Joshua HIGGINS; is this your real name?

[judb]

Hi all.

I'm at a loss with this chap, so I'm seeking any help with him prior to 1860 when he married Susan MAYS/MAIZE at St Philip's, Warkworth, Hunter Valley (reg Patricks Plains) - unfortunately no parent or birthplace details shown on the marriage or death certificates.  Hunter Valley/Muswellbrook family/local history say the actual church records are not available.

There are three four births (counting the twins as one birth!!) known for Joshua and Susan, including twins b 1870 at Pickering, near Muswellbrook. Joshua is the informant for this birth and gives his age as 46, birthplace Brighton, (I assume in UK) We don't have the certificates for the 2 older siblings.

He died in 1870 and age on death certificate is 48; so a birth date of abt 1822-1824. (There is an inquest record but no help there - death due to natural causes.) No other useful information on his death certificate.

I cannot find an entry into Australia either free or as a convict, in fact I see nothing about him till the marriage in 1860.  His marriage seems very late as he was about 38 so was he married previously? He states that he was a bachelor at the time of marriage (1860), but    Can't see anything on 1841 or 1851 UK censuses.

I see a few HIGGINS on Aussie convict records - the first names of Thos or Jno or John or Josh may perhaps belong to this man. However none of them is of the right age or was convicted anywhere near Sussex, although, of course he may not have stayed in Sussex.

His occupation is listed as 'labourer' on his death, marriage and this child's birth certificates and he signed his marriage certificate with an X so I am assuming that he was not literate. He worked at Merton, a large property in the Hunter Valley; he was buried there.

Any help gratefully received.

I have asked on the Sussex board but no luck there.
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=698719.0

Judith

Edit to add:
Thanks to Merlin here are all of the children
HIGGINS Louisa b. 1860 Patricks Plains #10754 > d. 1868 Muswellbrook #5292
HIGGINS William b. 1862 #10715 > d. 1864 Muswellbrook #4732   
HIGGINS George b. 1866 Muswellbrook #11657 > d. 1868 Muswellbrook #5297
HIGGINS Mary b. 1870 Muswellbrook #13443
HIGGINS Harriett b. 1870 Muswellbrook #13444

It is Harriet's birth certificate that the age informatin came from.

[judb]

Just bumping this up to the top as it needed approval before it was readable.

On the Sussex board (link above) Merlin has given me some excellent leads to look further for documentation for Joshua at his marriage which hopefully may give some more details re his birthplace/parents.

However, I still can't see him arriving in Oz.  As I've already mentioned I wonder if he was married prior to the 1860 marriage. I have information about him, his death and children.

Judith

[MargP]

Hi

A long shot, I wonder if Joshua was older than stated

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K84C-FW2

Margp

[majm]

Hi Judith,

Have you considered contacting the Church directly, to see if they know where the older registers may be held at present?

http://home.pacific.net.au/~singletonanglicanparish/index_files/Page350.htm

Meanwhile, I will see what my offline resources can turn up.

Cheers,  JM

[majm]

Speculative, sorry Judith, I will keep looking later this evening.

NSW ER 1870 THE HUNTER  (a separate electorate from The LOWER HUNTER and from the UPPER HUNTER)
John HIGGINS, of Murrundi, freehold, at  Lochinvar


1867 Directory PATRICKS PLAINS
W HUGGINS, of Boggy Flat

Cheers,  JM

[cupoflife]

Another long shot... just checking if you dismissed this chap? As there is a Brighton in Tas and Vic, both mentioned in this arrival (not familiar with searching records in those States)

Index to the Unassisted Arrivals NSW 1842-1855 http://www.rootschat.com/links/01a0v/
HIGGANS J Mr; Ship:Shamrock; Status:P; Date of Arrival:26 Oct 1849; Origin Port:Launceston; Reel:1276; Remarks: & Melbourne, Twofold Bay, initial, Higgins in SMH

SMH 27Oct1849 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/12903155
The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser 31OCT1849 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/698985

[judb]

Thanks for replies which give food for thought, especially the Launceston possibility.  The US connection is interesting also.

JM, Merlin says, in the other thread, that there should be church records on film at NLA - unfortunately I can't get there till next week but will certainly chase them up. The friend I am helping with this says she has been in contact with Family History in Muswellbrook who suggest that they have been unable to locate the registers. I think a bit more digging on my part may be necessary although I don't want to tread on any toes. 

Jen Willets site has him as a labourer at "Merton" in 1867 so I'm satisfied that he and Susan were around the Upper Hunter from 1860-1870
http://www.jenwilletts.com/searchaction.php
The reference on this site is from Bailliers Official Postal Directory p.104.  Interestingly there is space on this record for the ship of arrival it is blank.

Judith

[majm]

He died in 1870 and age on death certificate is 48; so a birth date of abt 1822-1824. (There is an inquest record but no help there - death due to natural causes.) No other useful information on his death certificate.

Hi Judith,

Does the cert give any indication re "How Long in the Colonies"  of course this would not be first hand info, but perhaps we could follow that up....

Cheers,  JM

[majm]

At NSW SRO there’s a Joseph HIGGS who arrived on the James PATTISON in 1837.  He had been tried at Staff QS, His Ticket of Leave was for the District of MERTON  (41/2405) and Cert of Freedom 4 Jan 1844 (44/0010)

http://srwww.records.nsw.gov.au/indexsearch/keyname.aspx 


Joseph v Joshua

Higgs v Higgins

ADD
BDA (newish database)  http://www.bda-online.org.au/

Dec 1837  (Muster)
Joseph HIGGS, aged 22, Arrived per James Pattison, Occupation/Residence : Town Surveyors Dept Sydney

Cheers,  JM