Author Topic: John Flett - Stebonheath?  (Read 16527 times)

Offline Jason46

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Re: John Flett - Stebonheath?
« Reply #9 on: Saturday 24 August 13 00:48 BST (UK) »
Tha nk you Monica and Trish!
They did come from the Orkneys and she did come out with her brother - according to Family mythology - and he was a successful miner as he went back to Harray in the Orkneys and bought a place which he renamed 'Ballarat', after a gold-mining town in Victoria. I have also been told that the White Swan was lengthened and became the 'Black Swan' which would mean that the information on Jean is VERY INTERESTING! John and Jean married in the Orkneys and their first 3 children were all John - the first 2 died very young.
Carpenter - Devon and Australia
Flett - Orkneys
Morrell - Antrim, France, Switzerland and Ballarat
Wilcher - Bermondsey and Birmingham
Roberts - Liverpool
Price - Monmouthshire
Smith - Orkneys
Barnsley - Cumberland
Discombe - Devon
Brewer - Devon
Torrington - Devon

Offline trish1120

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Re: John Flett - Stebonheath?
« Reply #10 on: Saturday 24 August 13 02:28 BST (UK) »
Are very interesting as my G/G/Grandfather who came from Morpeth, Northumberland was a Blacksmith in Ballarat and other mining areas in Victoria from 1857 onwards.
( 1869 he married and went to NZ)
It is not unlikely our Ancestors had contact with one another given my G/G/Grandfathers profession :)
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Cummins, Miskelly(IRELAND + NZ) ,Leggett (SFK + NFK ENGLAND + NZ),Purdy ( NBL ENGLAND + NZ ), Shaw YKS, LANCs + NZ), Holdsworth(LINCS +LANCS + NZ), Moloney, Dean, Fitzpatrick, ( County Down,IRE) Newby(NBL.ENG, Costello(IRE), Ivers, Murray(IRE),Reay(NBL.ENG) Reid (BERW.SCOTLAND)

Offline Jason46

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Re: John Flett - Stebonheath?
« Reply #11 on: Saturday 24 August 13 08:22 BST (UK) »
Hi Monica
I went into the Public Records of Victoria and found the indexed entry for John Flett's arrival - spelt Flette, on the Stebonheath, and Mrs. Flett's arrival with her brother, but I couldn't find to John Plette or Mrs. Pilett anywhere. Where could I find this information, please? What is 'a/try'?
Carpenter - Devon and Australia
Flett - Orkneys
Morrell - Antrim, France, Switzerland and Ballarat
Wilcher - Bermondsey and Birmingham
Roberts - Liverpool
Price - Monmouthshire
Smith - Orkneys
Barnsley - Cumberland
Discombe - Devon
Brewer - Devon
Torrington - Devon

Offline Jason46

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Re: John Flett - Stebonheath?
« Reply #12 on: Saturday 24 August 13 08:47 BST (UK) »
Hi Monica
I just finished sorting out all the info I have on Jean Smith's seven brothers. I believe that the Mrs. Flett on the Black Swan in 1861 is her, and if she was accompanied by a brother he would be a Smith and there are 7 brothers. Magnus (45 in 1861), William (43), James (41), Thomas (37), John (32) Simon (26) and Robert (24). John was a gold miner who returned to Orkneys, and he was a ship's carpenter and he is my best bet although Simon is the only brother whose name appears in family papers so he is my 2nd bet. Can you find me any of these Smith boys?
Carpenter - Devon and Australia
Flett - Orkneys
Morrell - Antrim, France, Switzerland and Ballarat
Wilcher - Bermondsey and Birmingham
Roberts - Liverpool
Price - Monmouthshire
Smith - Orkneys
Barnsley - Cumberland
Discombe - Devon
Brewer - Devon
Torrington - Devon


Offline MonicaL

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Re: John Flett - Stebonheath?
« Reply #13 on: Saturday 24 August 13 12:54 BST (UK) »
Hi Jason

Looks like you making some progress there which great  :)

Regarding which of the Smith brothers travelled over to Australia, hard to be definitive at this stage, specially when all I can see is an indexed entry rather than the original image which may or may not include additonal info. (a/try which has been mentioned above, refers to Ancestry.com).

Was it definitively a brother of Jean's that went over to Australia and then came back? Just that the clip I added above from one of the family's genealogy sites mentioned 'and travelled with her 20 yo brother in law, James, who was a goldminer who returned to Orkneys later' not that I could see another Flett on that manifest of the Black Swan.

That is not say that one or more of Jean's brother's didn't go back and forth to Australia.

For example, Simon born in 1834 - an easy one to search for as the name Simon is not that common in Scotland v. Smith  ;). I cannot see him on the Scottish censuses so far for 1861 (he may well be there but I just can't see him!). He shows on the Scottish censuses between 1871-91 living at Garth, Harray Orkney. Sisters Elizabeth and Amelia show as living with him most years. Possible death for him in 1895 in Harray (from a general search here www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk).

I did see an index entry showing for a possible crossing to Australia:

Simon Smith, 19 (born c. 1835 which fits) arrived at Port Phillip Bay, Australia in Dec. 1854 on the Stebonheath.

Uk incoming passenger lists don't start until after 1878. Hard therefore to be more definitive than that for now. It could also be that other Smith brothers also went to Australia perhaps?

Monica

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Offline MonicaL

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Re: John Flett - Stebonheath?
« Reply #14 on: Saturday 24 August 13 13:01 BST (UK) »
Dohhh  :P

Isn't December 1854 arriving from London on the 'Stebonheath' the same ship that we have John Flett arriving on first to Australia? So maybe it was John rather that Jean with whom one of the Smith boys travelled out with?

Very often more than a grain of truth to the family stories, just sometimes some details deviate...
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Offline MonicaL

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Re: John Flett - Stebonheath?
« Reply #15 on: Saturday 24 August 13 13:08 BST (UK) »
Not sure if you have used the official pay to view site, www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk before. You can get lots of useful info from general searches without having to buy units to view search results or actual images online. It is free to register on the site and you can do just general searches to see what shows.

There is a section on the site under "Wills and testaments" - see left hand side links on the home page. There are a number of entries showing there for Simon Smith for example, a farmer at Garth who died on 19 August 1895. Also likely entry for sister Elizabeth Smith in 1901.
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Offline MonicaL

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Re: John Flett - Stebonheath?
« Reply #16 on: Saturday 24 August 13 13:26 BST (UK) »
There is a Ballarat House close to Garth, Harray so happens! www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1083843

Some easy map references here www.ancientmonuments.info/sc1237-ballarat-house-burnt-mound

Struggle to find more connected with Ballarat House. Can't tell how new/old the property (farm?) may be....

Monica

Added: Ballarat House I can now see on the 1891 and 1901 census. Nor surpringly, looks to be a farm with farmer being a John Corrigall for those two censuses.
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Offline MonicaL

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Re: John Flett - Stebonheath?
« Reply #17 on: Saturday 24 August 13 14:39 BST (UK) »
Brother John Smith married a Margaret Harvey on 4 April 1867 at Harray,Orkney? This looks a likely entry for him and family in 1871:

John Smith 40 ship's carpenter
Margaret Smith 38
Margaret Smith 2
Jane Smith 1
John Smith 1 (twin)

Address: Winksetter Cottage, Harray Orkney

The family still show at Winksetter in 1881 with a couple more children: Emelia 9 and James 6. Same address up to 1901.

John Smith seems to have prospered (likely sound investments from his goldrush days!). He shows as a Farmer (Of 100 Acres Of Which 21 Arable).

Monica
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