James Kinder (b 1848)

parents Cyrus Kinder & Elizabeth Kenyon


born 5 May 1848, Dukinfield, Cheshire, England[1]
died 6 May 1902, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia[2]
buried 7 May 1902, Sandhurst (Bendigo) Cemetery, Victoria, Australia[3]



James Kinder

James arrived in Melbourne, Australia aged 16 years, accompanied by his father, Cyrus, aboard the steam ship – Golden Age having travelled from Liverpool, England.  He was born in Dukinfield, Cheshire on 5 May 1848.  His mother, Elizabeth Kenyon had died in 1850.

We don’t know much about James’ younger life.  Presumably he grew up on the Bendigo goldfields working with his father until he was old enough to decide his own future.


Grace Walker

Grace was born in Scotland on 21 January 1849.  She was the first child born to Elizabeth Hunter and her second husband, John Walker.


Elizabeth Hunter – Mother of Grace Walker[1]

John Walker married Elizabeth Hunter on 3 April 1846 and adopted her daughter, Elizabeth (4 years old) who was Elizabeth’s child from her marriage to John Crawford.  Both Elizabeth and John originated from Barony-Lanark, Scotland.  Barony was a colliery located 4 miles, west-north-west of Cumnock, Ayrshire.

They landed in Australia with their three children in late 1851and proceeded to the goldfields at Bullock Creek, Campbells Forest, near Bendigo.  John Walker passed away on 3 December 1862 and Elizabeth on 28 September 1886.  She was buried at the Bendigo Cemetery in the Monumental Section F2, Grave 10044 on 30 September[3].

Here is a report of Elizabeth’s death:-

“The Death of an Old Bendigonian.

Yesterday afternoon the mortal remains of Mrs Elizabeth Walker one of the earlier female arrivals in this district, were interred in the Sandhurst Cemetery, the Rev J Hunter, Pastor of the West Sandhurst Presbyterian Church officiating at the grave. The deceased lady and her late husband, who died about 25 years ago, were natives of Glasgow. They arrived in the colony in 1851and proceeded at once to Campbells Forest. Shortly afterwards they settled down in Bendigo, where Mrs Walker has resided ever since. She leaves a family consisting of a son Mr James Walker who has been employed at Messrs Connelly & Co establishment fro the past 22 years, and 2 daughters, a Mrs Johannesen of Boort and the other Mrs G Kinder of this city. The deceased lady was highly respected among a large circle of friends.”


Gustav Johannsen & James Hanson

Gustav travelled by sailing ship from Norway with his cousin, James Hanson.  They both ended up in the Echuca area of Victoria.  Gustav married Grace Walker's step-sister, Elizabeth Crawford.

James married Caroline Maria and they had a daughter, Emily Marian.  Emily later maried James Kinder, born 1871 - the son of James and Grace.


Here is a certificate for Arithmetic for Grace Walker at school awarded on 19 December 1859.



Marriage and More

James and Grace Walker were married on 2 December 1870.  They had their first son, James, while they were living in the Bendigo Government Camp, Barnard Street, near the location of the current swimming centre.  

Such camps were established to provide housing for the large and rapid influx of people coming to the area to search for gold.

They later found a place of their own – at 151 Wattle Street, Bendigo.

The picture below dates from the late 1800s and shows the happy couple.


Photo courtesy of Joyce Murley

James was never a Miner.  He opened a plumbing business which was initially established at 159-161 View Street, Bendigo, just across from the Queen Elizabeth Oval.  He later took his two sons, James and Enoch into the business and it became J & E Kinder and even later, Enoch took his sons, Earnest and Glen into the business, as did James with his son, Albert.


Passing On

Grace Walker died on 24 February 1901 in Bendigo[1].  She was buried at the Bendigo Cemetery on 26 February 1901 in the Monumental Section A6, grave 6859[3].

Having worked all of his life in the plumbing business, James died of plumbism (lead poisoning) which was diagnosed 18 months earlier.  In his last three months he suffered diarrhea and progressive heart failure.  He died on 6 May 1902 and was buried at the Bendigo Cemetery the next day in the same grave as Grace[2,3].


James' death certificate



Bendigo Advertiser, 7 May 1902



Children

James and Grace had three children.  We don’t know of any contact between the Bendigo and Melbourne Kinders, but two of these children appear to have been named after their Melbourne uncles – John Franklin and Enoch who were the 2nd and 3rd sons respectively of James Kinder and Mary Ramsbottom, James being this James’ uncle.

References
  1. Valma Freshwater, Joyce Murley, private communication
  2. James Kinder b1848 death certificate
  3. Bendigo Cemetery Trust