Francis Telfer (~1809–1895)

Role: Scottish immigrant — founder of the Australian Telfer line
Also known as: Francis Telfer of Blackburnfoot
Born: 2 February 1809 — Blackburnfoot, Roxburghshire, Scotland
Died: 2 September 1895 (aged 86) — Hope Farm, Tarlee, South Australia
Buried: Tarlee Cemetery, South Australia
Arrival: Prince George — London 12 Sep 1838 → Port Adelaide 26 Dec 1838 (105 days)
Occupation: Farmer and storekeeper — Macoota, Chain of Ponds, Kersbrook
Religion: Baptist Church — principal supporter at Kersbrook
Great-great-grandson: Murray John Telfer (1924–2009)
Brother (Scotland): James Telfer (1796–1863) — married Elizabeth Beattie, stayed in Scotland
Great-great-great-grandson: Mark Telfer (1877–1946)

Family

| Relation | Name |
|----------|------|
| Mother | Betty Hutton (1774–1853) — see Research section |
| Father | James Telfer (1761–1845) — see Research section |
| Spouse (1st) | Jean Murray (m. Scotland, d. 22 Jan 1839) |
| Spouse (2nd) | Dinah Flavel |
| Spouse (3rd) | Margaret Wright Telfer (?–1892) |
| Children | James Telfer (b. 1832 Scotland), Esther Jane Smith (1834), Elizabeth Farrow (1836), Jane Telfer (1840), John Telfer (1847–1929), George Wright Telfer, Margaret Dougal Telfer |

Life Story

Scottish Roots

Francis Telfer was born on 2 February 1809 at Blackburnfoot, in the parish of Castleton, Roxburghshire, in the Scottish Borders — a rugged, rolling landscape of sheep farms and river valleys. He began his married life at Langshawburn, Dumfriesshire, working the land as his forebears had done for generations.

His first child, James, was baptised on 3 March 1832 in Scotland.

The Voyage — Prince George, 1838

The Telfer family joined the wave of assisted immigration to South Australia, sailing from London on 12 September 1838 aboard the Prince George — a 482-ton barque built in Bristol. She was a workhorse ship, previously used for convict transport (250 convicts to NSW in 1837).

On board were 199 passengers (126 adults, 73 children). The 105-day voyage took them across the Atlantic, around the Cape of Good Hope, and across the Southern Ocean. They arrived at Port Adelaide on 26 December 1838.

New Life in South Australia

After a short stay near Magill, Francis settled at Kersbrook, in the Chain of Ponds district of the Adelaide Hills. He farmed the land, opened a store, and became a pillar of the local Baptist Church, serving as its principal supporter for many years.

Three Marriages

Francis married three times in his long life:

Final Years

After his wife Margaret died, Francis's health declined. He moved in with his son G. W. Telfer at Gawler, then spent his last four months at Hope Farm, Tarlee, with his daughter Mrs. Farrow.

He passed away on 2 September 1895 at age 86 and was buried at Tarlee Cemetery. At his graveside were three fellow passengers from the Prince George — "namely, his daughter (Mrs. Farrow), Mr. Thos. Flavel, and Mr. W. Flavel, of Kapunda" — testament to the bonds formed on that voyage 57 years earlier.

Photos

> ### Grave — Tarlee Cemetery, South Australia
>
>

The Prince George

No known painting or drawing of the actual Prince George (1830 Bristol barque) survives. The closest visual reference available — "The Barque J.P. Smith" by Samuel Walters, 1840 — is a portrait of a near-identical barque painted just two years after the Telfer family's voyage, by the premier British merchant ship portraitist of the era.

Source: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London (BHC3432). Public domain.
View on RMG Collections

> Ship details: The Prince George was a 482-ton wooden barque built in Bristol in 1830. She carried Francis Telfer and 198 other passengers from London to Port Adelaide in 105 days (12 Sep — 26 Dec 1838). This reference ship — the J.P. Smith — was the same rig type (three-masted barque), similar tonnage, and painted in the same decade by Samuel Walters, the most celebrated painter of British merchant ships in the 1840s.

