John Mann arrived from Forfar, Scotland, on the clipper packet "Ellen Stuart" in 1857 and rented a farm "Overton" at Janefield. Soon after he met Melbourne-born Violet McKimmie, whose parents had a property near Darebin Creek. They married on 25 September 1862, John 26 and Violet 19. In 1874 John selected a block on Arthurs Creek and built a slab and bark hut (still standing in 1984) and called their farm "Carseburn" after John's parish in Scotland. They had seven children: John, Jane, Christine, David, Walter, James and Violet. John was drowned in the Yarra in May 1875 and Violet struggled to meet the lease commitment. She wrote to her brother-in-law David Mann in New Zealand who came to her aid, and on 10 September 1876, they married at the Victorian Free church, Smith Street, Collingwood. They improved the farm and built a three-room house. in July 1883 they bought neighbouring land from Ann Welsh. With David, Violet had four more children: Robert, William and twins Thomas and Henry. In 1883, David died and was buried in the same grave as his brother in Preston Cemetery. The twins also died, Thomas just before and Henry just after their father. the children assisted with the farm and orchard, the business including crops, a dairy herd, Carseburne sheep, and breeding horses. Violet died at Yan Yean in 1925, aged 83. A grandson of John Mann, James Mann, lived in Henry Street, Greensborough and had given a talk at the Whittlesea Historical Society in 1983 on his family. Descendant Lindsay Mann was part of a creative writing group that published a book including a short story "The Mountain Tramway" is loosely based on his childhood and stories he was told then but was planning to write his family story. Contents Newspaper article: "Tragedy couldn't stop this pioneer", Diamond Valley News, 31 January 1984, story of Mann family. Newspaper article: "Tracing the history of ordinary. people," Diamond Valley News, 29 July 1986, story of Mann family, researched by descendant Lindsay Mann who grew up at the Mann property She-Oak at Yan Yean and has numerous family records. Newspaper article: "A realist who captures light," Diamond Valley News, 29 July 1986, David Moore, a realist painter had been working from a studio at Montsalvat and his exhibition of work from that period was to open 1 August 1986 at the Victorian Artists Society Galleries.Newspaper clippings, A4 photocopies, etcjohn manan, violet mann nee mckimmie, clipper packet "ellen stuart", forfar scotland, darebin creek victoria, arthurs creek victoria, "overton" at janefield, "carseburn" at arthurs creek, jane mann, christine mann, david mann, walter mann, james mann, violet mann, victorian free church smith street collingwood, ann welsh, robert mann, william mann, thomas mann, henry mann, preston cemetery, carseburne sheep, yan yean cemetery, lindsay mann, david moore, montsalvat

"Johnston, James - Kangaroo Ground, is a scotchman by birth, born in Aberdeenshire in 1812. Arriving in Melbourne in 1840, and spending twelve months on the Plenty, and another similar period on the Darebin Creek, he went in 1842, to the Kangaroo Ground, where he rented a farm from Mr Donaldson for seven years, subsequently purchasing 160 acres of land from the Government at one pound 13s per acre, and also owning 60 acres adjoining, where he carries on farming. Mr Johnston has a family of three sons and four daughters." Sutherland, Alexander Victoria and its Metropolis, v.2 1888 page 434. Folder of information on James Johnston, Kangaroo Ground pioneerjames johnston, pioneer, kangaroo ground