Hi, just wondering if you found out any more on Mary Ann Hitchins (nee James). She was my 3rd Great Grandmother. I was under the impression her father's name was: John James, on Mary Ann's death certificate it stated he was in the British Royal Navy, 'HMS Interpreter'. Research has come up with no details of any ship called 'Interpreter'. Although, notes from my 2nd Great Aunt, state he was: "an interpreter of languages with the Navy"... I have searched Navy/Military Records for months and come up with Zero! It is more likely he was a potato farmer, during the famine and sent his two children (Mary Ann age 16 & John age 20) to Australia for a better life. Another family story retold by the grandaughters of Mr. James; - far fetched & possibly the truth stretched by Mary Ann - who loved to tell a good story, said: "he lost his arm defending Lord Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar". I have some information on Mary Ann, aka Marianne James, also her nickname was 'May', I found this out from a death notice in the local newspaper; Source: Trove Newspaper Archives, trove.nla.gov.au.
Marianne's brother - John James, was age 20 and a painter by trade when he travelled with her to Australia. "John James came to Australia aboard the "Westminster, a 610 ton barque, Captain Mollison, departed Plymouth 27 August 1839, arrived Port Phillip 15 December 1839, Frederic Hitchins in Intermediate; Marianne James and John James, in Steerage, Public Record Office Victoria, Assisted Passenger Lists, Book 2, pages 37 and 45." I have some other information, about Marianne James and Frederic Hitchins, re: their meeting aboard the 'Westminster' and falling in love.
Adding to this: from the death notice for Mary Ann Hitchins (Source: Trove Archives Gov Aust), I have these names listed as her siblings/closest family: Belle Burke (James); William Henry James; Emma Hooper (James); George James; Charles James and Margaret James. This is more of a lead/thread to follow up.
John James that died in Aust, (Source:
www.findagrave.com)
Birth: 1819
County Carlow, Ireland
Death: Apr. 10, 1899
Brisbane
Brisbane City
Queensland, Australia
Family links:
Spouse:
Isabella McMaster James (1826 - 1900)*
Children:
Margarert James Westaway (1846 - 1910)*
*Calculated relationship
Burial:
Toowong Cemetery
Brisbane
Brisbane City
Queensland, Australia
Plot: 11 17 3
He married: Isobella Mcmaster, born: 1826 Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, United Kingdom
Death: September 1, 1900 (74)
Ref: 1900/B611, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Place of Burial: Toowong Cemetery, Toowong, Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia
(Source:
www.findagrave.com)
Looks very like this could be our Mary Ann's brother, the painter.
Also, just found this now :
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=99821328Margaret Westaway (nee James)
Birth: Sep. 16, 1846
Korumburra
South Gippsland Shire
Victoria, Australia
Death: Apr. 29, 1910
Brisbane
Brisbane City
Queensland, Australia
Wife of Edwin Westaway
Age 84 years
Family links:
Parents:
John James (1819 - 1899)
Isabella McMaster James (1826 - 1900)
Spouse:
Edwin Westaway (1839 - 1923)*
Children:
Ellen Westaway Martindale (1869 - 1953)*
Charlotte Isabel Westaway Sawyer (1871 - 1941)*
Annie Force Westaway Henderson (1873 - 1968)*
William Westaway (1878 - 1878)*
Margaret Westaway (1881 - 1933)*
Alfred Westaway (1891 - 1891)*
*Calculated relationship
Burial:
God's Acre Cemetery
Brisbane
Brisbane City
Queensland, Australia
Record added: Oct 29, 2012
Find A Grave Memorial# 99821328
More Information on Margaret James: Source:
http://www.foga.org.au/graves/westaway/westaway.htm ......
"Edwin settled in Brisbane working as a solicitor’s clerk, and on 11 December 1865 in St John’s Cathedral was married by Reverend James Matthews to "Margaret James" (b. 16 September 1846 at Wilson’s Promontory) whom he had met during a Royal Navy visit to Melbourne. She was the eldest child of John James (a painter) and Isabella McMaster who arrived in Melbourne from Greenock, Scotland, as teenagers with their respective parents on the first two immigrant ships that arrived in Port Philip. Isabella was aboard the SS David Clarke (arrived 27 October 1839) and John on the SS Westminster (arrived 13 December 1839)."
Now I am getting somewhere!
Hope to hear back.