The Family of William Forbes Gordon of Manar NSW

Descendants of

Hugh Gordon of Manar:

the family of

William Forbes

Gordon of Manar

in New South Wales

(1843-1904)

The Family of Hugh Gordon of Manar

The family of Elizabeth (Gordon) Skene

The family of Jane (Gordon) Hunter

The family of James Gordon of Manar

The family of Hugh Gordon of Manar NSW

The family of Ann (Gordon) Lumsden

The family of Robina (Gordon) Brickenden

Families of John Skene and William Skene

Family of Sir Charles Hughes-Hunter

The family of Henry Gordon of Manar

The family of Mary (Gordon) Fraser

The family of Hugh Hannibal Gordon

The family of William Forbes Gordon

The family of James Gordon

The family of Mary Elizabeth Gordon

The family of Herbert Trevelyan Gordon

The family of Emeline Leslie Gordon

The family of Frederick Pascoe Gordon

The family of Lambert Skene Gordon

Families of Catherine & Elizabeth Lumsden

The family of Hugh Gordon Lumsden

The family of James Gordon Brickenden

2 families descend from William

12 families descend from him

19 families descend from him

3 families descend from her

9 families descend from him

47 families descend from him

34 families descend from him

22 families descend from her

16 families descend from him

14 families descend from her

12 families descend from him

47 families descend from him

14 families descend from them

4 families descend from him

2 families descend from him

The family of William Forbes Gordon of Manar in New South Wales


			William Forbes Gordon b.19-09-1843 d.05-08-1904 at Manar, NSW	m. on 16-03-1869 at Glengallen, nr Warwick, Queensland	Beatrice Deuchar Allan b. 1846 d.16-01-1917
Hugh Forbes Gordon b.11-12-1869 at Manar d.14-12-1882 Petersham	William Deuchar Gordon b.19-06-1871 d.11-09-1951	Florence Emmeline Gordon b.12-06-1873 d.09-08-1951	Mary Elizabeth Gordon b.15-11-1875 d.27-02-1900 at sea off Capetown	Frances Beatrice Gordon b.06-07-1877 d.1969 in Sydney	Violet Marguerite Gordon b.22-07-1879 d.05-06-1981	Ruby Annette Gordon b.28-01-1882 at Manar d.12-04-1954	James Henry Forbes Gordon b.24-08-1884 d.20-05-1963 in Sydney	Bessie Indiana Gordon b.12-11-1886 d.13-06-1899 of Scarlet Fever	Cherie Pearl Gordon b.08-06-1890 d.01-10-1970 at Paddington
unmarried	married in 1901 at Bungendore	married (1) on 08-12-1897 Arthur Devitt b.29-12-1867 d.06-1921	unmarried	unmarried	married in 1907 at Manar	married on 16-12-1908	married (1) on 17-08-1912 Gladys Noel Lydia Bowker b.25-12-1886	unmarried	unmarried
	Charlotte Louise Campbell b.1875 in Young d.17-02-1965	married (2) on 14-12-1932 Rev. Arthur Lloyd Phillips (no children)			George MacLeay Macarthur-Onslow b.1875 d.12-09-1931	Arthur John Warry	married (2) in 1953 Daphne English (no children) d.1968
	4 children	2 children			1 child	2 children	5 children

William Forbes Gordon, circa 1898

The five eldest daughters of William Forbes Gordon, circa 1884

Back: Florence, Ruby, Mary

Front: Violet, Frances

Florence Gordon (later Devitt) feeding the hens at Manar (circa 1890)

The family of William Forbes Gordon in 1891.

Back row: William Forbes Gordon, William Deuchar Gordon

Middle row: Violet Marguerite Gordon, Beatrice Deuchar (Allan) Gordon, Mary Elizabeth Gordon, Ruby Annette Gordon

Front row: Florence Emmeline Gordon, Bessie Indiana Gordon, Cherie Pearl Gordon, James Henry Forbes Gordon, Frances Beatrice Gordon

Tragically, Mary threw herself overboard from a ship off Cape Town in 1900,

in grief over her sister Bessie who had died a few months earlier, at the age of 13, of scarlet fever.

