RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: dmonaghan on Sunday 04 February 18 16:02 GMT (UK)
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Hi All,
A new mystery that has had us stumped for some time.
Juanita Christina Brett had a female child, B Brett, in 1930's at Paddington, NSW. The child was adopted out some 9 months later and renamed as Y B.
Juanita was said to have been born in 1907 in Bathurst at the time of the baby's birth.
We can find a Juanita Christina Brett in Portland, NSW in 1930 - said to be a Nurse. The address we know to be a part of the Portland Hospital and a local older man said it was where the Midwife nurse used to live - was Juanita the nurse or was she living with the nurse as she was pregnant?
We can find Juanita in 1930 in Randwick, then again in 1933 on the Electoral roll, then she disappears from sight. We could find no record of her Before 1930.
We made an assumption - based on birth year, Bathurst, and last name - that Juanita Christina is actually Mary Christina Brett, born 1907 in Bathurst to Madeline Dennan and Charles Brett.
Mary Christina seems to have mysteriously also disappeared from sight, so this added to our view. Also, a family member confirms that Mary Christina (called Tina) is no where to be found and also she was an outcast of the family for reasons unknown.(?pregnancy)
Can anyone help us to track down Juanita Christina - does she exist or was this a name chosen for the 3 years around her having the baby?
Can anyone help us to track down Mary Christina?
We do know that if Mary Christina and Juanita are the same - Mary may have had a very fractured life - Mary's father died in 1915, her mother Marilyn remarried a Peter Evans Thompson in 1917 who also died in 1927. Marilyn and Peter had a son Andrew Evans Thompson in 1917, who was, by all accounts, an itinerant wanderer, who died in Canberra, ACT after walking in front of a car, drunk, in 1960. Were Mary and Andrew close and did they ever live/travel together?
Mary Christina may have taken the Thompson name at some stage and also may have called herself Mary Dennan too.
Madeline Dennan, Peter Thompson have a background in NZ.
We are completely stumped. You can look at my tree for more clues as we have discovered quite a bit for Mary Christina's original family but we don't even know if this is the same person. These Bretts have benefitted from a thorough Tree at least!!
https://www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/36022356/person/18869085337/facts
A mystery to keep us all going
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maybe this refers to her
"Would Christina Mary Brett, at one time of Darraville, Katoomba, or anyone knowing..."
1948 'Advertising', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 7 December, p. 12. , viewed 05 Feb 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18090406
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Thank you for your help - I am aware of this article - family at the time were unable to provide any knowledge about her whereabouts.
I did write to the lawyer but have not had any response.
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Please confirm that the lass born 1930 and adopted and re-named is already known to be no longer living. She is clearly identified in the opening post by both her birth name and her name after adoption. It is against Rchat rules to name living people.
JM
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If she is still living, she would be 110 years old ??? ??? ??? (Born 1907 not 1930)
Not impossible, but she would probably have been in the news somewhere because of that age ??? ???
Dawn M
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If she is still living, she would be 110 years old ??? ??? ??? (Born 1907 not 1930)
Not impossible, but she would probably have been in the news somewhere because of that age ??? ???
Dawn M
Please read the opening post as it clearly names a baby born 1930 and adopted at nine months.
JM
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Hi All,
A new mystery that has had us stumped for some time.
Juanita Christina Brett had a female child, xxxxxxxxxxx in 1930 at Paddington, NSW. The child was adopted out some 9 months later and renamed as yyyyyyyyyyyy
2018 minus 1930 gives age abt 88.
Add
I have substituted xxxxxxxxx for birth given and surname and ıyyyyyyyyy for adopted given and surname. At present the actual names for baby born 1930 are displayed. I will use R2M button.
JM r2m 0939 NSW
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Electoral roll, NSW, Warringah, Neutral Bay
1932 Brett, Juanita Christina, Stonehaven, Barriston ave, Nurse
1934 Benett, Juanita Christina, Stonehaven, Barriston ave (no occupation shown)
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Dear All,
Be assured - the woman who was the baby has died and she gave permission to her grand-daughter (in writing) to search after her death for the family origins. She did not search during her lifetime as she did not want to upset her adopted parents in any way.
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Thank Matthew - I did drive by that Stonehaven address and it is a now a block of units -there is reference to Stonehaven possibly being a private hospital back in the day (though not confirmed) so I wondered if she worked there as a nurse - or was she a patient there as this coincides with the years after the baby's birth and immediately before she 'disappears'
We have looked for her dying, going to NZ, marrying, moving interstate, going to War - nothing has come up, but then again, we may have missed it.
I think the Benett is actually a misprint - if you write Brett by longhand, you can possibly see Benett so I think this is the same person.
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Do you have death certificates for her parents to see how she was named.......Juanita / Mary.........and how she was named when mother Madeline THOMPSON died.
