McGowan & Rowley families Dunedin? *COMPLETED*

[SandraAust]

Hi,

I have been searching without results for the birth of my Grandfather, plus the marriage of his parents and subsequent death of the father.

Info as follows:
Frederick William McGowan supposedly born 4 April 1889 Dunedin. His parents are supposed to be Peter McGowan (unknown age, POB but a mariner or sailor) & Harriet Amelia Rowley (also unknown date and place of birth).

Fred and Harriet came to Australia after the death of Peter. I have found them in the local electoral records for 1914 but am unsure when they arrived here. In 1917 Fred states on his Army attestation papers that his father was deceased.

I have seen a shipping passenger list for a Mrs McGowan and Master McGowan for 1897. This list shows the ship Tarawera but they appear to have boarded in Hobart before moving on to Melbourne. Does anyone have access to shipping records prior to February 1897 from anywhere on the South Island that they may have boarded?

This is a family mystery that has been driving me crazy for years. I paid the BMD for a search for a couple of years around 1889 but nothing found. Can anyone help me, pease!!!!!!!!

[Lucy2]

Hello

Hmm ... yes, there doesn't appear to be a birth registered in NZ for Frederick William McGOWAN (variants also searched ... nor an entry under his mother's maiden name).   

No marriage found on the NZ index either.
[I noticed also that some assistance had been given for this search in another forum, so it would seem NZ records have been checked previously and nothing of help was found. ? ]

*   Do you have the death certificate for (mother) Harriet Amelia ?

~   Lu

[Lucy2]

I have seen a shipping passenger list for a Mrs McGowan and Master McGowan for 1897. This list shows the ship Tarawera but they appear to have boarded in Hobart before moving on to Melbourne. Does anyone have access to shipping records prior to February 1897 from anywhere on the South Island that they may have boarded?

Hi again

The list you found seems to have been the one published on the PROV (Public Record Office of Victoria) website.

"Unassisted Passengers to Victoria"

1897 - "TARAWERA"     from "N"     ("N" = NZ)

McGOWAN - Master - aged 10 years
McGOWAN - Mrs - aged 50 years

The film or microfiche record for this voyage may offer a little more detail (perhaps giving place of embarkation ?).

~   Lu

[SandraAust]

Hi Lu,

Thank you for your replies. It is the same shipping list at PROV. I checked the National Library site and found them boarding in Hobart not NZ as previously thought but it is really difficult to read as all entries are scanned directly from newspapers of the time. I went back a couple of weeks to see if I could find an arrival in Tas but to no avail. The fact that no first names are shown also doesn't help. I'd like to check PROV but it is a 100 kilometre round trip for me but I will get around to it one day.

Thanks again.
Sandra

[SandraAust]

Oh I forgot to mention that I do have Harriet's death certificate but it states "unknown" as place of birth. Strangely none of her Grandchildren (my Mum and her siblings) knew her birthdate either!

 

[Lucy2]

Hi Sandra

Unfortunately trans-Tasman shipping records (except for what's on the PROV site), are a "nightmare" to find - if indeed they exist ( many records have not survived).

Often lists of incoming passengers were given in newspapers - so OZ newspapers (online) may be worth trying ?

I think I'd be a bit dubious about the "50-year-old" Mrs, McGOWAN"  though ?

~   Lu

[Lucy2]

Oh I forgot to mention that I do have Harriet's death certificate but it states "unknown" as place of birth. Strangely none of her Grandchildren (my Mum and her siblings) knew her birthdate either!

 

   Ooops .... yes I just re-checked your other search listing, and saw you had the d/c (1945 ?).

So there's no age at death given for her either ?

~   Lu

[Lucy2]

Harriet Amelia ROWLEY doesn't appear to have been NZ-born.

Still looking at passenger lists to see if I can find her arrival here (perhaps with family members) ?

This birth on FREE BMD (UK) - (could at a pinch be the mother of a child born 1889-90 ?)   

BIRTHS - JUN - 1974

ROWLEY - Harriet Amelia    - registered at Pancras

[SandraAust]

Hi again,

Have already checked the birth at Pancras and everywhere else in England and followed each one to find marriages etc. I even searched Riley, Reilly etc in case Rowley wasn't her real name. It's been an absolute nightmare. I can't locate the d/c at the moment but I recall it stating a number of years "resident in Victoria" that didn't pan out.

Will need to keep looking.....yawn............