Bridget McInerney, Free Settler “Blair Athol” 1878

GEDCOM Note

(Research):Murringo <p>Tiny and largely untouched historic village</p> <p></p> <p>Murringo is a tiny historic village located 25 km east of Young and 406 km from Sydney (via Young). It is one of thoseAustralian villages where time has stood still. Driving through it today it is hard to imagine that in the 1850s, when the <p>whole area was awash with bushrangers and gold prospectors, a newspaper described the town as 'a public thoroughfare and rendezvous for horse stealers and bushrangers, being in the very heart of the lawless district'. <p></p> <p>Not surprisingly there has been controversy over the town's name. When the surveyors laid out the town in 1849 the local landowner, John Scarr, was calling his property Marengo, probably after the Italian town where Napoleon had defeated the <p>Austrian Army in 1800. The surveyors ignored this spelling and marked Murringo on their plans. Then, over the years, a whole variety of names gained currency. At various times the village was called Meringo, Marringa, Muringo, Murringo, <p>Maringo, Maringa and Marengo. It wasn't until 1926, when the local post office's name was changed, that the official name became Murringo. <p></p> <p>Although the town was not officially surveyed until 1849 a government return in 1840 shows that, although it was beyond the limits of settlement, there were 43 people living on three properties in the district. The Marengo station, which <p>accounted for 21 of these people, had been settled since about 1833. <p></p> <p>The township grew up around Marengo station. It was planned as a substantial centre and the survey included a market place, a large cemetery and an extensive recreation area. This would have occurred but gold was discovered at Lambing Flat <p>(near present-day Young) in 1860 and most of the development of the area moved to the goldfields. <p></p> <p>The village was never large. In 1861 there were 128 residents; in 1871 this had dropped to 119. Still this did not deter the local residents. In 1865 a tea meeting was held and £200 was raised to build Christ Church Anglican Church. It was <p>designed by Reverend Soares and completed in 1866. It still stands. <p></p> <p>A few years later in 1871 a collection was taken up at Michael O'Connor's hotel and in 1874 the foundation stone of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church was laid. A convent school was attached to the church and continued to operate until the 1860s. <p></p> <p>In 1857 a post office was established in Joseph Hancock's general store. It was moved to the school in 1860 and continued to operate there until 1879. In 1971 the postal services were returned to the town's General Store. <p></p> <p>If you want to experience what life in a New South Wales country town was like 120 years ago Murringo is remarkably untouched and unchanged <p>Bridget came out on the "Blair Athol" (Index to assisted immigrants arriving in Sydney, 1860-79 reel 2141, 2490) aged 68 and arrived on 20-08-1878. She was the oldest passenger onthe ship and was sponsored by her son Thomas. Her death certificate says that her father was John O'Dea and mother Bridget Dage/Sage. <p></p> <p>Burial R/C Row E 677</p>