Callaghan family history · ancestors connected to the McLaughlin family. John Gray and Bridget Scally It was their daughter Catherine Gray who married Thomas James McLaughlin at

1 McLaughlan Family Story Compiled by : John Malone

McLaughlan Family History

Scotland and the Hebrides Islands

The ancestral home of the Scottish McLaughlan Family

originates in the Hebrides Islands and the west coast of

Scotland.

The name is derived from the personal name Lachlann.

The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Lachlainn, denoting

the son of Lachlann.

[Gaelic or Scot Gaelic is the Celtic language native to Scotland, which today is only spoken by very small percentage of the population]

{The ancient Celts were various population groups living in several parts of Europe north of the Mediterranean region from the Late Bronze Age onwards. Given the name Celt by ancient writers, these tribes often migrated and so eventually occupied territories from Portugal to Turkey. Although diverse tribes, the ancient Celts spoke the same language. Celtic languages are still spoken today in parts of the British Isles such as Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany in France}

The name McLaughlan has many spelling variations such as:

McLoughlan MacLachlan Lachlan McLaughlin McLagan MacLauchlin McGlothin McLochlain McLauchlane

In various documents presented in the following article there will appear many of these variations, often depending on the interpretation and spelling by officials recording the various documents

and the literacy level of the informant.

It was not uncommon to see a father and son spell their name differently as will be the case in the following family story.

http://www.ancient.eu/Celts/http://www.ancient.eu/europe/http://www.ancient.eu/celt/http://www.ancient.eu/turkey/http://www.ancient.eu/celtic/


Parents:

Thomas McLaughlin (Soldier)

Sarah Moran

Thomas McLaughlan and Sarah Moran

The pathway to the McLaughlan family story within Australia has been quite an elusive one.

Working backwards from the 1910 death certificate of Thomas James McLaughlin, a labourer /

butcher from Young NSW, information indicated he was born at Maitland NSW, c1840.

Also, according to further death certificate information, Thomas James McLaughlin was the son of

Thomas McLaughlin, a soldier and Sarah Moran.


Until recently, a number of years of research failed to produce any verification of the above death

certificate information.

A few years ago, the uncovering of the baptismal certificate of Thomas McLoughlan (son) was a

hugely important breakthrough.

The baptismal certificate of Thomas McLoughlan, basically backed up the information contained in

the death certificate of Thomas James McLaughlin.

Father Thomas Mother Sarah Born at Maitland Father a soldier Date of birth – c1841 (death certificate) compared to 1843 (baptismal certificate)


The death certificate of Thomas McLoughlan (father of Thomas James McLaughlin) had remained

quite elusive for a number of years with no clear pathway evident in Birth, Death and Marriage

records, unless I was to spend considerable resources trying to source all the possible matching death

certificates in NSW for a “Thomas McLaughlin” (various spellings).

NSW Birth, Death and Marriage Indexes indicated that between 1800 and 1900 there were 10 possible

matches of deaths for Thomas McLaughlin. Each death was potentially the person I was seeking.

The death of Thomas McLaughlin in 1864 (registered at Maitland) obviously looked quite promising.

Years ago I had acquired a baptismal certificate for a:

Thomas Fred McLaughlan

Father Thomas McLaughlan

Mother Ann McLaughlan

Occupation – Cooper (barrel maker)

Abode – Bolwarra (near Maitland)

Parish of East Maitland

Enquiries to the Maitland Historical Society basically led

to a dead end regarding the particular Thomas

McLaughlan I was looking for.


Ship “Wilson” 7 January 1842

For quite some time it has been known that the ship "Wilson" brought to Australia two important

ancestors connected to the McLaughlin family.

John Gray and Bridget Scally

It was their daughter Catherine Gray who married Thomas James McLaughlin at St Mary’s Catholic

Church, Young on 10 January 1872.

A recent discovery noted another passenger on the ship "Wilson", arriving on 7 January 1842 was a

Thomas McLaughlan, a carpenter aged 24 years.

Was this the connection leading to the eventual marriage of his son Thomas James McLaughlin to

Catherine the daughter of fellow passengers John Gray and Bridget Scally?

The “Sydney Gazette” dated Saturday 8 January 1842, makes

mention of the arrival of the ship “Wilson”

The Wilson, from Greenock with 200 bounty emigrants, came into

Sydney yesterday morning.

Two adults and one child died during the passage. She put into

the Cape of Good Hope for refreshments, from whence she sailed

on the 17th November.


Shipping Indent – Thomas McLachlan

Shipping records give the following information regarding Thomas McLachlan.

Thomas was:

Unmarried

A shipwright (carpenter on application)

Chose the Church of Scotland as his religion

24 years of age

Able to both read and write

His native place was Caputh, Perthshire Scotland

His father Charles McLachlan, a labourer, was still alive

His mother Christie McGregor was deceased


Upon arrival, a further document lists Thomas McLaughlan - Carpenter - 24 years - working daily

work on board the "Margaret" in the harbour (Sydney).

Thomas McLaughlan - Soldier – To Maitland

It appears that soon after arrival, Thomas McLaughlan was seconded to assist as a soldier in the

development of the Hunter Region north of Sydney and appears to have been based at Maitland.

Convict Development of the Hunter Valley

Lt John Shortland visited the Hunter River in 1798 while pursuing escaped convicts. He saw the coal seams

at the mouth of "a very fine coal river which I named after Governor Hunter". In 1804 34 convicts involved

in an uprising at Castle Hill were banished to Newcastle where a permanent penal settlement was established

for convicts who had committed a colonial crime. Convicts were put to work mining coal, timber-getting,

and making lime. By 1819 there were 850 convicts working in Newcastle.

