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Topic: Intruiging puzzle - unknown mother (Read 2075 times)
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acookey
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Posts: 155
My grand daughter's 1st birthday
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Hullo Rootschatters
I thought I would put this one in for your collective wisdom to work on.
I have Edward Cullen born 1833. I don't know the date as there is no BMD
record. However, there is a baptismal record, which another researcher got from St Marys Cathedral, Sydney. I have not yet seen it, but I am told it says Father James Cullen, convict, mother unknown.
Edward's DC (3/5/1901) has Father James Cullen Stonemason, mother not known. Born Sydney NSW.
I can understand that a father is not known, but a mother? Someone gave birth to him and that raises the question of who reared him. I have not found any records of entry to an orphanage.
The Col. Sec. Index 1788-1825 has Sept 8 1821 James Cullen Stonemason On list of all persons victualled from H.M. Magazines.
There is a list of convicts who were working on St James Church and the Court House on September 8, 1821 and James Cullen appears under Ambrose Bryan's gang of Stonemason. But neither of those entries state which ship he came on.
So who was James Cullen? and who was the mother of his child, Edward?
Where else can I look? Any help or suggestions, gratefully received.
acookey
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Cooke, Aust. England
Russell, Aust. Enland
McMinn, Ireland
Gee, Ireland
Crump, London
Bowen (Bohan), Ireland
Seage, Ireland
Smith, Aust.
Dore, Ireland
Pasley, Ireland
Simmonds, England
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MarieC
RootsChat Marquessate
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Posts: 3087
In Queensland, Oz
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G'day acookey!
This is intriguing and unusual! It sounds to me as though you have the right James Cullen, even if you can't find the final couple of pieces of evidence. With a small population, the odds of two James Cullens who were stonemasons (and convicts?) would be small. I haven't researched convict records myself, but maybe if you looked in these for a James Cullen, arrival and description, date of emancipation...
Re the lack of a mother - I could wildly surmise that the mother died in childbirth, and that James, who by then may have been well-established, gave the baby to people he knew to rear. Otherwise, you'd think that at some stage of his life, James would have told Edward who his mother was!
I suppose you could look for deaths of young women shortly before the baptism date. But this won't tell you which of them she was! 
Did Edward or any of his descendants have a strange middle name you can't account for?
MarieC
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trish251
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Not sure if it helps, but there is a record on the AVRI giving
Catherine Cullen baptised 1832 Sydney, St Mary's Roman Catholic, father James mother Ann
Could this be a sibling - there is nothing on the AVRI about Edward. If you can get access to the registers, they could be useful to browse
There is a record of a marriage James Cullen and Ann West, 1831 NSW Sydney St Mary's RC
Trish
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acookey
RootsChat Member
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Posts: 155
My grand daughter's 1st birthday
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Thank you both MarieC and Trish.
The Ann West/James Cullen marriage has definitely been proven not to be of the correct family. But I do appreciate your efforts. They did not have a son Edward, even though some records say they did. I have been in contact with the descendants. The Catherine you mention is their child.
My own theory is that James got someone from a "good" family into trouble, and she was sent away to have the baby, and I believe there were women in those days who looked after the girl and found a home for the baby. That could be why no mother is mentioned.
Indeed in another branch of the same family there is a record of a girl who was pregnant and went to another part of the colony under another name, but she was lucky because she met a man and married him, under her assumed name. He accepted her child.
I am waiting anxiously to see if there are sponsors on the baptismal register, they might give a clue as to who cared for him.
I would be interested to know whether anyone else has come across a similar situation.
Acookey
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Cooke, Aust. England
Russell, Aust. Enland
McMinn, Ireland
Gee, Ireland
Crump, London
Bowen (Bohan), Ireland
Seage, Ireland
Smith, Aust.
