This is a letter that I received from a wonderful lady from Brisbane, whose grandmother had worked at the Clapperton's estate in Tarong Station, telling some of the adventures of George Clapperton in Australia.
I also found (and still have) a very interesting book about the same gentleman where I took the photos seen on this web site.( C.Mill)
NOTES FROM �HISTORIC QUEENSLAND STATIONS� by Jean Bull, 1960.
Tarong Station was first settled by J.J.M. Borthwick. George Clapperton first became manager at Tarong for Borthwick, but purchased the property from Borthwick in 1857. Tarong first ran sheep, but changed to cattle in 1882, due to the country being unsuited to sheep.
George Clapperton died between 1873 and 1876. At the time he owned Tarong, Barambah and Nanango Stations. His wife was not quite 21 at the time of his death. She sold Barambah in 1876 and Nanango in 1878. She later remarried W.A. Wilson and they lived at Tarong.
George Clapperton�s son, T.A. Clapperton was born at Tarong in 1873 and, when he reached the age of 21, went into partnership with his mother and step-father. Later the partnership was dissolved and the Wilsons went to Brisbane to live. T.A. Clapperton held Tarong until his death ca. 1950s.
NOTES FROM �LANDSCAPES OF CHANGE� by Dr. Tony Matthews, 1997.
There is a good photo of George Clapperton on p.127.
This source says the lease for Tarong was transferred to a James Henderson in 1857. It than says, that in 1862, the Runs Register shows that Tarong was purchased by George Clapperton, the man who had managed the station for Borthwick & Henderson.
George Clapperton had worked at W.E. Oliver�s Nanango Station and C.R. Haly�s Taabinga Station prior to taking over the ownership of Tarong. He was born at Fochabers, Scotland, on 2 December 1825, the son of James and Barbara (Paterson) Clapperton. His father�s occupation was listed as merchant.
He was indentured to William Robert Gordon, a solicitor of Baniff and matriculated on 2 January 1844. His decision to travel to Australia seems to have been due to poor health. Initially, he intended to go to the West Indies �because a warm climate has been recommended as essential to the re-establishment of his health.
George came to Australia, however. He arrived in 1847 on the Agincourt. He kept a meticulous diary of his journey. He first went to Sydney, then on to what would eventually become Queensland.
He raised the funds to buy Tarong through various family members including a brother, Thomas, still in Scotland. It seems that another brother, Charles Clapperton, was with him at Tarong.
He was 41 when he married Annie Kendall, who was just 15 years of age. She was the daughter of Robert & Mary Kendall and they married at St Mary�s Church, Ipswich on 11 August 1870. They had two children, Barbara Mary (1871-1872) and Thomas Alexander, born 6 April 1873 at Spring Hill - now part of Brisbane.
An early history, Wilderness to Wealth, claims that George Clapperton was killed in an accident in December 1875. Family stories indicate that he was kicked by a horse shortly before his death, but according to the Brisbane Courier, George died of an apoplectic fit, which is also what his Death Certificate gives. No date of death is given, but the news was in the papers on Christmas Day 1875.
It seems that George�s brother, Thomas Clapperton, still at Fochabers, Scotland, had considerable financial interests in George�s stations and, upon George�s death, he wrote to Annie Clapperton stating that he expected the debt to be paid. A letter from Thomas C. is quoted. This letter indicates that another brother, Alex, was in Australia was at that looking at going �home� to Scotland. It also indicates that Charles Clapperton had probably died. A sister, Jane, living in Scotland is also mentioned.
A James Clapperton is mentioned in an inventory of debts against the estate of George C.
Annie remarried William Albert Wilson on 25 Feb 1878. As mentioned in the other article, the Wilsons and Thomas Clapperton Junior went into partnership, until the Wilsons retired in 1898. Then Thomas took over Tarong. Annie (Clapperton) Wilson died on 10 Feb 1927.
There is a photo of graves on Tarong, including that of George C.
Thomas Clapperton died on 18 Jun 1950, aged 78. His wife was Caroline Capel. They had married on 26 July 1899. Caroline died in 1974 aged almost 95 years.
From the Notes and Sources for the above, it is clear that the Clapperton family hold extensive early records. A Daun Clapperton is mentioned in the acknowledgements, but no address is given for her.
The telephone book for the area lists several Clappertons:
C.T. Clapperton, Tarong, Railway Road, Tarong, 4615
D.C. & D. Clapperton, �Manaroong�, Brooklands
G.C. Clapperton, Coolabunia
J.D. Clapperton, Brooklands
If you wanted to write to any of the above, Coolabunia would probably come under Kingaroy, ie:
Coolabunia,
via Kingaroy, Qld, 4606.
I�m not sure about Brooklands, but I think it may be via Nanango. The post code there is 4615.