Richard McIsaac, Jnr

Richard was born in 1831, the son of Richard McIsaac and Jean Scott. He arrived in Nelson with his family on the ship Clifford in 1842. In 1858 he married Priscilla Mealing. 9 children were born in their marriage. Richard worked as a miner at the goldfields at Mahers Flat. He passed away at his Renwicktown home in 1911, age 80, and is buried at Upper Wairau Valley Cemetery, Blenheim, Marlborough, New Zealand.

MARLBOROUGH EXPRESS 8 MARCH 1911
Another of Marlborough's pioneers has passed away in the person of Mr Richard Mclsaac, whose death occurred on February 25 at his home in 'Renwicktown'. The deceased gentleman was born in Glasgow exactly 80 years ago and at the age of ten years he accompanied his parents to New Zealand, leaving London in the good ship Clifford in the year 1841. The Mclsaac family landed at Nelson on May 15th, 1842, and made a short sojourn in that place. Young Richard soon showed of what he was made by taking a mob of sheep from Nelson to Canterbury via the Barefell Pass, being the first person to undertake the arduous task. Upon this occasion Mt McIsaac had a rough and trying experience, but succeeded in landing his sheep at their destination with the loss of a very small percentage, which succumbed to extreme cold and to the deadly tutu. Mr McIsaac was one of the first to settle, in the Wairau district, arriving here an 1851. In 1854 he built the first house on the Blind River estate, and the remains of his work there can still be seen at the foot of Adams' Hill. In 1858 Mr Mclsaac was married to Miss Priscilla Mealing, the ceremony being performed by the Rev. T. D. Nicholson. The aged couple celebrated their golden wedding on May 19 1908, when there was a great gathering of the family, all the six sons and the two surviving daughters being present to participate. As an instance of the hardihood of the pioneer's stock, it might be stated that but one member of the family predeceased that event. Since then the family suffered a bereavement in the loss by accident of Mr Robert Mclsaac, there being now left to mourn the loss of the late Mr Richard Mclsaac, his wife, five sons, and two daughters, his brother, Mr W. R. Mclsaac, of New Plymouth, and his sister Mrs Barton, of Onamalutu, in addition to thirtyfive grandchildren and seven greatgrandchildren.