Francis Telfer (1809–1895)

Role: Immigrant progenitor — founded the Australian Telfer branch. Arrived SA 1838
Born: 2 February 1809 — Blackburn Foot (Black Burn fort), Liddesdale, Roxburghshire, Scotland
Died: 2 September 1895 (aged 86) — Hope Farm, Tarlee, South Australia
Buried: Tarlee Cemetery, Tarlee, District Council of Clare and Gilbert Valleys, South Australia
Occupation: Farmer — Hope Farm, Tarlee
Ship: Prince George (482 tons, 118 ft, 3-masted, Captain Young) — arrived Port Adelaide 26 December 1838

Family

Children (by Jean Murray)

Children (by Dinah Flavel)

Children (by Margaret Wright)

Life Summary

Francis Telfer was born on 2 February 1809 at Blackburn Foot (the old Black Burn fort) in Liddesdale, Roxburghshire, Scotland — the seventh of eight children born to James Telfer and Elizabeth "Betty" Hutton. He grew up in the Castleton region of the Scottish Borders.

The Voyage

Francis emigrated to South Australia aboard the Prince George, departing London in September 1838 and arriving at Port Adelaide on 26 December 1838. He travelled with his first wife Jean Murray and their three young children: James (6), Esther (4), and Elizabeth (2). A fourth child, John (the baby), died during the voyage.

Three Marriages

Francis outlived his first two wives. Jean Murray died shortly after arrival at the Emigration Depot in Adelaide on 22 January 1839 — barely a month after landing. Her infant son John had died during the voyage.

Within months, Francis married Dinah Flavel (a young English immigrant from Northamptonshire) on 4 November 1839. They had one daughter, Jean (born at Chain of Ponds, 1840). Dinah died on 20 March 1844 at Chain of Ponds, aged only 22, and was buried at West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide.

On 27 March 1845, Francis married Margaret Wright, with whom he had three more children: John (the main line ancestor), Margaret Dougal, and George Wright. Margaret Wright brought stability to the household and outlived Francis, dying in 1892.

Later Life

Francis farmed at Chain of Ponds and Kersbrook in the Adelaide Hills before settling at Hope Farm, Tarlee, in the Clare Valley region. He became a respected local identity. By the time of his death at age 86, he had established the Telfer name across South Australia.

His obituary in The Border Watch (18 September 1895) recorded:
"He 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."

Francis died at Hope Farm, Tarlee on 2 September 1895. A memorial headstone was erected by the Telfer Family History Association in 1999, commemorating his three wives and his place as the founder of the Australian Telfer line.

Timeline

Family Stories

The Lost Boy — James Telfer (1832–1845)

Francis's eldest son James, aged 13, disappeared while bringing in stray sheep during heavy rain in July 1844 near Chain of Ponds. Neighbours, police — they scoured the flooded countryside for days. Nothing. The South Australian Register ran a notice on 10 Jul 1844 asking for information. James was never seen alive again.

Around 1877, floodwaters receded near Adelaide and a human skeleton was found lodged against a tree in the river. A doctor said it was a boy about 13, probably there 20+ years. Whether Francis ever found out is unknown.

It was the fourth family member Francis lost in six years: infant John (died at sea, 1838), wife Jean (1839), wife Dinah (1844), and his eldest son James.

(From the Borders to the Bush, pp.25–27; SA Register, 10 Jul 1844)

The Flavel Family and the Voyage of the Prince George

Francis sailed to South Australia on the Prince George alongside the Flavel family — Joseph and Mary Flavel and their seven kids. The Flavels became lifelong friends. William Flavel remembered arriving at Port Misery on 26 Dec 1838 and walking barefoot across the sandhills, where the summer sand was so hot he "had to run from one bush to another till I got clear of the sand." The Flavel baby, John Telfer, died during the voyage and was buried at sea.

The Prince George was a 482-ton, 118-foot, 3-masted barque under Captain Young. Francis applied for emigration on 9 August 1838, had just 26 days to prepare, and sailed from London on 4 September 1838.

