“James Davis was born 1834 and baptised on the 20th July 1834 at Little Stukeley, Huntingdonshire, England. He came to Australia with his parents and brothers on the sailing ship ‘Emperor’, arriving on the 4th November 1848.

The first records of James that we have in Australia is his marriage to Rachel Shannoch on the 5th November 1855 at Raymond Terrace. When their first child, Mary Ann was born on the 2nd January 1857, they were living on Mr Caswells farm, Raymond Terrace. By 1859 they were living at Myall River near Taree, they apparently lived in this area for a few years as Post Office records show him as a farmer in Myall River until 1867.

This would have been about the time that they moved to the Clarence as their 7th child George was born 1869 at Woodford Island. This is an extract from the obituary of their daughter Emma, “At the age of six she left for the Clarence with her parents, they travelled to Port Macquarie where they waited several days and then were taken on a punt to board the Agnes Irving which sailed to Sydney. On her next voyage the vessel left for the Clarence.

Emma could remember Yamba being crowded with great flocks of swans, pelicans and other birds. On arriving at Maclean it was found there was only a few slab huts with bark roofs. After farming for some years on Woodford Island he then moved to James Creek. The farmers census of 1885 shows James as owning at James Creek 39 acres and 3 horses.

James died 19th April 1890, Rachel in her later life lived with son George at Upper Orara where she died 19th July 1912 and both are buried in the old Methodist cemetery at Maclean.“

Excerpt from Davis family & descendants : 140 years in Australia, 1848-1988 / compiled by Ann Marsh