Gangs of convicts based in Newcastle were sent up the Hunter River to cut timber near where the towns of

Morpeth and Maitland were later established. A couple of overseers and a gang of about 30 convicts were

expected to fell between 100 and 150 large trees each month, form them into rafts, and float them back

down the river to the lumber yard. Red cedar and rosewood were the most prized timbers.

Governor Macquarie believed in rewarding good behaviour, so he allowed a few trusted convicts to establish

farms near Wallis Plains (now Maitland), the head of navigation of the river. Some emancipated settlers also

began to move in, and by 1820 over 20 farms had been established. A small military detachment was based

at Maitland to protect these farmers.

In 1822 the penal settlement was moved from Newcastle to Port Macquarie and the Hunter Valley was

opened up for settlement. Other enterprises developed, with convict labour being assigned to private

companies and individuals rather than working directly for the government. The Australian Agricultural

Company relied on convict labour to develop its coal mines close to the settlement at Newcastle.


In the upper Hunter Valley large land grants were available to the many free settlers who were arriving from

England. Armed with sufficient capital to develop substantial farming enterprises, they relied on the ongoing

transportation of convicts to provide labour to run their estates. [sourced from the Internet]

The timeline schedule for Thomas McLaughlan was

exceedingly tight:

Arrived via ship “Wilson” 7 January 1842

Relationship with Sarah Moran

Become a soldier and move to Maitland

Birth of a son Thomas – 6 June 1843


Sarah Moran - Background

Tracing Sarah Moran has been exceedingly difficult and after thirty years of research her death certificate

has not, as yet, been uncovered.

To fit into the correct timeline it appears that Sarah Moran arrived at Port Phillip (Melburne) via the ship

“Agostina” in 1841.

Agostina The ship Agostina arrived at port Phillip on 17 December 1841. The ship was a barque of 333 tons, under

the command of Captain William Perry, master. “Agostina” sailed from London on 4 August 1841 and then

to Cork, Ireland on 2 September 1841before reaching Port Phillip some 2 ½ months later.

Barque Total Staff Other Died Born Couples With

chn Hus Wives Sons Daus Chn Bounty Families

Un

mal

Un

fem

Agostina 112 5 3 0 1 7 6 13 13 5 6 11 104 39 29 38

Paid own fare Passenger Mr Moody, two not approved for Bounty

Among the list of unmarried females onboard the “Agostina” was Bounty Immigrant, Sarah Moran.

Name Age Occupation Religion Reads/Writes Native Place Bounty

Sarah

Moran

20 years Dairy

Woman

Roman

Catholic

Reads County

Tipperary

£19

The timeline schedule for Sarah Moran was also exceedingly tight:

Arrived via ship “Agostina” 17 December 1841

Make way to Sydney presumably via ship

Relationship with Thomas McLaughlan

Move to Maitland with soldier husband/partner Thomas McLaughlan

Birth of a son Thomas – 6 June 1843


Death of Thomas McLaughlan

The Australian and New Zealand Find-A-Grave Index shows the death of a Thomas McLaughlan on

2 August 1843.

Name: Thomas McLaughlan

Death Date: 2 Aug 1843

Cemetery: St Patrick's Cemetery

Burial or Cremation Place: Parramatta, City of Parramatta Council, NSW, Australia

Further delving into their website shows further details:

Note: 23y, Military Barracks, 99th Regt

St Patrick’s Cemetery, Parramatta

It appears that Thomas McLaughlan died at the Military Barracks at Parramatta and he was a

member of the 99th Regiment.

His age is listed as 23 years of age which differs slightly to his arrival age of 24 years in January 1842.

It appears as though Thomas McLaughlan was to only survive for just over a 1 ½ years in his new

found land of Australia, his son Thomas James McLaughlin just 2 months old when he was to lose his

life. His wife Sarah would obviously have been distraught and devastated.


Sarah McLaughlan - Remarriage

Birth and Death of Child: Mary Ann Halkett

On 29 April 1852, Sarah Halkett (nee Moran later McLaughlan) gave birth to a daughter Mary Ann

Halkett.

The birth was registered in the District of Hobart which may have encompassed a large area such as

Port Arthur as the father Patrick Halkett was listed as a “Private in the 99th Regiment”.


Births in the District of Hobart - 1852

When Born Name Sex Father Mother Rank/Profession Informant /

Residence

29 April

1852

Mary Ann Female Patrick

Halkett

Sarah

Halkett

formerly

Moran

Private 99th

Regiment

Patrick

Halkett

Military

Barracks

A later document lists Mary Halkett as deceased on 1 September 1952 just 4 months after her birth.

Unknown Fate of Sarah (nee Moran) and Patrick Halkett

At this stage the fate of Patrick Halkett and Sarah (nee Moran) remains unknown.

There is a listing for a soldier of the 99th Regiment named Patrick Halkett dying in 1849

and being buried on the Isle of the Dead at Port Arthur, Tasmania .

This can’t be the Patrick Halkett we are seeking as he was the father of a child Mary Ann

Halkett in 1852.

Soldiers and Family who died and nothing more at present is known

HALKETT Patrick . d. 1849 Private 99th Regiment of Foot aged 29 years Buried

Isle of the Dead Port Arthur Tasmania


Family of Thomas McLaughlin and Sarah Moran

Thomas James McLaughlin married Catherine Gray at Young on 10 January 1872.


Catherine McLaughlin died at Young on 28 September 1909 aged 59 years.

Thomas James McLaughlin died at Young on 6 July 1910 aged 68 years

Documents

Callaghan family history · ancestors connected to the McLaughlin family. John Gray and Bridget Scally It was their daughter Catherine Gray who married Thomas James McLaughlin at