Duncan Stewart McEachran (1826–1913) was a Scottish minister of the

Free Church of Scotland Free Church of Scotland may refer to: * Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900), seceded in 1843 from the Church of Scotland. The majority merged in 1900 into the United Free Church of Scotland; historical * Free Church of Scotland (since 1900), rema ...

who emigrated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and became Moderator of the General Assembly to the Presbyterian Church of Victoria.

Life

He was born in

Campbeltown Campbeltown (; gd, Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain or ) is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre for Scotch whisky, and a busy fishing ...

in western Scotland on 27 April 1826 the son of Archibald McEachran and his wife, Ann Campbell. He was educated at Campbeltown Grammar School. He studied for a general degree at Glasgow University from 1840 to 1844 then studied Theology at New College, Edinburgh soon after it opened (1844-1848). He was licensed to preach by the Free Church of Scotland in 1848 and ordained at Portree in March 1850, being translated to Cromarty in 1851. He did not speak Gaelic and had to learn it to preach in Portree. This appears to have failed and was the likely reason for his translation. In Portree he had the use of a small steamship, the "Breadalbane", to do mission work on the islands. In 1868 he emigrated to

with his family, settling in Melbourne taking over St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in the Carlton district. He was assisted in his mission work by Rev William Thomson formerly of Camperdown. In 1871 the manse was moved from Royal Terrace on Nicholson Street to a handsome new building next to the church with a double verandah. The church was also expanded. The architect for both was

Leonard Terry Leonard E. Terry (11 February 1924 – 25 August 2014) was an English racing car designer and engineer, known for his work with Lotus, BRM and Eagle. He also designed chassis for many other teams, including ERA and Aston Martin and produced his ...

. He was elected Moderator of the General Assembly in 1885.Ewing, William ''Annals of the Free Church'' He retired on 31 December 1902. He died at home on Rathmines Road in Melbourne on 5 July 1913. A memorial service was held on 12 July at St Andrews Presbyterian Church, led by Rev Daniel McKenzie of Collingwood.

Family

In 1853 he married Mary Middleton (1833-1860). They had one daughter and four sons but two sons (twins) died in infancy. Following Mary's death he married Catherine Barbara Macleay Henderson (1832-1911), in 1862. They had six daughters and three sons. His eldest daughter (by his first marriage) Eliza Middleton McEachran (b.1854) married Evans Harrington Wade in Kew, Victoria in 1877. When Eliza died in 1890, Wade then married her half sister, a daughter of Rev McEachran's second marriage, Ann Campbell McEachran (1866-1959). Ann died at

Ferntree Gully Ferntree Gully is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, 30 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne City Centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Kn ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacEachran, Duncan Stewart 1826 births 1913 deaths People from Campbeltown 19th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland Australian Presbyterian ministers Alumni of the University of Glasgow Alumni of New College, Edinburgh Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia