Joseph Dalgarno Melvin (1852 - 1909)

Born 15 Aug 1852 in Banff, Banffshire, Scotland

Husband of Margaret (Booth) Melvin — married 30 Nov 1885 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Died 26 Jun 1909 at age 56 in Surrey Hills, Victoria, Australia

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Biography

Joe Melvin was born in Scotland.

Joe Melvin is Notable.

Joseph Dalgarno "Joe" Melvin was born on the 15th of August 1852 at Banff, Banffshire, Scotland, the son of John Melvin and Isabella Gossip.^[1][2] Aged 12, Joe rescued a schoolfellow from the Moray Firth and became a local hero. On leaving school he worked in the local post and telegraph office, studied shorthand and aimed at a career in journalism. He joined the staff of the Moray Advertiser and later the Perth Advertiser.

Joe Melvin migrated from Scotland to Victoria.

In 1875, Joe's father John came home from a long trip to Australia to arrange for his family to return with him to Melbourne, Victoria.^[1][3][4]

His first journalistic appointment in his adopted country was with The Age in the 1870s, when he reported on conditions at the Kew Lunatic Asylum, Victoria.^[5]

He joined The Argus sometime before 1877, and accompanied the Victorian police in their various attempts to run down the Kelly Gang. He was on the scene during their last days in 1881. He gave evidence at the subsequent royal commission which inquired into the circumstances of the 'Kelly Outbreak'.^[6]

By 1883 Joe was with the Melbourne Daily Telegraph, a paper which existed from 1869 to 1892. In March 1885, having been refused transport to the Soudan to report on the war there, he managed by bribery to secure a berth as a steward or assistant pantryman on the Iberia, which took soldiers of the New South Wales Colonial Militay Force to Suakin. He teamed up with the Sydney Morning Herald reporter, W J Lambie (who was later killed reporting on the Boer War), and sent back reports to his own paper and to The Bulletin.^[7]

Joe married Maggie Booth on 30th November 1885 in St John's Church of England (Anglican Cathedral), Brisbane, Queensland.^[8] They did not have children.^[1]

South Sea Islanders

On his return to Melbourne, Joe was promoted to sub-editor, the position he held when the paper folded in February 1892. He moved to Rockhampton, Queensland, where he gained employment on the barque Helena, in order to investigate the controversial recruitment of South Pacific islanders for the Queensland sugar plantations; 'blackbirding'. Joe's conclusions were that reports of co-ercion and intimidation were unfounded, and the islanders involved were neither unsophisticated nor victims.^[9]

Hansard

Joe was next employed on the staff of the Queensland Hansard.^[10] He was with the Queensland Telegraph in 1902, then returned to Victoria. He was with Melbourne Hansard staff in 1905, and later rejoined The Age.^[11]

Joe and Maggie lived at 401 Nicholson Street, Kew, an inner eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. Aged just 40 years, Maggie died in Melbourne Private Hospital in October 1908.^[12] Suffering considerably from rheumatism and missing his Maggie, Joe passed away just eight months later, aged 56 years, on the 26th of June 1909 at Surrey Hills, Melbourne, Victoria. He was buried in Boroondara Cemetery, Kew.^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Peter Corris, 'Melvin, Joseph Dalgarno (1852–1909)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/melvin-joseph-dalgarno-7556/text13185, published first in hardcopy 1986, accessed online 16 February 2019
2. ↑ "Death of Mr. J. D. Melvin." 2 July 1909. Reporter (Box Hill), p. 4. Retrieved 16 February 2019 from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/90314541]
3. ↑ "Popular pressmen: "Joe" Melvin." 15 August 1896. Free Lance (Melbourne), p. 3. Retrieved 16 February 2019 from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/171429827.
4. ↑ Public Records Office of Victoria - Search Terms: MELVIN - Ship: LOCH MAREE - Date Arrived: 1874 to 1876

   Family name	Given name	Age	Year arrived	Month	Ship	Captain
   MELVIN	JOHN	45	1875	OCT	LOCH MAREE	GREY CHAS
   MELVIN	ISABELLA	42	1875	OCT	LOCH MAREE	GREY CHAS
   MELVIN	JOSEPH D	22	1875	OCT	LOCH MAREE	GREY CHAS
   MELVIN	JAMES G	20	1875	OCT	LOCH MAREE	GREY CHAS
   MELVIN	SARAH D	18	1875	OCT	LOCH MAREE	GREY CHAS
   MELVIN	JOHN	16	1875	OCT	LOCH MAREE	GREY CHAS
   MELVIN	BARBRA	14	1875	OCT	LOCH MAREE	GREY CHAS

5. ↑ Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1929) Mon 28 Jun 1909 Page 3 PERSONAL; accessed 30 Jul 2019
6. ↑ Camperdown Chronicle (Vic. : 1877 - 1954) Tue 14 Jun 1881 Page 4 The Police Enquiry; accessed 30 Jul 2019
7. ↑ Reporter (Box Hill, Vic. : 1889 - 1918) Fri 2 Jul 1909 Page 4 Death of Mr. J. D. Melvin; accessed 30 Jul 2019
8. ↑ [1]Queensland BMD Marriage Index registration: Name: Joseph Delgarno Melvin; Marriage date:30/11/1885; Spouse's name:Margaret Ann Booth; Registration details:1885/B/10172;
9. ↑ Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869 - 1931) Sat 26 Jun 1909 Page 9 DEATH OF MR. J. D. Melvin; accessed 30 Jul 2019
10. ↑ Table Talk (Melbourne, Vic. : 1885 - 1939) Fri 9 Dec 1892 Page 3 Personal; accessed 30 Jul 2019
11. ↑ https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/9905761 The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957) Fri 22 Sep 1905 Page 1 Family Notices; accessed 30 Jul 2019]
12. ↑ Victoria Death Index #12894/1908
13. ↑ Victoria Death Index #6809/1909

See also:

• Corris, Peter. Melvin, Joseph Dalgarno (1852–1909), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1986; accessed online 16 Feb 2019.
• Wikipedia profile: Joe Melvin; accessed 30 Jul 2019].