Walter Ernest McKeich

Other Events:

• Alias: Wattie
• Occupation: wool classer

Notes:

Died:

Walter married Elizabeth Barclay Waddell on 28 Mar 1906 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Elizabeth was born on 25 Jul 1883 in Outram, Otago, New Zealand; died on 13 Dec 1959 in Hamilton, New Zealand. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
Married at the home of W Thomas Barclay and witnessed by Elizabeth Hodge Barclay (probably his wife).

All entries for 1911 electoral roll living at 14 Oxford Street, South Dunedin
14045, Best, Alfred Ernest, Commercial Traveller
14046, Best, Isabella, Married
18788, Mckeich, Elizabeth Barclay, Married
18791, Mckeich, Walter Ernest, Wool Classer


All entries for 1914 - 1919 - 1922 - 1925 electoral roll living at 151 Bay View Road, St Kilda
18788, Mckeich, Elizabeth Barclay, Married
18791, Mckeich, Walter Ernest, Wool Classer

All entries for 1928 - 1931 electoral roll living at 151 Bay View Road, St Kilda
49370, Mckeich, Colin Harrie, Electrician
18788, Mckeich, Elizabeth Barclay, Married
18791, Mckeich, Walter Ernest, Woolclasser

1. Colin Harrie McKeich was born on 3 Jan 1907 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand; died on 21 Mar 1981 in Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.
2. Beryl Barclay McKeich was born on 15 May 1909 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand; died on 16 May 1965 in Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand.
3. Leslie Stuart McKeich was born on 17 Sep 1911 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand; died on 27 Feb 1975 in Auckland, New Zealand.
4. Alan Walter McKeich was born in Sep 1914 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand; died on 21 Apr 1915 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
5. Ethel Muriel McKeich was born on 13 Jun 1916 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand; died on 5 Jul 1982 in Cambridge, Waikato, New Zealand.
6. Robert William McKeich was born on 15 May 1919 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand; died on 4 Aug 1970 in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA.

Other Events:

• Occupation: Butcher

Notes:

Robert married Emily Harriet Bicknell and had 5 children being James Henry, Ada, Walter Ernest, Ethel Maud, Robert William. Robert married Rebecca McWhinney and had a child called Robert


Died:

Robert married Emily Harriet Bicknell on 8 Mar 1876 in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Emily was born on 7 Jan 1857 in Raglan, Fiery Creek, Victoria, Australia; died on 2 Jun 1924 in Glasgow, South Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
Birth: 5 September 1855. Ref # 1297/1855, Schedule A, District of Collingwood, Victoria
Marriage: 8 March 1876. Ref # 7, Copy of Register of Marriage, # 628, District of Dunedin.
Death: 4 June 1902. Ref Telegram from Commanding Officer, 9th NZ Regiment.

Detailed information about Robert can be found in "The McKeich Family History" compiled by his great grandson Bill McKeich and also in the "Boer War Diary " of Lieutenant Robert McKeich, 9th NZ Contingent, transcribed by Bill McKeich.

Copies of the Diary have been lodged in the Lawrence Museum, National Archives and the Waiouru War Museum where the original manuscript is held.

Robert left Melbourne on 18 December 1875 aboard the Ringarooma and landed in Invercargill on Friday 24 December 1875. His age was given as 29. He was in fact only 20.

There is a record of " Mrs Bicknel" travelling on the Ringarooma on the same dates as Robert. Could this have been the 18 year old Emily? Emily was very pregnant and she and Robert married in
March 1876 and their eldest child Jim was born two months later.

Other Events:

• Occupation: Postillion of Stirling, Investor, Carter, Slaughterman in Victoria, farmer of Yanakie

Notes:

James was a postillion living in Stirling when he married Mary Bets (Bates).

James left Scotland on 16 September 1850 on board the ship "Madawaska" out of Liverpool. He arrived in Melbourne on 17 December 1850.

James is reputed to have made 10,000 pounds by investing in mines was able to purchase houses and property in Melbourne and Beaufort and paid for his wife and her mother Mary to come to Victoria. He invested some of his money in a firm called Buckley and Nunn. He later sold these shares to the firm which later became the well known Australian Department store "David Jones".

James and his partner Henry Davis purchased the lease on the Yanakie Station in 1862.They traded in horses and sent shiploads to Invercargill. The first of these was supposed to have been lost at sea with the same fate happening to the next shipment. There is some doubt about this however.

After hearing of the loss of the second shipment James died of an "Aneurysm of the Arch of the Aorta" on 14 January 1864.

James is buried in an unmarked grave in the small cemetery at Yanakie.

James married Mary Betts on 2 Nov 1849 in Barony, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK. Mary was born on 2 Oct 1831 in Polmont, Stirlingshire, Scotland, UK; died on 10 Feb 1868 in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Alias: Bates

Notes:

Mary married Henry Davis and had 2 children called Charles Henry and William Ernest

Notes:

Married:
Marriage also recorded on 20 OCT 1849in Stirling

Other Events:

• Occupation: Cartwright of Kilchrist

Archibald married Mary McLean on 2 Jan 1812 in Campbeltown, Argyll, Scotland, UK. Mary (daughter of Allan McLean and Mary Henderson) was born on 16 Aug 1782 in Campbeltown, Argyll, Scotland, UK; died before 1855 in Campbeltown, Argyll, Scotland, UK. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mary's parents were Allan Maclean and Mary McKendrick of Aros, near Campbeltown
Allan was a farmer.

Notes:

Married:
The 1841 Census showed that Archibald was still the Cartwright at Kilchrist but lived at Dalivaddy. He was aged 65 years

Dalivaddy was a small locality a few kilometres west of Drumlemble on the Kintyre Peninsula and only a few kilometres from Kilchrist.

The following members of his family were also recorded in the 1841 census:
Archibald McKeich Male 65 years cartwright
Mary McKeich Female 58 years
Alexander McKeich Male 28 years
Mary McKeich Female 18 years
John McKeich Male 15 years
Margaret McKeich Female 12 years

All the above were born in Argyllshire.

The Alexander McKeich recorded above was the son of Archibald and his second wife Elizabeth McCoag

Mary McKeich was married under the name Keith to John McNeill of Trodigal, a neighbouring farm to Dalivaddy where Mary lived.

It is recorded in the book "Distilleries of Campbeltown" by David Stirk that Archibald and his son Alexander had an illicit whisky distillery at Knocknaha, a few hundred metres down the road from Kilchrist. Archibald's second wife, Mary Mclean was also listed as having involvement in the illicit distillery. This was not unexpected since women were a major source of employment to keep the distilleries functioning. As it is recorded in the above book, women were regarded as being "good for nothing else".

Birth places of Archibald's children indicate that Archibald was working at the Cartwright's Shop at Kilchrist from at least the time of his marriage to his first wife Elizabeth McCoag in September 1802.