James Umpherston (1812 – 28 October 1900) was a farmer and politician, a noted settler of

Mount Gambier, South Australia Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with a population of 25,591 as of the 2021 census. The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier (volcano), Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about ...

. Umpherston was born in

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, Scotland, and worked as a farmer until he emigrated to South Australia on the ''Ariadne'', arriving in August 1839. He worked for several years as a contractor to established farmers until he had saved enough to start farming for himself firstly at

Brown Hill Creek Brown Hill Creek, also known as ''Willawilla'' in the Kaurna language, is a watercourse flowing from the Adelaide Hills through in the inner south suburbs of the Adelaide metropolitan area, in the Australian state of South Australia. It is part ...

near Mitcham Village, then at Smithfield on the Gawler Plains for over 12 years, where he prospered until he left in November 1859 when Mount Gambier opened up for settlement. He next took up land at Attamurra, north-east of Mount Gambier, naming his property "Cadzow", later owned by John Kennedy. He sold up there and moved to the Myora Estate, east of Mount Gambier, which he sold to W. A. Crouch in 1875. Finally he moved to "The Caves", where he remained, turning it into a showpiece and model farm. "The Caves" was later owned by

Joseph Botterill Joseph Botterill (ca.1862 – 17 August 1920) was a politician in the State of South Australia. He was a Liberal Union member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1915 to 1920, representing the Southern District. History Joseph was a ...

MLC. He was elected to the

South Australian House of Assembly The House of Assembly (also known as the lower house) is one of two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia, the other being the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide. Overview The House of Assem ...

seat of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

in December 1866 at the by-election brought about by the resignation of

Adam Lindsay Gordon Adam Lindsay Gordon (19 October 1833 – 24 June 1870) was a British-Australian poet, horseman, police officer and politician. He was the first Australian poet to gain considerable recognition overseas, and according to his contemporary, write ...

, with John Riddoch of Yallum as colleague, and retired in May 1868, succeeded by

Henry Kent Hughes Henry Kent Hughes (c. 1814 – 30 August 1880), usually referred to as H. Kent Hughes, was a pastoralist and politician who sat in the South Australian House of Assembly from 1868 to 1875 representing the seats of Victoria and later, Port A ...

. He died after a brief illness. He was twice married: to Janet Arneil (c. 1811 – 10 January 1877). He married again, to Margaret Ferguson (c. 1842 – 18 March 1919) on 8 March 1878; he had no children. He had three brothers and a sister who immigrated to South Australia between 1849 and 1870: *William Umpherston (24 February 1830 – 13 January 1915) of Yahl, South Australia married Sarah Campbell on 21 July 1857. He immigrated with his sister Ann Umpherston on the ''Macedon'' in 1849. *John Umpherston (c. 1816 – 21 February 1904) of Mount Gambier married Helen Wotherspoon (c. 1813 – 25 November 1898) on 20 March 1842 at Glasgow Barony Church. His family was the last to immigrate in January 1870 on the ''Loch Earn''. *Archibald Umpherston (17 January 1819 – 17 March 1896) of Wild Horse Plains married Jane Martin (11 April 1820 – 12 March 1863) on 6 November 1840 at Cambuslang Parish Church. His family immigrated on the ''Fatima'' in June 1850. *Ann Umpherston (20 March 1826 – 29 December 1882) married William Innes of Onetree Hill on 20 April 1854. Their children founded the Mil Lel Cheese and Butter Company.

Other interests

He was appointed Justice of the Peace at Mount Gambier in 1861, He was a member of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of Adelaide from its earliest days, and kept up his membership of it to the last, and when he moved to the South-East he helped establish a local Agricultural, Pastoral and Horticultural Society, and was its first President. He helped found the Mount Gambier District Council, and when it was divided in 1865 became Chairman of the Gambier East Council, and served in that position for 12 years. He helped establish the Mount Gambier Institute and was a founder of the local Caledonian Society, and its Chief for two years. He was a founding member of the local Agricultural Bureau, and its first President. He was prominent among the founders of the Mount Gambier Presbyterian Church and was one of its elders and most regular worshippers. He was a Justice of the Peace, and a member of the Licensing Bench.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Umpherston, James Australian farmers Scottish emigrants to Australia Members of the South Australian House of Assembly 1812 births 1900 deaths 19th-century Australian politicians Farmers from South Australia