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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: sybil pike on Monday 31 August 15 06:41 BST (UK)
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I am trying to trace a Martha Risely; married in Port Adelaide, South Australia in 1853 to a William Walter. She died in 1871 apparently aged 40.
I have been unable to locate any trace of her immigration details. It is possible she was born and bred in Bedfordshire as many Risely families from Bedfordshire made the journey to South Australia as free settlers.
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Do you know if she is definitely English? This caught by eye as I am always trying to work out if I have any ancestral connection to the Tasmanian Riseley's i.e. Maria Riseley (Married name Lord) a former convict from Huntington, Huntingdonshire. Her brother also immigrated to Tasmania, but I digress... may be no connection.
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Do you have her death certificate? Per Genealogy SA.
1871 42/147 WALTER Martha William WALTER (H) Port Adelaide
Added: http://www.jaunay.com/bdm.html
Not sure if it will give you birthplace or parents, looking at this? I live in SA but don't have SA origins so have never obtained a certificate from here.
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Looked for burial of Martha SNR, but only found:
Daughter's BIRTH 1862 WALTER Martha Harriet Lutey William WALTER Martha Walter RISELY Adelaide 26/25
MARTHA HARRIET WALTER
Interred at Cheltenham Cemetery 7/12/1950. Aged 90. Formerly of ST PETERS, SA
http://www.aca.sa.gov.au/Records
Have you tried the South Australian Maritime Museum at Port Adelaide:
http://maritime.history.sa.gov.au/
Or State Library of South Australia for Passenger lists? Graham Jaunay (google him) is pretty helpful for this kind of thing.
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Are you familiar with free historical Australian newspapers on TROVE?
William Walter of Kent arrived on the vessel CHARLOTTE JANE in the 1850's, per obituary in 1910:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/164699486?searchTerm="William walter"&searchLimits=l-state=South+Australia
Make sure you check RISELY is often spelt RISELEY too! And vice versa.
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I don't think William Walter will have arrived 5 Nov 1855, per when Sir Charles Todd found to have arrived in Adelaide. He is mentioned in the obituary as having arrived on the same ship at the same time. As I have seen the marriage transcription and it states married 16 Oct 1853 at St Pauls, Port Adelaide SA. The bride is aged 22, so born about 1831. This seems consistent with you saying 40 in 1871.
So this may be too late ???
I can see a non-conformist baptism for a Martha Risely to a William Risely and Maria (nee) Pinkard (or previously Mrs Lavender). Born 25 Oct 1833. Abode: Elstow, Hardwick, Bedfordshire.
William Risely born abt 1806 Wilstead, BEDFORDSHIRE per Census. Per Ancestry.
I think this is his non-conformist baptism in 1805 at The Cotton End Independent and Baptist, Cardington, Bedford, England to William Risely and Mary. Per Find My Past UK.
I also found a Stocker Risely who ran the Old Halfway House on Port Road. Per TROVE, Google and Ancestry. He is also from Bedfordshire and an early colonist in SA.
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Thanks for your posts. I have pretty much the same info as you; plus the same questions re William's obit. I reckon he must have arrived during 1852, as he is still in UK in 1851, according to 1851 Census. He may have even been on the Charlotte Jane that arrived in SA Jan 1852. Maybe as crew??