Norman and Susan McLeod left the Isle of Raasay, Scotland in 1854 bound for Portland in the colony of Victoria. Norman and Susan (nee Stewart) arrived on the boat ‘Edward Johnston’ in September 1854 after a trip of 11 weeks. He was 35 years of age and she was 29.
Norman and Susan left with many other emigrants from the Isles of Raasay and Skye. They came with their first four children, listed in birth order: Ruairidh (Roderick) aged 8, Norman aged 6, Alexandrina (Lexy) aged 4, and Mary Ann, less than one year old.
They left behind, Alexander, who had died some time between 1852 and their departure for Victoria. Another five children were born to the couple in Australia: Ann, Catherine, Donald, Mary Christina (Chrissy), Catherine (Kate). Of all these children, only the following lived to adulthood: Ruairidh, Norman, Lexy, Ann, Christina and Kate.
Susan died in 1866 and Norman in 1868 leaving Ruairidh, Norman and Lexy to raise the younger children.
Children of Norman and Susan McLeod
Mary Ann (b 1854), Catherine (b 1857) and Donald (b 1860) all died within ten days of each other during a diphtheria epidemic in 1864
* Bassetts was a property. It had once been part of a larger landhold called Crawford.