John's History
1810–1825

John Gray Junior states that he at first, after the death of his father (when he is aged 8) he lives with his mother, brothers and sisters at the "Turnpike Hotel" of which his mother is supposed to be Lessee for about 12 months.(Elizabeth Gray is in fact Lessee of firstly the Market House until its sale and then the Freemasons Arms Hotel in Sydney.) John continues and subsequently my eldest brothers farm on the Nepean River until I attained the age of 15 years (1825) when I entered the employ of Mr. Bowman as Shepherd Boy.

I John Gray of North Terrace Adelaide in the Province of South Australia late a Station Hand but now out of business do solemnly declare as follows that is to say ..........

1. That I was born at Windsor in the colony of New South Wales on the twenty first day of July one thousand eight hundred and eleven ........

2. I am the second son and third child of John Gray who was drowned at the Market well George Street Sydney in the year one thousand eight hundred and eighteen or one thousand eight hundred and nineteen and who was at the time of his death lessee of the Sydney Market and Elizabeth Gray whose maiden name was Kellett and who died in Sydney in her ninety ninth year about the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy five?

3. After my fathers death I resided with my mother brothers and sisters at the Windsor Turnpike Hotel of which my mother was lessee for twelve months and subsequently on my eldest brothers farm on the Nepean River till I attained the age of fifteen years I then entered the employ of Mr Bowman as shepherd boy and remained with him for eight or nine years. I was next employed by Mr Fitzgerald of Mudgee as Shepherd for a great many years – subsequently by Mr Singleton for ten or twelve years on his station on Hunters River and since by various persons as Drover.

4. I visited my eldest sister Jane Manson and my nephew Alexander Sinclair Manson Gray about twelve or fourteen years ago at Forest Lodge near Sydney when I stayed with them for three weeks ........

5. My eldest brother William went to Queensland when about forty years of age with his wife and five children and died in that colony. My eldest sister stayed after my fathers death with Mrs Lord wife of a Sydney merchant until she (my sister) married Alexander Sinclair Manson a one time Sergeant in the Band of the 39th Regiment who died about the year one thousand eight hundred and forty seven . I never knew of my sisters death until I saw it in an advertisement in the South Australian Advertiser of second day of September one thousand eight hundred and eight seven. My second sister Ann was married to William Jones a farmer of Pitt Town on Hawkesbury River and died at Maitland on the Hunter River. My brother Richard was a cabinet maker in Sydney until the Gold discoveries in Victoria when he went thither and I have not heard of him up to the this time. My youngest sister Anna died a spinster about eighteen or nineteen years ago ........

The photograph hereto attached is the photograph of myself and was taken at Adelaide on the sixteenth day of September one thousand eight hundred and eighty seven and I make this solemn declaration conscientiously believing the same to be true and virtue of the provisions of an act made and passed in the session of parliament holden in the fifth and sixth years of the reign of this (then) present Majesty King William the fourth intituled an act to repeal and act of the present session of parliament intituled an act for more effectual abolition of oaths and affirmations of the state and to substituted declarations heir thereof and for the more one time suppression of voluntary and extraordinary oaths and affidavits and make other provisions for the abolition of unnecessary oaths.

Declared at Adelaide
This 28th day of
September 1887
before me W.H.STOCK


The family lost contact with John and so far we have been unable to trace him. As per the above we do know he was in Adelaide in 1887 but no records of a marriage or his death and burial can be found.

1788 Thomas Eccles is the first person in the colony to be tried for drunkenness. 1796 A Frenchman, James Larra, opens the first licensed hotel, the Freemasons Arms, in Parramatta.

1804 First brewery built, at Parramatta.

1816 Legislation by the governor, Lachlan Macquarie, encourages breweries to open their own pubs.

1831 Herald first published from offices at the Keep Within Compass hotel, George Street.

The first restaurant in Australia was attached to a hotel called the Freemasons' Arms. It was the first licensed hotel in New South Wales, run by James Larra, who was transported for stealing a silver tankard from a coffee–house in King's Cross, London. He settled in Parramatta in 1796 and built a wattle and daub hut at first, later rebuilding in brick in 1800 and employing a French chef (from One Continuous Picnic p.112).

The Early Years ¦ Elizabeth Gray 1803 - 1836 ¦ William Gray 1805 - 1851 ¦ Jane Gray 1808 - 1880
John Gray Jr. 1810 ¦ Hannah Gray 1813 - 1856 ¦ Ann Louise Gray 1815 - 1874
Richard Gray 1817 - 1896

Letters from Elizabeth Killett Gray ¦ Trials ¦ Trips & Ships ¦ Letters from William J.B. Gray
Crest & Tartan ¦ Special Acknowledgements

In the Beginning