Where and when was baby Barbara born.
Where and when was the birth registered.
Can you scan the birth certificate and post here for us to see.
Do you have the adoption file.
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1931 'Advertising', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 20 June, p. 21. , viewed 05 Feb 2018, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16787303
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thankyou for this confirmation
have you looked for the 1928 electoral roll entries ?
Dear All,
Be assured - the woman who was the baby has died and she gave permission to her grand-daughter (in writing) to search after her death for the family origins. She did not search during her lifetime as she did not want to upset her adopted parents in any way.
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If she is still living, she would be 110 years old ??? ??? ??? (Born 1907 not 1930)
Not impossible, but she would probably have been in the news somewhere because of that age ??? ???
Dawn M
Please read the opening post as it clearly names a baby born 1930 and adopted at nine months.
JM
Well I'm confused. I read it as the OP is looking for info on Juanita born 1907 ??? ???
Dawn M
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Is this the right Madeline THOMPSON?
Death: 9745/1940 Madeline THOMPSON; Father-Denman; Mother-Marie; Katoomba
Death notice: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/17691705
THOMPSON - June 8 1940 at the Anzac Memorial Hospital Katoomba, Madeline Thompson late of Katoomba dearly loved mother of Hedley, Gordon, Athol, Christinia and Evan aged 63 years. R.I.P.
Funeral notice: Catholic Cemetery Katoomba https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/17691692
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ACT death:
20003253 THOMPSON, ANDREW EVAN, dod 25/6/60
50006147 THOMPSON, Andrew Evan, dod 25/6/60, Father-THOMPSON, Peter Evan; Mother-THOMPSON, Marlene
https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/ci/fattach/get/193575/1517795001/redirect/1/filename/Historic+death+index.xls
https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/ci/fattach/get/193576/1517795090/redirect/1/filename/Historic+death+index.pdf
naa.gov.au
THOMPSON ANDREW EVAN : Service Number - N104925 : Date of birth - 23 Jan 1918 : Place of birth - BATHURST NSW : Place of enlistment - PADDINGTON NSW : Next of Kin - BRETT CHARLES
Contents date range: 1939 - 1948
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Lots of questions - all are correct:
I am looking for Juanita Christina Brett, the mother of a baby Barbara (renamed after Adoption) born in 1930.
I have assumed Juanita Christina is Mary Christina but theoretically, I am looking for any references to either of them - both have disappeared in documentation around the same time, if that makes sense.
Andrew Evan Thompson is Mary Christina Brett's half brother as her mother Madeline Dennan married Peter Evans Thompson after the death of her first husband Charles Brett.
Madeline Dennan-Brett-Thompson did die in Katoomba so you have the right one. Mary Christina is mentioned in the death notice (did she go to the Funeral? I think I saw at one time an electoral roll reference to her and/or Andrew Evans Thompson staying at the Carrington Hotel in Katoomba around this time but can't find it again)
Baby Barbara Brett was born to Juanita Christina Brett - father is blank.
No, I don't have the Adoption record - the Supreme Court say they can't find it.
No, I don't have the Medical record of mother's admission to Royal Woman's Hospital in Paddington - they say they can not find the record. How awfully disappointing and mildly suspicious that both have gone missing.
Moderator comment: full certificate removed. Small portions only are allowed for deciphering purposes
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Moderator comment: full certificate removed. Small portions only are allowed for deciphering purposes
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May help to narrow search if she was mentioned on any siblings death notices? or was an informant on their death? or living with them at any point? Was she a witness on any siblings mariages? Was she mentioned in their Wills? Was she a godparent to her siblings children?
Address for Andrew THOMPSON shown as 99 Causeway, Canberra may be worth checking who else was living there. Funeral notice does not name any family members.
Funeral notice: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/137117372
Cemetery: http://www.canberracemeteries.com.au/grave-search
THOMPSON, ANDREW Woden Cemetery; Buried Thursday, June 30, 1960; Allotment Index L-PR-C-213
Article about his death https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/137120645
Andrew Evan Thompson, 42, labourer, of Causeway, died on June 25 from injuries accidentally received when he ran out into the roadway in front of a car...
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Thank you cupoflife - are brothers and sisters usually mentioned on death certificates?
I will check all this things on Trove. With regards to Mary Christina Brett - My information from living family Brett members is that no one knows where she is or any info about her at all. The only eye-witness story is that she did visit a brother in the 1930s but was not well received and also might have left under difficult circumstances (he thinks something went missing in the home - this is only a story from one of her nephews who was young at that time - that is all he knows apart from her being a family 'outcast' for reasons not known.)
Andrew Evans Thompson, her half-brother - family story is that he was an itinerant labourer and tended to live in 'hostels' and 'hotels' _ I did think that I saw Mary Thompson or Dennan once in the same place as him on something, but it was in the early days of my research and I did not know too much about the family then- I have not been able to track this down again, so maybe I made it up.
With regards to Juanita Christina - apart from the 3 sightings 1930 - 1934 on electoral rolls, she does not seem to exist anywhere else.
I will look for all the things you have said and would appreciate anyone else's searching too as in the past, I have come up with O in Trove searches, etc.
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My information from living family Brett members is that no one knows where she is or any info about her at all. The only eye-witness story is that she did visit a brother in the 1930s but was not well received and also might have left under difficult circumstances (he thinks something went missing in the home -
Where was that brother living at the time of the visit?
Another question.
The name Barbara. Does it occur eleswhere in the family?
If not, had you ever considered it may be the surname of the infant's father?
Sue
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Thank you - the brother was living in the Bathurst area - his son, my informant, does not know why she was visiting but just remembers it being not a happy occasion.
Barbara does not seem to have appeared anywhere else in the family of Mary Christina Brett.
Interestingly one of Mary's brothers did marry (2nd marriage) a Juanita.......but I am also told that there was a famous singer at that time called Juanita who may be the source of the name as well.
Check out my ancestry for the family connections of MARY Christina - but we are searching for JUANITA Christina too..........
https://www.ancestry.com.au/family-tree/person/tree/36022356/person/18881241059/facts
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I notice variations in paperwork/notices for Christina being sometimes noted as Christine, Christinia
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Where was baby Barbara for the nine months before she was adopted?
Was she with mother.....in an institution?............and there are no adoption records?
What do you know about the adopting parents.......is this the couple -
BDM NSW marriage
16389/1928 BOLAND Edgar N m. RENNELL/ REYNELL Elsie @ Ashfield
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Have you eliminated these marriage?
28475/1940 Mary Christina THOMPSON and Cecil Wilton WHYBROW; Yass
20397/1936 Christina THOMPSON and Sydney George CONSANDINE; Glebe
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Have you eliminated these marriage?
28475/1940 Mary Christina THOMPSON and Cecil Wilton WHYBROW; Yass
20397/1936 Christina THOMPSON and Sydney George CONSANDINE; Glebe
And then in NSW
1375/1960
CONLEY Thomas Jerome
WHYBROW Mary Christine
At SYDNEY
Sue
ADDING
And this death
9127/1974
CONLEY Mary Christina
Parents Matthew & Mary Jane
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The Canberra Times has a funeral notice for Andrew Evans THOMPSON, but no family details.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/137117372
Judith
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Thank you - I think I have discounted Mary Christine marrying Whybrow - I will look into COnsadine marriage. The parents on the death certificate of Mary Whybrow are incorrect - her parents are clearly Charles Brett and Madeline Dennan.
Does everyone believe also that Mary is Juanita - can ANYONE find Juanita Christina Brett?
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BTW for ANdrew Evan Thompson (Mary's half brother) 99 Causeway was the Capital Hill Hotel which I believe was a place where migrants and itinerant workers used to stay. It was, by all accounts, a pretty hostile place. I could not find Mary or Juanita there as the same time
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Thank you Wivenhoe.
There are no adoption records - when we wrote to the Supreme Court, they said they were 'lost' - so we have both hospital birth records and adoption records lost........ seems very unfortunate.
However, I do have a copy of some paperwork so she was definitely adopted legally.
Yes, you have the correct Boland family.
We don't know where the baby was during the interim period - I had a bit of a personal theory as this seemed to coincide with the period of Juanita existing on electoral rolls - so I wondered if either she hung around Sydney to be near the baby if it was in an institution, or she and the baby were together during that time and then when she was adopted, she left, or went back to her own name, etc.
This all coincides with the Depression years and also War years - but we have not been able to find any solution there.
Also, although the Nurses Registration records are only now become more available, I am unable to find any nurse Brett or Thompson or Dennan to match - Juanita was listed as a nurse on electoral rolls. I did trawl through the Microfiches at State Records with no luck.
I found a Thank You Nurse Brett notice in Trove for many years later - but it was brief and gave no clues and might not have been anything to do with our person.
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nursing ... perhaps trained in NZ ...
1930 birth cert ... still in closed to public access .... but if you have it did Juanita sign it and compare signature to MAry ...
NSW birth certs often give details of older siblings .... was Mary 1907 the youngest ? if not have you obtained the youngest and looked at sibling list for Juanita by that name?
J.M
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HI All, Still stuck at this point if anyone is interested in taking up the search.
Mary Christina Brett or Juanita Christina Brett
Or she could have taken Thompson as her last name (mother's 2nd husband)
Or she could have taken Dennan as her last name (mother's maiden) We have seen all of the above at various times. But no record for ANY of those names after 1934.
Help!!!.................