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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: mareanna on Tuesday 23 February 10 13:05 GMT (UK)
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I am trying to track a Samuel MERRIMAN born abt 1817 in Leicestershire. He was convicted at Leicester courts in March 1844 and sentenced to 15 years transportation. He appears to have been on board the Barossa, sailing in May 1844 to Van Dieman's Land. I think he may then either have been shipped to NSW or perhaps settled in Australia. He was pardoned after just over 9 years in to his sentence (the online record doesn't show where he was though).
Can anyone look up Census returns to see if he did stay in Australia and perhaps marry?? I've looked for a marriage in NZ but found nothing there and nothing back in England to suggest that he returned. ???
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Hello,
Have you checked his Convict records at TAHO?
http://portal.archives.tas.gov.au/menu.aspx?search=11
http://portal.archives.tas.gov.au/menu.aspx?detail=1&type=C&id=49199
He has the following digitised files you can access:
Conduct Record: CON33/1/59
Indent: CON14/1/8
Description List: CON18/1/40
:)
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Hi,
A Samuel Merriman also married and had kids in Tasmania......although I can't be totally sure this is your Samuel . He married in 1861 when your Sam would have been 44.
In 1861 at WESTBURY,Tasmania Samuel Merriman married Ellen Barry
Westbury is near Launceston.
They had two children (with Sarah's details registered twice with differing spelling) :
MERRIMAN, SARAH ANN in 1861 (registration number :393707)
MERRYMAN SARAH ANN in 1861 (registration number : 393814 )
MERRIMAN CAROLINE ELLEN in 1863 (registration number : 393701)
You can find this information at http://portal.archives.tas.gov.au/menu.aspx?search=8
Cheers
Siouxsie
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This marriage fits with his age:
MERRYMAN SAMUEL age 36 yrs married ANNON BRIDGET age 30yrs 16 Apr 1855 HOBART #273/1855 RGD 37
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....Ahhh the other spelling....this couple don't appear to have had a family (or died prior to 1900) in Tasmania....wonder where they moved on to?
Cheers
Siouxsie
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There is a death for Bridget:
MERRIMAN BRIDGET age 72yrs d. 4 Apr 1891 HOBART #465/1891 RGD 35
Back to the other spelling...
Can't see any children to them though.
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Yeah, found him ;D Thank you all so very much for the pointers and clues where to look. Duly noted that although the convict details are in alphabetical order of surname, once within a letter, the names are in no particular order. Took a while for that penny to drop. :P
Despite con(viction) records giving the wrong age at one point, (37 not 27) and his birth place as Emerton, Derbyshire (should be Hemmington, Nottinghamshire) the real give away was in the Indent(ity) details and the further notes that show his mother and father, and his siblings, all spot on with my records and his correct age. Another error on the 1841 Census for England also conspired to give a wrong transcribed age as 30 not 20 - they were rounded down and a check with the actual record gives his true age as 24. I've ordered his marriage certificate (surname in the GRO as Meryman) to an Ann(e) and a birth certificate for their son Joseph (b1840).
So Sam did not marry in VDL, Australia or NZ, but did his wife and child travel out, where did they live, did they have more children?? Can't see them on the census returns in England.
Once again many grateful thanks. This is now the second person we have found in our tree to have been forceably removed, hopefully he is the second to have found a new life and family down south.
Mareanna
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Hi mareanna,
So Sam did not marry in VDL, Australia or NZ, but did his wife and child travel out, where did they live, did they have more children?? Can't see them on the census returns in England. MAREANNA..
Would like to comment if I may.
The fact that you have found a marriage for this man in UK, does not necessarily mean that he did not marry again in Australia or NZ.
The cost of bringing a family to Australia in those times was very high (assuming of course that the other half wanted to come at all) and many couples decided to let the past stay in the past and remarry. Both those in UK and here in Australia did so and there was an understanding loosely known as the seven year rule where a spouse who had not been heard of for seven years could be presumed dead and the other free to remarry.
