William Stoddart Hardie (1856 - 1935)
William Stoddart Hardie was born at 4:30am on Feb 12 1856 in Macmerry Gladsmuir, East Lothian, the eldest child of William Hardie and Jessie Stoddart. He was born a full 22 months before his parents marriage, which explains the use of Stoddart in his name, it also explains his place of birth, because Macmerry was where Jessie' mother Christina Smith lived.By the time he was 14 (1871 census) on his baptismal certificate. His father was likely in Trapain working at the time, and his mother returned to her home in Macmerry to give birth.
His family lived in
Some time around ? the family moved to Penston, and at the time of the 1871 census he was working as a miner at Penston in Gladsmuir, where he was living with his family. There is limited information available after this, however it is known that he emigrated to Australia at around age 19 or 20 (ie around 1875/76). Nor is any detail known about his early years in the colony.We do not have full confirmation, however it is most likely that William came to Australia aboard the Nairnshire which departed from Springfield Quay at Greenock on 31 Mar 1878 .
Both of his grandmothers, as well as his aunt and cousin were living with the family in Penston. His paternal grandmother - Euphemia Jaffray - and his aunt - Christina Falconer - both passed away in 1875. His sister Christina emigrated to Australia in 1877. Then his maternal grandmother - Christina Smith passed away in February 1878.
About a month later, William made his way to Greenock - near Glasgow - where she sought selection for sponsored emigration. On 31 Mar 1878 he boarded the Nairnshire at Springfield Quay in Greenock and arrived in Brisbane on 24 Jun 1878. Nairnshire was a 965 ton ship in the charge of Captain Walter B Niven. It was under contract fromThomas Law and o to the Queensland government, and on this journey included 340 emigrants - 110 single men, 70 single women and 70 married couples and their families. Applicants were selected by the shipping agent for inclusion in the program. The emigrants were taken upriver by the steam Setter and landed at Queens Wharf just after 8pm on 24th Jun. They were made available for engagement on the morning of 25 June
There is one other minor possibility - William came to Australia as a seaman upon the City of Berlin (not to be confused with SS City of Berlin) It a 1012 ton iron ship built by Connell in Glasgow and launched in 1864 for Smith & Sons. It London on 31 Jan 1874 and arrived in Port Adelaid on 17 Apr 1874. The City of Berlin departed Adelaide for San Francisco on 14 May, and there is a William Hardy deserts the ship in Adelaide, where he is arrested on May 30 and charged with with desertion and on 3 July he is 5 pounds or in default six weeks imprisonment. If that is the case he would have been 19 at the time, and would have been free to make his own way after serving out his fine.
The first information available about William in Australia is his marriage in 1881 to Margaret Perry Dilley (b. 1859 - 1924) .
As an experience coal miner it is not suprising that William ended up in Ipswich, coal was first discovered there in 1827 and the first coal mine opened at Woodend in 1848. by 1865 there were mines in Goodna, Tivoli Redbank. In 1877 the Bundamba mines opened, so it is likely around here that he found employment.
We know that in 1881 William is living at Moores Pocket in Ipswich, as it is here that he marries Margaret Perry Dilley on 25 December 1881. Margaret was born in 1859 in ?, she was the daughter of Frederick Dilley and Elizabeth Perry.
William and Margaret had seven children:
- Eliza Hardie Born 1882 Died 1972 Married William Llewellyn Davies Salked
- William Hardie Born 1883 Died 1969 Married Elizabeth Thomas
- Jessie Hardie Born 1885 Died 1954 Married David Scott Anderson
- John Hardie Born 1887 Died ? Married ?
- Thomas Perry Hardie Born 1889 Died 1948 Married Pearl Tapp
- Janet Hardie Born 1892 Died ? Married ?
- Margaret Perry Hardie Born 1898 Died ? Married ?
In 1882 William first appears on the Electoral roll Roll for Bundamba in 1882, and they by 1885 the family were living in Borehole in 1885. Apparently William and Jessie raised Bennet Pringle . Some time before 1885 William and Margaret took in Bennet Pringle Hardie - the illegitimate son of Williams sister Christina. Apparently they raised their nephew as their own child. Bennett attended He was enrolled at Bundamba School in 1885 (from aged 5. On the Bundamba School Records ) and his father is noted as a pitman - so we know that by this time William Sn was definately working in the mines.