'… being so long situated in this Colony through my own industry and perseverance I thought it advisable to remain and improve my condition which thank God I have done …
— James Chisholm, Sydney, 15th February 1823
'James Chisholm was an important pioneer of colonial Australia, contributing to its business and banking, democratic processes and pastoral industry, yet historians have ignored him for two hundred years. He left his native Scotland as a young soldier and travelled half way around the world to a new land where from being a corporal in the Rum Corps he rose to become a leading merchant in Sydney. In a life characterised by faith, loyalty, family and self-improvement, this gruff but quietly spoken Scot, of ‘genial and kindly disposition’, commanded wide respect and made his mark on a new society.' (Publication summary)
'Not a lot is known about James Chisholm, possibly just enough to fill a small entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, though he has not entered those portals. He became a self-made wealthy merchant and landowner in early Sydney. Born in Mid Calder in lowland Scotland in 1772 in modest circumstances, with some local patronage he joined the 29th Regiment of Foot aged sixteen, and in 1790 transferred to the New South Wales Corps, sailing with the Third Fleet to Sydney Cove in 1791. He then led a quiet career in the regiment for two decades, but garnered his income until he was able to start private trading, in liquor and property. He left the regiment and stayed on in the colony, accumulating assets steadily, got married and expanded his commercial interests. There was not much drama in his life, but he built up a nice position in commercial circles, buying land and property. He was connected with the formation of the Savings Bank of New South Wales, and involved in education and linked with J.D. Lang and W.C. Wentworth. He sustained a certain nostalgia for his Scottish roots; he died wealthy, providing a platform upon which his family was able to expand the fortune spectacularly in the following generations.' (Introduction)
'Not a lot is known about James Chisholm, possibly just enough to fill a small entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, though he has not entered those portals. He became a self-made wealthy merchant and landowner in early Sydney. Born in Mid Calder in lowland Scotland in 1772 in modest circumstances, with some local patronage he joined the 29th Regiment of Foot aged sixteen, and in 1790 transferred to the New South Wales Corps, sailing with the Third Fleet to Sydney Cove in 1791. He then led a quiet career in the regiment for two decades, but garnered his income until he was able to start private trading, in liquor and property. He left the regiment and stayed on in the colony, accumulating assets steadily, got married and expanded his commercial interests. There was not much drama in his life, but he built up a nice position in commercial circles, buying land and property. He was connected with the formation of the Savings Bank of New South Wales, and involved in education and linked with J.D. Lang and W.C. Wentworth. He sustained a certain nostalgia for his Scottish roots; he died wealthy, providing a platform upon which his family was able to expand the fortune spectacularly in the following generations.' (Introduction)