Many did not wait for the seven years and there were frequent bigamous unions.
When you establish the maiden name of ANNE, you may try searching to see if she married again in England under that or her MERYMAN name.
Sue
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Thank you all for this information. Samuel is not on any subsequent census returns for England, nor his wife Ann(e) or son Joseph. It's quite possible Ann remarried, Joseph may have died or been "adopted" by another Merriman family. Sam's records on the other hand indicate he was pardoned 17 January 1854, one of the last remarks mentions Hogan Sandy Bay. Further up, in red ink, it says "not to reside south of Bridgewater". Pittwater is mentioned a few times too.
I don't have an eye for reading old handwriting, and there are abbreviations and shortened words/phrases too. I can make out "absent without leave from his master's premises at night. Hard lab (then something I can't make out) 6/10/48"
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No marriage record for Samuel Merriman and EllenBarry/Berry/Bury
Sarah Ann and Caroline Ellen as shown in Colonial Families Tasmania
Marriage is just an estimate to fit with birth of first child. Samuel would still be married to Bridget.
Victoria - children with these parents.
John b. 1865 Kangaroo Ground
Catherine Ellen died 19 months 1865 Beechworth
Mary b. 1867 Kangaroo Ground
William b. 1869 Kangaroo Ground
Death of Samuel Merriman 1881 67yrs Kangaroo Ground father Joseph
Death of Ellen Merriman 1904 74yrs Kangaroo Ground parents James Barry and UKN
William Merriman m. Hetta Schulz 1896 Kangaroo Ground
Bertram William 1897 Womens Hosp Carlton
Hetta Mary Ellen 1899 Kangaroo Ground
Flor Lillian 1902 Yarra Glen
Rose Isabella 1904 Yarra Glen
Jessie May Lucy 1906 Kangaroo Ground
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Samuel Merriman (Convict) as per Kala's post.
Direct image of Convict conduct (I reckon it is excellent ;D ) you may want to have of bo- peep.
http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/ImageViewer/image_viewer.htm?CON33-1-59,328,199,L,80
List's details - wife and one child etc...
Logan :)
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I agree with you Logan...
Absent without leave and in the bush with a married woman ::)
Cando
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He was an absolute "rascal" ;D
Can anyone make out the line that starts ...
Misconduct in being absent from residence and in a public house without (can't make out the next word) himself. Ten days solitary. GBF. 29 Dec 53
He still managed to get an early pardon. Were they glad to ged rid??
Still can find no trace for sure of him, or his wife and child, presumably left behind. I've posted a message on a Genforum board, so I'll just have to hunker down on this one.
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What a delight to have such a colourful character on your tree.........he will make for a wonderful dinner table conversation with much merriment.....your Sam Merryman. :D
Cheers
Siouxsie
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Hello Mareanna
Have you had a chance to consider the family that I have listed at reply #9?. I think they are the people you are looking for.
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Hello Mareanna
Have you had a chance to consider the family that I have listed at reply #9?. I think they are the people you are looking for.
Hi Wivenhoe
Samuel's father was indeed Joseph Merriman, so it could be the right one. The age at death is out by three years but his family may have not been aware of his exact birth year (and given his other escapades, he possibly fibbed). The childrens' names fit with the family, certainly Catherine (his mother's name), William, Mary, and John. They were also popular generally though. Where did you find these details, can I search from England??
Sorry for the time lag in replying
Mareanna
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Index CD - but you can find the same at this Victoria BDM website - pay purchase and download the image ~ $20. Death of Samuel would been useful.
https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm/index-search?action=getHistIdxSearchCriteria
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I think this Samuel could be the one. :D
I've bought the pdf file of his death certificate, and there are further details, including that he was born in Nottinghamshire, England (tick) in Tasmania for 10 years (tick but they have managed to "forget" the time as a crim) and then 17 years in Victoria, Australia. His father was Joseph (tick). His mother was Catherine Hodges and he also had a sister Catherine.
