Duncan McKinnon and Marie-Louise (Mary) van der Waerden were married in 1881 and had five children.
Ernest had two daughters, Ailleen and Rita. Ernest lost an arm in combat.
Terese was engaged to man who was killed in the First World. Grief stricken, she entered the convent where, deeply unhappy, she was taken home by her sister, Isabel. Terese and Isabel lived together thereafter althought there were some occassions when Teresa returned to the convert temporarily.
Isabel was engaged to the heir of the Arnotts Company and an engagement party was held at the Arnott home in Strathfield. The groom to be’s father cancelled the wedding plans on the grounds of Isabel’s mothers overindulgence of alcohol at the party.
Isabel married Stanley Krone in 1917 and had six children, Henry (Peter), Richard (Norman), Isabel, John, Donald and Mary.
Lillian married Austin Lamond and five children, Joan, George, Mary, Noel and Patricia.
Imelda was known as Milt, married Leslie Farrand and had two children, David and Mary. There is a family story that Milt is the artist who painted the Arnott’s parrot. Her daughter Mary Sayers provided a fuller explanation – At the age about 16 Imelda (Milt) was apprenticed as a commercial artist for John Sands. A lot of the work they did was drawing for DJs catalogues for people in the bush. Mary thinks that the group of girls in the apprenticeship circle (literally) were required to draw the parrot. Whether it was exactly Milt’s parrot that was used is unknown but certainly she contributed to it.
From the notes of Kath Lamond, transcribed by Catherine Scougall with comments in italics.
The Northern Star newspaper, Lismore. Tuesday 16th December 1952. Article: “Century Old Casino Home Demolished”.
“Casino, Monday. Casino’s oldest home, erected more than a century ago, has been demolished. It was erected by builder Van-der-Waerden on the corner of Walker and River Streets, Casino in 1850. Outwardly it was old and dilapidated, almost overgrown with vines, but the solid cedar timber had worn well. It was built in early settlement style with a high shingled gable roof and single walls, and cost less than 100 pounds. Cedar slabs salvaged from the building are worth almost three times this amount on today’s market. The interior of the home was not lined. The wall boards were stained to bring out the richness of the cedar. It was owned by elderly Casino couple Mr and Mrs E.J. Pollock. When the home was first built the settlement that was Casino clustered along the banks of the Richmond River. Cedar trees lined its length. The bearers of the house were the trunks of bloodwood trees, the rafters split saplings, the wall boards pit sawn cedar and the floor of blue fig softwood. Odd pieces of the foundation were cedar tree stumps. Foundations and mainstays were nailed with home-made wooden plugs, and floor boards and wall boards nailed with flat strong nails. The roof was shingled. The ground plates (of solid bloodwood, 32 feet long, and 18 inches thick) had to be cut in half before they could be moved. It took six men to lift them onto a truck. The chimney of the home was of solid sandstone blocks hewn from the Richmond river bed.”
Here is a puzzle. The Van der Waerden family emigrated from England on the “Francis Palmer”, arriving in Sydney in February 1858 and Casino soon afterwards (Lamond G, With Hearts of Steel They Came in Wooden Ships) so either the building date of “Casino’s oldest home” in the above article is incorrect, or it was built by someone other than Henry Van der Waerden.
Kath also made reference to a letter in The Northern Star, on 29th Dec 1952, from N.C. Hewitt of Tweed Heads re Van Der Waerden. This letter also mentions the Fannings. (Can be found in Trove)
The following excerpt from “Casino as it was in 1883 and Onwards” by Ernest Clarence Rayner was recorded by Kath. “The famous french polisher, Mr Vander Waerden (Van der Waerden) was also in Casino at this time and lived and worked in a cottage adjoining the workshops referred to [two shops just opposite the public school at the river end of Walker St where most of the joinery was made]. This cottage was built of all red cedar, which was pit-sawn I think on the river bank just alongside. This cottage was quite recently demolished by the late E.J. Pollock.”
It seems likely that this cottage adjoining the town’s carpentry workshops and demolished in 1952 was where Marie Louise Van der Waerden (mother of Isabel Krone nee MacKinnon) grew up. I imagine it would have been beautifully furnished by Henry, given his woodworking skills. Marie Louise and her older sister, Harriet, were born in London (in 1857 and 1855, respectively) but their seven younger siblings were born in NSW. Living on a bend of the Richmond River would have provided plenty of excitement in times of flood. I wonder if the Van der Waerden children attended Casino Public School which opened in 1861 just across the road from their house? Also located nearby was a small private school which had been established in 1857 with 15 pupils in a slab building with a bark roof (from an article in The Northern Star, 18th Oct 1944). The family were Catholic but the Catholic schools in Casino do not appear to have opened until decades later.
John McKinnon Coraki Diaries
From a FB post by Amanda with a link that she discovered to a wonderful diary kept by John McKinnon. Note that the Isle Of Mull is described as “off the coast of England”. It is not, it is a Scottish Island. The link in red below takes you straight to the diaries.
