Tag Archives: McMillan

The Diary of Thos Law McMillan

In a supplement to “the Argus” newspaper published in Melbourne in December 29, 1950, a diary of Thos Law McMillan was published. This was due to the preservation  and editing of his diary by Mary L Turnbull, the granddaughter of Dr McMillan. As it says in the preface to the article:-

Dr McMillan left Edinburgh University in 1850 to try his hand at mining. He was 24 years old and a medical student. He came to Australia by way of Pennsylvania and California working his passage as a ship’s surgeon. Upon arriving in Melbourne, he set off for the Bendigo diggings with his friends, writing his journal from day to day.

You will find the diary very interesting and I really suggest you take the time to read it. He later gave up mining and became a physician and was also the President of the Medical Society of Victoria.

It’s available as a PDF and you can download it here.

The Descendants of Margaret Staley and Thomas Law McMillan

The latest update of the Staley Family History includes recently discovered information on the descendants of Margaret Staley and Thomas Law McMillan, this was sparked by the finding of a monumental inscription at the Melbourne General Cemetery. Thomas had a big career change from teenage lead miner in 1841 to medical student in 1851, by 1854 it seems he’d graduated as a Doctor, arrived in Victoria and married, eventually becoming President of the Medical Society of Victoria in 1878, there was possibly a trip back to Edinburgh in the 1860’s for the family as daughter Edith Agnes’s marriage certificate gives her birth place as Edinburgh, Scotland.

There were 4 daughters, 3 of whom grew to adulthood, 1 didn’t marry, the families of  daughters Mary and Edith are there for you to see. We would like to hear from anyone connected to these families