John Bourke, eldest son of Patrick Bourke & Bridget Corbett

CHILDREN OF PATRICK BOURKE
& BRIDGET CORBETT.

1. JOHN BOURKE

John Bourke was the first child born to young Tipperary-born immigrants Patrick Bourke and Bridget Corbett. John was born in Newtown, Melbourne, in 1845, and was baptised in St. Francis Catholic Church, Melbourne, in the same year.
When a young boy, John moved with his family to the Kilmore district where his father took up farming at nearby Bylands. Neither of John’s parents were literate, and so it was important to them to see that their children received a good education at the Catholic School at Kilmore.

Very little is known of John Bourke’s life. He never married, and in September of 1880, when he registered his mother’s death, he stated that he was a farmer from Murchison, a small town southwest of Shepparton.
At the time of his own death less than two years later, John Bourke was farming in the Boosey district. His brother James Bourke was farming there, as was the family of his sister Margaret at nearby Burramine.
According to his death certificate, John Bourke became very ill with dysentery, and after four weeks finally succumbed to the disease. His brother James registered the death, and provided the following information:
On May 12, 1882, at Boosey, John Bourke, farmer, aged 37 years. Died of dysentery, 4 weeks duration. Last seen by Dr. Denis on May 9, 1882. Parents Patrick Bourke, farmer, and Bridget Bourke maiden name Corbett. Buried May 15, Burramine Cemetery. Rev. Richard
Kennedy, Roman Catholic Clergyman, officiating. Patrick Bourke witness. Born Melbourne, Victoria, 37 years in Victoria.
In direct contradiction to this information is an entry in the Shepparton Cemetery register, which records that on the same day, May 15, 1882, John was also buried in the family plot at the Shepparton cemetery!
Very few of the Bourke graves at Burramine are marked, and the Bourke headstone at Shepparton is inscribed with the details of Bridget Bourke only, so it is unsure just exactly where it is that John Bourke’s remains rest.