Author Topic: BLOSSOM Benjamin / California  (Read 5851 times)

Offline robgen1

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BLOSSOM Benjamin / California
« on: Monday 24 January 11 06:32 GMT (UK) »
Hi All,

I am trying to locate any information for the following Person

BLOSSOM, Benjamin W.  born abt 1851
listed as born in California

I have no further information

all i know is that he served on several voyages around Australia and South Pacific
his Death is recorded in NSW in 1884  aged 33 years old

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Greg
Roberts - Manningford - Wiltshire - United Kingdom
Gulley - Manningford - Wiltshire - United Kingdom
Simper - Manningford - Wiltshire - United Kingdom
Rutt - Hampshire - United Kingdom

Offline nickgc

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Re: BLOSSOM Benjamin / California
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 25 January 11 02:40 GMT (UK) »
Let's see if someone beats me to this.

In 1865 he shows up with a large family - none others with Blossom surname - in Plymouth, Massachusetts as a 13 year old born "State of California".  If I find more I will add to this post.


Mod 1:  in 1860 with same family in Mattapoisett, Plymouth, Mass.

Hammond (note wrongly transcribed as "Harrison" on 1865 State census on Family Search)

Joseph J age 46
Nancy age 45 (possibly Ben's mother?)
Several other Hammond children, and a Rebecca Hammond age 67
and Benjamin W. Blossom age 8, born Calif.

Mod 2:
Not in 1870 census with Hammonds.  Nancy Ingraham Hammond nee Allen died in Sept 1870 (see beta familysearch).

Nick
McLellan - Inverness
Greer - Renfrewshire
Manson - Aberdeen & Orkney
Simpson - Hereford, Devon, etc.
Flett - Orkney
Chisholm - Scotland
Wishart - Orkney
Shand - Aberdeen
Pirie - Aberdeen

-----
Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn't there.   -Robert Heinlein

Offline robgen1

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Re: BLOSSOM Benjamin / California
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 25 January 11 06:54 GMT (UK) »
Hi  Nick

thank you for reply

it may well be the right person, as the date matches up

unfortunately i dont have any further information aside from 2 Ships Voyage manifests stating that he was born in California  and a Death Certificate sadly no parents were listed on the death certifcate here in Australia

I suppose there are a few possible variations

1) Maybe Benjamin was son of Nancy born in wedlock unlikely given maiden name of Nancy (nee Allen)
1) Maybe Benjamin was son of Nancy born out of wedlock once again maiden name (Allen)
2) Maybe Benjamin was Nephew of Nancy or Joseph

From memory California was granted Statehood under the Comprimise of 1850
so maybe finiing birth records for the period would be hard to find given that Sacramento has not always been State Capital


Any further  information that you may find would be greatfully accepted and once again thank you for details already provided

Regards
greg

Roberts - Manningford - Wiltshire - United Kingdom
Gulley - Manningford - Wiltshire - United Kingdom
Simper - Manningford - Wiltshire - United Kingdom
Rutt - Hampshire - United Kingdom

Offline nickgc

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Re: BLOSSOM Benjamin / California
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 25 January 11 08:39 GMT (UK) »
Given the unusual surname (how many Blossoms are there?) he is almost certainly your man.  Birth details for California are quite difficult to come by for this early date, as are marriages - if there was one.

QUESTION:  what is on the manifests?  Ships names?  Where traveling from/to?  Anything else helpful?

I'd suggest you try to track Nancy with her parents (names given on death record cited above - which you can view) as a next step since you don't have a lot of options.  There are a huge number of possible scenarios for who Ben's parents were and you have to start somewhere.  In this case it might be more reasonable to try and eliminate possibilities from the mix.  E.g.  if Nancy married Joseph Hammond before Ben born, she is unlikely to be his mother. 

mod 1:  Joseph Hammond married Nancy Allen in 1835 in New Bedford, Mass. so that is one theory disproved.

mod 2:  Okay check this out:  "Of his four children, two daughters died in infancy; John Wallace [Blossom] died in California.  This is in a book about families in southeastern Mass. and is talking about the Blossoms (specifically Ansel, page 1476).   http://www.rootschat.com/links/0bi9/

mod 3:  In 1850 John W. is at home in Mass with widowed mother (Hannah) and brother Chas. F. and his family.  He is a 30 yr old unmarried mariner.  Can't find him in Mass marriages.

Nick   
McLellan - Inverness
Greer - Renfrewshire
Manson - Aberdeen & Orkney
Simpson - Hereford, Devon, etc.
Flett - Orkney
Chisholm - Scotland
Wishart - Orkney
Shand - Aberdeen
Pirie - Aberdeen

-----
Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn't there.   -Robert Heinlein


Offline robgen1

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Re: BLOSSOM Benjamin / California
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 25 January 11 10:44 GMT (UK) »
Hi Nick

agreed looks very unlikely that Nancy Allen was his mother given her marriage date

Details of what i was able to obtain, as you can see not much to go on at all

Source: State Records Authority of New South Wales: Shipping Master's Office; Passengers Arriving 1855 - 1922; NGS 13278, [X132-133], reel 432.

