> Dear Bill, > > Though not an official member of the Petrie - Scotland group, more of a > lurker than participant, I was very interested in your Collessie connection, > I also date my earliest family members from Collessie. > > Walter Petrie d 10 10 1760 in Frechiemiln, Fife > Married Mary Wishart > b 1705 / 06 Kilconquhar parish Fife > M 12 07 1729 > in Collessie Fife > They had at least one son James Petrie B 12 07 1731 Collessie > Mary probably died that year 1731 (Childbirth?) > > James married Margaret Elder b 19 10 1735 Kettle Fife > Probably 1760ish > They settled in Kettle and had 8 Children, one David died at 3 years. > The Eldest Thomas b 1763, Married Agnes Stocks 08 11 1788 in Kettle > they had 6 Children, one born 14 02 1791 was called Christian (is there a > connection?) > the youngest Thomas (my line) b 03 05 1804 married Jessie (Henderson?), b 22 > 03 1803 > in 1836 in Balcaskie Fife > their son Henderson Petrie b 13 06 1842 moved to Glasgow. > married Ann Stirling b 10 05 1839 Glasgow > in Glasgow May 1869 - she died 04 08 1914. My Father (Henderson Petrie) had > clear memories of her. > > Another line from Collessie, which has a great deal of interest to > Australians, is again back to James b1731 his eldest son Walter Petrie b 09 > 10 1760 Kettle Fife, married Margaret Hutchison b1770 > m 28 09 1792 and they had 6 Children, the middle son Andrew b 25 06 1798 > Kettle Fife, married Mary Cuthbertson b 1796, m 28 12 1821 in Edinburgh. In > 1830 with his wife and family (4 sons) he joined a Church of Scotland > expedition 'for the migration of industrious married mechanics' to the New > South Wales colonies. This appears to be the first voluntary movement of a > large group of migrants to Australia, the rest being Convicts, Military and > civil government. > > Andrew was evidently an extremely capable and forceful person, a > Presbyterian, carpenter & builder, as with the rest of his group they threw > themselves into creating a new Christian Society, The Australian College was > established offering a elementary education based on the Scottish system, > later the Mechanics Institute 1833 (later called the School of Arts). > > Andrew worked with the military, constructing areas around the Rocks and > also military forts on the small islands in the harbour (The French and > Dutch were viewed as threats), to do this he had convict labour, he believed > that convict discipline should be firm but not excessive. When he took over > Goat Island, a school teacher was employed for the convicts instruction and > leg irons were removed. Gambling, trafficking and indecent language were > forbidden, also the superintendents were expected to lead Sunday prayers. > > In 1834 reporters investigating discipline, were astonished to hear that > Andrew had only allowed one flogging in 3 months and his convicts had fresh > vegetables daily, by 1835 he was at loggerheads with the Military regarding > discipline and was dismissed for inefficiency and poor workmanship, however > his work on the Goat Island complex still stands. > > Others who shared his more enlightened views, re-employed him to work on > Circular Quay, barracks at Paddington, the water supply and a new Government > house at Darlinghurst. > > By 1837 Moreton Bay (Brisbane) was considered on the point of collapse and > the government felt that a new change of direction had to be established > regarding the treatment of the convict work force, put Andrew Petrie in > charge as clerk of works. He moved complete with his family in August > 1937 - The story can > be found in 'The Petrie Family - Building Colonial Brisbane' Dimity Dornan > & Denis Cryle UQP press ISBN 0 7022 2346 8 > > I also have relatives in Sydney, a daughter and two cousins, though its very > possible that we're related, my family tree has no Robert in it and families > attempted to keep names alive such as the use of Henderson in mine, I hope > that this is of some interest, and though I've not been an active member of > the group I'm looking forward to Saturday. > **** > Euan Petrie > 326 West Princes Street > Glasgow > G4 9HA > Scotland UK > > Phone 00 44 (0)141 334 1209 > Fax 00 44 (0)141 357 4415 > (Angela Petrie Associates Ltd) > (Scotland-China Association) > > [email protected] > www.a-p-a.co.uk > www.scot-china.org > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Bill Waddingham" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > > Sent: Monday, August 06, 2001 1:10 AM > Subject: Re: [Petrie-Scotland] The Gatheriing > > > > Saw your message re the Petrie Gathering. We too are unable to > > attend due to distance and $$$, as we are in Sydney Australia. We > > are particularly interested in your reference to the FIFE Petries. > > Our Petrie line is also from Fife: > > Our earliest known event is the marriage of Robert Petrie and > > Christian Scott on 6th May 1763 at Collessie, and they had Robert b. > > 1763, Catherine b. 1765, David, 1767, James b. about 1767, Cecil b. > > 1773 and George b. 1782. > > James married Rachel Shields/Sheils/Shield in 1804 at Dysart, and > > they had William b. 1816 David b. 1818, and George Septimus b. 1821. > > The George Septimus makes us think there were other children but we > > have not to date found them. They appeared to be in the Dysart > > Pathhead area. > > George Septimus married Crawford Henderson and they had three > > children in Kirkcaldy before they migrated to Melbourne Australia in > > 1853. > > Do our Fife Petries coincide at all with yours, as we are currently > > orphans in the Petrie Group. > > We have sent an outline of our Petrie family to Norma for the > > Gathering, so you might see it later if it interests you. > > All the best > > Bill and Triss Waddingham > >