Michael Merrin
Michael Merrin was the younger brother of my great-great-great-grandfather, John Merrin.
Michael was a labourer and arrived in New South Wales as an assisted immigrant aboard the Golconda, arriving on 21 October 1858 at the age of 15. He was accompanied by his sister, Eliza, who was 17 and a domestic servant [1]. Their cousin, Anastasia Merrin, travelled with them.
Michael and his sister had survived the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1849 and joined the thousands of poor Irish men and women who left their country in search of better lives.
Their maternal uncle, Patrick Larkin, sponsored Michael and Eliza's immigration to New South Wales [2].
Note that Michael and Eliza's ages were listed differently on the passenger list of the Golconda and in the Immigration Deposit Journal. The passenger list shows Michael as being 17 whereas the Immigration Deposit Journal indicates that he was 15 and Eliza 17.
The 1862 excerpt below from a Bathurst newspaper indicated that Michael followed his brother John into the NSW police force. Strangely, I have not yet been able to locate Michael's police service record.
Michael was a labourer and arrived in New South Wales as an assisted immigrant aboard the Golconda, arriving on 21 October 1858 at the age of 15. He was accompanied by his sister, Eliza, who was 17 and a domestic servant [1]. Their cousin, Anastasia Merrin, travelled with them.
Michael and his sister had survived the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1849 and joined the thousands of poor Irish men and women who left their country in search of better lives.
Their maternal uncle, Patrick Larkin, sponsored Michael and Eliza's immigration to New South Wales [2].
Note that Michael and Eliza's ages were listed differently on the passenger list of the Golconda and in the Immigration Deposit Journal. The passenger list shows Michael as being 17 whereas the Immigration Deposit Journal indicates that he was 15 and Eliza 17.
The 1862 excerpt below from a Bathurst newspaper indicated that Michael followed his brother John into the NSW police force. Strangely, I have not yet been able to locate Michael's police service record.
Death
Michael seems to have been based in Dubbo when he died on 28 August 1862 at the age of 21 (NSW BDM 3510/1862). The NSW BDM listing of his death does not include his parents' names which may indicate that his brother and sister did not know of his death until afterwards.
Michael died at a pub called "The Land We Live In" in Brisbane Street in Dubbo. The witness to his burial was John Welfare, a publican who also reported the death.
Michael was a mounted trooper, unmarried and died of typhoid, after an illness of about 41 days. It's likely he was living at "The Land We Live In".
In 1862, Dubbo police were stationed at the new stone Court House and lock-up in Macquarie Street. A new station and lock-up were constructed in Brisbane Street in the early 1870s.
Michael is buried in the Pioneer's Cemetery in Dubbo. His age is listed as 31 at the time of his death, though he was actually 21. His burial number is 129 however the grave has no headstone [3].
Michael was a mounted trooper, unmarried and died of typhoid, after an illness of about 41 days. It's likely he was living at "The Land We Live In".
In 1862, Dubbo police were stationed at the new stone Court House and lock-up in Macquarie Street. A new station and lock-up were constructed in Brisbane Street in the early 1870s.
Michael is buried in the Pioneer's Cemetery in Dubbo. His age is listed as 31 at the time of his death, though he was actually 21. His burial number is 129 however the grave has no headstone [3].
[1] List of Immigrants per Ship Golconda;
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[2] Immigration Deposit Journal;
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[3] Death Certificate;
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[4] Message from Dubbo & District Family History Society, 31 May 2019; Dubbo Pioneer Cemetery records;
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