Joseph Buchanan

Family records did not show any siblings for William Buchanan, son of Archibald Buchanan and Marion Barr. I originally found Joseph's birth on FamilySearch IGI, with further discoveries later.

In the 1851 census Joseph is 30 and living with his mother and two younger siblings in Loans, about eight miles north of Ayr. It states he was born in Monkton, Ayr, and that he is a saddler.

Searching for records of his arrival in Australia, I have found that Joseph Buchanan arrived in Hobart on 7 April 1855, having set off from Liverpool on 11 Jan 1855. His age is given as 33 (which he would have been when the ship set off) and he has a wife called Margaret (32). Also on board was a Lillias Buchanan (24), housemaid, who I now know was his sister. Joseph's occupation is given as 'coachmaker'.

The Australia Death Index [transcript accessed via Ancestry] shows that Joseph Buchanan, son of Archibald Buchanan and Marion Barr, died in Victoria in 1865 aged 45. News items of the time show that he was a 'lunatic' at the time of his death (Argus, 15 June 1865) and he was lately of Elizabeth St., Melbourne, and was a saddler, leaving a widow Margaret (Argus, 13 July 1865).

A later viewing of the original register of his death provides the place, Yarra Bend Lunatic Asylum, the date, 3 July 1865, and the cause: dysentery which he'd had for 22 days. His occupation is listed as saddler. His parents: Archibald Buchanan, gentleman, and Marion Buchanan, formerly Barr. He was born in Ayrshire and had been in Tasmania for four years and Victoria six years. It states he was buried on 6 July at Melbourne General Cemetery. He was married in Glasgow aged 21 to Margaret (Torrens?) and they had no children. All this information is in marked contrast to the scarcity of information regarding the other four inmates whose deaths are recorded on the same page, three of whom were buried in the cemetery of the asylum. Some illustrations of the Asylum from around that time are in the Media section above.

Nov 2015 - I have just been contacted by a relative in Australia who has told me the following touching story about Joseph and Margaret adopting a son who took the surname BUCHANAN.

The clipper ship Commodore Perry left Liverpool in Jan 1885 and arrived in Launceston, Tasmania in April 1885. On board were Scottish, Irish, German and English emigrants. The Scottish emigrants were brought to Australia by the St. Andrews Society and were regarded as a better class of citizen. On board were Joseph and Margaret Buchanan and Lilias Buchanan (Joseph's sister). Also on board were Thomas and Margaret McKenzie. Unfortunately, Margaret died giving birth to her son on board. It seems that Thomas felt unable to look after the child and decided to adopt him to the Buchanans, who were childless.

According to the captain's report they had a christening on board and the child was nicknamed Ocean Boy. He was named Joseph Mundle (after the captain) Chisman (after the 1st officer, who may have helped deliver him) McKenzie Buchanan.