Early Creswick: The first century by John A. Graham ( Second Hand book)

SECOND HAND BOOK

John Alexander Graham was born in Creswick in 1869.  His parents William and Sarah (Stephenson) emigrated on the Omega in 1856 from County Tyrone, Ireland and married in 1859.  On arrival in Australia, William gave his occupation as Labourer and became involved in the local mining industry.

John’s two older brothers were William, born in 1861 and Thomas in 1863.  They were two of the three “Lost Children”, a tragic story in Daylesford’s history.  In June 1867, William aged 6, Thomas aged 4 along with friend Alfred aged 5, wandered off into the bush and became lost.  Despite an extensive search they were not found until their bodies were discovered months later.  In 1967 the Daylesford Historical Society erected a cairn on the road to Daylesford to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of their disappearance.  John also had a younger sister Jessie, born in 1869.

John was educated at the Creswick Grammar School in Cambridge Street from 1882, the school being founded in 1869 by the Reverend Alex Pyne of St John’s Church of England.  Many successful Australians were educated at the Grammar School including Sir Alexander Peacock, Premier of Victoria during the early 1900s.

The Creswick Grammar School history was written and compiled by John A. Graham in 1940.  The book included lists of teachers and scholars, and reminiscences by former scholars.

Mr Graham’s second book, Early Creswick: The First Century, serves as a testament to Graham’s commitment to preserving and sharing Creswick’s rich heritage.  He developed an appreciation for the town’s history from an early age, with his research and accuracy cementing his reputation as an author and historian.

Published in 1942, Early Creswick: The First Century remains an achievement in the field of regional history.  A comprehensive history, it traces Creswick’s evolution from its humble beginnings to a flourishing township.  Through a combination of archival records, firsthand accounts and documentation, Graham’s book reconstructs the social, economic and cultural tapestry of Creswick’s inaugural century.

The Foreword to the original edition of Early Creswick, written by Lady Millie Peacock as President, Creswick Branch of the Red Cross Society, acknowledges John Graham’s generosity in donating the proceeds from the sale of the book to the local Red Cross during the time of World War II.

The book records the arrival and work of the early explorers, settlers and squatters during the 1830s and 1840s, who brought cattle and sheep to the area and established large land holdings, including Captain John Hepburn and the Creswick brothers.  As recorded, ‘The squatters held no legal title to the land, the boundaries … being arranged by mutual agreement’.

Specifications:

Condition: Fair, ex library, contains library stickers and stamps, some dog earring of cover and missing a corner of the back cover.

Publisher: Creswick Historical Museum

Year: 1987

Format: Paperback

Pages: 299

ISBN: 0958848017

$15.00

1 in stock