The BOURNE family, NSW - COMPLETED WITH THANKS

[bevj]

Seasons greetings to all 

I'm trying to find out when my Bournes arrived in Australia and also what  happened to the survivors of the family.

William Ottaway Bourne was married to a Mary and they had five children:
Felix b. +/- 1866
William b. +/- 1869
James b. 1871 in Wollongong (found in the NSW BMD records with father's given name 'Attaway'.
? b. +/- 1875
David b. 1878 in Wollongong (also in NSW records)

The Bournes and the Ottaways came originally from Kent.  Daniel Bourne married Dorcas Ottaway (sometimes spelled Attaway) in 1720 and the name Ottaway was occasionally used by their descendants as a Christian name.

There is an Ottaway Bourne listed in the Post Office Directory as a miner in Woonona in 1867 which I guess is William sr.  I have no idea where he was born or married, I can't find the records on the NSW site.

Sadly William and his three older children Felix, William and James were killed in the Bulli Colliery disaster in 1887.  There are some horrifyingly graphic descriptions of the tragedy to be found on Trove. 
The official documents referring to the disaster gave me the information to calculate the d.o.b. of Felix and William jr.  Also the list of bereaved families refers to Mrs. W.O. Bourne and two surviving children aged 9 and 11 years.

(There is an interesting footnote on the list which says that "Mrs. W.O. Bourne left her husband 8 years ago and has returned since the disaster, some caution will be necessary in dealing with her"  )

Apart from the birth records of James and David I can't find any official records about the family, not even death registrations for the four miners.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance
Bev

[sparrett]

 A couple of birth registrations

REG 16553 IN 1864    BOURNE    FELIX J
    Father OTTAWAY
    Mother MARY
   WOLLONGONG   



REG 16716 In 1866    BOURNE    WILLIAM J
   Father ATTOWAY
    Mother MARY
    WOLLONGONG

Sue 

[Neil Todd]

Hi, Do you know if William's and his three sons bodies were recovered from the mine at Bulli?

If not it may explain why there is no death record. It would be the result of a Coronial Inquiry and its findings published.

There would I believe also be a Memorial to all the lost miners in that area.

Neil

[bevj]

Thanks Sue, don't know how I missed those 

Neil - yes, the bodies were recovered, or what was left of them. There are some grisly reports of the condition of the bodies which are not for the squeamish.
I think Felix was the first to be found:
At a quarter to 6 one body was found, that of a lad called Felix Bourne who was working with his father and brother about a mile in the tunnel......

[Neil Todd]

Hi, Came across this excerpt from . "www illawarracoal.com"
RE:
Bulli Colliery Gas Explosion 1887 

At 2.30pm on Wednesday, March 23rd, 1887, an explosion in the mine blew out of the tunnel mouth carrying with it an unconscious boy, Herbert Cope. Eighty one bodies were recovered and subsequently buried at St. Augustines Church of England, with eight at Fairy Meadow Roman Catholic cemetery (Corrimal), some at Woonona churchyard and the unidentified at Bulli.

Neil

[bevj]

There is a lot in the press about the disaster,  and the site you have quoted is where I first found the Bournes.
Would there not be proper death registrations after an event like this one?  Finding the one for William Sr. would be particularly useful.
I'm trying to find his parents and place of birth, he's not showing up in the English BMD records so maybe his parents were the emigrants?

Bev

[deeiluka]

I wonder if William's death wasn't registered as his remains were among those unidentified?
A paragraph on here could almost suggest that is the case.   


Dee   

[Neil Todd]

Dee or anyone, where would Bev be able to find the Inquest or the full Coronial report this would have to have some of the required details?

Neil

[judb]

In my experience it is not uncommon for deaths which required an inquest not to be on the indexes.  Can't imagine why and it sure makes genealogy harder.    Judith