John Baker arrival in Australia about 1870

[kdsoph]

Hi There,

My 2x Great Grandfather was John Baker and I want to find out when and how he arrived in Australia.

He was born 5 Jan 1852 in (Marldon?), Devon, England to John Baker Snr and Mary Baker nee Reed (Reid or Read). I know his parents' names from his marriage certificate.

He married Mary Ann Blanch 11 June 1866 in Newcastle NSW Australia.
He was 34yrs old, a Smelter by trade from Port Waratah and Mary Ann was only 19.

If he is the John Baker from Marldon Devon then the last I can find for him living there is in the 1861 Census.

His death cert 1921 states that he had lived in the Australian colonies 47years and I worked that out to be about 1878.

He was the youngest child of a farmer and his family all lived and died in Devon as far as I can tell. so I am thinking that perhaps he either went into the military or became a merchant seaman as he married so late in life and can't find any trace of him between 1861 when last found living in England and 1886 when he married in Newcastle Australia.

Can anyone help me please?


Thank you
Kim D.

[majm]

Northumberland : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northumberland_County,_New_South_Wales and https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-231003781/view
And Newcastle Coal Mines circa 1890  (86 page pdf) https://downloads.newcastle.edu.au/library/cultural%20collections/pdf/The_coal_mines_of_Newcastle_NSW_their_rise_and_progress.pdf

Grevilles PO Directory 1875 WARATAH  (includes Hanbury, Commonage, Port Waratah, Gravestown, Froley, etc., and in that era its main industries were coal mining and smelting.  The Police District was Newcastle). 
John BLANCH, at Hanbury

The following chap is enrolled on the 1878 New South Wales Electoral Roll for Northumberland :
John BAKER, household, Commonage.

I confirm the marriage is registered for June 1886 at NSW BDM online index:
John BAKER and Mary A BLANCH, registered Newcastle District #6594
so likely there's a typo in the Opening Post (1866    )

Here’s a live link to RChat’s NSW Resources Board … includes live links to many free to search websites, including for example, images of the parish registers for the Christ Church Cathedral, (C of E), covering the Newcastle Diocese.   http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=369703.0
Passenger & Crew Lists are an ongoing project at the following mariners website as well as via live links on the Resources Board.  http://marinersandships.com.au/
 
JM

[ballydw]

NSW Register of Seamen Discharges has  John H Baker Born Devon Last ship served on Sarah Ann.
Capacity of Seaman OS. Discharge Date 21st October 1878

[sparrett]

NSW Register of Seamen Discharges has  John H Baker Born Devon Last ship served on Sarah Ann.
Capacity of Seaman OS. Discharge Date 21st October 1878

But,then again
http://marinersandships.com.au/1879/12/028sar.htm

This image has John H BAKER aged 22, native of Liverpool aged 22 in 1879.
On Sarah Ann
From Newcastle (NSW) to Sydney.

Bit more digging needed.

Sue

[sparrett]

This looks like his death

BAKER  JOHN H 
13582/1908
Parents John & Mary A
At GRAFTON

There were In Memoria  placed by his daughter in 1909.

Sue

[majm]

Hi

From the NSW Electoral Roll for 1902, COWPER, polling Grafton, there's a chap named John Henry BAKER, in Bacon Street, a Butcher.  There's also a Mary Ann BAKER, of Casino Road, domestic duties.  In fact, many with the surname BAKER at that polling place, one of a number in the Grafton district.

JM

[ballydw]

There is a memorial in Sandgate Cemetery Newcastle City NSW for John Baker age 73 died 1921 His wife Mary Ann (Blanch) Baker d. 12th May 1939, Their daughter Jessie d. 1893 age 6yrs.
Memorial ID 177509383

[kdsoph]

Hi there

I can't thank you enough for the effort and work you have done for me here.

I can't figure out how to reply to each of your messages separately so will use the Insert quote tool so you know what I am referring to. Working backward:

Bally:

There is a memorial in Sandgate Cemetery Newcastle City NSW for John Baker age 73 died 1921 His wife Mary Ann (Blanch) Baker d. 12th May 1939, Their daughter Jessie d. 1893 age 6yrs.
Memorial ID 177509383

Yes...These are my peeps!

____________________________________________________________________________

majm:

Hi

From the NSW Electoral Roll for 1902, COWPER, polling Grafton, there's a chap named John Henry BAKER, in Bacon Street, a Butcher.  There's also a Mary Ann BAKER, of Casino Road, domestic duties.  In fact, many with the surname BAKER at that polling place, one of a number in the Grafton district.

JM

This is my dilemma. there were quite a few John Bakers in the Newcastle area at the time. My John was married in Newcastle and he stayed there.

Sparrett:

NSW Register of Seamen Discharges has  John H Baker Born Devon Last ship served on Sarah Ann.
Capacity of Seaman OS. Discharge Date 21st October 1878

But,then again
http://marinersandships.com.au/1879/12/028sar.htm

This image has John H BAKER aged 22, native of Liverpool aged 22 in 1879.
On Sarah Ann
From Newcastle (NSW) to Sydney.

Bit more digging needed.

Sue

These are not my peeps as;

My John and Mary B. always lived in Waratah, Islington or Mayfield NSW. They were married in Newcastle. So the Grafton family are not mine  .
My John stated in his marriage cert that he was born in "Devonshire" and I assume that is Devon.
John never mentioned a middle name in his marriage cert nor is there one on his death cert. so John Henry is not my man

______________________________________________________________________________


majm:

Northumberland : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northumberland_County,_New_South_Wales and https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-231003781/view
And Newcastle Coal Mines circa 1890  (86 page pdf) https://downloads.newcastle.edu.au/library/cultural%20collections/pdf/The_coal_mines_of_Newcastle_NSW_their_rise_and_progress.pdf

Grevilles PO Directory 1875 WARATAH  (includes Hanbury, Commonage, Port Waratah, Gravestown, Froley, etc., and in that era its main industries were coal mining and smelting.  The Police District was Newcastle). 
John BLANCH, at Hanbury

The following chap is enrolled on the 1878 New South Wales Electoral Roll for Northumberland :
John BAKER, household, Commonage.

I confirm the marriage is registered for June 1886 at NSW BDM online index:
John BAKER and Mary A BLANCH, registered Newcastle District #6594
so likely there's a typo in the Opening Post (1866    )

Here’s a live link to RChat’s NSW Resources Board … includes live links to many free to search websites, including for example, images of the parish registers for the Christ Church Cathedral, (C of E), covering the Newcastle Diocese.   http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=369703.0
Passenger & Crew Lists are an ongoing project at the following mariners website as well as via live links on the Resources Board.  http://marinersandships.com.au/
 
JM

What does commonage mean?
I cannot believe I mistyped the marriage date!    Yes they were married in 1886.
I am going to troll the mariner's website you have given me.
I did find a John Baker arriving on the Polmaise as crew 16 Jun 1872, Maryborough QLD and the 1878 crew onboard the Edina from Maryborough to Sydney.


I will definitely let you know what I find.

Thank you again so much

KimD.[/b]

[majm]

Commonage - is simply the name of one of the many localities that in the 1870s was in the district of Waratah.

Perhaps the following newspaper cutting may be helpful...
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/111331732  Newcastle Chronicle 6 May 1874. 

The Commonage township — which the Government is now laying out with a view to sell— Hamilton, Wickham, and inhabitants of Newcastle will then have the short straight easy main road to travel on

JM