Typescript autobiography of James McGrory written in Finley, New South Wales, 1926.

MLMSS 8067/Box 1X

fonds

1926

932577

0.15 metres of textual material (1 outsize box)

James McGrory was born in Sladrin, County Donegal, Ireland on the 22nd of May 1855. The youngest surviving member of his family, his sisters taught him to become a proficient reader from an early age. With little formal education, McGrory left home and found work in Glasgow, Scotland working for the Tramway Company. He joined the Catholic Young Men's Society in Glasgow and maintained his connection with the Catholic Church in Australia. After a time in the Postal Department, Glasgow, he returned to Ireland before emigrating to Australia aboard the Orient steamer 'Cusco', arriving in Sydney on a Sunday in November 1881.

He married Margaret Finnegan at the Convent of Mercy at Rosebank, Sydney on 21 October 1883 and together they opened a grocery store. Moving to Melbourne, McGrory worked as an insurance salesman travelling regional areas of Victoria extensively on foot, horseback and by train. He staked a claim on the goldfields close to the town of Maldon, opened a mine and built a house, but left after two years almost bankrupt, returning to insurance work in Melbourne. His wife constantly wanted to move house, and they did so up to thirty times in Melbourne and regional Victoria, a circumstance that assisted McGrory as a travelling salesman. McGrory opened another mine in Karrumburra (Korumburra?) Victoria, and turned a profit before selling it.

McGrory relates many interesting tales of his travels in the country regions including an encounter with a huge black snake near Cann River which he killed and skinned, training horses to do tricks and time spent with local Aborigines. He sold soil graders in the country districts and had an accident being thrown from a wagon and run over, breaking four ribs. Mrs McGrory also had a serious accident, being injured in a train accident in Melbourne. Upon Mrs McGrory's insistence, they opened a coffee palace in Yarram opposite the cattle sale yards which was very successful but the heavy work load took its toll on Mrs McGrory's health. They sold the business and moved to the Barnsdale district, but Mrs McGrory died shortly afterwards from influenza and pneumonia after 23 years of marriage.

James McGrory then moved to Tasmania selling insurance for National Mutual Life Insurance Company and relates many tales of travelling the island, describing its climate, geography and agriculture together with a detailed account of copper smelting and mining in Mt Lyell. McGrory then returned to Victoria appointed inspector of the Northwest of Victoria for the Australian Mutual & Citizens Insurance Company. McGrory suffered a serious horse riding accident in Lillydale and sustained a very serious fracturing of his right arm and elbow. He relates the details of two very painful operations and lengthy recuperation. His doctor advised moving to a hot climate to aid recovery so McGrory moved to Hillston near Griffith in New South Wales and bought a block of land. He managed cattle and sheep and relates tales of rustling and disputes among graziers. He had an operation on perforated eardrums in Melbourne that successfully restored his hearing for ten years, but then his hearing began to fail. Among numerous business ventures in his later life, he bought a wheat buying agency for Dreyfus & Co. and ran it successfully for three years.

Reference:
Compiled from the collection

James McGrory writes his autobiography in 1926 from the rural town of Finley, N.S.W. at the age of 71, addressed to his nephew James Lynch in Dublin, Ireland. It consists of 157 loose, typed pages, and is missing at least one page at the end of the text. It covers events in Australia during the period of approximately 1881-1926. It is a remarkably well written and readable account of the eventful life of an Irish emigrant to Australia in the second half of the 19th century. McGrory relates many instances of perceived religious intolerance and bigotry in various workplaces in Australia. His extensive travels throughout urban and rural New South Wales and Victoria, and numerous business endeavours are described in detail, providing insight into the social and commercial life of the time with particular reference to life on the Victorian and New South Wales goldfields. His anecdotes detailing connections to the Catholic Church, religious tensions in the community, the medical profession in Australia, and rural Aboriginal and Chinese communities, also provide important historical reference. His jaunty style, quick temper, adventurous business dealings, and plucky determination in the face of adversity, are clearly evident in the text. James McGrory was obviously a literary man, with a great gift for language and communication. His long career in sales, the detailed recollections of his life's experiences including verbatim accounts of notable conversations testify to this gift. His language records many Australian colloquialisms of the day. No dates of events in Australia are included in McGrory's autobiography, and the chronology of events is sometimes uncertain.

Copyright status:: In copyright
Copyright holder:: State Library of New South Wales
Research & study copies allowed: Author has been deceased for more than 50 years
Rights and Restrictions Information:: No publication without prior written approval of copyright holder
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales