Margaret Long 1820 : Short Biography

Margaret Long, my 2 x great grandmother was born in Narin, County Donegal in 1820, the daughter of James Long and Ann Scott. James was born abt 1790 and married Ann in April 1818 in Inver, County Donegal in the Church of Ireland. Ann was born in 1785 at Glasboli, County Donegal, the daughter of James Scott born abt 1760 and Margaret Keys.

In 1838 Margaret married an English Coast Guard Office and widower, Nathaniel Webb in Narin. Nathaniel had previously been married to Margaret's cousin, another Ann Scott. Ann died in 1838 leaving 3 small children. Soon after Nathaniel was posted to Pullaheeny, County Sligo where 10 children were born to Margaret and Nathaniel. 

In the 1850s Ann's two older children, along with one of Margaret's older children migrated to Victoria, Australia and by the late 1860s Margaret and Nathaniel along with the remaining children had all migrated to Australia. The family had bought land in the Myrtleford area, a very beautiful part of Victoria close to the mountains, and become graziers. Until just a short time ago the farm had still been in the family. A couple of the sons became wine merchants in Melbourne and later owned several hotels.

In 1873 Nathaniel passed away in Melbourne and some years later in 1898 Margaret passed away at the Parade Hotel in Melbourne which was owned by one of her children and where she had been living for some years. They are buried together, along with a number of their children in a grave in Melbourne Cemetery which is marked with a lovely memorial headstone. 

Margaret was obviously a loving mother to Ann's children as well as her own as they had stayed together as one large family from Narin to Pullaheeny then halfway across the world to Australia.