Rae's documents/WILLIA~1.DOC

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WILLIAM WILSON 1839-1914

William’s formal education ended when he was 18. The family business had failed and it was necessary for the older boys to earn money so that the younger son James could complete his medical training at Edinburgh University. He did this, and was in turn able to educate his own sons, one of them became a leading surgeon in Sheffield.

The Wilsons had been tenant farmers in Ayrshire for many years. They prospered, and moved to Stirling and started milling woollens. This was a good move, but in time there were too many mills for the amount of water available for the waterwheels, and their mill failed.

So it was that William, with his older brother Robert who had already had some trading experience, set off for Melbourne to make their fortunes. Robert soon decided to go to America, where he later started The American Trading Company, trading between America and Australia and various places in the Pacific as well as England. William stayed in Melbourne, trading mainly with Scotland, in drygoods organised by his father. He was never a money-maker, but there is no doubt that he was a well-loved family man. He married in 1864. His wife was Mary McHarg, born in Barrhill in Scotland and had come to Australia with her parents as a child. They were married in North Melbourne.

William wrote many letters to his father , one of them somehow came back to Melbourne and part of it I have now, giving a very good description of Melbourne as it was them. It was probably given to one of my uncles when they visited Scotland.

William and Mary had ten children including twin girls one of whom died soon after birth, the other one, Jessie died as a young girl, with consumption.. The others lived well into old age. The children were: William Garrick, born 1865, died in Sydney (playing golf, or on his way home from the golf course) in 1933. Andrew Oswald, born 1866, died in Melbourne in 1950. He had a fall and fractured his hip, and never recovered. Mary Agnes (known as Maimie), born 1868, died in 1957 in Balwyn, in Linlathen. Robert Crichton (Bob), born in 1870 died in 1935 in Melbourne, cancer. James Herbert (Jim to his family, Herbert to my mother), born 1872, died 1942 after a series of coronary occlusions which had forced his early retirement in I think 1934. He died at home in Shenton Park , my mother said (as she was pouring his second cup of tea that afternoon).in 1942. Charles William McHarg (Charlie), born 1873, died at Linlathen in 1957. He had developed Parkinson’s disease. Jessie Susan, born 1876, died 1889 in Melbourne, of consumption. Agnes Hay, born 1878, died in Melbourne after a stroke, in 1958. Margaret Rae, born 1880, died in 1959 after having been bedridden for several years,at Linlathen .