William Cameron and Margaret Robertson

William Cameron (1790-1850?) and Margaret Robertson (1797-1869)

William Cameron (30) married Margaret Robertson (23) on 19 December 1820 in the parish of Kingussie and Insch, Inverness, Scotland.

Willam and Margaret Cameron's children were Isabella Cameron (b. 1825), James Cameron (b. 1828), Margaret Cameron (b. 1831), Annie Cameron (b. 1833), John Robertson Cameron (b. 1835), Sarah Cameron (b. 1837) and Christina Cameron (b. 1838). 

On the 1841 census, William (44) and Margaret (40) and six of their eight children, James (11), Margaret (9), Ann (7), John (5), Christian and Sarah (2) were living at Lynchat Village in the parish of Alvie in Invernessshire. 

On 20 December 1848 their eldest daughter Isabella married James McIntosh in the parish of Kingussie and Insch, Inverness.

On the 1851 census, Margaret (54) widow and her four younger children were living at Lynchat Village. It would seem William Cameron passed away by 1851 and he was survived by his wife Margaret, two sons and five daughters. 

Soon after Margaret and her children decided to migrate to Tasmania where Margaret's four brothers and sister had emigrated previously. In 1822, Margaret's brothers John Robertson (27) and William Robertson (24) traveled aboard the passenger ship Regalia to Hobart, Van Diemens Land (later Tasmania) where they were granted 1400 acres near Campbell Town and also took up a large cattle run. Their younger brother James Robertson had arrived earlier and Daniel Robertson joined the Robertson Brothers business by 1833. Their sister Christiana Robertson had arrived too.

In 1855 Margaret's elder brother Duncan Robertson, wife Margaret and eight children were ten of the 360 immigrants that sailed aboard the clipper ship Storm Cloud from Glasgow to Hobart Town, a journey of seventy-one days.

Margaret's brothers, William and John Robertson, were influential in setting up the Port Phillip Association which was established to explore and open up new grazing land around Port Phillip Bay with John Batman leading the first expedition. By the early 1840s William Robertson had taken up land around Lake Colac and by the 1860s had built 'The Hill', a splendid mansion overlooking the lake. [ref: Brothers on farms by Malcolm Robertson]

1854 was a year for weddings in the family! Margaret's second eldest daughter Margaret Cameron married Thomas Henry Chapman at St. James Church, Melbourne on 14 September 1854. Her third eldest daughter Annie Cameron married David Mackay in Victoria and her eldest son James Cameron married Jane McDonald at Collingwood on 19 December 1854.

Margaret's youngest daughter, Christina Cameron married William Bedford Nolan at Melbourne on 18 March 1856 however they were only together for three years when William Nolan, aged 29, sadly died 3 October 1859.

Margaret's second youngest daughter, Sarah Cameron married Thomas Dudley on 9 April 1856 at Kalkallo. Sarah Dudley nee Cameron would reside at Kilmore for the rest of her life.

Sadly, Margaret's younger son, John Robertson Cameron, aged 21, died from severe injuries received by a fall from his horse at the Friend-in-Hand on 5 November 1856.

Margaret had moved to Kilmore by 1861 where she hosted the wedding of Christina to her second husband Louis Magloire Le Nepveu on 10 September 1861.

Margaret's eldest daughter, Isabella McIntosh nee Cameron, died 2 September 1861, aged 36 and was buried at Lancefield Cemetery, Macedon Ranges shire survived by her husband James McIntosh and six of their seven children.

Margaret moved from Kilmore to Bylands, about midway between Wallan and Kilmore, to a house named Swinton.

Sadly in 1869, Margaret's eldest and last surviving son, James Cameron, died 7 April aged 41 years at his residence Spring Vale, Merri Creek.

Margaret Cameron nee Robertson was 72 years old when she died 24 November 1869 at Swinton. She was buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery on 27 November 1869. The funeral notice advised the funeral procession would move from her late residence, Swinton, Bylands, about 9 a.m. passing through Wallan Wallan and Donnybrook to Craigieburn and then at 2 p.m. through Campbellfield and Pentridge to the Melbourne General Cemetery, around a 50 km journey.

Margaret was survived by her daughters Margaret Chapman, Sarah Dudley and Christina Le Nepveu and grandchildren.

CHILDREN OF WILLIAM AND MARGARET CAMERON
Isabella Cameron (1825-1861) married James McIntosh, 1848, Alvie, Inverness-shire.
James Cameron (1828-1869) married Jane McDonald, 1854, Collingwood, Victoria.
Margaret Cameron (1831-1888) married Thomas Henry Chapman, 1854, Melbourne, Victoria.
Annie Cameron (1833-1869) married David Mackay, 1854, Victoria.
John Robertson Cameron (1835-1856)
Sarah Cameron (1837-1921) married Thomas Dudley, 1856, Kalkallo, Victoria.
Christina Cameron (1838-1906) married 1) William Bedford Nolan, 1856, Melbourne, Victoria. 2) Louis Magloire Le Nepveu, 1861, Kilmore, Victoria.

REFERENCES:
Brothers on farms by Malcolm Robertson, 1 October 2011
https://www.portrait.gov.au/magazines/41/brothers-on-farms

William Robertson (1798-1874) pastoralist
Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1976, by J. Ann Hone.
http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/robertson-william-4491

Parish of Alvie
https://www.scottish-places.info/parishes/parhistory349.html 

ship Regalia - immigrant ship in 1822
http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~tcowley/family/Ships.htm#Regalia

Ship Arrivals from England:
Per Regalia, 70 in number viz. James Ross, Esq., L.L.D. and family, F.J. Lampriere, Esq., Mr Fletcher and family, Mr Smith and family, Miss S A Gresley, Mr Gill, Mr Danvers, Mr Atkinson, Mr Curling and family, Mr Shennan, Mr J Robertson, Mr W Robertson, Mr Evans and family, Mr Seal, Mrs S Presnell and family, Mr Barker, Mr Browning, Mr Westley, Mr Bainton, Mr Casper, Mr Lancester, Mr Perriman, Mr & Mrs Field, and Mr Martinger. [Source: Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen's Land Advertiser Sat 4 Jan 1823, p. 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1089828]

SHIP NEWS. On Monday last arrived from England with merchandize, the ship Lusitania, Captain Langdon. This vessel left England some few days before the Malabar, now lying in this port ; and brings 37 passengers, among whom are, John Campbell, Esq. Lady and family, Mr. and Mrs. Archibald McLeod and family, Mrs. Langdon, Mr. George Purcell, Mr. John Rotton, Mr. and Mrs. George Ranken, and Mr. James L. Robertson. 
[source: Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen's Land Advertiser, Sat 3 Nov 1821 p. 2 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1089570

Arrival of the Storm Cloud. [Captain James Campbell] This splendid clipper ship arrived from Glasgow on Sunday afternoon, with 360 immigrants, after an unprecedented run of SEVENTY ONE days. 
source: The Tasmanian Daily News (Hobart Town) Wed 29 Aug 1855 p. 2
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203385237