ARRIVAL OF JAMES NICOL FLEMING
The Press Saturday July 5th 1873
Messres Patrick Henderson and Co's composite ship James Nicol Fleming, from Glasgow, has astonished even her best well-wishers by making the passage from The land of the old country to New Zealand in 69 days and 11 hours. This is from the time she parted her pilot and sent letters on shore from off Inistrahull, to rounding and sighting the Snares on Sunday last, the 29th June. She is still in command of Capt. Logan who together with his officers, has made her make tracks when opportunity offered. Her greatest run was 320 miles in one day, and two days off the pitch of Cape Leuwin, she logged 682 miles. From her log the following is culled:- Left the Tail of the Bank, Greenock, at 7 pm on the 19th April; parted with her pilot on the 20th at 3 pm, off Inistrahull. Had favourable weather to the Equator, crossed on the 11th May in long 22 W. Doldrums were not met with, and the SE Trades were at once picked up. They also proved favourable till losing them, on the 21st in lat 23.40 S. Southerly winds then detained her dor six days, the ship making an average of 80 miles per day. They were followed by westerly breezes, and the meridian of Greenwich was crossed on the 31st, in lat 38 S, and that of the Cape of Good Hope on the 4th of June in lat 40 S. Her eastin gto the meridian of Cape Leuwin, pased on the 20th, was run down in the parallel of 43 S - the meridian of Melbourne being crossed on the 25th June, 67 days from Greenock. Westerly winds continued, and the Snares were sighted and rounded at 3 pm on the 29th. On the following day she was 50 miles to the SE of Cape Saunders, and arrived at the Otago Heads at daylight yesterday morning, the 1st July; was towed up against the three-quarter ebb tide by the tug Geelong and berthed close to the Railway Pier, where she will come alongside early this morning and her passengers brought to Dunedin by train. The Fleming brings 280 passengers, the majority being assisted immigrants, including 58 single females. The health has been good throughout. Shortly after leaving a case of measels occurred, which, being taken in time, was soon cured, and the spread prevented. One death, however took place, that being on Saturday last, the 28th June, when Mrs Wishart, aged twenty-three years, succumbed to consumption. On the 28th April, Mrs Scott, a steerage passenger, gave premature birth to a male child, which only lived two days. On the 14th May, Mrs McPhee gave birth to a female child; both of whom have done well. The different compartments of the passengers proved clean; more especially that of the single females, presided over by Miss helen Anderson, the matron. Captain Logan looks as fresh as ever, and brings his ship into port in splendid order.

Further marriage to Isabella ARMOUR 1914/2644 I think she was b 21 JUL 1878 Isabella Dow ARMOUR [M Elizabeth F Hugh it is possible a marriage of the William Hudson Walker [snr] as his wife Marion died in 1813! However his death certificate doesn’t mention another wife only Marion.

Check possible 2nd marriage in 1914 to Isabella ARMOUR but this is more likely to be William Hudson Walker, born 1877.

Up to and including the census of 1871 Marion is recorded as Marion Arbuckle, when she lived with her mother Elisabeth Arbuckle. When she registered her baby Elizabeth birth in 1873 she recorded her name as Marion Scott, that is using her father George’s surname. When she travelled to New Zealand in 1873 with Robert and Charlotte Walker she was recorded as Marion Walker and became that in 1874, in Bluff, when she married William Hudson Walker.

Arbuckle & Wilson

George Scott, Marion’s father apparently had two wives called Elizabeth. The first was Elizabeth Wilson and the second Elizabeth Arbuckle the latter being Marion’s mother. No evidence has been found that George married either Elizabeth. This helps explain the middle names of William and Marion’s children John Arbuckle and Agnes Wilson.