Alice Matilda MacDougall diary

MLMSS 11974

fonds

1878

9673897

0.01 metres of textual material (1 folder)

Alice Matilda MacDougall (McDougall) was born at her family's property at Baulkham Hills, New South Wales in 1860 and died in Grafton, New South Wales in 1938 aged 78. In 1890 Alice was a member of the Grafton Cathedral Choir which won the State Choral Competition in Sydney. Her parents were Andrew Louis MacDougall (McDougall) and Matilda Kirk. Andrew Louis McDougall was Grafton police magistrate from 1876 until his death in 1900.

References
Death of former social worker. (1938, December 25). Sunday Mail, p. 6. Accessed 26 June 2023. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/98000220?searchTerm=death%20former%20social%20worker

Donor is the great-great-great niece of Alice Matilda MacDougall

An 1878 diary written by Alice Matilda MacDougall recording a year of her life in the Grafton District of New South Wales. The diary's first highlight is Alice's eighteenth birthday on Tuesday, 26 January which she celebrated by killing a snake, winning a pair of gloves, walking with the boys, patching Tom's breetches and playing whist. Other recorded activities include picnics, calling on neighbouring families, and thoughts on the various gentlemen she comes across: 'had good time with a tall dark handsome Scotchman (do not know his name) got home at one o'clock. Very tired', and 'I have not seen Johnnie Cohen yet but do not think I will like him as he is too conceited.'
Alice also describes the native wildlife she sees including 'six kangaroos, two wallabies, two emus, two eagles, two goannas, two bees nests.'

Out of copyright:
Please acknowledge:: Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

While researching Alice Matilda MacDougall the spelling of MacDougall varied between MacDougall and McDougall. In official records Andrew Louis' surname was consistently spelled McDougall including on his gravestone.