James Bain (1836 - 1892)
James Bain was born in Tillicoultry in 1836. Record of his baptism has not been found. He was illegitimate the son of of Robert Alexander Bain and Margaret Cairns. (NB on his marriage certificate his father is recorded as Alexander Bain)
It appears the James spent most of his child hood living in Clackmannanshire. Based on census records :
- In June 1841 James was living at West of Burn Tillicoultry, Clackmannan with his mother Margaret and aunt Jane (who are both working as a woollen winders and are recorded as Cairns), as well as his 2 year old sister Agnes Morgan
- In March 1851 James was using the surname Morgan and was working as an Apprentice Blacksmith to William Murray and living with the Murray family at Toll Road Tillicoultry. James sister Agnes is with her father George Morgan (a tailor) who was visiting his sister Ann Bowie at High St Clackmannan
- In App 1861 James was living at Borrowmeadow Farm near Stirling. His mother Margaret is living at 7 Cairnton St in Tillicoultry with her daughter Georgina
On 14 December 1860 he married married Elizabeth McPherson McFarlane in in Auchterarder, Perth by William Milne. The witnesses were Alexander Bain and James MacFarlane. Elizabeth was born on 16 July 1838 in Dundee Angus the second child and eldest daughter of of James McFarlane and Margaret Chisholm.
James acquired the lease on the Ipswich Corporation Bath in 1866
The Corporation Baths were built by the Ipswich City Council in 1865 on the banks of the Bremer River near St. Marys Church. The baths were quite small and were open to the public from 5am to 9pm. Men and women were not allowed to bath together so there were set times when women could bath alone and times allotted for male bathing. The facility had a pool, as well as hot and cold showers and baths. Hot tea and coffee were also available.
James maintained his lease on the baths until they were swept away in the great flood of January 1887, James and the family stayed on site as caretakers and the new baths were constructed behind their residence in 1891.
About 1872 he started a vinegar works and cordial factory in a two storey building on Martin Street in Ipswich, producing table and pickling vinegar as well as a range of cordials including ginger win, raspberry, peppermint, cloves, pinapple, orange bitters and lemon syrup.
IPSWICH MALT VINEGAR WORKS.
MARTIN STREET
By advertisment, James BlIn informs the storekeepers, merchants, and general public that he has reconmmenced making vinegar, and hoped that they will give him a trial, as the article he will supply .will be found equal to any purchased in Queenasland. Those who give him a trial can be supplied at from 2/ to 2/3 per gallon. If casks are sent by persons requiring vinegar, it will Be supplied at 2/ per gallon.
There was a fire on premises in 1878 but it did not cause any substantial damage
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THE CONWAY IMMIGRANT VESSEL. The following report of the passage of this vessel has been kindly furnished us by one of the officers on board - The Government immigrant ship Conway, belonging to Messrs. De Pass Brothers, Captain Charles Ogilvy Spence, sailed from Southampton on Sunday, 17th August 1862 with 396 immigrants, in the charge of surgeon superintendent John Glendarvine Winstone. The Conway received her pilot off Cape Moreton when 102 days from Southampton. She had light winds at first; entered the tropics on the 3rd September; crossed the equator on the 21st; passed out of the tropics on the 3rd of October; and made the southern portion of Tasmania on Sunday morning l6th November. Since then she has been detained by contrary winds and calms. On the 21st of August, spoke, in latitude 17 deg 15 min N., longitude 8 deg 8 min W., the ship Alpine, for Sydney; 18th September, in latitude 3 deg 48 min N., longitude 13 deg 55 min W., the Suffolk, for Melbourne; 11th October, in latitude 57 deg 13 min S, longitude 10 deg 57 min W, the ship Chili, for Otago. There have been two births during the voyage but no death; much sickness of a slight nature, easily yielding to treatment, but no important diseases. The only invalid landed is one of the women confined during the passage, and she embarked delicate. On Surgeon Winstone's last voyage from England he was equally fortunate in having no death; and the Conway on her last voyage with Government immigrants, reached Melbourne in 91 days from Liverpool, without a death-landing 426 lmmigiants in good health. Of the 396 immigrants introduced by the Conway, 141 are single women and 88 single men; 96 of the total number were selected by Miss Maria S Rye, the promoter of "Female middle class emigration."' Miss Rye is, we believe, accredited to the Australian colonies as the Times correspondent. She was shortly to leave for Otago, New Zealand ,"and thence makes a tour of the several colonies, visitng the immigrant depots. We understand the immigrants have presented a testimonial and silver tankard to their surgeon-superintendent, and also to Captain Spence of the Conway THE SURGEON SUPERINTENDENT of the Government emigrant ship "Conway" has received testimonials from the single women in care of Miss Pym the Matron, the Scotch emigrants, and Miss Rye's party. Also the following testimonial from the whole body of lmmigrants - "We the lmmigrants of the ship "Conway,' have great pleasure in expressing our sense of the efficient and kind interest which you have at all times evinced in our welfare during our passage from Southampton to Queensland; also of the prompt and decisive way in which you have arranged all difficulties, that might otherwise have caused much unpleasantry. " We return you our best thanks for the great attention you have always shown to those requiring your professional assistance,and the speedy recovery of all your patients (there not having been a single death) can only be attributed to your superior skill, under the blessing of a kind and all-wise Providence. 'With our sincere wishes for your continued success and prosperity, we beg your acceptance of a Silver Tankard, and subscribe ourselves Yours very faithfully (Signed on behalf of the lmmigrants by R.E. PYM, Capt RN RICHARD E PYM, Master R.N. J C W BOWMAN, WM PLAYNE STEVENS WM TURNBULL, JANE PYM, Matron And by forty-five other persons, being the Captains of every mess on board J G WINTONE ESQ. , Surgeon Superintendent Ship "Conway ' Moreton Bay 28th Nov, 1862 |
(Scottish emigrants from Perth who arrived in Australia in 1862). James Snr was a blacksmith who became the lessee of the Ipswich Municipal baths.
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OBITUARY JAMES BAIN. In our last issue we announced the serious illness of Mr. James Bain of the Corporation Baths. Mr Bain lingered until Monday morning last, when he peacefully expired. He was conscious almost up to the last and received the kindly ministrations of the Rev. P. Robertson and the members of his family. The deceased was a very old colonist, having come out from Scotland, for the good of his health, in the ship "Conway" in the year 1862. Upon arrival in Queensland, he went up to Caboolture as a blacksmith under the late Captain Whish, who was lost in the wreck of the Quetta. He then came to Ipswich and worked as an engineer at the late Mr R J Smith's Town Marie sawmills and boiiling down establishment on the banks of the Bremer, near the present Waterstown. From this palce he came to Ipswich, and with the exception of about twelve months has been at the baths on the banks of the Bremer for about twenty five years. He leaves a wife and family of two sons and three daughters to mourn their loss, the youngest son being eleven years of age while the eldest daughter is the wife of Mr F Gehrmann of the Railway departnment. Though of an unassuming disposition, he took a deep interest in everything concerning the welfare of the town, and was much respected as a citizen. He was an energetic work in connection with the Presbyterian Church, and at the time of his death and on many previous occasions was Chairman of the Church committee. The funeral will take place this afternoon, and the members of the Loyal Rose of Queensland Lodge, MUIOOF are requested to attend at the lodge room at 3 o'clock to take park in the last sad ceremony. |
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OBITUARY.MRS. JAMES BAIN. There passed away, in the early hours of yesterday morning, in the person of Mrs. James Bain, of Martin-street,. an old and well-known resident of Ipswich. On August 19, of the present year. She had lived in Queensland for half-a-century, during which time she had gained the respect, and, in many cases, the close friendship, of a great number of people in the city and district. Mrs. Bain arrived in Australia in 1864, one of her shipmates being Mr. Jas. Chapman, the well-known draper, of Brisbane, who has also lived in the State for 5 years. She was born in Dundee,Scotland, and with her husband and one child, set sail for Australia on the Earl Russell, arriving here in 1864. After living for some months a few miles out of Ipswich, she and her husband (the late Mr. James Bain), took up their residence in this town, where Mr. Bain took over the management of the baths. Some five or six years later, he opened a cordial manufactory in Martin-street, and kept the business going until his death, 22 years ago, since which time, the late Mrs. Bain lived a retired life. Although ailing for some months, the end came rather suddenly, as the result of a attack ofgastritis, of only six days' duration.She leaves three daughters and two sons, namely - Mrs. F. F. Gehrmann of Brusbane ; Mrs. A. Stewart,and Miss E. M. Bain (both of Ipswich) ; Mr. R.G. C. Bain, also of Ipswich ; and Mr. J. C. Bain of Sydney, the last mentioned being well-known as a theatrical manager.Mrs. Bain was 76 years of age at the time of her death, and had been closely connected with the Presbyterian Church, since her arrival inthe country. |
