The Furphys originated from County Armagh, Ireland.
Euphrates Furphy (nee Forsythe), a widow, together with her children Jane 28, Elizabeth 19, and John with his wife Matilda, set sail from Plymouth, England on the "Emigrant" on April 17, 1850. The ship reached Moreton Bay (Queensland) on August 8, 1850, but a devastating outbreak of typhus had claimed a large number of passengers on the voyage including Euphrates on that very day, and more died in quarantine at Dunwich on Stradbroke Island. The surviving family members eventually made their way to Kangaroo Ground in Victoria, where they joined up with their other siblings who had immigrated earlier: Samuel, Thomas and Matilda.
The Furphys soon made a name for themselves in Australia with one of Samuel's sons Joseph, under the pseudonym "Tom Collins" penning the classic Australian novel "Such is Life" (1903) and another, John, starting J. Furphy & Sons foundry in Shepparton, Victoria, maker of the famous water cart which gave rise to the well-known expression "furphy" relating to a rumour that spread as Australian soldiers on the Great War battlefields soothed their thirst and gathered around to chat with one another.
Euphrates children were:
I am interested in obtaining a copy of a photo of Jane Furphy and/or James Kirkwood - if you can help please email Stuart
All pages Copyright ©2000-2005 S. Williams and Contributors
Last updated: 31 March 2005