Hi,
we've just inherited a fabulous collection of old photographs of our Maxwell ancestors from Ayrshire (later move to Cumbrae Buteshire) and included are a series of photographs of members of the Howard family.
I'm desperately seeking some sort of confirmation of who these Howard ancestors are. Anything from the 1841 or 1851 census returns for Scotland would be terrific and I'm guessing perhaps Wigtownshire as our link as I believe the Howards may have been the family of Rachel Maxwell's husband.
This is what I know:
RACHEL MAXWELL Ch: 27 DEC 1829 Portpatrick, Wigtown, Scotland
parents:
THOMAS MAXWELL AND ANN DUNN
Marr: 27 JUN 1829 Middle Or New Parish, Greenock, Renfrew, Scotland
In 1841 Thomas, Ann, Rachel and other children were living in Church Court in Largs, Ayrshire and Rachel was 10.
In 1851 the family had moved to Cumbrae (Thomas was working on the building of the Cathedral) and Rachel is not on the census with them.
So I'm guessing that she married sometime between 1847 and 1851 although I've not been able to find any record and thus not sure what age she would have been.
Next trace we have of her is as witness to her sister's marriage in Castlemaine in Victoria, Australia in 1860. She is listed as Rachel Howard.
A check of the passenger lists into Melbourne revealed the following:
John (29 Miner) and Rachel Howard (26) arrive in Melbourne with their infant in October of 1857 aboard the Oliver Lang from Liverpool. This was actually quite a fortunate place to disembark as the clipper was wrecked shortly after off Wellington in New Zealand.
I've not been able to find the marriage of the couple or the birth details of John/Joseph Howard at all. The ambiguity of the name is because we believe him to be a Joseph despite the ships record as all of the photographs call him uncle Joe.
I will attach a couple for interests' sake.
Any help with finding the marriage or idenifying the family of Joseph Howard would be a great relief. The only other clue we have is a photograph entitled "Dr. Howard" which we believe is one of Joseph's family.
Thanks in advance for your time and energy.
Kirsten
Netherlands
