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Topic: Alfred Mills Godden (Read 312 times)
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mbiggar
RootsChat Extra
Posts: 23
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Looking for any clues to the parents or siblings of Alfred Mills Godden, b. approx. 1842, likely in Sussex.
What is known about him:
- Baptized 24 April 1850 at Hastings All Saints at the age of 8, mother's name Harriet, no father indicated. This gives his birth year as approx. 1842.
- Listed in the 1851 census as an orphan, aged 9, living with the Benjamin and Ann Gallop, a tailor, family in Hastings, All Saints, Swains Passage. All in household born in the county.
- I cannot find a matching reference to him in the 1861 UK census nor have I been able to find a clear reference to him in shipping records to Australia
- Married 1 Jan 1862 in Picton, NSW, Australia to Jane Ann Carr of NSW, guardians Mary (Gallop) Shoobridge and her husband George Shoobridge listed as giving consent as his guardians because he was under 21.
- I have extensive information on him and his descendants in NSW after 1862.
I have researched the Gallops, Phillips and other family names that were connected by marriage and cannot find a Godden relative that fits. I have checked birth indexes for 1840-1844 under the name Alfred Godden, Gallop and name variants, but outside of Hastings All Saints I have not had access to parish records. I have pursued all the Harriet Goddens, married name and maiden name, that I can find in sussex and Kent. The one principal suspect for his mother is a Harriet Godden/Godding, who died 13 April 1849 in Hastings St. Clement at the house of James and Elizabeth Reed. She died of tuberculosis and was listed as married, crossed out and written "singlewoman". He may have ended up with the Gallops somehow within a year.
Family stories say he was the illegitimate son of one of Benjamin's daughters who was a servant in a wealthy household - I have followed up this line of investigation and found nothing conclusive. The eldest daughter, Ann Richardson Gallop, was a servant in a household at Eton College for decades and never married. Another daughter, Mary, became Alfred's legal guardian when he went to Australia and is listed as his guardian on his marriage certificate. Another side of the family has a different version, that he was the illegitimate son of a wealthy daughter and that he had been given to the Gallops to raise and guardian until he came of age. Some family members reported regular cheques from England arriving for him. This version says that his name was deliberately changed.
Any leads on Alfred Mills Godden, or the Harriet Godden who died in 1849, would be appreciated. Thanks!
Monica Biggar
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Godden/Godding Gallop from Sussex to Australia; Gelston from Ireland to Australia; Biggar from Scotland to Canada; Green from Ireland to Canada; Hodgkinson from Sheffield to Canada; Others in Australia - Powell, Doran, Pike, Ferriday, Bourke, Rumble, Whisler; Others in Canada - Bigham, Orr, Fairlie, McKay, McPhail, Kauffman
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mbiggar
RootsChat Extra
Posts: 23
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Hi Andrea and Annie,
Thanks for your ideas and suggestions.
I had not seen the Harriet Milton/George Godden marriage, so I will look into that.
Yes, it had occurred to me that Alfred may have been born outside of Sussex as the only reference I have to his birthplace is the 1841 census, which is not reliable. I have looked in the Eton area where Ann Richardson Gallop worked, also in Kent where there are many Godden families. I've done general England wide searches, but Kent or Sussex are most likely. I also checked ports in Wales where George Henry Gallop docked, in case there was a possibility he was picked up and brought home on his travels. There are several Ashford, Kent births of unnamed males in 1840-1843 that are possibilities. It's too bad the birth indexes do not list parent information - I understand this is being done and should be ready online in the next couple of years.
I've looked into the Mills angle and found a couple of Mills families that lived in the same area as the Gallops, but no definitive connection there either.
I've looked into poor law info as much as I can online - there is a Michael and Lucy Godden and extended family in Eastbourne that would be possibilities as they received assistance on and off and the children seemed to work away from home at an early age.
He's an elusive fellow, Alfred Mills Godden. Harriet, who died in 1849, is also elusive and her death was registered by her landlady, so there is no family information on there either.
Another hint to his parentage could be that he dropped the Mills part of his name once in Australia and went by the name Alfred Godden/Godding Gallop. That is why I pursued the Gallop daughters and their whereabouts.
It's a mystery! From accounts of his personality, he would have enjoyed the intrigue, interest and stories about himself!
Thanks for your efforts.
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Godden/Godding Gallop from Sussex to Australia; Gelston from Ireland to Australia; Biggar from Scotland to Canada; Green from Ireland to Canada; Hodgkinson from Sheffield to Canada; Others in Australia - Powell, Doran, Pike, Ferriday, Bourke, Rumble, Whisler; Others in Canada - Bigham, Orr, Fairlie, McKay, McPhail, Kauffman
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