Daniel James McLaren born 1874
Daniel James McLaren was born at Retro Station, near Clermont on 23 Jul 1874.
His mother was Margaret McLaren and she died that same day.
Daniel’s father was James Hurley, an Irish labourer from Retro Station. Hurley's 1912 death certificate states he had 2 sons.
The fate of Daniel James McLaren (or Hurley) remains a mystery, one which this website may solve. However, Daniel had a younger half-brother, Michael Hurley, born on 13 Jun 1877. It appears Michael did not marry and died after being hit by a train near Retro on 28 Jan 1955.
His mother was Margaret McLaren and she died that same day.
Daniel’s father was James Hurley, an Irish labourer from Retro Station. Hurley's 1912 death certificate states he had 2 sons.
The fate of Daniel James McLaren (or Hurley) remains a mystery, one which this website may solve. However, Daniel had a younger half-brother, Michael Hurley, born on 13 Jun 1877. It appears Michael did not marry and died after being hit by a train near Retro on 28 Jan 1955.
Q & A: Questions and (possible) Answers:
Q1. Did Daniel McLaren die alongside his mother?
A1. A birth certificate was issued in 1874 but not a death certificate. This suggests he survived.
Q2. There is no record of Daniel's death on BDM Qld, so what may have become of Daniel?
A2. Some possibilities are:
. Daniel may have been adopted by a local family;
. he may have remained with his father and taken the Hurley surname;
. he may have been admitted to an orphanage at Rockhampton or Townsville.
We have found no clues to Daniel's life after 23 Jul 1874. It is unlikely he left Retro to live with his half-sisters or Denis Sullivan.
On the full pages of the Clermont births register which show the births of both Daniel (1874) and his half brother, Michael Hurley (1877), there are pencilled notes recording the deaths of various individuals. e.g. in Michael's case, his death in 1955. There is no such note beside Daniel's entry. This may suggest that Daniel left the Clermont district or his death was unknown to the person who made the jottings.
James Hurley's death certificate has a puzzling entry (see below) under "Issue, in order of Birth, their Names and Ages". The entry says:
Living : years
2 sons
unmarried
One possible interpretation is "James Hurley had 2 sons, both of whom were (in 1912) unmarried". Half brother Michael certainly never married. It is possible that Daniel (probably using the surname "Hurley") was unmarried in 1912 too and he may have been known to the registrar.
Michael Hurley's 1877 birth certificate states "Nil previous Issue" in relation to his father, James Hurley. This may indicate that Daniel had left the Clermont area, had been adopted out by 1877, or James had not told his new wife of Daniel's existence.
Q3. Why was Daniel's birth certificate amended by registrar William Cave, deleting the supposed marriage of Margaret and James on 9 Jan 1871?
A3. There is no record of a marriage between Margaret and James Hurley on BDM Qld. However, the marriage date on the certificate is very specific. Speculation: there may have been a marriage which was declared on Margaret's death to be bigamous; Margaret and James Hurley may have thought it was not necessary that she divorce Denis Sullivan. She had the example of her sister, Catherine, who, separated from her husband Walter Goodman for 8 years, married James Milford, a man who "publicly divorced" his wife by advertising in the papers prior to marrying Catherine. So one can understand that Margaret and James may have married believing their marriage was legal.
Q4. Who was James Hurley?
A5. James was from County Cork, Ireland. His arrival date in Australia is yet to be determined. His death certificate (part below) is very imprecise. It suggests he may have married in Ireland and arrived here around 1857. It does not record the names of his children but says there were 2 sons ... "unmarried". "Unmarried" may refer to either James or his sons. It also fails to record his 1877 marriage to Mary Lewlor.
Q5. What became of James Hurley?
A5. On 12 June 1877, James Hurley married his then-partner, Mary Lewlor (possibly nee Shea). The very next day, on 13 Jun 1877, his second son Michael Hurley was born. James Hurley passed away from cardiac failure on 2 Sep 1912 and was buried in the Clermont Cemetery.
Q6. Are there any other clues that Daniel James McLaren survived?
