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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: Peter L. Mitchell on Friday 19 January 24 10:03 GMT (UK)
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Hi everyone.
My great-grandfather, Septimus Thompson, was a butcher in South Shields. He was born on 25 September 1859 in Westoe, South Shields, and he opened his own butcher's shop at 40 Dale Street, South Shields in 1883. In January, 1886, he stowed away on the Lavinia from Mauritius to Albany, Western Australia, where he was arrested but subsequently released as he'd been allowed by the captain of the ship to work his passage. He next turned up in Melbourne, marrying Rosa Grimsley in 1889. Evidence suggests that he abandoned Rosa and their daughter by 1890. He died in Melbourne on 21 June 1897.
It seems probable that Septimus might have had to leave England in a hurry, and possibly without sufficient money to buy a passage all the way to Australia. I'm interested in trying to find out why.
Had he been declared insolvent?
Had he married and abandoned a wife in South Shields?
Had he been running away from court charges?
His father (William) had died in 1871 and his mother (Margaret) had died in 1884. Was there an issue with his mother's will or her estate?
Are there any passenger lists that record his presence on a ship that left England at that time?
Where did he go after he landed in Western Australia and what did he do until 1889?
If anyone can direct me to sites that might help to answer these questions I would be very grateful.
Thanks,
Peter
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A search for Septimus Thompson at British Newspaper Archive finds a surprising number of men called Septimus Thompson but the only hit that seems to relate to your Septimus is an announcement from 8th April 1881 in the Shields Daily Gazette concerning his opening a butcher's shop at 40 Dale Street.
If there was an insolvency I would expect to have found it.
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Hi Alan.
Thanks for your quick reply. I've tried to find insolvency records for South Shields for that period of time but have been unable to find a site that has them. Is there one that you can recommend?
Thanks,
Peter
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Hi Alan.
Thanks for your quick reply. I've tried to find insolvency records for South Shields for that period of time but have been unable to find a site that has them. Is there one that you can recommend?
Thanks,
Peter
No, I’m afraid I don’t. Incidentally I just glanced over your original post and noticed that you have the shop in Dale Street opening in 1881 whereas the announcement that I found was 1883. I suppose it’s possible that there was sort of relaunch in 1883.
Added: I got the dates backwards. Yours 1883, mine 1881.
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1883 is the correct year as it was announced in a newspaper in March of that year. Thanks for the pick-up.
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1889 marriage has Rosa Maria Grimsley as his wife - married in Harrietville , Victoria ,Australia
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Thanks, Garstonite. That's correct. One child by the marriage; a girl born later in 1889. Septimus died of tuberculosis on 1897 in Melbourne. Rosa remarried in 1902.
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Sheilds Daily Gazette 12 July 1886
40 Dale Street is for auction along with other properties.
It's described as a Tenement building.
Not much help really.
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1881 census has Septimus Thompson b Westoe , aged 21 a butcher at 149 Dale Street with his mother Margaret.
He is unmarried
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1883 Kelly´s Directory of Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, North and South Shields
South Shields
Septimus Thompson 40 Dale street butcher
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Trove, 24th February 1886
Septimus Thompson, a stowaway on board the Lavinia, was arrested by order of Captain Vallentine,
and a summons was subsequently applied for charging him with assaulting the cook. It appeared, however, that the man had worked on the passage by order of the captain, and the bench thought that under those circumstances the charges had better be withdrawn and explained to Capt. Vallentine that his proper course would have been as soon as he discovered the stowaway to have had him put on diet sufficient to support him till arrival at Fremantle and then without delay to have given him into custody. The man had no doubt been wrongly arrested seeing he had worked on the passage, and the better way would be for the captain and cook to withdraw the charge. After
some further conversation the accused was dismissed.
Did he turn up in New South Wales, perhaps? There is a record of a Septimus Thompson in Sydney in February 1896 convicted of stealing a cheque. However this man was sentenced to two years hard labour so perhaps it's a different person with the same name if you say your man died in Melbourne in 1897.
Bev
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Another one
Name Septimus Thompson
Commit or Trial Date29 Jan 1898
Court Place Moree, New South Wales, Australia
Place of commital Moree
Place of trial Moree
It looks like bail on the record
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Another one
Name Septimus Thompson
Commit or Trial Date29 Jan 1898
Court Place Moree, New South Wales, Australia
Place of commital Moree
Place of trial Moree
It looks like bail on the record
If Peter is sure that his man died in 1897, there must be at least two Septimus Thompsons. ::)
Bev
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Septimus Thompson
death Age 40
Birth Date abt 1857
Death Date about 1897
Death Place - Melbourne, Victoria
Registration Date 1897
Registration Place - Australia
Registration Number 6147
Victoria, Australia, Death Index, 1840-1991
Septimus Thompson
Spouse - Grimsley
Child - Hilda Margaret Mitchell
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https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=871613.msg7428436#msg7428436
Previous post on Septimus Thompson. Lots of information found.
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Hi everyone.
Thanks for the great additional help. As your investigations have shown, the Septimus Thompson in New South Wales was a different person because my great-grandfather had died in1897.
The information by Crisane is very interesting because it contains information that should have been on Septimus's death certificate but was left blank. I will have a look at the site and compare the two documents.
Thanks again for your help.
Peter