Obituary (from contemporary newspaper)

> DEATH OF AN OLD COLONIST. An old South Australian resident, Mr. Francis Telfer, died at Hope Farm, Tarlee, on Monday, 2nd inst. He was born at Black Burn fort, Liddesdale, Roxburghshire, Scotland, in 1809, and arrived in South Australia by the Prince Alfred in 1838. After a short residence near Magill he settled at Kersbrook, Chain of Ponds, and carried on farming there until the death of his wife some three years ago... The deceased leaves two sons — Mr. John Telfer, of Hawker, and Mr. G. W. Telfer, Willaston — and three daughters — Mrs. Farrow, of Hope Farm, Mrs. Smith, of Canouba, New South Wales, and Mrs. A. F. Telfer, of Edgerston, Tantanoola. ... The late Mr. Telfer was a good Christian, a member of the Baptist Church, and for many years was its principal supporter at Kersbrook.

Known Descendants

| Child | Born | Died | Notes |
|------|------|------|-------|
| James Telfer | 1832, Scotland | | Firstborn, baptised 3 Mar 1832 |
| Esther Jane Smith (née Telfer) | 21 May 1834, Isle of Skye | | Mother of Margaret Dougal Smith |
| Elizabeth Farrow (née Telfer) | 1836 | 1916 | Buried Tarlee |
| Jane Telfer | 7 Aug 1840, Chain of Ponds | | Married Parker |
| John Telfer (1847–1929) | 28 May 1847, Adelaide | 23 Aug 1929 | Mark's great-great-grandfather |
| George Wright Telfer | | | Lived at Willaston |
| Margaret Dougal Telfer | | | |

The Prince George

| Detail | Info |
|--------|------|
| Ship name | Prince George |
| Type | 482-ton barque |
| Built | 1830, Bristol |
| Previous use | Convict transport (250 convicts to NSW, 1837) |
| Left London | 12 September 1838 |
| Arrived Port Adelaide | 26 December 1838 |
| Passengers | 199 (126 adults, 73 children) |
| Fate | Last recorded 1847; lost in China Seas |

Timeline

| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| 2 Feb 1809 | Born — Blackburnfoot, Roxburghshire, Scotland |
| ~1825–1830 | Married Jean Murray at Langshawburn, Dumfriesshire |
| 3 Mar 1832 | Son James baptised in Scotland |
| 12 Sep 1838 | Sailed from London on Prince George |
| 26 Dec 1838 | Arrived Port Adelaide, SA |
| 22 Jan 1839 | First wife Jean Murray died |
| 7 Aug 1840 | Daughter Jane born at Chain of Ponds |
| 28 May 1847 | Son John Telfer (1847–1929) born |
| ~1839–1890 | Farmed at Kersbrook, Chain of Ponds |
| ~1892 | Moved to son G.W. Telfer at Gawler after wife's death |
| ~1895 | Moved to daughter's at Hope Farm, Tarlee |
| 2 Sep 1895 | Died at Hope Farm, Tarlee (aged 86) |
| | Buried at Tarlee Cemetery |

Notes

• The death notice says he arrived on the Prince Alfred, but this is likely a newspaper error — multiple sources confirm the Prince George


• Later sent for his brother-in-law, the late Mr. John Murray (Mount Crawford), and Mr. A. B. Murray (Magill), who became successful stock breeders in SA


• "Many others owe their residence in South Australia to his kindly disposition, as he was always willing to help any one"


• He is sometimes confused with his son Francis Charles Telfer (1875–1954) in genealogical records — there are multiple Francis Telfers in the family

Sources

• Find a Grave: Francis Telfer (1809–1895) — Tarlee Cemetery. 4 photos, including headstone


• WikiTree: Francis Telfer (abt.1809–1895) — confirms Scottish birth, arrival on Prince George, three wives, death at Tarlee


• Geni: John Telfer (1847–1929) — confirms Francis as father


• LocalWiki: Overseas Arrivals to SA 1838


• RootsWeb: Tarlee Cemetery listing — confirms three wives


• Wikipedia: Prince George ship history


• Contemporary newspaper death notice (per WikiTree)

Links

• John Telfer (1847–1929)


• Margaret Wright Telfer (?–1892)


• Francis Charles Telfer (1875–1954)


• Murray John Telfer (1924–2009)


• Family Tree

Research — Parents Identified (May 2026)

Previously marked as "Unconfirmed" — now identified.