LONG LIVED FAMILY The McKinnon’s, of Coraki Three of the oldest residents of the Richmond River district, John McKinnon (91), Mrs. R. Dolby (85) his sister and Donald McKinnon (89), a brother, of Coraki, are the only survivors of a family of nine brought to New South Wales 70 years ago. Their father was a school teacher, in the Isle of Mull, off the English coast until, stirred by tales of fortunes easily made in the colonies, he shipped with his children on the migrant ship Fitzjames. The voyage out took 14 weeks, and there were 14 births and 14 deaths on board. Settling at Shoalhaven, the family worked until they had saved sufficient to take up land. They came to the Richmond River district and purchased a holding near Coraki. In 1866 John and Donald established one of the first sugar mills in the district, which was forced to close when they found super-refining methods beyond them. Dairying then occupied their attention and success was the reward of their hard work and indomitable courage. The McKinnons have seen townships spring up, and moving with the times have taken their part in the civic life of the community. The brothers remained bachelors, but the sister, Mrs. Dolby, will celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of her wedding this year. Digitisation generously supported by more info State Library of NSW Digital Excellence Program Find and get Australian and online resources: books, images, historic newspapers, maps, music, archives and moreFind and get Australian and online resources: books, images, historic newspapers, maps, music, archives and more
From Ralph, FB post: 1903 in Newcastle, Isabella and Imelda McKinnon win 2nd prizes in highland dances in under-16s and under-8s. Has to be a match? The National Library of Australia’s Copies Direct service lets you purchase higher quality, larger sized photocopies or electronic copies of newspapers pages.
Duncan, Isabel or Imelda and Uncle Donald McKinnon 
Mary McKinnon with friends at “The Myrtles”
Ralph FB Post; James Fanning was our Gt Gt Aunt’s father in law. He was a contractor and builder in the Northern Rivers (as was our Gt Gt Grandfather Henry John van der Waerden).James son Larry married one of our Gt Grandmother’s sisters. Around 1882 Englishman Fred Deeming worked for James for about a year. Fred Deeming is a prime suspect to have been Jack the Ripper. Did our gt grandparents know Fred?? Fred was hanged in Melbourne 1892 for 5 known murders (wives and children). https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/194923329…“van%20der%20Waerden”%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&searchLimits=sortby=dateAsc|||l-decade=194. And…. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Bailey_Deeming
Ralph, FB Post; 1903 in Newcastle, Isabella and Imelda McKinnon win 2nd prizes in highland dances in under-16s and under-8s. Has to be a match?
Ralph on FB: Lillian at a ball in Peakhurst 1911.
Ralph, FB post: Grandma (Isabel McKinnon, later Krone) was a star witness at the 1915 Royal Commission into Liverpool Army Camp conditions. Hilarious and made news all over Australia.
Ralph on FB: Gt Gt Aunty Kate’s (Katherine Van Der Waerden) Hobart cafe bankruptcy in March 1919. Grandma worked there for her aunt and Stanley was a customer on his commercial travels when they met, I believe 1917. Sadly Kate died same year, 1919, I fear either the flu epidemic or perhaps she took herself out?
Ralph on FB: Great Grandma Mary McKinnon’s (nee van der Waerden) tragic death in 1938 was reported across Australia. I recall seeing she had lost a sister aged in her 50s to a kitchen fire decades before in the Coraki region.While a woman slept peacefully in the front portion of her home in Amy-street, Peakhurst, last night, her aged 83-year-old mother was …NB It was a coroners case and the cause of much anguish and blame for many decades. When Mary Krone (nee Fulton) moved to Amy Rd fourteen years after Mary McKinnon’s death she was apalled to hear untrue and scurrilous gossip by the neighbours about this sad event.
Ralph, FB Post; 1953 newspaper item with image of Ernest Forbes McKinnon’s daughter Rita on her marriage to a Kevin Dillon. Her only sibling Eileen is bridesmaid. Can not find anything else on Eileen? In 1941 Ernest was a lift attendant in a Brisbane building.The Y.W.C.A. has thought up the most wonderful idea for its exhibition, “Prelude to Christmas,” which will be held … NB Earnest lost an arm in the war.
Deep History of the McKinnons, provided by Amanda. ‘The McKinnons (Isabel Krone’s family) were traditionally the Abbots of Iona, the last was in 1,500AD – the Book of Kells was produced on Iona in 806AD composed on the Scottish island of Iona in 806 If you know nothing else about medieval European illuminated manuscripts, you surely know the Book of Kells. “One of Ireland’s greatest cultural treasures” comments Medievalists.net, “it is set apart from other manuscripts of the same period by the quality of its artwork and the sheer number… OPENCULTURE.COMThe Medieval Masterpiece, the Book of Kells, Is Now Digitized & Put OnlineIf you know nothing else about medieval European illuminated manuscripts, you surely know the Book of Kells. “One of Ireland’s greatest cultural treasures” comments Medievalists.net, “it is set apart from other manuscripts of the same period by the quality of its artwork and the sheer number…
