In the Shadow of Feathertop

Book excerpt: George Jones left Scotland in 1857 and arrived in Victoria, Australia in early 1858 when the fledgling colony was almost seven years old. His wife Margaret and their first five children left Scotland to join him in 1863. After a journey of almost five months by ship, bullock dray and on foot the family was reunited on a dirt track in the Ovens Valley in Victoria in September of 1863. They set about building their new lives in the gold-mining town of Harrietville - nestled at the foot of Mt. Feathertop - including bringing four more Australian-born children into the world. George and Margaret spent the rest of their lives in Harrietville as true pioneers as the town grew and prospered. Who were these people? What motivated them to uproot their family and leave Scotland, the land where their forebears had lived since time immemorial? What was their new life like in Australia, and how did they fare? This history answers those questions. It recounts George and Margaret's family origins in Scotland from the early 1700s, their lives in Cockenzie and Newarthill, the story of their respective emigrations, and their lives in Australia. It also tells the story of each of their nine children: what became of them, who they married and it explores how their spouses' families came to be in the Ovens Valley. It reveals some fascinating stories that illustrate how the very fabric of Victoria's colonial society was formed in the earliest years of its existence. This history also details all of the known descendants of George and Margaret which represents the formidable human legacy from the lives that George and Margaret carved out in Harrietville - in the shadow of Feathertop. The book contains over 400 photographs, maps and illustrations, including an 8 page colour map section, Endnotes, a name index and a general index.