Donald McCALLUM 1816-1908 & Caroline BEST 1831-1910
and his brother
Duncan McCALLUM 1827-1910 & Margaret KENNEDY 1834-1905


Donald McCALLUM 1816-1908 & Caroline BEST 1831-1910

Donald McCALLUM b. 1816, Argyllshire, Scotland married Caroline BEST at Ardachy station. Caroline was born at Cressy in Van Diemens Land on 6.8.1830. They were married by the Rev Thomas Eliot Richardson on 5.11.1850. Donald McCALLUM was a Wheelwright, Carpenter and coffin maker and his wife "Granny" was a local midwife and a highly respected member of the district. He operated a wheelright store in Digby from 1857 - 1910. Their family was:

  1. Dugald McCALLUM b.1851, Dartmoor, Vic, m. Annie McLEOD in 1876 and they had the following family;
    1. Norman McCALLUM b. 1876, d. 1901 Branxholme, Vic,
    2. Susan McCALLUM b. 1878 Digby, Vic, m. Samuel McCOMBE
    3. Caroline 'Carie' Janet McCALLUM b. 1880 Digby, Vic,
    4. Catherine Ann McCALLUM b. 1882 Condah, Vic, m. Samuel Joseph COSTELLO
    5. Donald McCALLUM b. 1883 Condah, Vic, m. Ann WHITE
    6. Alexandrina McCALLUM b. 1885 Condah, Vic, m. Lewis MILLER
    7. William Alexander McCALLUM b. 1887 Condah, Vic, m. Margaret O'CONNOR
    8. Dugald McCALLUM b. 1889 Condah, Vic,
    9. Miriam McCALLUM b. 1892 Condah, Vic, m. ___ GORRIE
    10. Mary Ann McCALLUM b. 1894 Condah, Vic,
    11. Duncan McCALLUM b. 1895 Condah, Vic, m. Elizabeth Lilly May WATERS
    12. Christina McCALLUM b. 1897 Condah, Vic, m. ___ PITMAN
    13. Roderick McCALLUM b. 1899 Condah, Vic, m. Mary Jane McDOUGALL
    14. Norman McCALLUM b. 1901 Branxholme, Vic, m. Elizabeth McDOUGALL
    15. Olive May McCALLUM b. 1903 Condah, Vic,

  2. Sarah Ann McCALLUM b.1853, Merino, Vic, m. Richard BRUNTON;

  3. Janet McCALLUM b.1854, Vic, mar Henry CROSS;

  4. James McCALLUM b.1856, Digby, Vic. mar. Jane BARKER;
    1. Flora Jemima McCALLUM b. ca 1884
    2. William McCALLUM b. ca 1886, Digby, Vic, d. 1889;
    3. George Richard McCALLUM b. ca 1887, Condah, Vic;
    4. James McCALLUM b. ca 1889, Condah, Vic;
    5. Arthur McCALLUM b. ca 1891, Digby, Vic
      • WW1 1st AIF, 8th Battalion, enlisted 13-07-1915
      • wounded 27-06-1917, RTA 22--07-1917
      • Digby Avenue of Honour Tree No 83, planted by Mr W A McCALLUM
    6. Dugald McCALLUM b. 1894, Condah, Vic, KIA, 1917, France
      • WW1 1st AIF, 8th Field Coy Engineers, enlisted 1-09-1915
      • KIA 27-10-1917, France
    7. Annie May McCALLUM b. 1895, Condah, Vic;
    8. Cora McCALLUM b. 1897, Condah, Vic;
    9. Donald McCALLUM b. 1899, Condah, Vic;
    10. Agnes McCALLUM b. 1902, Vic.

  5. John McCALLUM b.1858, Digby, Vic, d.1865;

  6. William Alexander McCALLUM b.1861, Digby, Vic, m. Flora McLEAN 1868-1939;

  7. Miriam McCALLUM b.1864, Digby, Vic, m. Charles DOUGHENEY;

  8. John McCALLUM b.1867, Digby, Vic, m. Ann BARKER (1870-1944);
    1. Elsie M McCALLUM b. 1893, Digby, Vic m. Walma James SEYMOUR;
    2. Charles McCALLUM b. 1895, Digby, Vic, m. Ellen COOPER
    3. Bertha McCALLUM b. 1897, Digby, Vic, ...........?;
    4. Russell McCALLUM b. 1899, Digby, Vic, m. Alma Beatrice MARSHALL (1905-1998);
    5. Lucy Ann McCALLUM 1901, Digby, Vic, m. Ernest Arthur POVEY (1898-1965);
    6. Daisy McCALLUM b. 1904, Digby, Vic, m. William Jacob MILLS;
    7. Norman McCALLUM b. 1905, Digby, Vic, m. 1925, Edith Rachel "Enid" MARSHALL (1905-1991);
    8. Wilfred McCALLUM b. 1907, Digby, Vic, m. Melba Flora MOORE;
    9. Archibald McCALLUM b. 1909, Digby, Vic, m. Ethel Mavis BURGESS;

  9. Caroline Elizabeth McCALLUM b.1870, Digby, Vic, m. John Archibald COTTER;

  10. Archibald McCALLUM b.1875, Digby, Vic.

Notes from Phil McCALLUM
I can give you some information about the origin of the McCallums as we have researched this fairly well.

Donald McCallum came from a place near Oban and we believe it was Black Crofts not far from Connell Ferry or Connell as it is now called. It is a very beautiful place over the Connell bridge from Oban and on Loch Etive on the opposite side to Oban. There is a nice old inn just near the bridge called the Connell Inn and one can sit and sip your beer and look out over the loch and see the Falls of Lora just the other side of the bridge when the tide turns one way or the other. On the ebb tide, the water rushes out over a rocky ledge giving the impression of a low waterfall and similarly rushes in when the tide is coming in. This is called the Falls of Lora. A bit further up the loch beyond Black Crofts is a place called Ardchattan and Ardchattan Priory - an old monastery and the Ardchattan Church and graveyard containing many McCallums a couple of whom are in the graveyard of the monastery. Ardchattan is pronounced Ardcartan with a soft scottish "c"which also sounds like a soft aussie "g". Anyway from this beautiful place, we know that Donald and Duncan McCallum sailed to Australia but family tradition says that four brothers left scotland for the colonies. In the 1841 census, Donald and Duncan's parents and the family living there were shown as Dugald, aged 50, Farmer; Janet aged 45 Annie 20: Duncan 12: and Leasry 11. (Elizabeth) In the 1851 census, Dugald has disappear presumably dead, as Janet is shown as "Head" of family and "B.Ardchattan": Duncan, Son aged 22, Cartwright, B. Ardchattan: Elizabeth, dau. aged 20 servant b. Ardchattan. By 1861 only Janet and Elizabeth are left. Janet is shown as being the farmer of 1 acre and Elisabeth is shown as a Dairy maid farmer. We believe that from scottish and other records the family was - Dugald MacCallum father born circa 1791 and Janet McIlriach born circa 1787. They were married at Ardchattan on 2nd August 1812. We also believe their family was Janet chr 28.4.1813, Donald b. 8.5.1816, Anne b. 21.11.1819, Archibald b 29.3.1822 Elisabeth b.19.9.1824, John b.13.1.1826, Duncan b. 1827 and another Elisabeth born 3.4.1830. Presumably the first Elisabeth died at an early age.

Donald arrived on the "Mary Shepherd" on 4th April, 1849 at Port Phillip. The "Mary Shepherd" was a brand new vessel, sheathed with yellow metal. It was completed in the Sunderland Dockyards in 1848 and was classed as A1 for 10 years by Lloyds of London. She was a barque of between 550 and 625 tons and on this trip carried 253 immigrants to Australia. She left London on the 19th December 1848. In general the conditions and provisions were good and the emigrants were satisfied with both quantity and quality. We do not know what Donald did between arrival and November 1850 but on the fifth of November, 1850 he married Caroline Best at Ardachy station, Portland Bay. The Minister was Thomas Elliot Richardson. In 1853, Donald bought two half acre blocks of land in Digby paying 4 pounds for the first and 7 pounds for the second and began his business as a wheelwright.

Donald's brother Duncan may have arrived on the "Hornet" on 23.10.1854 and he married Margaret Kennedy at Digby on 17th March, 1856. He later went to New Zealand and raised a family of 7 boys and 5 girls, 8 of whom married and had families. Duncan and Margaret are buried in Long Plain Cemetery, Takaka in the South Island, New Zealand.

There was a very strong family tradition that another brother John, came to Australia but despite extensive searches, we have not found a trace of him. Archibald was the other brother who was supposed to have also arrived in Australia but there is no sign of him either. Both Donald and Caroline are buried in Digby cemetery and a plaque has been placed on their grave by descendants. By the way in the Ardchattan church records all the family births were recorded as "MacCallum". Phil McCallum (25 Apr 1998)




Duncan McCALLUM 1827-1910 & Margaret KENNEDY 1834-1905

Duncan McCALLUM b. 1827 was a brother of Donald and married Margaret KENNEDY (b.1834 at Fort William Scotland) in 1856 at Digby, Vic. Duncan and Margaret emigrated on to New Zealand and had a family of 7 boys and 5 girls. They are both buried in Long Plain cemetery in Takaka, South Island New Zealand. Duncan died in 1910 and Margaret in 1905. At least one of their family has emigrated on to Canada. The children of Duncan and Margaret McCALLUM were:

  1. Dugald McCALLUM b. 1856
  2. Margaret McCALLUM b. 1858
  3. Janet McCALLUM b. 1859
  4. Angus McCALLUM b. 1861
  5. Ann McCALLUM b. 1862
  6. Achibald McCALLUM b. 1864
  7. John McCALLUM b. 1866
  8. Marjorie McCALLUM b. 1869
  9. Duncan McCALLUM b. 1870
  10. Alexander McCALLUM b. 1871
  11. Donald McCALLUM b. 1872
  12. Katharine McCALLUM b. 1875

D. McCALLUM was one of the buyers on the list of first buyers of Digby town allotments.

1889 - W. McCALLUM listed as Chief Ranger for Court Perseverance No 3319, Ancient Order of Foresters at Digby.

McCallum Family Researcher: Melanie Dunstan.

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