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Hi Kris,

The info comes fron William's second marriage cert. (no parental details on first one) and his death certificate. Both state he was born in Truro, Cornwall and  give the parents' names John Holman & Mary Holman (maiden name). He was 49 when he remarried in 1888 and 63 when he died in 1894.

I haven't been able to locate him in NSW Immigration records, but I've just noticed he spent some time in Victoria (he was a miner) so perhaps he went there first.  I'll see what I can find.

Thanks.

Sharyn

Thanks, Willow. 

My guess is that any application would have been made in Charters Towers so I'll give that a try and see what turns up.

Sharyn

Hi Anna,

Yes, I've seen that entry in the 1901 census and wondered if it could be him...there doesn't seem to be any other likely candidate, but it's also possible that Thomas had left England for Australia by the time of the census.

I've checked the immigration records and, wouldn't you know it, I can't identify him there either!

Thomas' brother, Stephen Burns, also seems to vanish.  It's very frustrating.

Sharyn

Hi Barbara,

No, according to Thomas' marriage certificate his mother's name was Ellen McBride.

Sharyn

I'm trying to find information on my great grandfather, Thomas Joseph Burns RYAN, who according to his marriage certificate was born approx. 1876-1877 in Liverpool, Lancashire.

He married Isabella McCabe in Ingham, Queensland, Australia, on 27 Jan 1903, and their daughter, Lilian Margaret Ryan was born 16 Dec 1903 in Charters Towers, Queensland.

His marriage certificate gives his parents' names as Thomas Burns Ryan and Ellen McBride; his occupation was draper and auctioneer; he was a widower.

After the marriage Thomas seems to just vanish and his wife, Isabella, subsequently remarries in Charters Towers on 21 Feb 1912.  Information provided by an elderly family member was that soon after his marriage to Isabella, Thomas left for New Guinnea and was never heard from again.  Before he left, Thomas had requested his wife to send some packages to New Guinnea, which she did, but apparently poor Isabella never heard from him again.

If Thomas came to grief in New Guinnea I feel there must be a record of it somewhere and possibly Isabella would have heard about it.

My feeling is that he returned to England.

I've also tried to locate a birth registration for a Thomas Joseph Burns Ryan in Liverpool with the right parents' names and have been unable to do this.  Nor have I found a Ryan family who fits the bill on census records. I have, however, found a marriage record for a Thomas Burns and Ellen McBride in 1873, Bridgend, Glamorgan, Wales.  This couple moved to Liverpool and had a son, a Thomas BURNS, in 1877.  Other children include John (1875), Mary Ellen (1879), Stephen (1881), Patrick (1882), Michael (1888) Richard (1890) and Elizabeth Catherine (1896).

Could this Thomas BURNS be my great grandfather?  The dates fit, but if this is him, where does the RYAN come from?  Perhaps it's a stepfather's name, but I can't find Ellen marrying a Ryan in later years.

My mind has entertained all possibilities, even that Thomas was a bigamist. Could he have come out to Australia on business, lied about being a widower, made up the RYAN bit, then returned to England (via New Guinnea) to an awaiting wife???

If anyone can offer some help/suggestions with this it would be greatly appreciated...I've been stuck with this line for 12 years now.  If it wasn't for his marriage record and the birth of his daughter, I'd be thinking Thomas was a figment of someone's immagination!

Thanks.

Regards,
Sharyn