Margaret Wyllie **

   Cause of her death was Natural Decay 12 days.

   Other names for Margaret were McGeorge, Whiley, Wiley and Wyler.

  General Notes:

Her death certificate states her age as 81 years which would place her birth at around 1801. Her Immigration record states her age at 29 which would place her birth at around 1808. If the latter she would have been just 16 years old when she married but it may be pertinent that her first child was born just 5 months after the wedding. I am unable to find baptism records for many of the Wyllies in Scotland, it's possible they were non-conformists.

In a letter to her sister which was written by Emily Morriset McGeorge in 1899 she refers to her mother being born on 12 March 1804 according to the Family Bible. This would be consistent with a record at Scotlandspeople.gov.uk for a Margaret Wyllie born on this date to parents Alexander WYLLIE and Margaret CAMPBELL. This record at FamilySearch says she was born 14 Oct 1803 in Markinch, Fife and Baptised on 12 March 1804. This couple was married on 5th March 1803 and also had Jean, James Helen and John - all children were born in Markinch, Fife. Emily also refers to her mother having "talked of 3 sisters Mary, Agnes - I dont know whether they were step sisters - but her own sister's name was Robina Bain" Also "I fancy Mother was born at Kilmarnock but would not be sure whether it was there or Glasgow infancy" The reference to step-sisters suggests that her father or mother married twice.

There is a record of a RABINA Wyllie from Kilmarnock marrying an Archibald Bain, also from Kilmarnock, on 22 August 1834 in Kilmarnock. There is also a record of her death in Kilmarnock as ROBINA Bain. She was born in about 1816. Her parents are listed as John WYLIE and Mary CAMPBELL on the death record. A second WYLLIE / WYLIE and CAMPBELL connection is very intriguing. John WYLIE is listed as a Shoe Manufacturer on that document - Margaret's husband Thomas was a shoemaker in Kilmarnock (and Australia). Further, Robina's husband's father, Francis Bain, was also a Shoemaker from Kilmarnock. I believe this is Margaret's sister referred to in the letter.

Margaret's first born daughter was Mary, her second Margaret! It seems likely that John & Mary are Margaret's parents, especially given the Robina Bain and Kilmarnock connections. Even though the name Angus appears on her death certificate for her father, this was provided by her son James, the informant, who may have had no idea, being so remote from family back in Scotland. However, the birthdate in the family bible remains a puzzling inconsistency. This may possibly be explained by a desire by the parents perhaps to disguise a much younger age for the mother at the time of the birth...

She is buried in the CofE section of the Carcoar Cemetery but no Memorial Stone survives. According to the burial records her father was Angus Wiley, weaver. Possibly the informant for this information was the same as for the Death Certificate.

  Noted events in her life were:

• She emigrated to Sydney with her husband Thomas on the "Andromache" in 1837.

Margaret married Thomas George **, son of Thomas George and Unknown Unknown, on 16 Feb 1824 in Kilmarnock, Ayr, Scotland. (Thomas George ** was born on 12 Jul 1803 in Riccarton, Ayr, Scotland, died on 8 Nov 1878 in Carcoar, New South Wales, Australia and was buried on 16 Nov 1878 in Carcoar, New South Wales, Australia.). The cause of his death was Old Age 9 months.