Dore, Ireland
Pasley, Ireland
Simmonds, England
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acookey
RootsChat Member
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Posts: 155
My grand daughter's 1st birthday
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Just a couple more thoughts. If the mother had died, there would be no reason not to mention her name and death at Edward's baptism, I would think? Unless there was a reason to hide it, so she still could have died in childbirth of course.
I think James Cullen was named as the father, so that the baby had a name.
How I would love to get to the bottom of this.
Acookey.
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Cooke, Aust. England
Russell, Aust. Enland
McMinn, Ireland
Gee, Ireland
Crump, London
Bowen (Bohan), Ireland
Seage, Ireland
Smith, Aust.
Dore, Ireland
Pasley, Ireland
Simmonds, England
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AMBLY
RootsChat Aristocrat
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Posts: 2968
Falkland Islands "Desire The Right"
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Hi Acookey
Long shot perhaps - but did notice on the NSW Indexes :
V1833198 126/ 1833 - CONNORS , EDWARD - Mother ELLEN
No Father listed, no District listed
V1833261 126/ 1833 - COLLINS EDWARD - parents: JAMES and ELLEN
It's the only COL*IN* birth to parents of those names
No District listed
Googling, I found that there are researchers of the same Edward CULLEN who believed his father was the James CULLEN of Co. Wexford/Wicklow who came out on the Atlas 2 in 1802, an Irish Rebel Captain. Nothing I found on him stated he was a Stonemason or what his age was.......And then someone was wrting that she thought this James off the Atlas2 had quite a different occupation in the 1828 Sydney Census and may not be Edwards father at all....just wondered if you had come across/were aware all of that?
Cheers
AMBLY
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Ruskie
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Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Might the mother have been aboriginal? Still doesn't explain why she didn't keep the child, unless she died?
The theory about the mother being from a 'good' family rings truer, and explains why she didn't keep the baby, but wouldn't it be unusual for the baby to be given to the father in those days, rather than a married couple willing to take the child? Surely there would be questions asked about the identity and whereabouts of the mother.
What a puzzle!
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acookey
RootsChat Member
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My grand daughter's 1st birthday
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Hi All
Thanks for your lookups and considered ideas. I know that some Cullen researchers thought his parents were James and Ellen Collins, but now think they may have been a bit hasty.
Don't know about the first one, as we know the father but not the mother.
My theory is that someone or a couple took the child and brought him up but gave Edward his father's name, as no doubt in those days it would have been just about impossible for a man to look after a young baby. It is interesting that the Baptismal record states father's name, as if someone wanted the name to be carried on (I hope I am not being fanciful here!).
I know this is just a theory, but I have thought about all the different scenarios and it is the only one that makes sense to me.
I have been through lots of convict records that I can access, mainly through Ancestry etc. and have not been able to form an opinion that has any real basis.
It would be good to know which ship the James Cullen in the Col. Sec. Index came on.
Ambly, where did you come across the other researches and the Atlas reference, Please.
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Cooke, Aust. England
Russell, Aust. Enland
McMinn, Ireland
Gee, Ireland
Crump, London
Bowen (Bohan), Ireland
Seage, Ireland
Smith, Aust.
Dore, Ireland
Pasley, Ireland
Simmonds, England
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deeiluka
RootsChat Marquessate
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Posts: 3772
Fly free.......
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There were odd occasions where the father took responsibility for the child. My gg-grandfather registered the birth of a son in 1859 in Victoria, no mother's name given on the certificate. When the son died in 1878 his mother 's name was on the death certificate, as well as his father's name....but the mother's name was not the name of my gg-grandmother! My gg-grandparents had married in 1851.....so there is some sort of skeleton in the closet!  
There was an inquest into the death of the son, so I know he was living with his father.
.....dee
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MarieC
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In Queensland, Oz
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This is really intriguing me! acookey, let us know what the baptismal record says!
The theory that the baby was given to another couple to bring up is appealing. And yet... Even now, but especially in those days, children in this situation tended to be given the name of the adoptive parents. This has not happened here. I wonder if James had a brother and sister-in-law to whom he entrusted the baby? Same surname.
