MACINTOSH, JOHN (1821-1911), ironmonger, alderman and politician, was born on 8 July 1821 at Auldearn, Nairn, Scotland, son of James Macintosh, farm manager, and his wife Barbara, née Watson. Educated at the local parish school, he was orphaned at 10 and worked as a farm labourer for 2s. 6d. a month. In September 1838 he sailed with his sister and brother-in-law in the Asia as bounty immigrants and reached Sydney on 10 May 1839. He went up country and worked at fencing, splitting, tobacco planting and whatever else was available; employed in a store on the Paterson River for five years, he used his spare time to educate himself. In 1846 he set up in Sydney as an ironmonger and soon had twelve employees making nails, hinges and other hardware. With 'an inventive turn of mind' and 'always anxious to be a manufacturer', he was looking for suitable premises for ...

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Australian Dictionary of Biography