Many, many thanks for the clues and pointers. 8)
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Hi,
I have something that is possibly linked to the Samuel Merriman you are asking about.
It is a plaque stating his name as Sam( with a smaller Capital L underlined ) Merriman, further investigation led us to discover his name was Samuel Merriman who was a gunsmith at 611a Little Londsdale Street Melbourne Victoria Australia in the 1860's, the business then changed to Merriman Bros & Co. We are unsure what this plaque was used for whether it was on the building or if it was used on crates.
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TROVE has a death a bereavement notice for Ellen MERRIMAN, died 10 September, 1904
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/60628560
Judith
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Hi judb and rymajaro
bolt out of the blue!
I don't have a DoB for Ellen Barry who was Samuel Merriman's second wife. The notice in the paper does look to be her though. We have them marrying about 1864 in Avondale, Tasmania but they lived in Kangaroo Ground, Victoria with three daughters, and two sons (John James and William) who were born in the 1860's.
It's quite exciting - the plaque it could be him and then his sons, although Merriman is not that an unusual name, very tantalising.
Hopefully one day descendants from this family will recognise these details and get in touch :D
mareanna
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Hi Mareanna,
This plaque was actually located around the Yarra Glen area, so could possibly be the Samuel Merriman you are searching for.
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Hmm - there seems to be other MERRIMANs in Victoria around the same time, producing children around the same time (and using the same names!!)
Births
1862 #10554
William MERRIMAN, parents William MERRIMAN, Elizabeth DANKS
Birth Place: Richmond, Victoria
1865 #24424
William MERRIMAN, parents: John Merriman, Johanna Casey
Birth Place: Richmond, Victoria
1866 #14750
William Danks MERRIMAN, parents: William Merriman, Elizabeth Danks
Birth Place: Victoria, Victoria
1869 #22864
William MERRIMAN, parents: Samuel Merriman, Ellen Bury
Birth Place: Kangaroo Ground, Victoria
William MERRIMAN and Elizabeth DANKS also had a son Samuel Danks MERRIMAN b 1871, Emerald Hill (as well as other children)
There are many mentions on TROVE for MERRIMANs in Victoria but I think quite a few are for the other families. I note that Samuel MERRIMAN was described in 1906 as a 'brass founder' of Lonsdale St so it would seem that his firm may be the ones involved with the brass plaque, assuming that he is the one born 1871 ???
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/9658091
rymajaro, do you have the sources for your research as it would be interesting to see if we can tie these families together?
There is also mention of probate being granted for the will of Samuel MERRIMAN in The Argus 7 Sept 1888 (385 pounds) but I cannot see this will on PROV.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/6900769
Judith
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To help separate the two SAMUEL MERRIMAN,s
This is one of many news items refrerring to Brass founder Herbert Merrriman. This in 1905. Accused of theft
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/result?q=%22merriman%22+%2B%22brass%22.
Other items show the term Merriman Brothers,Brass Founders.
Here are the deaths for these two men.
MERRIMAN, Herbert. Aged 85. Yr 1944.
Father William
Mother Elizabeth Danks.
Place Northcote. Reg 12225
MERRIMAN, Samuel Danks. Aged 90. Yr 1958
Father William
Mother Elizabeth Danks.
Place Caul.
Reg 12772
Sue
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I've signed up for Trove and corrected the transcription for the notice of Ellen's death.
There is another article that points more definitely to my Samuel Merriman, it involves land transfer and refers to him as a farmer, Kangaroo Ground :-\
Although Genforum is mostly US postings, I did respond on the Merriman board to a query about Samuel, but the original poster didn't come back :'( If "Daniel Kerr" is still looking, he might also use Rootschat?? He seemed to be following a line from Mary Jane Merriman who married Joseph Pryor in Fitzroy, Victoria.
I once found an article about my Weston family that emigrated from Nottingham, England to Scranton, USA. It was several years old but we eventually made contact, so it can be done :P
mareanna