Early Life
He was born in Newton Abbot, England, the son of a solicitor. He attended Westminster School until 1866 when the family emigrated to Australia, settling in Rockhampton, Queensland. D'Arcy continued his studies and chose to follow law, later joining his father's business. He did well and began to speculate, initially in land.
He married Elena Birkbeck of Rockhampton at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Sydney on 23 October 1872. Elena was born in Mexico in 1840, the only daughter of Damiana de Barre Valdez and Samual Birkbeck. Samual was a mining engineer from Illinois in the United States. He was descended from the English Birkbecks, a Quaker family with an interest in education. Samual met his wife, Damiana de Barre Valdez, whilst working in Mexico, managing a silver mine.
Read more about this topic: William Knox D'Arcy
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