Smoothy family - Tasmania to Victoria

[sparrett]

I can only offer a couple of thoughts here.
No real help in your search.

I think it likely Maud's surname was McDONALD at birth, though it is possible her given name was not Maud.
For instance, if she was named Mary or Catherine at birth, it may have been changed by her foster family if they preferred Maud for whatever reason.
 
The birth may not have been in Geelong.  People often confused the place they grew up in with the place of actual birth.

Walter, aged about 25 in 1870, seems to have been in Swan Hill.
Edward and wife were in NZ
Andrew was dead.
Mary's husband William had just died leaving her in Ararat with an infant and other children.

That leaves John SMOOTHY (you have said you cannot locate him) and William SMOOTHY whose whereabouts I do not know. Do you?

Sue

[GeorgiyH]

Hi Sue,
 I tend to agree with you re names. I think it is a possibility that Maud's mother was not married. It is also of course possible that she was a known to the Shipways, hence Maud knowing her surname. I can not be sure, but William may well be Edward William, going by his middle name.

[majm]

Do you have Maud's Vic BDM 1889 marriage registration (#3850) ?   What info did she give about herself, her origins - who were the witnesses - who provided consent for the marriage as she was likely not yet 21 years of age?

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,373754.0.html 
Marriages 
 Date and place of marriage;
name and surnames;
conjugal condition, whether bachelor or spinster, widow or widower,
 stating date of decease of former wife or husband;
 children by each former marriage;
birthplace;
 occupation;
 age;
 residence (present and usual);
 parent's names of each party (including mother's maiden name) and occupation of  father;
 signatures of the parties and witnesses;
 signature of Minister.

JM

[GeorgiyH]

Hi JM, I do have all that, but I won't be able to post the requested information until tonight as it is at home

[GeorgiyH]

Information from the marriage certificate is not terribly helpful - and the writing hard to read as it looks like the ink was not blotted properly, so has spread somewhat and is 'fuzzy' looking.
Maud's birthplace is very hard to make out - does not say Geelong, possibly Melbourne. Yet in another record it has it as Highbury.  As aged 18, written consent is from 'both parents.' Her foster parents Thomas Shipway and Ann Carpenter are recorded on the form as 'foster parents.'
 Witnesses are John Shipway, Mary Ann Shipway. Shipway has been crossed out and something quite illegible written beside it, then what looks like Ann McCurdy.

[sparrett]

 

[sparrett]

Hi JM and GeorgiyH,
I'm sure JM and I think a close look at the certificate will be of help.
Please can you post the certificate via a scan with link.
If you need help to do this, it is available.

To know where Maud was born might be an important link.


Sue
 

[sparrett]

Information from the marriage certificate is not terribly helpful - and the writing hard to read as it looks like the ink was not blotted properly, so has spread somewhat and is 'fuzzy' looking.
Maud's birthplace is very hard to make out - does not say Geelong, possibly Melbourne. Yet in another record it has it as Highbury.  As aged 18, written consent is from 'both parents.' Her foster parents Thomas Shipway and Ann Carpenter are recorded on the form as 'foster parents.'
 Witnesses are John Shipway, Mary Ann Shipway. Shipway has been crossed out and something quite illegible written beside it, then what looks like Ann McCurdy.

The couple Thomas and Ann SHIPWAY were longtime residents of Newtown arriving on the "AnnThompson" in 1852 into Geelong from Liverpool.

Sue

[GeorgiyH]

Sorry I didn't see the notification earlier - went to my junk mail for some reason. Here is the certificate.