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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: BAC3 on Wednesday 02 September 15 16:37 BST (UK)
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Hello,
Hopefully someone can resolve the marriage history for Robert Hallett PICKERING, born 1827 in Hampshire, transported as an "Exile" aboard Maitland and arrived Williamstown 09/11/1846.
(1): First wife, Ann/Anna MULLEN married 1849 Victoria, who died in 1867 in Victoria. One child
Robert born 1853;
(2): Second wife, Margaret Ann WHALAN marriage 03/07/1867 in Rockhampton, Queensland,
who died Casino, NSW, 1916: One child Matilda Annie born 1872:
(3): Third wife, Katherine (Kate) HOPKINS marriage 05/02/1884 in Rockhampton, Queensland.
Did this mean he had divorced his second wife: no-one appears to know?
Robert Hallett PICKERING died on 22/05/1894.
It has to be granted the death of his first wife in Victoria and his second marriage in Queensland, both in 1867, were extremely close together and to add to the possibility he was not living with his first wife in 1867 there is an article in Melbourne's The Argus dated 05/05/1862 which suggests he had abducted a 14 year old girl, Catherine Dunn, and they were supposedly heading for New Zealand. Please note: The article states he was a "Pentonville man" and there are no other "Exile" PICKERING's. Sadly, I cannot find a sequel to this article which can be read on TROVE reference: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5714305
An extremely interesting scenario which I hope makes enough sense for a logical answer to be found.
For the moment,
Tony
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http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/family-history/divorce
Queensland Index to Divorces 1861-1894
..."Divorce files for cases heard in the Supreme Court, Central District (Rockhampton) are held in Rockhampton. Inquiries should be addressed to The Registrar, Supreme Court Rockhampton, GPO Box 300, Rockhampton, Qld 4700...."
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The Age 26July1864 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/155015657
Adduction. — Robert Pickering was brought up, charged with abduction. The warrant upon which he was arrested is dated about two and a-half years ago, and was issued from Yea. During that time he and the young person alleged to have been abducted, have been at Rockhampton. The date of the warrant is 3rd April, 1862. He was remanded to Tuesday on bail.
The Argus 26July1864 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/5750979
CHARGE OF ABDUCTION.—A young man named Robert Pickering was brought up on a warrant charged with this offence. The warrant was issued at Yea two years ago, and the defendant was arrested here upon his arrival from Rockhampton, where he had been all the intervening time. Remanded till Tuesday, that it might be ascertained whether there was any intention to prosecute.
The Argus 27July1864 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/5751000?
Robert Pickering, who had been charged with abduction, was discharged, as it appeared that the parties who had taken out the warrant had no desire to prosecute.
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Thank you for your postings.
I totally missed your three TROVE references......getting old, failing eyesight or just plain stupidity or all three ;D......however, they answer one particular question, namely, he had been in Queensland without his wife and presumably returned there sometime before 1867. Confusing!!!
The divorce/third marriage is quite problematic, too, as no entry for a possible divorce in Rockhampton. Surely it was a comparatively small place in those days and bigamy would have been very noticeable. ??? Obviously it needs far more research.
Thank you once again,
Tony
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In 1879 he declares that he is married so timeframe for divorce can be narrowed.
Morning Bulletin 30Jan1879 (1st collumn last notice) http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/51988925
....... situated at Rockhampton, and known as the DEVONSHIRE HOTEL, to Robert Hallett Pickering.
And I, the said ROBERT HALLETT PICKERING, hereby give notice that I intend to apply at the said meeting that the above transfer may be granted, and which I intend to keep as an Inn or Public-house.
I am married, and have held a publican's license before.
Given under our hands this 27th day of January, 1879.
.... ROBT. HALLETT PICKERING.
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Hi,
Interesting to see the R. H. Pickering was a Cobb & Co driver at Springsure in 1883.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/67859845?searchTerm=
Possible Death Notice in the Capricorn newspaper 2nd July 1881.
May not be R. H. Pickering, the 'H' is difficult to decipher. but being in a Rockhampton newspaper.
Staunton, on the 8th June at Sal?bern Creek Station, Barcoo Queensland, Catherine only child of R. H?. Pickering, and beloved wife of E. Staunton, late of Muddy Creek, Victoria. Aged, 31 years.
Gerry
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Possible Death Notice in the Capricorn newspaper 2nd July 1881.
