Robert Leonard McKeich

Other Events:

• Alias: Bob

Notes:

Robert Leonard McKeich was sent as an infant to live with Katherine and Samuel Wickliffe in Shannon and eventually attended school there.He later attended Waipukurau School and his secondary education took place at Wanganui Technical College. A record in the NZSG Index shows that Robert attended Wanganui Technical College in 1923.

He was born 1906 after a liaison with Madeline Emily Howe nee Hayes but his birth wasn't recorded until 1915.





Died:

Robert married Freda Elizabeth Collier on 21 Oct 1939 in New Zealand. Freda was born on 22 Feb 1905 in New Zealand; died on 29 Nov 1992 in Auckland, New Zealand. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Married:
they have at least 2 children

1. Robert Collier McKeich was born on 13 Dec 1943 in Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand; died on 22 Nov 2007 in Papakowhai, Porirua, New Zealand.

Notes:

Died:

Walter married Madeline Emily Hayes. Madeline was born on 24 Jan 1874 in Southbridge, Canterbury, New Zealand; died in 1923 in New Zealand. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Born in Southbridge, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24 Jan 1874 to John Dixon Hayes and Katherine Cosgrove. Madeline Emily married William Henry Howe and had 5 children. Madeline Emily married Walter McKeich and had a child.

Notes:

Married:
Madeline Emily Hayes married William Henry Howe and after giving birth to five children she gave birth to Robert Leonard McKeich by Walter McKeich. Her married name of Howe was on Robert's birth entry in the register dated 22 May 1969. Robert's birth was not recorded in 1905. Robert was sent as an infant to live with Katherine and Samuel Wickliffe in Shannon and eventually attended school there.He later attended Waipukurau School and had his secondary education at Wanganui Technical College

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.