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Prosperous: the Kennedy Murrays and the Origins of Historic Evandale in Early Colonial Australia
Prosperous: the Kennedy Murrays and the Origins of Historic Evandale in Early Colonial Australia
A$46.20
One of the great ‘untold stories’ of early Colonial Australia recovered. The unveiling of the statue of 'Harry Murray VC' (the most decorated soldier in Australian history) in Evandale in 2006 opened the door to remember the forgotten but significant role of the Kennedy Murrays in the early history of Tasmania and Australia - as well as the related 'lost story of Evandale'. Now Australia's 'quintessential Georgian village', Evandale was originally ‘Murray’s Prosperous village’. Harry’s grandfather Kennedy Murray Jr was born 1799 on Norfolk Island to Kennedy Murray Sr and Ann White who came on the first fleets to Australia by 1792.
In 1818 Kennedy Murray Jr was a confident and literate 'home-taught' teenager when he wrote to Governor Macquarie successfully applying for a farmland grant as an early, proud, and free 'native-born son' of Australia. The book retraces how Murray's farm hamlet Prosperous (also the original name of his surviving mansion house) emerged to become a pivotal Midlands village on his original land grant. Under Murray’s watch as also a Chief District Constable across two decades (along with the local school he built in c1830 and his other community initiatives), Evandale had developed into one of the larger early towns of Van Dieman's Land by 1840. A hero to the local emancipists, Murray's story is also one of a 'lost age' of colorful adventures and significant initiatives such as the Launceston Water Scheme - at times involving tyranny, suffering and betrayals that should also be remembered.
The book helps shed new insights into and a better understanding of a number of related controversies in the early Tasmanian colony involving (a) such key historical figures as Governor Arthur, Surveyor Explorer G.W. Evans and Clarendon's James Cox, along with (b) extended family connections to notables like area pioneer David Gibson, builder Nathaniel Lucas and famous painter John Glover. The book describes the dealings between 'the Kennedy Murrays' and many fascinating as well as influential characters in early Colonial Australia.
Also a ‘KMs' family history, the book reveals the discovery that the Murrays changed their name because of a famous historical prohibition in Scotland. The Murray ancestry was recently verified as descended from a key lineage of ‘the MacGregors’ (traditionally a most resilient and pivotal Scottish Highland clan). With well-researched new information and documentary evidence, the book is 'chock a block' with relevant maps, photos and sketches as well as an extensive use of 'lost or rarely seen' original records.
An additional ‘afterword’ section has been added – titled “ The lost history of Evandale 1821-1848: A pivotal time and place not just of VDL but of early Australia?”. A free sample of this book as well as further updates about it can be found at http://www.cameronkrichards.net/kennedymurrays. As the hard cover version of this book is not supported by amazon.com.au, this can be ordered rather at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1763785629 (or by the UK site, etc, at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1763785629).
In 1818 Kennedy Murray Jr was a confident and literate 'home-taught' teenager when he wrote to Governor Macquarie successfully applying for a farmland grant as an early, proud, and free 'native-born son' of Australia. The book retraces how Murray's farm hamlet Prosperous (also the original name of his surviving mansion house) emerged to become a pivotal Midlands village on his original land grant. Under Murray’s watch as also a Chief District Constable across two decades (along with the local school he built in c1830 and his other community initiatives), Evandale had developed into one of the larger early towns of Van Dieman's Land by 1840. A hero to the local emancipists, Murray's story is also one of a 'lost age' of colorful adventures and significant initiatives such as the Launceston Water Scheme - at times involving tyranny, suffering and betrayals that should also be remembered.
The book helps shed new insights into and a better understanding of a number of related controversies in the early Tasmanian colony involving (a) such key historical figures as Governor Arthur, Surveyor Explorer G.W. Evans and Clarendon's James Cox, along with (b) extended family connections to notables like area pioneer David Gibson, builder Nathaniel Lucas and famous painter John Glover. The book describes the dealings between 'the Kennedy Murrays' and many fascinating as well as influential characters in early Colonial Australia.
Also a ‘KMs' family history, the book reveals the discovery that the Murrays changed their name because of a famous historical prohibition in Scotland. The Murray ancestry was recently verified as descended from a key lineage of ‘the MacGregors’ (traditionally a most resilient and pivotal Scottish Highland clan). With well-researched new information and documentary evidence, the book is 'chock a block' with relevant maps, photos and sketches as well as an extensive use of 'lost or rarely seen' original records.
An additional ‘afterword’ section has been added – titled “ The lost history of Evandale 1821-1848: A pivotal time and place not just of VDL but of early Australia?”. A free sample of this book as well as further updates about it can be found at http://www.cameronkrichards.net/kennedymurrays. As the hard cover version of this book is not supported by amazon.com.au, this can be ordered rather at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1763785629 (or by the UK site, etc, at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1763785629).
- Dimensions: 17.78 x 2.82 x 25.4 cm
- Language: English
- Print length: 489 pages
- Book Type: Paperback
- ISBN-10: 1763785602
- ISBN-13: 978-1763785601
- Publication date: 1 January 2025
- Reading age: 10 - 18 years
A$46.20
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