May not be R. H. Pickering, the 'H' is difficult to decipher. but being in a Rockhampton newspaper.
Staunton, on the 8th June at Sal?bern Creek Station, Barcoo Queensland, Catherine only child of R. H?. Pickering, and beloved wife of E. Staunton, late of Muddy Creek, Victoria. Aged, 31 years.
Gerry
QLD BDM 8/6/1881 C9 Catherine Staunton; Father-R.H. Pickering; - ** born Victoria aged 30 years
Adding:
The Brisbane Courier 24June1881 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/909496
The Queenslander 25June1881 http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/20707875
STAUNTON - On the 8th June, at Saltern Creek, Catherine, wife of Edward Staunton, late of Victoria, aged 30 years.
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QLD marriage:
1872C488 Edward Staunton and Catherine Pickering
Qld marriage certificate of Catherine Pickering should father's full name.
Cannot see a birth for Catherine Pickering in Victoria around 1850. Maybe Rootschatters with more access can help.
Just thinking out loud here:
Wondering if the abducted young girl Catherine DUNN was the daughter Cathering PICKERING and may explain why "parties who had taken out the warrant had no desire to prosecute."
However there could well be two different "R.H. Pickering" as death notice says... "Catherine only child of R. H. Pickering"
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I am delighted with all your help. Thank you.
First, his "supposed" third marriage to Kate HOPKINS has the following details Queensland Registration Year 1884, Registration Number: 001631, Page Number: 6927. Sadly there is no age quoted (it would have been 57) and I wonder if possibly the entry may refer to his son, Robert, who was born in Victoria in 1853.
Second, his "death" of 02/07/1881 can be disregarded as he actually died 22/05/1894.
Third, the death of Catherine STAUNTON aged 30/31. The girl he abducted Catherine DUNN was born c1848 and could have been Robert Hallett PICKERING's illegitimate daughter who retained her mother's name DUNN initially then reverted to her father's. It is pure conjecture but a credible consideration all the same. ::)
My difficulty is I live in the UK and trying to resolve these type of issues is difficult, so I am really grateful for all your help.
For now,
Tony
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Second, his "death" of 02/07/1881 can be disregarded as he actually died 22/05/1894
This is the death notice for Catherine STAUNTON, not the death notice for Robert Hallett PICKERING
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Hello again,
I have just found out that Muddy Creek was renamed the Yea River in 1879, presumably after the town of Yea. Catherine STAUNTON (nee Pickering [or was it originally DUNN]), according to Aussie1947's post, came from Muddy Creek and, of course, Robert Hallett PICKERING was a publican in Yea........so does the plot thicken ???
Tony
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ROBERT HALLETT PICKERING
Robert Hallett Pickering was born in 1827 to Robert Pickering and Mary Robinson in Winchester Hampshire. 2nd Christian name “Hallett” not included in baptismal register.
He was sentenced to 10 years jail for burglary in December 1843, at Southampton Assizes, to be served in Woodford Prison on the Isle of Wight. In 1846 Robert was one of 291 convicts, (Pentonville Exiles), transported to Australia on the “Maitland”.
He married Ann Mullen, date unknown, and on 18/05/1893 they had a son, Robert Hulbert Pickering. The abode given was Muddy Creek, which later became known as “Yea”. Note there is no record of this birth in the official registry. The Government of Victoria sequestered the records of the Catholic Parish of Kilmore and the transcription of the records had some omissions and errors. The church managed to get their records returned and the information is available to interested parties. The information regarding the birth of Robert Hulbert Pickering is drawn from the parish records and agrees with information supplied by Robert Hulbert on his marriage certificate.
In regard to the charge of abduction of a female minor, in 1862 Robert Hallett was being pursued by his creditors. He was the proprietor of the Bridge Inn in Yea and on the day in question he departed down the Whittlesea road on horseback, bound for Queensland.
Catherine, (Kate), Dunn also lived in Yea and as her mother had just given birth to the 9th child, Kate decided she had no future except as an unpaid nursemaid so she grabbed a pony and also headed down Whittlesea road. They met up and together made the epic journey to Rockhampton in Central Queensland. Catherine subsequently married John Clavering Wood in Rockhampton in 1865. The Dunn family apparently thought that Robert was assisting Kate to get to New Zealand and in 1864 when Robert had returned to Melbourne to get his “bankruptcy” certificate; he was arrested on the outstanding warrant relating to the supposed abduction. The Dunn family indicated that they had no wish to pursue the matter as Kate was alive and well and living in Rockhampton and Robert was released.
