Oliver, James (1814-1902)

James Oliver was born about 1814 to parents Sylvester & Elizabeth Oliver nee Smith in a village called Fowlis Easter in Perthshire, 7 miles west of Dundee in Scotland. His first wife Sophie, whom he married in 1836, gave birth to three children, but passed away in Dundee Scotland in 1846. James then married Ann Fulton in Scotland in 1849. Ann was born about 1818 in a village called Balgay Scotland, 2 miles west of the town of Dundee. Ann gave birth to five children, four in Scotland and one in Australia, being in birth order Alexander, William, Thomas, Isabella and James Oliver.

James and Ann Oliver chose to emigrate from Scotland for Port Phillip, they arrived sometime between 1853, after the birth of Isabella in Dundee and before 1854 and the birth of James junior in Melbourne.

James Oliver’s name first appears in a Sands & Kenny Directory for Melbourne in 1860 at the address, 467 Kings Street Melbourne. (between Roden & Hawke Streets) that address after renumbering is known today as 599 King Street West Melbourne. (1890 council rate book for Bourke Ward).

The Oliver family were long time North & West Melbourne residents and lived at 599 King Street West Melbourne prior to James’s death in 1902. Mrs. Oliver passed away in 1887.

Below is a list of significant building works carried out by James Oliver.

The table below can be scrolled left to right if viewed on a mobile device.

Table source: https://www.mileslewis.net/australian-architectural/

Main source: Public Records Office of Victoria, BDM Victoria and the Melbourne edition of the Sands & McDougall directoy.