee(b.1833 Butterwick, Tipperary, d.January 13, 1910 Grafton) marriedMargaret's sister, Margery Phemister. [Chris Harris] George Phimisterwas baptised on February 4, 1793 in Duffus, Moray, and was the son ofJohn Phimister (son of William Fimister and Jean Jack) and IsobeleSutherland (daughter of John Sutherland and Jannet Fraser). Margaretand Margery's siblings were Beatrice, John, Isabella, Peter, Jane,Ann, Charlotte, Charles and Alexander They are associated with thefollowing family names Hickey, Havinden, Cavanagh, Donnell, Dwyer,Simpson, McLaughlin and, of course, McKee. The Phemister family thatarrived in 1839 were the only family of this name in NSW to 1885 atleast. Children: Alexander William, m.Ellen McLaughlin 1877/2976; Annm.Robert Simpson 1861; Charles George m.Alice E. Havinden 1878;Isabella m.Thomas Cavanagh 1856; *Jane m.Martin Donnell 1858; Johnm.Louisa J. Havinden (sister to Alice) 1876; Margaret m.John McKee1864; Margery m.Julius McRae 1865; *James m.Frances J. B. Sullivan1882. (Seventeen children to these couples by 1887.) *NSW born. [ChrisHarris]

  
  

• Sources

  [S3] Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985, Ancestry.com, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;). [S2865] Details: #3081 of 1892.