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Messages - teckyhead

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1
Australia Resources & Offers / Link: BMD Searchable Certificate Repository
« on: Saturday 30 March 13 05:31 GMT (UK)  »
Hello All,

I've recently resurrected I site I ran back in the late 90's called Genealogy Downunder. The first major part of that resurrection is a searchable database of birth, marriage and death certificate information. It's very easy to use and anyone can submit the information from certificates they have purchased.

The name and email address of the submitter is kept private, but you can add a link back to your own website in case someone wants to contact you regarding the certificates you have entered.

There aren't many records in there yet but I do hope that the genealogy community will embrace it and contribute. The BDM index is here:

http://genealogydownunder.com/bdm-database/

Regards,

Gary Smith

2
Australia / Re: Michie, Varney, Veale, Whelan
« on: Thursday 09 February 12 15:05 GMT (UK)  »
Hi Debra,

What a very useful resource :). I'll definitely send those images.

Gary

3
Australia / MICHIE, VARNEY, VEALE, WHELAN Death Certificates
« on: Thursday 09 February 12 10:54 GMT (UK)  »
I recently purchased some images of death records that had several records other than the one I was looking for. If any of these people are of interest, please let me know and I'll transcribe it in here:

These records are from the East Melbourne district.

Andrew Bennett Michie (Fitzroy) - died June 28 1929 aged 74

Frederick Tasman Varney - died June 28 1929 aged 16

Myrtle Veale (Caulfield)  - died June 28 1929 aged 32

Elizabeth Whelan (Ivanhoe) - died June 29 1929 aged 73

Gary

4
Australia / Re: A HARPER Conundrum
« on: Sunday 05 February 12 07:15 GMT (UK)  »
Hi Cando,

Quote from: cando on Sunday 05 February 12 06:29 GMT (UK)
Hooray..... ;)  I was starting to think that Gary would never accept that William James/Ernest and Wilfred Eric were the one and same.  Now do you also accept that Mabel Jean and Rachel May are also the one and same person?  I wonder if she had to provide a birth certificate for an aged pension c1950 hence the correction to the electoral roll.

I very much doubt William/Wilfred was the father of Alan Verdun/Vincent.  Nothing to do with an error at registration....it was cross referenced to be registered under the name of HARTSHORN ie the birth is registered twice both as HARPER and HARTSHORN.

I will mention here that it not usual practice for fellow forum members to purchase certs to help the OP along the way....and a thank you would have been nice :)

Gary have you printed this thread and given it to your uncle?

I do hope you have one of the many family tree software programmes that are available ;)

Cheers  ;D
Cando


First off, a million thank you's. I really can't thank you enough for the time, effort and money (!) you've put in to gather and present all of the records and information you've provided. I apologise for not saying that earlier, because I was certainly thinking it.

I spoke with my uncle this afternoon and directed him to this discussion. He said that whilst he knew Rachel May as Grandma Harper, her friends all knew her as 'Jean'. He knows much more about her than me of course, and was surprised that she was in the electoral role at 200 Victoria Street (the orphanage) as Mabel Jean. He agrees that it is indeed Grandma Harper and that she does appear to have had a name change.

We are going to do some more research - I have an aunt that I've not spoken with yet who lived with my grandmother for some years before my Nan died and she still lives in Nan's house.

I also had a talk to Maurie and he has a whole bunch of information that he is going to send me.

I'm 99% convinced :) so I'm going to pull together all the information we have, build a timeline, find out whatever else I can, talk to my uncle some more (and he's going to talk to his brother and sister) and then build the rest of the tree.

I've looked at some family tree software but really don't know which one is best.

Gary

5
Australia / Re: A HARPER Conundrum
« on: Sunday 05 February 12 03:28 GMT (UK)  »
Quote from: maurcar on Sunday 05 February 12 03:12 GMT (UK)
Garry, William Harper  Wilfred or Wills as he seems to be also  known as was born 14 April 1875 I believe they are the same person. Annie Maria Smith nee Fraser was my grand mother. It appears he deserted her shortly after my father was born in 1905.

William did indeed join the Marquis of Tallibardine’s Scottish Horses. He signed on as Trooper on 15th February 1901 and departed Australia on March 15 1901 aboard the S.S.Orient. Trooper WE Harper 31632 CC/OFS/T/ 01 (Transcribed reads Cape Colony/Orange Free State/ Queens South African Medal with Clasp 1901) This can be confirmed by obtaining a copy of The Southern Cross Scots by John.E.Price a record of the Boar War.
 
 William Ernest Harper who sometimes appears to have bent the truth, signed on as an engineer. Volunteers had to be of Scottish descent (William was Irish), Single (he was married) be a good horseman, a good shot with a rifle and under 13 stone (83Kg).

