This Sarkies - McKay story concerns the birth of Grace Jago SARKIES my grandmother who was born at KILSYTH, Stirling in Scotland. The above PHOTO was taken in the Kilsyth Market Square, during our visit in 1995.

Grace was born in 1880in the Parish of Kingston, to John Andrew SARKIES and Helen McKAY. Helen was the daughter of John McKay and Isabella CRAWFORD of Glasgow. Stirling is just a little to the north of Glasgow. John McKay's sister Margaret married Josias Coke Jago around the same time and only recently we discovered that the name Josias Coke Jago was given to many through a few generations of Jago families in Devon. Apparently this Jago family is linked to the Guiness (whiskey) family, whose family tree is part of a document at the National Library in Dublin, Ireland.

John Andrew SARKIES was of Armenian extract and born in Republic of Shuska ? Iran. After many years of research with his birthplace being Palestine etc., we have this information which still needs to be confirmed. Andrew was a general merchant and residing in Melbourne around 1864 when he met Helen McKay a Scots woman, whom he married in Melbourne. In 1878, with some of their offspring, they sailed for Scotland to see Helen's families. This is where Grace was born in 1880. In 1883, Helen, with some of her surviving children, including my grandmother Grace returned to Melbourne, seemingly without Andrew. We have no more information concerning him at this time. Helen died in Melbourne in 1905 while working as a charwoman - very sad life really. (details later)

Grace Jago SARKIES married in 1901 to my grandfather Robert BOSTOCK (1850/1921) and had 7 children (5 surviving) until sadly Grace died in childbirth in 1914. This was Robert's second marriage. The family had travelled by covered wagon from N.S.W. upward to Hay, Moree and to north west Queensland, where Robert apparently worked on properties, and died at Aramac, while working as a cook on Bowen Downs Station. After the death of Grace, a house fire, plus obvious inability to cope, Robert put the children in Warilda State Home at Wooloowin in Brisbane. Sadly for our families, there was a large family of relations from the William Cox (Clarendon) family, who did not know of Robert's whereabouts. However this has brought great joy and pride to many since 1986, with a wealth of information regarding their marvellous heritage on both Bostock and Cox lines, coming to light.

The eldest son Robert Bostock who married Hilda Fendick worked with his father at Kelly's Bore on Bowen Downs Station. The other family George (my father decd.) married Thelma Wilson, Grace married Robert Gray, Mona (decd) married Walter Paget and Jean married Clarence Massey. Jean lives in Sydney and keeps herself busy with varied activities. As this story is about the Sarkies - McKay, the Robert Bostock story will be on another site to read later.

This is just an overview, as you can see, but we will add the detail of these families, as we continue to construct these pages.

"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want"