Map shows location of McKinlay's Inn on the Glenelg

Map shows location of "Springbank" near Casterton, on the Glenelg

Mary KIRBY 1823-1876, Edmund KIRBY 1824-1888 & James KIRBY 1828-1904, were all associated with the establishment of the first settlement which grew into the township of Casterton on the Glenelg River in S-W Victoria prior to 1850. The location was originally known as the "Adelaide crossing-place" or "crossing place" on the Glenelg river.

Mary, James & Edmund KIRBY were three of the eight children of William KIRBY & Emma WILMER from Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England who had arrived at Melbourne, Port Phillip Bay, as a group of ten on the "China" in May 1848. In the 1840s & 1850s all three were involved in the early settlement of Glenelg River Crossing (later Casterton) ib south-west Victoria.

William KIRBY, born 1800, Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England, son of Edmund KIRBY and Mary ANSELL, d. 1863, Saltwater River (Flemington), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Emma WILMER, born 1796 Broughton, Buckinghamshire, England, daughter of Richard & Mary WILMER, d. 1854 at Merri Creek, Melbourne, Victoria. William & Emma were married in 1822 at Loughton, Buckinghamshire (Bkm), England and had the following known family in England....

  1. Mary KIRBY, b. 1823, Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England, d. 1876, North America, m1. 1840, at Melbourne to Alexander McKINLAY, b. ? , d. 1848, Strathdownie, Port Phillip; m2. Albert Maria VON ST LUZ BODEN, b. 1818 Germany, d. 1891, North America.
    [follow link to Alexander McKINLAY for family details]

  2. Edmund KIRBY, b. 1824, Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England, d. 1888, Ballarat, Victoria, m. 1852 at "Glenelg Inn" Glenelg River Crossing (later Casterton), Victoria, Australia to Mary FINN, b. 1822, Co Kerry, Ireland, d. 1913, Kew, Melbourne, Victoria.
    • 1824 : born Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England, son of Edmund KIRBY and Mary ANSELL.
    • 1839 : Mary FINN arrived Sydney on ship "Susan" with parents and siblings.
    • 1840 : arrived Port Phillip on ship "China" with parents and 7 siblings.
    • 1845 : Edmund & James KIRBY along with the brothers Andrew and Peter BEVERIDGE occupied "Tyntynder" Station (nr Swan Hill), N-W Victoria, Australia. Andrew BEVERIDGE was speared by aborigines but the remaining BEVERIDGE family expanded their holding and stayed on the Murray River for may years before returning to Kilmore, N-W of Melbourne.
    • 1847 : Edmund & James KIRBY came to the "Glenelg Inn" Glenelg River Crossing (later Casterton), Victoria, Australia which had been built and opened in 1846 by their brother-in-law Andrew McKINLAY.
    • 1848 : Edmund & James KIRBY opened a store "Jas Kirby & Co." next to the "Glenelg Inn" at the Glenelg Crossing Place which they owned until 1862.
    • 1850 : Edmund & James KIRBY had a low-level bridge built to replace the punt over the Glenelg at the Glenelg Crossing Place.
    • 1852 : Edmund KIRBY married Mary FINN at the "Glenelg Inn" Glenelg River Crossing (later Casterton), Victoria, Australia. The "Glenelg Inn" had been built and opened in 1846 by Andrew McKINLAY who was married to Edmund's sister, Mary KIRBY.
    • 1853 : Edmund KIRBY took over the Strathdownie West Pastoral Run as well as the "Dorodong Creek" Pastoral Run, near present day Dergholm.
    • 1854-1862 : Edmund KIRBY occupied the "Springbank" Pastoral Run on the Glenelg River near Casterton.
    • 1854, July : Edmund & James KIRBY offered for sale their "Glenelg Inn & Store" at Casterton with possession available on 1 Feb 1855.
    • 1860s : Edmund KIRBY occupied the "Avenue" Pastoral Run over the SA border, near Penola.
    • 1867-1888 : Edmund KIRBY had moved to Ballarat, where he died in 1888.
    • 1913 : Mary (nee FINN), widow of Edmund KIRBY died at Melbourne, aged 91.

    Edmund KIRBY and Mary FINN had the following family...

    1. Edmund Wilmer KIRBY, b. 1853 "Glenelg Inn" or "KIRBY's Inn" Glenelg River, Casterton, S-W Victoria, d. 1914, Bendigo, Victoria, m. Louisa Mary TURNER 1852-1939. [Edmund was a solicitor of Ballarat & Bendigo and served as a Major in the Militia.]
    2. Mary Agnes KIRBY, b. 1855, Portland, Victoria, d. 1948, Adelaide, SA, m. Edward Britten JONES 1858-1933.
    3. Anne Wilmer KIRBY, b. 1857, Casterton, S-W Victoria, m. William Britain TAPPIN ~1855-1905.
    4. John Finn KIRBY, b. 1858, Casterton, S-W Victoria, d. 1942, Portland, S-W Victoria, m. Elizabeth CROWE 1861-1921. [John was a stock & station agent of Coleraine, grazier of "Mingbool" SA & "Mount Koroite" Coleraine, Vic. His horse "Parisian" won the 1911 Melbourne Cup. John & Elizabeth KIRBY are buried in the Coleraine cemetery.]
    5. Ellen Finn KIRBY, b. 1861, Casterton, S-W Victoria, d. 1946, Melbourne, Victoria, m. Arthur O'Hara Bourke O'CONNOR ~1862-1924.
    6. Ansell Wilmer KIRBY, b. 1864, Penola, South Australia, d. 1924 Perth. Western Australia.

  3. William KIRBY, b. 1826, Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England, d. 1854, "Fawsley Park" Kinlochewe (nr Donnybrook & Kalkalo), Victoria, Australia.

  4. James KIRBY, b. 1828, Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England, d. 1904, Kew, Melbourne, Victoria, m. Ellen FINN b. 1820, Ireland, d. 1903, Balwyn, Melbourne, Victoria.
    • 1828 : born Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England, son of Edmund KIRBY and Mary ANSELL.
    • 1839 : Ellen FINN arrived Sydney on ship "Susan" with parents and siblings.
    • 1840 : James KIRBY arrived Port Phillip on ship "China" with parents and 7 siblings.
    • 1845 : Edmund & James KIRBY along with the brothers Andrew and Peter BEVERIDGE occupied "Tyntynder" Station (nr Swan Hill), N-W Victoria, Australia. Andrew BEVERIDGE was speared by aborigines but the remaining BEVERIDGE family expanded their holding and stayed on the Murray River for may years before returning to Kilmore, N-W of Melbourne.
    • 1847 : operated the postal service for Alexander McKINLAY at the post office attached to McKINLAY's "Glenelg Inn" at the Glenelg Crossing Place, later Casterton, on the Glenelg River.
    • 1848 : Edmund & James KIRBY opened a store "Jas Kirby & Co." next to the "Glenelg Inn" at the Glenelg Crossing Place which they owned until 1862.
    • 1849 : James Kirby married Ellen FINN in the Portland Bay District.
    • 1850 : Edmund & James KIRBY had a low-level bridge built to replace the punt over the Glenelg at the Glenelg Crossing Place.
    • 1850 : son William born at the Glenelg Crossing Place (later Casterton), on the Glenelg River.
    • 1851 : The unidentified wife of Mr. MAPPISON (in the employ of Mr. KIRBY) was drowned at the Glenelg when a boat was upset in July 1851. This was probably Henry MAPPISON ~1829-1874 who married again in 1859.
    • 1852 : son James born at the "Glenelg Inn" Casterton, on the Glenelg River.
    • 1854, May : James KIRBY renewed his Inn-keepers license for the "Glenelg Inn"
    • 1854, July : Edmund & James KIRBY offered for sale their "Glenelg Inn & Store" at Casterton with possession available on 1 Feb 1855.
    • 1861 : James KIRBY now at "The Avenue" station, near Penola, SA.
    • 1869 : James KIRBY, Inn-keeper of "Gate Hotel" near Naracoorte, SA.
    • 1870s-~1900 : James KIRBY, sheep farmer at "Hillcroft" near Minyip in the Wimmera.
    • 1896 : James KIRBY published a book of memoirs "Old times in the Bush of Australia."
    • 1899 : James KIRBY petitioned the Victorian parliament to be recognised as a pioneer.
    • 1903 : Ellen, wife of James KIRBY died at Melbourne, aged 83y.
    • 1904 : James KIRBY died at Melbourne, aged 76y.

    James KIRBY and Ellen FINN had the following family...

    1. William John KIRBY, b. 1850, "Glenelg Inn" or "KIRBY's Inn" Glenelg River, Port Phillip District, NSW, d. 1886, Minyip (Wimmera), Victoria, Australia.
    2. James Finn KIRBY, b. 1852, "Glenelg Inn" or "KIRBY's Inn" Glenelg River, Victoria, d. 1924, Harrow, S-W Victoria, m. 1878 to Agnes Percy PEET 1859-1926.
    3. Emma Margaret KIRBY, b. 1854, Casterton, S-W Victoria, d. 1936, Warrnambool, S-W Victoria, m. 1879 to James DAVIDSON 1849-1937.
    4. Ellen Mary KIRBY, b. ~1855 "Springbank" station, Casterton, S-W Vic., d. 1938, Melbourne, Vic., m. 1888 to Alfred Edward Allman BARNARD 1861-1938.
    5. Edmund Francis KIRBY, b. 1858 "Springbank" station, Casterton, S-W Vic., d. 1880 "Hillcroft" Minyip, Vic.
    6. Mary Finn KIRBY, b. ~1860, Penola district, S-E SA, d. 1893, "Mingbool" station, S-E SA, m. 1886 to Edward Haldane STOBIE 1860-1931.
    7. Thomas Henry KIRBY, ~1862, Penola district, S-E SA, d. 1900, Melbourne, Vic., m. 1895 to Christina Harriet SINCLAIR 1870 - ?

  5. Henry KIRBY, b. 1830, Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England, d. 1913, Melbourne, Victoria, m. 1854 to Annie OWENS / CLARKE b. ~1834 Co antrim, Ireland, d. 1874, Victoria.

  6. Emma KIRBY, b. 1832, d. ~1832, Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England.

  7. Emma Wilmer KIRBY, b. 1833, Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England, d. 1877, Ballarat, Victoria, m1. to Thomas HEPBURN 1836-1859; m2. Henry CUTHBERT [later Sir Henry CUTHBERT, M.L.C.], b. 1829, Ireland, d. 1907, Ballarat, Victoria.

  8. Thomas KIRBY, b. 1836, Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England, d. 1870, Ballarat, Victoria.

  9. Reuben Ansell KIRBY, b. 1839, Blakesley, Northamptonshire, England, d. 1866, The Coorong, SA, m. Jane MEYRICK, b. ~1840 ___, d. 1912, Hummock HILL, SA.

NOTE : Mary FINN and Ellen FINN mentioned above were sisters who married the brothers, Edmund KIRBY and James KIRBY, but another sister, Margaret FINN married Maurice CUSSEN 1818-1880 who was a store-keeper of Merino and Glenelg Shire Councillor.

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