If it's any help Vicki, I have a Patrick Joseph MURPHY who died in Daylesford in 1951. He was the son of Patrick MURPHY and Margaret DYNON. He married Jane WISSING (nee HUNTER) in 1923 in Daylesford. Jenny ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Matthews" <dryandra1@netspeed.com.au> To: <AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2005 7:07 Subject: Re: Murphy > Hi Vicki, I agree with Dave Evans - its most likely to be Berringa near > Ballarat. > > From the site for the company Ballarat Goildfields N/L at > http://www.ballarat-goldfields.com.au > you will find a map showing the location of Berringa. Also, the > following description of historic gold mining is of interest. > > "Historical mining at Berringa took place as early as 1855 when > miners worked a number of alluvial gold deposits. Alluvial gold > mining was the principal form of mining until 1865 when quartz > reefs were discovered. > A number of smaller quartz mines were worked from 1865 to 1898. > The majority of gold production from the field was between 1898 > and 1917, from five quartz mines, some of them reaching a depth > in excess of 1000 feet. Poor economic conditions and shortages > of labour brought about by the First World War forced the mines > to close. > The most recent mine to have operated in the field is the Berringa > mine. It was started in 1937 during the depression and was profitably > worked until 1952 when the cost of sinking the shaft deeper forced > the mine to close. The mine was then re-opened in 1956 for a couple > of years, and again in 1974 and 1980. > The recorded amount of gold produced by the mines was about > 300,000 ounces at an average grade of 8.2g/t (production from 1898 > to 1917)." > > Re John Murphy - this is a difficult line of research, and the following > is purely speculative and based on possible variations in spelling of > Berringa eg 'Burr', and the proximity to Ballarat where siblings were > born. All the references are Vic BDM and with the registration numbers > in brackets. > One possiblility: > 1. John Murphy - Margaret Lalor (or Lawler/Lawlor). They had the > following children: > * Mary Jane, b.1870 (21768), ' Burr' Berringa? > * Ann, d. 1875 (4751), Sebastopol, aged 6 months > * John, d. 1876 (5794), Ballarat, aged 7 years > * Catherine, b.1876 (16727), Happy Valley > * Mary Jane, d. 1876 (9135), Ballarat, aged 5 years > * Alice, b.1878 (3131), Happy Valley > * Arthur, b.1882 (16695), Happy Valley > * Mary, b.1885 (3084), Happy Valley > * Sarah, b.1888 (11975), Happy Valley > > Interestingly there is a John Murphy who married Julia Lalor (or > Lawler/Lawlor) in 1863 (1530). Julia died in 1920 (9883) in Daylesford > aged 81 years. Her parents wereWilliam Lalor and Margaret Delaney. > They had the following children. > * Patrick, b.1864 (15992), Smeaton. > * Thomas, b.1867 (23685), Mt Prospect. > * Catherine, b.1869 (24067), Mt Prospect. > * John, b.1872 (4429), Mt Prospect. > > What is not known is whether Julia and Margaret were related. > > I should add that I havent found a specific reference to a John Colvan > Murphy in the Victoria BDM. Perhaps he didnt use the middle name. > > Regards, Peter Matthews > > > Vicki Geard wrote: > > >Hi > >I am looking to help a friend chase her grandfather who arrived in the > >Goldfields from Ireland most likley around the 1860 period. His name was > >John Colvan Murphy and he had a son Harold Joseph Murphy born around 1883. > >That is about all she has to go on apart from the name "Buringa" or > >"Buringe", which I can't find on any google search so thought it may be an > >old mining town name. > >Hoping that these names may have popped up on someone's search or you may be > >able to point me in the right direction to help her, I am not familiar with > >Victorian research as most of mine have been in Tasmania or South Australia > >mining areas. > > > >Regards > > > >Vicki Geard > > > > > > > >==== AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS Mailing List ==== > >Searchable archives at > >http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/?list=AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS-L > > > > > > > > > > > ==== AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS Mailing List ==== > Practice safe genealogy - don't include the personal details of the living. >