Donald Shearer grave monument in Presbyterian Cemetery, Maclean, New South Wales, Australia

Hello. I am researching the family of my great grandfather's cousin whose name was John Dunnet who came from Caitness, Scotland. John's mother and my great grandfather's mother were sisters. John was married to Christina Shearer who was this Donald Shearer's sister. The Shearer family together with the newly-wed Dunnets and Mrs. Shearer's mother, Christian Geddes nee Manson all emigrated together on The Prince of the Seas in 1853. After a few years in Sydney, the Shearers moved to the Manning River. The Dunnets who had been at Warialda since arriving in the colony (where Mrs. Shearer's brother William Geddes lived having emigrated there himself many years before), moved from Warialda to join the Shearers at the Manning River where John Dunnet subsequently died in 1869 at Purfleet. After his death, his widow Christina moved with her children to Ashby at Maclean to join her Shearer family who had already moved there in 1862. They were among the first pioneers to take up residence at Maclean - they built their homestead at Morningside, Ashby, across the river from Maclean and Donald Shearer was a J.P. His mother was Ann Shearer who was a midwife and his father was John Shearer also Morningside. His sister Christina Dunnet set up the first bakery business in Maclean which she later sold to her manager and son-in-law James Martin Kelly who with his family ran the bakery for many years. His wife was Diana Shearer Dunnet, daughter of John and Christina. I already have a photo of Donald Shearer's gravestone and that of his wife Margaret and young daughter, Margaret Elphinstone Shearer, but Donald's stone is almost impossible to read due to the way it has been photographed. I would be most grateful if you would email me a copy. The newspaper extracts for Donald's death say that he died on 22 Mar. 1918. Thank you for your kind attention. I do appreciate all the effort that volunteers like yourself do for all us family researchers. Kind regards J.M.Pascall
(requested on 21 01 2017)

Donald Shearer is a sibling of my ggg grandfather John Shearer - so excited that it is available online. Not to mention all the Morningside Homestead photos - I know where my next holiday will be once the lockdown is lifted! Got to love ghost hunting. thanks for your help. Julie Appleton
(requested on 19 04 2020)