AUS-VIC-NE-L Archives

From: Ada Ackerly <>
Subject: [AVNE] Dempsey/Dorsey of Goulbourn /Seymour
Date: Mon, 01 Oct 2001 18:05:03 +1000

Hello Listers,

Not sure if I am in the right list, but looking for descendants of William
and Mary dempsey who had a big sqatting station on the site of Seymour and
parts south & west. They called their property "Muringa" .

William Dempsey said. in Feb 1848
"There are now new Regulations by which we have 14 years lease of our runs,
and our run is 24 square miles, having now on it near 700 head of cattle
and plenty of horses for yoursellf [his son John, still in Ireland] , wife
and all the children.... I have six miles frontage to the Goulbourn River "

There are a series of five "Dear John" letters, asking his son who is
in"Basin Lane, Naas, County Kildare, Ireland", starting with Feb 1848 and
ending Feb 1853, to use the assisted immigration regulations to get
himself, wife & children to Victoria. He refers to a letter dated May 1847
which took 5 months to arrive, to his daughters Catherine (Dorsey)& Mary
(Wallace), both married.

In Dec 1850, having not heard from John, he tells that he has let the
station to his son-in-law Michael Dorsey for 6 years at £100 p.a.tells of
his mother's death in Nov 1850"

William died Nov 1855, and John (recently arrived?) lodges a caveat against
his father's will in Dec 1855, claiming that his father was blind and
unable to read at the time his will was made.

Would love to hear from any descendants.

The letters are in the Case Files of The Victorian Supreme Court, Equity
Jurisdiction, VPRS 259/p
case number 205 in unit 18. I have photocopies.



regards,
Ada Ackerly, Melbourne, Australia
formerly Ackerly DocuSearch

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• [AVNE] Dempsey/Dorsey of Goulbourn /Seymour by Ada Ackerly <>