RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Europe => Topic started by: grahamd15 on Sunday 07 January 18 03:53 GMT (UK)
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I'm looking for more information on my ancestor "Charles Franks" who came from France before emigrating to Australia.
I have little to no information on him whilst he lived in France. I believe that "Franks" is possibly an Anglicization. He was born on the 6 December 1839 in Brest. The next time we hear of him he arrived in Syndey during December 1864 from Toulon apparently on a ship called Corneillis. Family legend has it he jumped ship with his brother. As per his marriage certificate his father was named John and was a baker, the mother was listed as unknown.
Any help on his family in France would be greatly appreciated!
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My wife is a descendant of Charles Franks. According to her recollections of family history the 2 Franks brothers came from Brittany and jumped ship in Victoria at Apollo Bay. Some talk of the brother living with the Aborigines and descendants still in the area. However with Charles older children born on the goldfields at Barkstead and the later ones at Kambruck (the early name for Apollo Bay) I have my doubts on some of this. There was a William Franks died at Kambruck in 1887 aged 54 (therefore born c. 1833) father's name John - was he the missing brother perhaps? Had he settled there earlier and Charles and family followed in 1884-5? My Wife's Grandfather was Ernest Victor Franks b. 1881 - the Pioneer index lists his father as Ernest Victor but that appears to be in error
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That's very interesting! I had never heard of the talk about the brother and the Aborigines. Have you seen the death certificate of this William Franks? If so perhaps if the occupation is listed as baker for the father he could be identified as the brother.
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http://mnesys-portail.archives-finistere.fr/?id=recherche_etat_civil
- this should be the right place to look for records but I don't see a Charles Franks (or variants) on the date you mention in Brest itself.
It is of course possible he came from somewhere near Brest but grew up there or similar.
The surname Franc /Le Franc (also more commonly Francois and Francoise) do appear in the birth index.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/166690930?searchTerm=%22Charles%20Franc%22&searchLimits=sortby=dateAsc
- here in 1862 a Charles Franck is mentioned as a deserter from the ship "Alfred the Great"
http://marinersandships.com.au/1862/07/081alf.htm
- however here this man was from Lisbon, born about 1837