Father: James Telfer (1761–1845)

• Born: 7 September 1761, Sorbietrees, Castleton, Roxburghshire, Scotland


• Died: 19 December 1845, Castleton, Roxburghshire, Scotland


• Parents: John Telfer and Elspeth Young (FamilySearch IGI batch C11865-1 — Castleton OPR) | ⚠️ Correction: previously listed as \"James Telfer and Margaret Armstrong\" — this was a generation error; Margaret Telfer (1802–1884) was James's daughter who married an Armstrong.


• Spouse: Betty Hutton (married ~1795)


• Occupation: Likely farmer in Castleton parish, Liddesdale

Mother: Betty (Hutton) Telfer (1774–1853)

• Born: 1774


• Died: 14 April 1853


• Maiden name: Hutton — confirmed by multiple sources and by Francis's middle name "Hutton" in records

Children of James Telfer and Betty Hutton

Per FindAGrave memorial 170769918 and corroborating sources:

Evidence Summary

| Source | What it shows | URL |
|--------|--------------|-----|
| FindAGrave (James Telfer) | James & Betty (Hutton) Telfer, children include Francis Telfer 1809-1895; James born Sorbietrees, Castleton | memorial/170769918 |
| WikiTree (Telfer-949, William Telfer) | William Telfer (1811–1888) — son of James telfer and Betty Hutton | Telfer-949 |
| Geneanet (Ian Walsh tree) | James Telfer /1762-1845 + Betty Hutton 1774-1853, children include Francis Telfer 1809 | ianw |
| RootsWeb (Moad Family) | James Telfer + Betty Hutton, children James and Francis | PC140_084.HTM |
| Ancestry | "Francis Hutton Telfer" — middle name gives mother's maiden surname | ancestry.com.au |
|| FindAGrave (James Telfer page) | James Telfer born Sorbietrees, Castleton, Roxburghshire — same parish as Blackburnfoot | memorial/170769918 |
|| FamilySearch IGI (Castleton OPR) | James Telfer baptised 14 Jul 1761, Castleton — parents John Telfer & Elspeth Young — batch C11865-1, source 1067953. This is OPR microfilm, directly confirming James's parentage | search link |
|

Skippy Verification — 23 May 2026

Verdict: STRONG SECONDARY EVIDENCE — Parents accepted for family tree.

Verification Method: Independent cross-reference of all sources cited by The Librarian, plus direct inspection of FindAGrave and WikiTree pages via browser (bypassing Cloudflare blocks).

Confirmed Evidence:

Conflation Warning — WikiTree Telfer-400 (Francis Telfer) contains a DATA ERROR in the structured fields: it lists death location as "Taree, New South Wales" instead of "Tarlee, South Australia." The biography text (quoting the actual Border Watch death notice) correctly says Tarlee. This is an entry error in the WikiTree data fields (possibly an autocorrect confusion) and does NOT invalidate the profile — our vault has the correct information.

Gold-Standard Gap — No OPR (Old Parish Register) baptismal entry was directly consulted. The Castleton OPRs (1697-1819) are on microfilm at ScotlandsPeople and FamilySearch but were not accessed. An OPR baptismal record for Francis would be the definitive proof. The existing evidence is strong but converging — all sources point in the same direction without contradiction.

⚠️ Update 5 Jun 2026: While Francis's OPR baptism remains unconfirmed, his father James Telfer's OPR baptism has now been identified via FamilySearch IGI batch C11865-1 (Castleton OPR microfilm, source 1067953): James Telfer baptised 14 Jul 1761, parents John Telfer & Elspeth Young. This strengthens the entire line by providing a primary-source anchor one generation back.

Ancestry/FindAGrave Caveat — The FindAGrave James Telfer page's descriptive text about the 8 children may derive from the same genealogical research as the WikiTree entries, not from independent original records. However, the Statutory Death Index for William Telfer is an independent primary source that confirms the family unit.

Assessment: Accept James Telfer (1761–1845) and Betty Hutton (1774–1853) as Francis Telfer's parents. Mark "strong secondary evidence" in the tree. An OPR baptismal search on ScotlandsPeople would be the next step for gold-standard confirmation.

Researched: 23 May 2026
Research by: The Librarian (Hermes Agent)
Verified by: Skippy the Magnificent