Vessel 
FAIRY ROCK

OF HOBART TOWN, JAMES L. WILKINSON, MASTER, BURTHEN 192 TONS,
FROM THE PORT OF HOBART TOWN TO SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, 18TH AUGUST 1875

BLOSSOM    BENJAMIN    A. B.    23    CALIFORNIA    CREW

Vessel
FAIRY ROCK

OF HOBART TOWN, JAMES S. WILKINSON, MASTER, BURTHEN 192 TONS
FROM THE PORT OF HOBART TOWN TO SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, 29TH SEPTEMBER 1875

BLOSSOM    BENJAMIN    A. B.    23    CALIFORNIA    CREW

New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages

Registration Number  2795/1884    
Last Name  BLOSSOM    
Given Name(s)  BENJAMIN W   
Father's Given Name(s)     AGE 33 YEARS
Mother's Given Name(s)     DIED BALMAIN
District  BALMAIN    


Regards
Greg
                        
Roberts - Manningford - Wiltshire - United Kingdom
Gulley - Manningford - Wiltshire - United Kingdom
Simper - Manningford - Wiltshire - United Kingdom
Rutt - Hampshire - United Kingdom

Offline nickgc

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Re: BLOSSOM Benjamin / California
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 25 January 11 11:29 GMT (UK) »
Hi Greg - PC has been rather slow since the security software has been updating.  I have modified my last post after your response, in case you haven't checked.

Nick
McLellan - Inverness
Greer - Renfrewshire
Manson - Aberdeen & Orkney
Simpson - Hereford, Devon, etc.
Flett - Orkney
Chisholm - Scotland
Wishart - Orkney
Shand - Aberdeen
Pirie - Aberdeen

-----
Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn't there.   -Robert Heinlein

Offline robgen1

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Re: BLOSSOM Benjamin / California
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 25 January 11 14:16 GMT (UK) »
Hi Nick


i think i have missed something here, correct me if i am wrong do you believe that

John Wallace [Blossom] who died in California, is father of "Benjamin W. Blossom" out of wedlock.

mod 3:  In 1850 John W. is at home in Mass with widowed mother (Hannah) and brother Chas. F. and his family.  He is a 30 yr old unmarried mariner.  Can't find him in Mass marriages.

Obviously we have no way of knowing 100%

Is there some sort of central Emigration Register for USA, or some sort of vessel Crew Registry.

Cheers
Greg
Roberts - Manningford - Wiltshire - United Kingdom
Gulley - Manningford - Wiltshire - United Kingdom
Simper - Manningford - Wiltshire - United Kingdom
Rutt - Hampshire - United Kingdom

Offline nickgc

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Re: BLOSSOM Benjamin / California
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 25 January 11 21:02 GMT (UK) »
Quote
do you believe that
John Wallace [Blossom] who died in California, is father of "Benjamin W. Blossom" out of wedlock?

No.  I just think that it is a pretty good possibility that John is Benjamin's father.  I wasn't making any inferences about whether Ben was out-of-wedlock, but it is always a possibility.

A possibility for further research is to see if anyone else is researching Ansel Blossom's descendants and knows anything about the son John W. who died in California.   You might simply be at one of those classic brick walls that we all know and love.

Nick 
McLellan - Inverness
Greer - Renfrewshire
Manson - Aberdeen & Orkney
Simpson - Hereford, Devon, etc.
Flett - Orkney
Chisholm - Scotland
Wishart - Orkney
Shand - Aberdeen
Pirie - Aberdeen

-----
Theology is never any help; it is searching in a dark cellar at midnight for a black cat that isn't there.   -Robert Heinlein

Offline toni*

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Re: BLOSSOM Benjamin / California
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 25 January 11 21:14 GMT (UK) »

i see Benjamin aboard the Fairy Rock

 New South Wales, Australia, Unassisted Immigrant Passenger Lists,

therefore he paid his own way

   Benjamin Blossom aged 23 Dept:   Hobart, Tasmania
 Arrival:   Sydney, New South Wales
   18 Aug 1875

Origin Location:   California

Benjamin Blossom
:   23
f Dept:   Hobart Toren
   Sydney, New South Wales
   29 Sep 1875

Origin Location:   California
Holman & Vinton- Cornwall, Wojciechowskyj & Hussak- Bukowiec & Zahutyn, Bentley & Richards- Leicester, Taylor-Kent/Sussex  Punnett-Sussex,  Bear/e- Monkleigh Gazey-Warwicks

UK Census information is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchive