James Paterson Wilson left Scotland in 1854 aboard the 'Africa' with his 3 brothers, Adam, Alexander, and William. He listed his occupation as 'Mariner'. During the trip he met Susan Gillison who was traveling to Australia to meet her fiancé, but on arrival she found her fiancé had been killed in an accident. On 17.2.1955 James and Susan were married in Collingwood. They had 10 children: Janet Louden, William, Susan Gillison, Robert Andrew, Matha Moffat, James Paterson Jnr, John (b. 1865 died 1866), Ellen (drowned in Lake Elingamite aged 11 in 1878), Adam, Richard Alexander. The majority of the children from this family lived to an old age. Susan Gillison died on 29.11.1877 she was 45 years of age and was buried at the old Cobden cemetery later moved to new Cobden cemetery. 20 Jan 1880 James married Harriet Colcott. James was aged 51, Harriet 21. James' occupation was listed as a farmer.
They had 15 children: Harriet, Joan, John, Miriam Louden, Florence Elizabeth, Harry, Arthur, Joseph, Walter, Alice Maud, Lily Isabella, David Affleck, Maurice Stanley (died WW1), Ronald Stewart (died WW1), Victor Finley. The majority of the children from this family lived to an old age.

From Coden Court records
20 Jan 1900.

Unlawful assault James Paterson Wilson an old man of 72 years proceeded against.
Archibald Hamilton also an elderly man for unlawful assault proceeded against.

When James was convicted for possession of unlicenced still, he was 65 years of age and had 20 children, there were still 5 to come. The site of their shack was on the present Brucknell scout camp property.
Harriet's father, James Colcott - a convict - was transported for 7 years in 1830 for theft. He died in 1889 and left his assets to his widow. When she died in 1902, she left it to her youngest child, Harriet. This consisted of 4 blocks of land at Cobden.
James died on 26th November 1909 from cerebral hemorrhage, aged 81, his children's ages ranged from 54 to 9. Harriet lived for 6 days after James and she died on 2nd December 1909 from pneumonia, acute hepatitis, and exhaustion, aged 51. They are buried together at Terang, a headstone was erected by Wilson descendants from both families. At the time of their deaths, James and Harriet were living in McKinnon St, Terang.
They left 15 children ranging in age from 29 to 9. In 1912 most of the adult children were recorded as living at a place called Skibo, Camperdown. This was a very large cattle station owned by the Chirnside family and was divided up for share-farming with a lot of little houses, it seems James and Harriet's older children raised the younger ones on this property. The 10 children from his 1st family were already long gone.

Property Owner at Elingamite

Contributor: Sharon Wilson. Wilson Family History.

© 1999-2004 All rights reserved WJ Reed