Where did 'my' James Robertson come from?!?

[KennyD]

What I do know is that my 3x great-grandfather James Robertson was:
. born around 1801 according to his death records,
. was a millwright / engineer,
. married to a Jane Robertson (though I know nothing more than this about Jane),
. was in New Norfolk, Van Dieman's Land (= Tasmania) when his first child I know about was born,
. son David Robertson was born in New Norfolk on 4 September 1832,
. daughter Elizabeth Robertson was born in New Norfolk on 3 April 1835,
. he died at David Robertson's residence in Honeywood / Geeveston, Huon, Tasmania on 7 May 1862.

Family 'talk' suggests he was of Scottish origin and I can find no sign of him being born in Tasmania. The only possible match I have for him (and only because I have no other details so I can't yet refute it) is a James Robertson on a voyage on the Minerva from Leith, Scotland which arrived in Tasmania on 30 September 1832.

Absolutely any help or guidance in finding the origin of 'my' James Robertson would be appreciated.

Kind regards, Ken.

[scotmum]

http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10421/20041220-0000/www.firstfamilies2001.net.au/firstfamily2b70.html mentions 'another'(?) 1832 born David Robertson in Geeveston, but who apparently travelled there from Scotland in 1855.

[KennyD]

http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10421/20041220-0000/www.firstfamilies2001.net.au/firstfamily2b70.html mentions 'another'(?) 1832 born David Robertson in Geeveston, but who apparently travelled there from Scotland in 1855.

Thank you for finding this - this is definitely referring to James Robertson's son David Robertson who is my 2x great grandfather who married Anne Hyndes...  His birth and baptism were recorded in New Norfolk, Tasmania in 1832 so he did not 'arrive' in Tasmania in 1855 unless he had left Australia and later returned aged 23.  I think there might be some confusion there somewhere. My great-grandfather William Erin Robertson was a younger brother of David Scott Robertson, one of a number of siblings.

Now I just need David's father, James!

Kind regards, Ken.

[scotmum]

Given his age, and that he is apparently travelling with another family, it is not impossible that he left and returned. You could check the passenger details at:

http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/default.aspx?detail=1&type=I&id=CB7/12/1/6

to see if it yields any further clues, or suggests that the David travelling in 1855 was a different person altogether, and mistakenly recorded by the other researcher as the same David.

[bairn359]

This is a long shot, as the name James Robertson is very popular in Scotland, but thinking that the first son could be named after the father's father and if the middle name Scott is a surname handed down then the following may fit..

James Robertson baptized 27 July 1801 Caputh, Perthshire, Scotland father David Robertson mother Janet Scott

Hard to find a conclusive match though.  Another idea may be to search the early census with the surname Robertson and occupation Millwright and Mill Wright to see if you can find some relatives that fit right.

[matthewj64]

Given his age, and that he is apparently travelling with another family, it is not impossible that he left and returned.

This could explain Jane's disappearance, she went back home, with at least David, and didn't return

Add: link to passenger list page
https://stors.tas.gov.au/CB7-16-1-1$init=CB7-16-1-1p064jpg

[KennyD]

Wow!  Thank you for this help!

It's fantastic to finally have some real possibilities to track!  This is getting exciting!

If that is my 2x great grandfather James Robertson, this also gives me an employer (George Johnson of Elizabeth Street, who was providing lodging) to add to my information to review...

I hadn't even thought of the possibility of Jane Robertson disappearing from Australia by going back to Scotland and never returning! 

Now I can start hunting for a Jane Robertson and David Robertson departure from Australia back to Scotland between 1835 and 1855 and it's time to look for Elizabeth Robertson getting married in Tasmania or having also gone back to Scotland and not returning.

How far back do Scottish census records go?  I've traced Danish census records before (for Dad's family) but never Scottish records.

Kind regards, Ken.

[Forfarian]

How far back do Scottish census records go?

The useful ones go back to 1841.

There were earlier ones in 1801, 1811, 1821 and 1831 but they only collected numbers, not names, so they are not useful for tracing ancestors.

Was David's wife Jane's maiden name also Robertson?

[KennyD]

Was David's wife Jane's maiden name also Robertson?

At this point I just don't know...  The earliest I know of Jane Robertson is the birth of her son David in 1832 in New Norfolk, Tasmania.  I have not found any marriage record for James and Jane in Tasmania.  If they were married in Scotland, that would explain why I can't find their marriage in Australia.

Kind regards, Ken.