Not pictured is Hugh Forbes Gordon, who died at the age of 13 in 1882. Frances and Cherie never married. Violet lived until she was 101.

The descendants and families of William Forbes Gordon at the Gordon family reunion held in 1986.

Back row: Andrew Balmain, Petrina Balmain, Robert Gordon, David Gordon, Tempe Gordon, Tom Gordon, Lindsay Davy, Forbes Gordon, Joanna Gordon,

Kate Davy, Sandy Gordon, Sue Gordon. Third row: Philippa Vickers, Annie Gordon, Robin Gordon, Jim Gordon, Ros Lloyd-Phillips, Hugh Lloyd-Phillips, Sam Gordon,

Hugh Gordon, Emma Gordon, Hugh Bligh, Angus Gordon. Second row: Leonard Abrahams, Jane Abrahams, John Gordon, Pam Gordon, Andrew Gordon,

Daniel Gordon, Hugh Lloyd-Phillips, Edward Lloyd-Phillips, Clare Lloyd-Phillips, Elizabeth Davy, James Davy. Front row: Alexandra Abrahams, Margot Abrahams,

Fleur Balmain, David Balmain, Julian Llyod-Phillips, Michael Gordon, Nicholas Gordon, William Gordon, Charles Gordon, Peter Gordon, and Jeremy Gordon.

Forbes Hugh Gordon, the great-grandson of William Forbes Gordon, with his wife Joanna (Evans) Gordon - at the family reunion in 1986

The Gordons of Manar in Australia

William Forbes Gordon

William Forbes Gordon, second son of Hugh Gordon of Manar, NSW, was born at Manar on 19 September 1843. He was named William after his father's old friend and mentor William Leslie of Warthill - 'Uncle Willie' as he was known to the family. He was named Forbes after the family name of Elizabeth Forbes, the wife of Hugh Gordon of Manar, Aberdeenshire. William was only 14 when his father died in 1857. He completed his education at Macquarie Fields School and in 1861 he travelled overseas, a trip which included a visit to France. In 1862 he was back in Australia and working on properties around the Warwick district in Queensland. It is believed that during his time in Queensland he met his wife Beatrice Deuchar Allan. (The Allans and Deuchars had themselves migrated from Aberdeenshire, and worked for the Leslie brothers.)

After his marriage, William returned to Manar which he then leased from the trustees of his father's estate. (His mother had leased Manar to other people when she married the second time to Francis Wilson.) By 1884 William was in a position to buy the property and he entered into an agreement with the trustees to purchase Manar for £12,000. Following the rescue of Manar, which had been in financial difficulties, William gradually added to it with the purchase of small parcels of land in the immediate vicinity. In 1886, using Manar as collateral, he purchased Werriwa, near Bungendore, in partnership with his brother, James. Werriwa remained in the family until sold 100 years later. William is said to have been a remarkable and hard working man, who by his endeavours was able to ensure Manar remained in the family. He kept a series of daybooks, which are preserved at Manar, and which leave a comprehensive record of the daily happenings there.

There is a record in the Braidwood Dispatch of his family's hospitality in 1891 - in the deep economic depression going on at the time - when a Shearers Ball was held at Manar: "The whoolsheed was decorated throughout with oak, laurel and other greenery and such flowers as survived January’s heat. The shed was lit by candles distributed along the beams and walls and the ladies of the home station were greatly complimented on their achieving such a beautiful effect. Dancing commenced at 8 o’clock and continued until past daybreak. The musicians, on violin, piano and tambourine, performed throughout the evening with skill and unflagging energy. There were many handsome dresses which, when combined with the smiling faces and bright sparkling eyes, made the spectacle a most brilliant and joyous one."

