Digby Postmaster & Storekeeper
Matthew TOWNSEND b. 1832 Kirtling, Cambridgeshire, England, son of John 'Jack' TOWNSEND and Elizabeth 'Bet' CARTER, was married in 1859 at Digby to Eliza McKENZIE b. 1829 Ross & Cromarty, Scotland, daughter of John McKENZIE and Euphemia McRAE. Eliza died in 1865 and was buried in the Digby Cemetery.
Eliza McKENZIE and her brother Malcolm McKENZIE arrived at Portland, Australia in 1853 on the "New Zealander". Malcolm had a family and lived at Condah but he was also buried in the Digby Cemetery.
Matthew married again in 1866 to Euphemia Mairi McKINNON, b. 1846, Portree, Isle of Skye, daughter of Alexander Gregor McKINNON and Christina McRAE. They did not have any children but raised Sophia POVEY, daughter of Joseph POVEY and Ann LIVINGSTON who was only 4 when her mother died in 1866. Sophia became a teacher at Digby in the 1880's.
Matthew was the Digby Postmaster and ran the Digby Post Office and Store for many years. The photograph on the right shows Matthew TOWNSEND in front of his Digby Store.
Matthew TOWNSEND had two brothers, Thomas, b. 1818 and Richard, b. 1822 who were convicted in England for stealing a bushel of wheat and both of them were transported to Tasmania in 1842/3 on the "Duchess of Northumberland". It is not known whether or not Matthew established contact with either of his brothers in Tasmania.
Daryl Povey
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