Regarding the second and third marriage of Robert Hallett Pickering. Robert Hallett married Margaret Ann Whalan on 3/07/1867 in Rockhampton. On the marriage certificate he described his marital status as “widower”. However his first wife’s death certificate gives her date of death as 6/09/1867 so the marriage appears to have been bigamous.
In fairness to Robert Hallett, he had been separated from his first wife for five years and she had been terminally ill for some months. There is some evidence to suggest that he may have thought that she had passed away at the time he remarried.
In 1884 Robert Hallett married for the third time to Kate Hopkins. He again described his marital status as widower. and he reduced his stated age by 5 years at the second marriage and 10 years for the third. This marriage would have nbeen valid as his first wife was deceased and his second marriage had been invalid.
Robert Hallett Pickering died at a residence in Werna Street Winton in Western Queensland on 22/05/1894 and his death was reported in the Capricornian of 2/06/1884.
It appears unclear what happened to his second wife, Margaret Ann Whalen, or their daughter Matilda Annie Pickering, born at Woodford Island on 12/02/1872. I have been unable to locate any records relating to marriage or death of Margaret Ann or Matilda Annie in either Queensland or New South Wales. I note the information supplied by another respondent that Margaret Ann Whalen died in Casino NSW in 1916. I have heard this before but can find no record of this or any burial information relating. I would appreciate any further information that anyone has available. Hope this helps Tony.
Regards, Bill.
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Sorry, my previous post had an error, Robert Hulbert Pickerig, son of Robert Hallett Pickering
was born in Muddy Creek Victoria in 1853.
Regards, Bill.
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Hi Bill,
It is hard to know what information you have about Margaret Ann WHALAN and also what your supporting documentation is, so I hope I am not doubling up on what you already know.
The child Matilda was born in Grafton
10451/1872 PICKERING Matilda Annie
Parents Robert Hallet & Margaret Ann
GRAFTON
It looks as if Margaret had other children outside marriage prior to the above.
10509/1870 WHALAN John
Father -
Mother Margaret
At GRAFTON
(died 1870)
9153/1865 WHALAN Amelia
Father-
Mother Margaret Ann
At Grafton
(Died 1866)
There were a couple named James and Annie WHALAN in Grafton where James was a selector.
There are newspaper references to them and their family
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/search?adv=y
Were these the parents of your Margaret? You have not said.
One of the daughters of James WHALAN, Mary Jane O'NEILL.nee WHALAN died in Casino in 1916.
12396/1916 O'NEILL Mary J
Parents James & Anne
At CASINO
And another
5246/1930 HOLLIS Julia A
Parents James & Annie
At CASINO
Have you spotted and tried to follow up on this news item.
Clarence and Richmond Examiner and New England Advertiser Tuesday 28 June 1864
"Miss Margaret WHALAN, eldest daughter of James and Ann WHALAN, come or send your address to the Trustees of William Daniel DONELLY Esq. late deceased; but if married send your husband's address as news of great importance awaits you. John Hall and William Anson ..? Trustees , Cumber House, 519 Victoria Street, Melbourne.
Sue
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For those assisting: http://williamsfamilytree.co.uk/tree/showmedia.php?mediaID=1554&medialinkID=5997
http://williamsfamilytree.co.uk/tree/getperson.php?personID=I43154&tree=wft
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For those assisting: http://williamsfamilytree.co.uk/tree/showmedia.php?mediaID=1554&medialinkID=5997
http://williamsfamilytree.co.uk/tree/getperson.php?personID=I43154&tree=wft
Thank you ;D
Well, the link certainly offers a connection between DONELLY and WHALAN ;D
Sue
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Hello Bill,
Thank you for your posting, for which I am extremely grateful.
I have a fairly extensive Biography for Robert Hallett PICKERING, compiled with the help of an Ancestry Public Member Tree "Owner". However, some of your detail throws an entirely different perspective on the information we have. I would therefore like to compare notes with you and would need your email address to send the WORD document. RootsChat will not permit the posting of email addresses for obvious reasons and this will have to be done via a Personal Message (PM). Sadly, you have insufficient postings (2), as I think 3 is the minimum to operate the PM system, so you will need to respond to this posting.