Another occasion of hospitality was in 1900 when Sir William Lyne, the New South Wales Premier, came to Braidwood to lay the foundation stone of the new courthouse there. Great crowds welcomed him there, and along with other dignitaries, he was driven by coach to Manar. A newspaper reported: "The party mounted the special coach which had been sent down for them and, escorted by six mounted police, proceeded to Manar, where they were entertained at a sumptuous breakfast by Mr and Mrs W.F. Gordon. The visitors spoke warmly of the preparations which had been made for them at Manar, and of the warm hospitality extended to them by their host and hostess, and by the Misses Gordon."

William died after a long illness at Manar on 5 August 1904 at the relatively early age of 60, and was buried in the family cemetery on the property. Shortly before her death in 1987, William's niece Jean Lishman recalled him: "Dear Uncle Willie was always my favourite, he was the kindest man I ever knew."

In 'The Gordons of Manar in Australia' the authors refer to what William's descendant (and owner of Manar) Forbes Gordon had learnt about William from the day books and letters kept at Manar. They present a vivid insight into life at the Manar of William Forbes Gordon:

"Although the family lived fairly frugally, it was a close-knit, loving, and very happy family. Manar was a lovely home but there was no sanitation... the only water supply was from the creek and water was consequently very scarce. To the day she died Florence [William's daughter] would never allow you to put more in her glass than she thought she would need... the house was full and they had a cook, a maid and a governess. The girls all learned to cook from the age of 12 when they each took a turn in the kitchen.

"Outside the back door was a little open house where the meat was hung... Florence had chickens and the run is still there (see picture above). They had to wear boots in case of snake bites, but no story has ever been told of anyone being bitten. All transport was by horse and buggy. The youngest son Jim was a marvellous horseman, and he would often do the terrifying thing of driving three-in-hand. While they were all quite young the girls used to climb the trees around the house.

"It could be very hot yet it could get very cold. Each room had a fireplace and the girls could have a fire in their rooms if they could make it themselves. Every Sunday morning father read the bible, read the prayers and they sang hymns to the old piano played by one of the daughters, all sitting round in the great dining room."

He married on 16 March 1869 at Glengallan near Warwick, Queensland, Beatrice Deuchar, daughter of Hugh Allan. She was born in 1846 and died in Sydney on 16 January 1917 aged 70 and was buried at Manar in the family cemetery. They had:

1. Hugh Forbes, born at Manar on 11 December 1869, died at Petersham on 14 December 1882 after suffering from hydrocephalus.

2. William Deuchar (click on name for more information).

3. James Henry Forbes (click on name for more information).

4. Florence Emmeline (click on link for more information)

5. Mary Elizabeth, born 15 November 1875, died at sea on 27 February 1900. She was very fond of her sister Bessie and nursed her for several months before the young girl died of scarlet fever at the age of 12. The family decided to send Mary to stay for a time with her sister Florence who had got married in England. It was hoped this would help her recover. Grief-stricken following Bessie's death, and in a deep depression, Mary climbed through a porthole and jumped overboard while her ship was off Cape Town. She was 24.

6. Frances Beatrice, born 6 July 1877, died unmarried in Sydney on 15 October 1969 at the age of 92.

7. Violet Margeurite (click on link for more information).

8. Ruby Annette (click on link for more information).

9. Bessie Indiana, born at Braidwood on 12 November 1886, died of Scarlet Fever at Manly on 13 June 1899. She was 12 years old.

10. Cherie Pearl, born at Braidwood on 8 June 1890, died unmarried at Paddington on 1 October 1970.

Many of William and Beatrice's descendants still live in Braidwood, Bungendore and Goulburn districts, keeping up close family ties.

THE DESCENDANTS OF HUGH GORDON OF MANAR

Gen01Fam01 - The family of Hugh Gordon of Manar

Gen01Gen02Fam01 - The family of Elizabeth (Gordon) Skene

Gen01Gen02Gen03Fam0101 - The family of John George Skene

Gen01Gen02Gen03Fam0102 - The family of William J Skene

Gen01Gen02Fam02 - The family of Jane (Gordon) Hunter