Mary McCracken

MARY McCRACKEN
Mary was born in Lisnadill, Armagh, Ireland, in about 1817.  She was the daughter of protestant Hans McCracken, a weaver, and Rachel (nee Bullock).  She must have received some education because she was able to read.  In Ireland she performed house and farm duties.  She travelled to Australia with an assisted passage, (a bounty of 19 pounds), at the age of 24, unaccompanied, on the ship the "Robert Benn" (809 tons) which departed from Greenwich on 13/2/1841 and arrived in Melbourne on 26/1/1842. She left Ireland just prior to the worst of the disaster of the great potato famine and subsequent offers by the Irish Government to assist emmigration.

In Australia she married Charles Bedford on 1 July 1847 at St James Church in Melbourne. They had four children and were prominent citizens in the early history of Box Hill. Charles was a farmer noted for his pear orchard. They held church services on their farm property. Bedford St Box Hill was named after him. Charles was one of seven trustees that established Box Hill Cemetery.