John Aitchison was born in 1843 in Kelso, Roxburghshire, the son of Elizabeth and Thomas. He married Mary Ann Black on 30 December 1864 in Arbuthnott, Kincardineshire.
John and Mary had four children, Thomas, James, Mary Ann and Elizabeth, all born in Scotland.
In June 1882, John and Mary left Glasgow aboard the ship Yeoman for the 3 month journey to Brisbane, Australia, where they settled.
He died on 15 July 1904 in Queensland at the age of 61, and was buried in Brisbane, Queensland.
Sometime after John’s death Mary Ann must have relocated to Coffs Harbour, where her daughter Elizabeth lived with her husband George William Hoschke, a widower she had married in 1911.
The photo on the right is of Mary Ann Aitchison with her daughter Elizabeth and grandsons Jack and Norman. It must have been taken not long before she passed away.
Mary Ann would pass away in the Coffs area in 1915 aged 71 and is buried at the Coffs Harbour Historic Cemetery. Her daughter Elizabeth and her husband George Hoschke are buried not far from Mary Ann’s grave.
Mary’s estate was claimed by her son James and son in law William Marquis Kyle, as shown below.