(From the Borders to the Bush, pp.22–24)

Francis and the Kersbrook Church of Christ

Francis was an intensely religious man. He regularly walked 22 miles from Kersbrook to Adelaide for the "Scotch Kirk" (Gouger Street United Presbyterian Church). In 1863, he became a founding trustee of the Kersbrook Church of Christ Chapel and served as Sunday School Superintendent. He was described as "the pastor's right hand" alongside John McMillan.

(From the Borders to the Bush, pp.27–31)

Francis Elected as Church Elder — Gouger Street Church, 1845

Francis's faith wasn't a Sunday-only affair. On 1 December 1845, the congregation of the Gouger Street United Secession Church (the "Scotch Kirk") met to elect new Ruling Elders. The church minutes record that after a sermon by the Moderator, "Alexander Hay and Francis Telfer" were elected to the office — and after examination by the Session and being "found duly qualified," their induction took place on Friday 19 December 1845. Francis was just six years out from losing his first wife, and his second wife had died the year before. Yet here he was, being entrusted with spiritual leadership of Adelaide's first Presbyterian congregation.

(From the Borders to the Bush, pp.25–26)

Francis's Last Letters — 1891

Two handwritten letters by Francis, both dated October 1891 and written from Hope Farm, Tarlee — about eleven months before the death of his wife Margaret (who died 13 September 1892). One, dated 20 October 1891, is addressed to "My Dear Jane Murray" — his granddaughter Jane Murray Farrow (1857–1934), daughter of his daughter Elizabeth Hannah (Telfer) Farrow — and speaks of family matters and of his religious hope. The other, dated 21 October 1891, is addressed to "Dear Wife," his third wife Margaret Wright Telfer, reflecting on their time together since their marriage in March 1845. They are among the few surviving documents in Francis's own hand — a direct connection to the man who founded the Australian Telfer line.

(From the Borders to the Bush, p.33)

The House at Macoota

Francis's stone house at Section 6146, Kersbrook had walls 15 inches thick of local stone. Originally shingle-roofed (still preserved under later iron), it had a central passage, three bedrooms off the south side, a kitchen/dining room and drawing room with large fireplaces on the north, and a well about 50 yards from the back door. The land was so thick with wattle and banksia scrub you couldn't walk through it when first taken up.

(From the Borders to the Bush, pp.31–33)

Margaret Wright and the Stirling Castle Legend

Family legend had it that Francis's third wife Margaret Wright was "born in Stirling Castle" — though which bit of the castle was left for debate. Problem is, the last king to actually live there was James VI (1567–1625), long before Margaret was born. Colourful story, suspect geography.

(From the Borders to the Bush, p.27)

Sources

• Source: Donald Telfer, From the Borders to the Bush (ISBN 0 7316 6387 X), pp. 22–35 — extract via vision_analyze 19 June 2026
• FindAGrave: Francis Telfer (1809–1895) — memorial 184345429, Tarlee Cemetery. Headstone erected by Telfer Family History Association 1999, lists all three wives. Accessed 18 June 2026.
• FindAGrave: Dinah Flavel Telfer (1821–1844) — West Terrace Cemetery. Accessed 18 June 2026.
• FindAGrave: Jane "Jean" Murray Telfer (1810–1839) — confirms Prince George arrival 26 Dec 1838 with Francis and children. Accessed 18 June 2026.
• WikiTree: Francis Telfer (abt.1809–1895) — comprehensive profile with obituary transcription from The Border Watch, 18 Sep 1895. Accessed 18 June 2026.
• WikiTree: Esther Jane Telfer (Smith) (1834–1909) — confirms parents Francis Telfer & Jean Murray. Accessed 18 June 2026.
• WikiTree: Jane (Telfer) Parker (1840–1892) — daughter of Francis Telfer & Dinah Flavel, born 7 Aug 1840 Chain of Ponds. Accessed 19 June 2026.
• FindAGrave: Jane (Telfer) Parker (1840–1892) — memorial 201646735, born 17 Aug 1840, died 15 Jul 1892, buried Strathalbyn SA. Accessed 19 June 2026.
• Trove: The Border Watch, 18 Sep 1895 — obituary for Francis Telfer. Accessed 18 June 2026.