John Robertson

  General Notes:

John and his wife Martha arrived in Port Jackson on the ship Broom on the 12th February 1842. They had departed Port Glasgow, Scotland, on 15 October 1841. John was aged 22 and a Blacksmith by trade. Martha was aged 21 and a domestic servant. She was recorded as being under the protection of Patrick Meehan to whom she was entrusted by her father. They were brought to Australia by Mr Francis Reid. Within 3 months of their arrival in Sydney John and Martha were married.

By 1863 John had his own coachbuilding business in Pitt Street, Sydney. He also owned a large number of properties in Pitt Street, Petersham, Sydenham, Leichhardt, Strawberry Hills and Surry Hills. Most of the properties were rented out. Following the death of Martha in 1897, John married Annie Brown the same year at age 80.

John died on 31 August 1898 at his residence 41 Thornley Street Leichhardt and was buried at Rookwood Cemetery (Old Anglican, Sec 4, Grave 4580). The Memorial Inscription reads:

In Loving Memory / of / GEORGE ROBERTSON / Who Died 26th Sept 1883 / Aged 40 Years / Also / MARTHA FERGUSON ROBERTSON / Mother of the Above / [Date Illegible] / JOHN ROBERTSON / [Illegible] Who Died [Illegible Date looks like 1898] / [Illegible] Aged [Illegible] Years

John left an estate valued at over £20,000 when he died so he was obviously a very prosperous Coachbuilder.

  Noted events in his life were:

• He worked as a Coachbuilder on 29 Sep 1863 in Pitt St, Sydney, , New South Wales, Australia.

John married Martha Ferguson Given, daughter of John Given and Martha Ferguson, on 16 May 1842 in Christ Church, St Laurence, Sydney, Australia. (Martha Ferguson Given was born about 1820 in Newtown, Limavady, Londonderry, Ireland and died on 11 Jul 1897.)

John next married Ann MacDermott on 16 May 1842 in Christ Church, St Laurence, Sydney, Australia.