MarieC
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Martins in London and Wales, Lockwoods in Yorkshire, Hartleys in London, Lichfield and Brighton, Hubands and Smiths in Ireland, Bentleys in London and Yorkshire, Denhams in Somerset, Scoles in London, Meyers in London, Cooks in Northumberland
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trish251
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For no mother to be listed on a baptism, I would think it a high probability that the mother died & the father passed the child to someone else to raise. I am also quite intrigued that the baptism exists in the church records but has not made it to the NSW registry, given that they have many other baptisms from St Marys at that time. I know some churches did not provide their records, but it seems a little strange that some but not all from one church got to the registry. It will be interesting to see if the sponsers on the baptism provide any clues.
Access to all the parish entries at that time could be very interesting - burials could be very useful. I have no doubt that the family has well researched the James/Ann combination - but did they have any more children? There is only the one in the records? When did they die? I only ask because some records can be misleading. A direct ancestor of mine had an illegitimate child - when she died this child was NOT included on her death certificate.
Do provide any more clues as they emerge  good luck with the search
Trish
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acookey
RootsChat Member
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Posts: 155
My grand daughter's 1st birthday
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Hi
Thanks for all the comments, links and suggestions. It all helps to have other minds come up with possibilities. I had looked at the James Cullen per Almorah, he is mentioned in the Col. Sec. Correspondence, and seems as if he was a pretty bad boy as he got a colonial sentence of death, which was commuted to being sent to Port Macquarie. Evidently the sentence was commutted in 1822.
Yes, it is strange that this birth did not make it to BMD. I had a look at the Catholic Church site, and they do not encourage researchers now, but evidentally the records are available through NSW State Library, which for me is a bit like being available on the moon.
However, last night thought I would look at the witness to the marriage of Edward to Jane Harrison. Witnesses were James Harrison and Bridget Bullock. James Harrison is self explanatory being Jane's father.
This is what I found out about Bridget Bullock. Bridget Oliver married Daniel Bullock per "John Barry" aged 27 1819 7yrs years Sawyer, in 1833 at Scots Church Sydney. The year Edward was born. They do not appear to have had children, or at least none are registered.
Daniel Bullock was a Cedar Dealer in 1861, living at 24 Duke St. Sydney, and he died in 1885.
Is this a clue? From other certificates, it is quite often parents who are the witnesses at marriages. I have no proof though it makes a possible scenario.
Acookey
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Logged
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Cooke, Aust. England
Russell, Aust. Enland
McMinn, Ireland
Gee, Ireland
Crump, London
Bowen (Bohan), Ireland
Seage, Ireland
Smith, Aust.
Dore, Ireland
Pasley, Ireland
Simmonds, England
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acookey
RootsChat Member
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My grand daughter's 1st birthday
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Hi all
Just looked up BMD. Bridget Oliver has dual birth records of 1800 and 1801, father Henry, mother Margaret. So she would have been 31-33 when she married.
Acookey
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Logged
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Cooke, Aust. England
Russell, Aust. Enland
McMinn, Ireland
Gee, Ireland
Crump, London
Bowen (Bohan), Ireland
Seage, Ireland
Smith, Aust.
Dore, Ireland
Pasley, Ireland
Simmonds, England
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acookey
RootsChat Member
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Posts: 155
My grand daughter's 1st birthday
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Hi All
Must get away from this computer and do some housework.
The 1828 Census has Bridget Oliver (27) living with her family
Father Henry Oliver CP "Royal Admiral", Mother Margaret "Indispensible" siblings William 22 and Charlotte 11 at Hunters Hill on 45 acres with 10 horned cattle.
Acookey
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Logged
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Cooke, Aust. England
Russell, Aust. Enland
McMinn, Ireland
Gee, Ireland
Crump, London
Bowen (Bohan), Ireland
Seage, Ireland
Smith, Aust.
Dore, Ireland
Pasley, Ireland
Simmonds, England
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