 Nothing much is known about William, judging by what Annie Marie stated in the Gisborne court he deserted her just after Ira Charles Norman was born and went to live in Tasmania. It appears that a riddle has been solved I am of the opinion that your grand father and my father are half brothers. Have you any photographs of Wills as both Annie and he were deceased prior to my birth. Dad never spoke of him or any other family for that matter. It is a mystery that is slowly unraveling.
 Maurie

Hi Maurie and thanks for your info. I have to admit that when I saw there was an Ira and a George that were the children of William and Annie Maria I was a little bit shocked. And the dates certainly seem to fit ... that he left Annie around 1905/1906 and then had his first child with Rachel in 1912.

I do have a photograph of 'Wilfred Eric' that was sent to me by my uncle. I'll attach it. Perhaps someone can identify the uniform he is wearing.

Gary

6
Australia / Re: A HARPER Conundrum
« on: Saturday 04 February 12 16:19 GMT (UK)  »
I found a record in the PROV database that looks like it relates to the arrest of William E Harper reported on Feb 20 1907. There was a William E Harper convicted on Jan 23 1908. The offence is listed as 'maintenance'. Under 'Sentence' it says 'To pay 5/- weekly' and then says 'In default Imprisonment Indefinite'. The case was tried at 'Gisborne Petty Sessions'.

For personal details it says height was 5ft 6 1/2", hair brown and eyes grey. Date of birth says 1876. Under 'previous history' it just says 'married'. He was held at Melbourne Gaol from 24 Jan 1908 until 11 Jul 1908 and there's a note in red with the release date that says 'To Freedom Special Authority'. His occupation says 'hair dresser' which is interesting as the other part of the arrest involved theft of hair clippers.

The medical info for Wilfred Ernest Harper's enlistment in 1915 says his height was 5ft 6 1/4", hair grey and eyes grey.

Gary

7
Australia / Re: A HARPER Conundrum
« on: Saturday 04 February 12 08:52 GMT (UK)  »
Quote from: cando on Saturday 04 February 12 08:05 GMT (UK)
Gary I thought you would have read all the WW1 file before this.  I simply assumed you had all that information.  Yes I also noted the electoral rolls info.  I didn't post it as you said you were using ancestry.  I don't post everthing that I find as you have access to the records.

Yep - sorry. I suffer a bit of information overload from time to time. :) I think I need to go through and record all of the verified and unverified info and see how it looks.

Quote
If you want more validation about Wilfred/Wm James I suggest you download his birth cert to see what month in 1875 he was born and see if it tallies with him being 40 years 5 months in Sept 1915.

I will see if I can find anything in the Police Gazettes....but not tonight ;D

Thanks :). I downloaded William's birth certificate and he was born in Riddells Creek on the 14th April 1875 - 40 years and 5 months before his enlistment.

It really does look like William may have done an identity change and lied about his age when he enlisted.

Gary

8
Australia / Re: A HARPER Conundrum
« on: Saturday 04 February 12 07:09 GMT (UK)  »
Quote from: cando on Saturday 04 February 12 06:38 GMT (UK)

This may be of interest
HARPER Stanley Francis.
Funeral notice   Died 29 Jul /91
Cemetery Mildura Cemetery
Father of Mariene


Definitely. That's my Great Uncle Stan. I knew he was born in 1914 and died at Red Cliff but didn't know the date that he died. Thanks!

I found some more info in the military archive. There are 33 documents at http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=4420282 and the last few are about his war medals. One of the medals was issued to his widow in 1925, stating that he was deceased. Document no. 31, dated 29/12/24 has 'Widows Address' as 10 Austin Street Footscray. I looked at some electoral records but the only Harper I could find at that address was Ada Harper in 1914. Interestingly Annie/Anna Maria Harper was on the electoral role in Footscray from 1914-1937.

That may well be the Annie Maria that you found the marriage record for .. to William?/Wilfred?.

What a tangled web... :)

Gary

9
Australia / Re: A HARPER Conundrum
« on: Saturday 04 February 12 05:12 GMT (UK)  »
Thanks for all your research cando :)

Here are some interesting facts which had actually led me to believe that Samuel/Honorah were Wilfred's parents early in my research. I later dismissed them as another family but after your info I'm leaning toward it again.

One confusing issue is that the death record from Mildura states his age at 52 when he died. That seemed to fit with the Wilfred Harper that fought in the Boer war as he stated his age at 46 when he enlisted in 1915 - which would put his birth around 1869 - which also works with age 52 at time of death in 1921.

First piece of info - on the death record from Mildura it says his parents are Samuel Harper (grazier) and Norah Harper (maiden name Ryan). (Bingo?)

I also found an online database for the Ryan family at http://www.eryan.spiderweb.com.au/. It lists several thousand people. If you go to page 2 - Ryan Database E-H and search for Wilfred Eric you will find him listed. It has columns that cross reference the parents. Father is #6004 - Samuel Harper, born c. 1839 in Antrim Ireland and died c. 1902. The mother is #5982 - she is on the R-S page and is Honorah Ryan born c. 1843 in Clare, Ireland and died c. 1929.

Thoughts?

Gary

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