A6. Warning: this is oral history. Around 1950, the McLaran family in Dalby was approached by the Presbyterian Church on behalf of an anonymous family in North Queensland. They wished to establish whether or not there may have been a blood connection between the families. The lack of accurate knowledge of the family history of the McLaran(en)s meant the approach did not progress.
Q5. What became of Michael Hurley, Daniel McLaren's half brother?
A5. On 28 Jan 1955, Michael Hurley died in Clermont Hospital. The previous day he had been hit by a locomotive at Nanya Siding on the Emerald - Clemont line. Nanya Siding is the next siding north of Retro Station.
Q1. Did Daniel McLaren die alongside his mother?
A1. A birth certificate was issued in 1874 but not a death certificate. This suggests he survived.
Q2. There is no record of Daniel's death on BDM Qld, so what may have become of Daniel?
A2. Some possibilities are:
. Daniel may have been adopted by a local family;
. he may have remained with his father and taken the Hurley surname;
. he may have been admitted to an orphanage at Rockhampton or Townsville.
We have found no clues to Daniel's life after 23 Jul 1874. It is unlikely he left Retro to live with his half-sisters or Denis Sullivan.
On the full pages of the Clermont births register which show the births of both Daniel (1874) and his half brother, Michael Hurley (1877), there are pencilled notes recording the deaths of various individuals. e.g. in Michael's case, his death in 1955. There is no such note beside Daniel's entry. This may suggest that Daniel left the Clermont district or his death was unknown to the person who made the jottings.
James Hurley's death certificate has a puzzling entry (see below) under "Issue, in order of Birth, their Names and Ages". The entry says:
Living : years
2 sons
unmarried
One possible interpretation is "James Hurley had 2 sons, both of whom were (in 1912) unmarried". Half brother Michael certainly never married. It is possible that Daniel (probably using the surname "Hurley") was unmarried in 1912 too and he may have been known to the registrar.
Michael Hurley's 1877 birth certificate states "Nil previous Issue" in relation to his father, James Hurley. This may indicate that Daniel had left the Clermont area, had been adopted out by 1877, or James had not told his new wife of Daniel's existence.
Q3. Why was Daniel's birth certificate amended by registrar William Cave, deleting the supposed marriage of Margaret and James on 9 Jan 1871?
A3. There is no record of a marriage between Margaret and James Hurley on BDM Qld. However, the marriage date on the certificate is very specific. Speculation: there may have been a marriage which was declared on Margaret's death to be bigamous; Margaret and James Hurley may have thought it was not necessary that she divorce Denis Sullivan. She had the example of her sister, Catherine, who, separated from her husband Walter Goodman for 8 years, married James Milford, a man who "publicly divorced" his wife by advertising in the papers prior to marrying Catherine. So one can understand that Margaret and James may have married believing their marriage was legal.
Q4. Who was James Hurley?
A5. James was from County Cork, Ireland. His arrival date in Australia is yet to be determined. His death certificate (part below) is very imprecise. It suggests he may have married in Ireland and arrived here around 1857. It does not record the names of his children but says there were 2 sons ... "unmarried". "Unmarried" may refer to either James or his sons. It also fails to record his 1877 marriage to Mary Lewlor.
Q5. What became of James Hurley?
A5. On 12 June 1877, James Hurley married his then-partner, Mary Lewlor (possibly nee Shea). The very next day, on 13 Jun 1877, his second son Michael Hurley was born. James Hurley passed away from cardiac failure on 2 Sep 1912 and was buried in the Clermont Cemetery.
Q6. Are there any other clues that Daniel James McLaren survived?
A6. Warning: this is oral history. Around 1950, the McLaran family in Dalby was approached by the Presbyterian Church on behalf of an anonymous family in North Queensland. They wished to establish whether or not there may have been a blood connection between the families. The lack of accurate knowledge of the family history of the McLaran(en)s meant the approach did not progress.
Q5. What became of Michael Hurley, Daniel McLaren's half brother?
A5. On 28 Jan 1955, Michael Hurley died in Clermont Hospital. The previous day he had been hit by a locomotive at Nanya Siding on the Emerald - Clemont line. Nanya Siding is the next siding north of Retro Station.
1912 James Hurley - part death certificate.