Elizabeth Beattie
Biography
Role: Wife of James Telfer (1796–1863) — mother of the South Australian Telfer immigrants
Born: 1802 — likely Roxburghshire, Scotland
Died: 1891 (aged ~89) — Scotland
Family
| Relation | Name |
|---|---|
| Spouse | James Telfer (1796–1863) (m. ~1828) |
| Son | James Telfer (1829–1914) — emigrated to SA |
| Daughter | Elizabeth Beattie Telfer (1832–1896) — m. John Charles Dillon |
| Son | Robert Telfer (1837–1907) — emigrated to SA |
| Son | John Telfer (1840–1913) — emigrated to SA |
| Son | Adam Francis Telfer (1842–1925) — emigrated to SA |
Family Stories
The Mother Who Stayed Behind
Elizabeth Beattie was born in 1802 and married James Telfer, the eldest son of James Telfer (1761–1845) and Betty Hutton. The couple settled in the Jedburgh area of Roxburghshire, Scotland, where they raised their family. James worked as a farm labourer — a hard life in the Scottish Borders.
Raising a Family
Elizabeth and James had at least five children who survived to adulthood: James (born 1829), twin daughters Elizabeth and Margaret (1832), Robert (1837), John (1840), and Adam Francis (1842). The 1841 Census shows the family living at Castleton, with James working the land and Elizabeth managing the household.
Tragedy and Change
In 1863, James Telfer died from injuries sustained in an agricultural accident. This left Elizabeth a widow in her sixties with most of her children grown. The loss of her husband changed everything. One by one, her children made the decision to leave Scotland and seek a new life in South Australia.
James Jr arrived first, followed by Robert, John, and Adam Francis. Even her daughter Elizabeth, now married to John Charles Dillon, made the journey. Elizabeth Beattie stayed behind — the old country was all she knew, and at her age, the voyage was too much. She lived out her remaining years in Scotland, likely with family who remained, passing away in 1891 at around 89 years of age. She never saw her children or grandchildren in Australia again.
(From the Borders to the Bush, pp.19–20)
Sources
- From the Borders to the Bush by Hope Simmons (1989), pp.19–20
- 1841 Census, Castleton, Roxburghshire, Scotland
- Statutory Death Index — James Telfer (1863), agricultural accident
- Castleton Parish Records — baptism records