There are one or two questions you can answer which should provide the third. You know a lot about the family and I wonder if you could explain your connection. He was an interesting character to say the least and the one aspect that puzzles me particularly is why Catherine DUNN should change her name to PICKERING when she married a gentleman called Edward STAUNTON??? Incidentally, her Death Notice in The Capricornian published on 02/07/1881 states she is the only child of R.H. PICKERING!!!! There is a lot to discuss, especially when we approach the legality or otherwise of his third marriage ??? ???
For the moment,
Tony
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This looks like the family of John Clavering WOOD who married Catherine DUNN in 1865
http://www.monaropioneers.com/wood-ph.htm
Wood family history, including photos of John Clavering Wood and his wife Kate Elizabeth (Dunne)
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Sue, thanks for the info. The Margaret Ann Whalan, who married Robert Hallett Pickering in 1867 in Rockhampton, was the daughter of James and Ann, (Donnelly), Whalan. She was born in Windsor NSW on 12/01/1841 and presumably came to Woodford Island for the birth of Matilda Annie because her parents had taken up a selection in that area. Subsequent to the registration of the birth of Matilda Annie, I can find no further references to either Margaret Ann or Matilda Annie. I have searched both marriage and death records and news items in both NSW and Qld, hence the interest in references to the death of Margaret Ann in 1916. I thought perhaps Margaret Ann had married again. It was thought that a Matilda Pickering who married Henry Dickenson in NSW might be our Matilda Annie but this appears not to be the case.
Tony, thanks for your reply and I agree we need to facilitate a more direct communications so that we can discuss our own particular involvement with the “Pickering” family. I am relatively unfamiliar with the system so perhaps you can assist me with this.
To clarify one issue, I was not suggesting that Catherine, (Kate), Dunn(e) was the same person as the Catherine Pickering, (daughter of R H Pickering), who married Edward Staunton of Saltern Creek Station, in fact just the opposite. Catherine Dunn was the daughter of Michael Dunn of Yea.
Catherine Pickering who married Edward Staunton was born in 1851 and died in 1881 and could have possibly been an older sister of Robert Hulbert Pickering but there were a number of different Pickering families in Yea so she may have been no relation.
My particular interest in the history of Robert Hallett Pickering stems from the fact that I am one of his descendants.
Regards, Bill.
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Good Morning Bill,
Glad you responded, providing a chance for me to send you a Personal Message (PM) with my email address. The notification that I have sent the PM will be via your inbox and the instructions to open the PM are straightforward.
My interest in Robert Hallett PICKERING is purely academic, in that I am researching for a PhD, as a mature (very) postgraduate, to evaluate the success or otherwise of Parkhurst Prison 1838-1864 as a reformatory for juvenile offenders, one of whom was Robert Hallett PICKERING. I try to create a Biography for each offender which presents the evidence for me to judge the outcome. Your ancestor's case is on the plus side. ::)
For the moment,
Tony
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Just a note of interest. I have been researching the Randall family who came to New South Wales from Ireland in 1840. From what I have found it seems that Edward Staunton who married Catherine Pickering was originally known as Edward Randall who lived in Gresford, New South Wales. I have not been able to verify positively that Edward Randall changed his name to Edward Staunton, and was wondering if anyone would have any leads. I am a descendant of Edward Randall's father - Francis Randall.
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To easyrider123, I may be able to offer some info regarding birth records relating to Yea/Muddy Creek
in the 1850s. You may wish to set up a more direct communication after making a further post.
William H.
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Thanks William. What I know about Edward Staunton is at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Randall-3305.
I have also added the marriage record of Catherine Pickering/Edward Staunton at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Pickering-1668. Her father's name is given as Robert Pickering and her mother's name as Ann McMullen (rather than Mullen).
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Re the wife of my great-grandfather, Robert Hallett Pickering of Muddy Creek/Yea Victoria, the name of his wife, my great-grandmother, was Ann Mullen, (not McMulen). I have a copy of her death certificate and details of her family. The details of her death were subscribed by her nephew whose
surname was "Loan" and he was the son of her sister.
So it appears that the Catherine Pickering who married Edward Staunton was not the the daughter of
of Robert Hallet Pickering.
Regards, William H.