Mary Beeckie

  Research Notes:

Mary Breakie arrived on the 'Coldstream' in March 1864 aged 18.
(See articles at the bottom of the page about the 'Coldstream').
Mary married with the surname Beeckie. This name was variously spelt as Breakie, Breky, Breckly, Brackie etc.
Marriage certificate dated 16th December 1865 Camperdown, Victoria.
The Minister who officiated was Henry Edmund Keen of the Bible Christians (Methodist Ministry).
Henry aged 28, his profession was a Carrier, Birth Place Exeter, Devonshire, England.
Henry's father was William Richards, a Veterinary Surgeon in London. His mother was Harriet Tuck.
Mary aged 21, and was living at Glenormiston.
Her Birth Place was Maybole, Scotland. Her father, James, was a Farmer. Her mother was Catherine Magee.
LDS: 27 March 1835 District of Maybole, marriage of James Brakey to Catherine McGee. 3 June 1856, District of Maybole, death of Katherine Breakey, aged 42, wife of James Breakey, daughter of John McGee and Helen Gemmell.
Note: Maybole was the name given to the family home of Henry and Emmeline Richards.
The Camperdown Historical Society supplied the following information:
Henry James Richards came out to Australia on the "Marion" in January 1848, and Mary Breakie, born 1846, came out on the "Coldstream" aged 18 in March 1864.
Henry Richards and Mary Beeckie's three eldest children's births were registered in Camperdown between 1866 and 1873. The next two children were registered at Ballarat, indicating they moved to that area.
Suzanne visited Ballarat library and received this information:
Children, all born in Camperdown Victoria to Henry James and Mary:
James Henry Richards 1866..reg number 20040
Will…1868... reg... 1317
Charles…1869... reg …21014
Mary Ann... 1871;… reg…?
James...1873… reg…22488
John Thomas...1876…reg…13774
Harriet…1878…reg…13371
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It appears that the family moved to Sydney NSW sometime in the 1880's.
Some of the sons married in Sydney, and died in the Sydney area. More family confirmation is being obtained.
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Empire (Sydney) Tuesday 16 February 1864; GOVERNMENT EMIGRATION:
The ship Coldstream, belonging to Messrs. Teighe and Smith, of London, Captain Kennedy, sailed from Southampton, on December 10, for Melbourne, taking out 33 married couples, with 11 children and 7 infants, 2 single men, and 186 single women.
Out of these numbers, 38 are "passage warrants", that is, persons paid for by their friends in the colony. Of the single women 40 from Ireland and 9 from Scotland have been chosen by Mr. J. G. Knight, the special agent for selecting persons in distressed circumstances who are qualified for domestic services.
These cases have been assisted in their outfit, embarkation, and other expenses, by the Lord Mayor of Dublin's Committee, and the Victoria Emigrants Assistance Society of London. The Victoria Emigrants Assistance Society have, as usual, provided on board the Coldstream a library of about 300 volumes of a useful and entertaining character, as well as copybooks and other works of elementary instruction.
The passengers are in the charge of Dr. Wallis, a gentleman of great experience in the management of emigrants; and the arrangements, as with all the Government ships, are very complete, to insure the comfort and well being of the passengers.

Mary married Henry James Richards, son of William Richards and Harriet Tuck. (Henry James Richards was born circa 1830 in Exeter, Devon England and died on 9 Sep 1894 in Corrimal, Wollongong, NSW Australia ⁶⁰⁴.)