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Messages - PatLac

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1
Australia / Edward Stratford, son of the 5th Earl of Aldborough
« on: Monday 22 April 24 23:23 BST (UK)  »
While researching the Australian police case the Somerton Man, I became interested in the offspring of the 5th Earl of Aldborough, Mason Gerard Stratford, particularly one of his sons with Mary Arundell, Edward Stratford, who was exiled from Leghorn (Livorno), Italy in 1852, along with his older brother Henry Mason Stratford. Both arrived in Australia per Rip Van Winkle in November 1852 (PROV).

Another brother, Charles Alexander Stratford, arrived one year later in Nov 1853 per Sea Ranger. He married Louisa Wilhelmina Reither and lived with their 11 children at Avon Plains, Victoria, until his death in 1892.

One of the children (not his biological child) was Alice Stratford, who married John Comber Robertson, the parents of Dorothy Jean Robertson, who became the wife of Carl Webb, aka the Somerton Man.

Henry Mason Stratford lived in Victoria (Castlemaine diggings, Bealiba, Avon Plains, Hawthorn, Buln Buln East), married Mary Ann Lawrance "Marian" Taylor and died in 1911 at Hawthorn.

I couldn't find anything about Edward Stratford. He probably had a middle name, and maybe was known by it, or maybe he died shortly after arriving in Victoria, probably at the gold digging fields.

His brothers Henry and Charles were storekeepers, postmasters and registrars at Avon Plains c. 1870-1884, when their partnership ended.

Charles bought the Royal Hotel and managed it with an adjacent store until his death, while Henry managed the post office until his presmises caught fire in 1889.

The Royal Hotel (then known as Stratford's) also caught fire in 1896, under Charles' son, Alfred Edward, management.

Charles Alexander's children had the same first or second names of his parents, brothers and sisters, so maybe Edward had one of these names.

They were: Alfred Edward, Charles Frederick Byron, Henry Mason Gerard, Ferdinand, Martin Harold, Lawrence Conrad, Powis Lorraine. The girls were Jane Arundel, Florence Olivia, Louisa May Georgina.

Alice was probably adopted or a granddaughter raised as a daughter, her birth registration is missing, but her age at death, 84, in 1980, gives us the approximate DOB 1896, four years after her alleged father's death.

The 5th Earl of Aldborough had a complicated marital life. His children with Mary Arundell, one of his alleged 4 wives, were: Henry Mason, Edward, Charles Alexander, Olivia, Georgina, Jane, Byron, Charlotte Florence, and Mary. They were born at different countries and all christened at Leghorn around the same time, after the Earl's death in 1849.

Any information or clues are welcome. Thank you.





2
Australia / Re: Henry Edward Stratford, New South Wales (d. 1890)
« on: Friday 12 April 24 15:52 BST (UK)  »
I have found John Gordon's thread on Ancestry message boards (inherited from RootsWeb)

https://www.ancestry.com/boards/localities.oceania.australia.vic.general/11722

Apparently Henry Mason Stratford fostered his grandfather, Donald Reuben Gordon.

He has no birth certificate, married under the surname Gordon (Vic BDM - mar. reg 2168 / 1910) , enlisted under the surname Stratford and died under the surname Stratford (Vic BDM - death reg 17701 / 1956). His military file is avaliable on NAA and his grave on Findagrave.

John Gordon has a brief profile on WikiTree, I've sent him a message, just hope he's still around, born in the 1930s.

The lady that posted on WikiTree about the Sea Ranger passengers headed to the Castlemaine diggings, Joan May Lewis, has probably passed away, she was also born in the 1930s, her profile on WikiTree is being administered by another person who is not related to her.


3
Australia / Re: Henry Edward Stratford, New South Wales (d. 1890)
« on: Thursday 11 April 24 13:08 BST (UK)  »
I wonder how John Gordon, who posted on the now (unfortunately) defunct RootsWeb mailing list, could be a descendant of Henry Mason Stratford, if he didn't have any children (only one stillbirth daughter in 1884).

https://wayback.archive-it.org/20669/20230803144038/https://mlarchives.rootsweb.com/listindexes/emails?listname=aus-vic-gippsland&thread=75778

He's talking about a lost/ex nuptial/fostered child from around 1882, the year of Henry Mason's marriage to Marian Taylor. Maybe Henry Mason had a child with another woman?


4
Australia / Re: Henry Edward Stratford, New South Wales (d. 1890)
« on: Wednesday 10 April 24 17:09 BST (UK)  »
According to this bio at WikiTree '(...) "Sea Ranger" 16 July 1853 sailed from Boston to New York, thence, to Melbourne with unassisted passengers, including more than one hundred miners to search for gold in the Castlemaine district, Victoria.'

