Marriage Benjamin Welton and Ann Vaughan 1876 New Zealand

[Johnf04]

There is a file dated 1893 at the National Archives in Wellington, with this description:

"From: Inspector Pardy, Dunedin Received: 3 November 1893 Subject: Mr Moffett, Solicitor on behalf of Francis O'Shannessy asks that enquiries be made regarding one Benjamin Welton; etc does not consider it a case for police interference"

[Johnf04]

I also found an interesting story on Papers Past, Southland Times 2nd February 1894, where Francis O'Shannessy was trying to have an order that he support his wife Annie, rescinded. He stated that his wife was a married woman, with a husband still alive, when he married her.

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST18940202.2.14?query=O%27Shannessy

[Johnf04]

There is a marriage in NZ BDM 1885/1800 Annie Cashman VAUGHAN to Francis O'SHANNASSEY.

An Annie O'SHANNESSY of unknown age was buried in Invercargill on 22nd January 1918.

http://icc.govt.nz/cemetery-result/?id=56832

[Lucy2]

Good finds, Johnf04 - well done.   

----

Death - NZ BDM (online)

1918 / 2743 - O'SHAUNNESSEY* - Annie Cashman --  64* years

[Note:  *  Above is surname spelling at NZ BDM (online) - there are various spellings in other records (to be added ).    Likewise, some variations with her age at death - see following posts.  ]

----

If Annie's correct age was that given on the death registration > 64 years in 1918 = bc 1854 > then she was probably the following girl :

Assisted (Immigration) to Otago
Per ship "Asia" - from Queenstown (Ireland) - arrived 8 February 1874

VAUGHAN - Anne (indexed as "Annie") - 20 years [bc 1854] - ex Cork - General servant

   ~  Lu
                                                                                                    see next >

[Lucy2]

Death Notice :   O'SHAUNASEY [sic]

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST19180121.2.12

[* This gives Annie's age as 59 years [bc 1859] ... and surname spelling, "O'SHAUNASEY" ]

     ~  Lu

[Lucy2]

... from Burials and Cremations at Invercargill (@ ancestry)

O'SHANNESSY [sic] - Annie - Mary Street - bur. 22 January 1918 - Cath. Block 8/65

[Lucy2]

[Archives New Zealand at Wellington hold a Coroner's Inquest file for the following, but details of the outcome seem to be very well covered in the following article. ]

Inquests - Mrs Annie O'SHAUNASEY

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ST19180128.2.10

[*  Her age was given in above, as 58 years.  ]

   ~  Lu

[Johnf04]

Lu - I searched Papers Past, Otago region, from 1885, for 4 variants of the surname - O'Shannassy, O'Shannassey, O'Shannessy, O'Shannessey. There are more stories about this poor lady under all of these variants, including the original case she brought against Francis.

John.

[Lucy2]

Hi John

Yes, I saw a lot of those stories too.

It seems that (husband) Francis O'SHANNASEY (or var.) was probably the miner of that name, who moved to Western Australia sometime in 1894-95.   
There are in NZ newspapers, a couple of versions of a letter he apparently wrote to a person back in Southland telling of his luck and newly-found fortune in mining at Coolgardie (W.A.).

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THD18950924.2.27

and  F. O'SHANNASSEY
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ME18950917.2.10