Missingham, James

DESCRIPTION

NameMissingham, JamesOccupationTanner.Place of ResidenceAlbion Park.BiographyJames Missingham was born at Jamberoo in 1861, to convict David Missingham and Priscilla Nobel.

James had a partial education and when he was 14 years old joined Jordan’s Tannery.

In 1882, James married Sarah Badans whose family owned the sawmill at Pheasant Ground, Jamberoo Mountain. James began farming before commencing his tannery business at Albion Park.

The Albion Park tannery site was 2.5 acres of swampland with a creek running at the bottom. The tannery consisted of a cluster of buildings, sheds, liquor pits, twelve horsepower tubular boiler drivers. The hides were drawn locally. Water was drawn from the Macquarie Rivulet.

Unfortunately, the tannery was destroyed by fire in 1897. The fire started in the early hours of the morning and originated from a fire in the machine room, near the sleeping compartment of the tannery workers, who gave the first alarm. A team of ten men and five teams of horses were employed at the tannery and collected the hides from Nowra to Wollongong before being shipped to Sydney.

The tannery was later rebuilt and continued until the 1920s.

James was an Alderman on Shellharbour Municipal Council from 1906-1908. During the drought of 1908, James called for the development of a town water supply. He pumped water and supplied a tank at the nearby bridge for the local people to secure water. The water supply was not provided at Albion Park until some 50 years later.

James and Sarah had five children;

John David b.1885 (married Violet Lawrence, died 1915, Ipswich)
William Stanley b.1890 (married Millicent Dugdell, died 1964, Brisbane)
Annie Priscilla b.1893 (married John Maher, died 1962, Brisbane)
Jane b.1896 (married George Wilson, died 1967, Bundaberg)
James Hercules b.1899 (married Margaret Toomey, died 1966, Brisbane)

The family moved to Queensland c.1910.

External LinkFire at Albion Park Missingham's Tannery Destroyed 1897Fire at Albion Park 1897A Destroying Fire 1897Auctioneers License 1903Valedictory 1908Albion Park 1908Albion Park 1908Country News 1908Slander Action Settled 1910A Robertson Case 1929A Golden Wedding 1932Mrs Sarah Missingham 1942

Photograph

Object

Person

Family

Place

James and Sarah Missingham (nee Badans) and family, Albion Park.

CONNECTIONS

CollectionPeopleFamilyBadansLocalityAlbion ParkPersonMissingham, DavidPlaceMissingham's Tannery

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Missingham, James