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Gordon-11914

This corroborates a post on RootsWeb by Helen saying Henry and Charles sold goods to miners at Castlemaine.

I don't know where Charles boarded the ship, but it's certain that the Sea Ranger, which was one of the many ships of the "Pioneer Line of Australian Packets", (Monthly Nautical Magazine, and Quarterly Review, Volume 1, page 374), went to Australia via the Cape.

"In their dash to reach the Victorian goldfields in the quickest possible time, many ship's captains adopted the new 'Great Circle' route in the 1850s. Passing far south of the Cape of Good Hope, they sought the 'Roaring Forties' – the strong prevailing winds that blew from the west to the east between 40 and 50 degrees south."

https://museumsvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/resources/journeys-to-australia/

5
Australia / Re: Henry Edward Stratford, New South Wales (d. 1890)
« on: Wednesday 10 April 24 14:38 BST (UK)  »
The Sea Ranger was an American ship that sailed from New York  in November 1853.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/86415326

Charles not noted on the passenger list, he may have been in Steerage.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4799350

So if Charles A STRATFORD was in New York, maybe you could also look for Edward there?

Edward arrived one year early (11 Nov 1852), with Henry per Rip Van Winkle. Their names are on the passengers' list availble on PROV.

Charles is listed arriving per Sea Ranger in 9 Nov 1853 (PROV). I think he might have boarded at Cape Town, not New York.

Henry and Edward had been sentenced to death, commuted to prison (10 and 6 years), and finally to exile, so they had to leave Tuscany immediately. Charles was set free, maybe he stayed a bit more with his mother, but I can't see why he would go to New York, as they had no money.


6
Australia / Re: Henry Edward Stratford, New South Wales (d. 1890)
« on: Tuesday 09 April 24 17:59 BST (UK)  »
There are two references in the Tasmanian archives, one is H. E. Stratford's departure from Launceston in the cabin of the Lady Bird on 12 March 1854, and another is Mr. Stratford's arrival in the Cape Horn, departed from Geelong on 17 Sep 1854.

I wonder if Edward Stratford could have gone to Tasmania.

Henry Edward Stratford published a notice in the newspaper asking Charles A. Stratford who arrived in the Sea Ranger to write to him, so maybe he went to Tasmania to meet Edward?

The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 – 1957)
Sat 3 Jun 1854
Page 2
Advertising

CHARLES A. STRATFORD. who arrived last Nov-
vember in the Sea Ranger, is requested to send his
name in full, and address to H. E. S., office of this
paper.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4808787?searchTerm=%22charles%20a.%20stratford%22#

7
Australia / Re: Henry Edward Stratford, New South Wales (d. 1890)
« on: Friday 05 April 24 02:08 BST (UK)  »
Thanks, maddy! Yes, it looks like a '4'.  :)

8
Australia / Re: Henry Edward Stratford, New South Wales (d. 1890)
« on: Thursday 04 April 24 15:07 BST (UK)  »
Maddy, regarding the Vic, NSW, Queensland, WA, SA and NZ BMD records, Edward is not there.

You're probably right regarding goldfields records.

I have just found a description of Henry Mason Stratford in the book 'Victoria and its Metropolis - Past and Present, Vol. 2, Alexander Sutherland, 1888, pages 141-2' (free ebook) and a newspaper clipping on Trove that corroborates that the Stratford brothers (Henry and Charles Alexander) spent more than a decade (until 1868) digging at the goldfields - Forest Creek and others - and hawking at Bealiba (Cochrane's), before settling at Avon Plains where they had a store and hotel. No mention of Edward though, which makes me think he died during this period, because his name isn't mentioned in the available passengers lists.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/190702334

I wonder why the family tree on Ancestry says he died in NSW. Maybe they went to the Bathurst and Braidwood goldfields soon after they arrived?

Regarding, Henry Edward, or Edward Henry... I think his DOB is probably 1824, according to the death notice (aged 65), but everything is possible. I will update this info on FamilySearch. Thanks again, maddy!

P.S. Can you post the source of the christening information? Thanks!

9
Australia / Re: Henry Edward Stratford, New South Wales (d. 1890)
« on: Wednesday 03 April 24 22:53 BST (UK)  »
If Edward Stratford died shortly after his arrival in Australia in Nov 1852, where would his death record be available?

"From 1788 to 1856 the only birth, death or marriage records kept in the colony of NSW were registers maintained by the churches when they performed a baptism, marriage or burial. This required people to attend a Church in person which means that not all life events in this period are recorded."

I reckon if this was the case his death record doesn't exist.

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