I thought I would post what info I have about my Martin McCormick dead end in the hope that new sets of eyes can suggest some avenues of research.
I have a marriage certificate showing Martin McCormick marrying Liscillier Delaforce in Port Macquarie 27 May 1871. He is a bachelor, farm labourer aged 28 born Ireland and his parents are Mary Kennedy and Michael McCormick. If this is correct it puts his year of birth at about 1843.
I can find no trace of him entering the country. I have looked all over the NSW State Archives. I thought I had him on the Ocean Empress in 1864 but that one turned out to be someone whose father was Patrick and I think he went to Tumut not Port Macquarie.
There is a possible entrant on the Morning Light into Victoria aged 22 ( not perfect) in 1863. I have found this on the Vic PRO online catalogue but I can't work out how to order a copy if at all. Every thing seems to point back to coming in and viewing in person which I can't do in the near future.
Most of the stuff on the The Mariners etc in NSW Waters site is a bit too recent to cover Martin's arrival.
Can someone tell me how to get copies of PRO Vic records? Or can someone suggest somewhere else to look for his arrival? I'm not real good with the Victorian and Queensland resources. Without more info on his origins in Ireland (which I had hoped to glean this from his immigration record) I'll never be able to track down his Irish roots. There are McCormicks and McCormacks all over - not many Martins to be sure.
Martin appears as a farm labourer on Rawdon Island in the Grevilles Post office directory of 1872. Rawdon Island is on the Hastings River west of Port Macquarie. Most of the farmers on that island originate in Ireland but there is little or no commonality - they come from all over.
He appears as a witness to a Rawdon Island wedding in 1870 - wedding of Bridget Roche and Patrick Carey. The Roches came from County Limerick. They are related by marriages to the Cavanaghs on Rawdon Island. The Cavanaghs came from County Longford. I had hope to find evidence that the Cavanaghs may have sponsored Martin's travels to Australia but to this point I don't know how to find this out without knowing how and when he came to Oz.
Any ideas anyone?The connection to the Cavanaghs continues with Martin's marriage to Liscillier. Bernard Cavanagh and Patrick O'Brien are the witnesses. There are also another family of McCormicks in the north coast area at the same time - these McCormicks come from County Roscommon.
Martin and Liscillier had two children - Mary born 1871 and William born 1875. By the time of William's birth on 9 September 1875 there is no father appearing on the birth certificate and his name is given as William Delaforce. He later adopts McCormack. The family story is that Martin drowned or disappeared in a logging accident.
I don't know how to verify this - any ideas?
The first newspaper in Port Macquarie doesn't start up till 10 or more years later. Nearby Maclean seems in a similar situation. A friend suggested that such a thing may even be reported in a Sydney newspaper. I have started to slowly go through Sydney newspapers but not knowing the date (except that it must be in 1875 if he is really William's father) this is going to be a long, long job.
I can't find a record of death and I have had no luck finding any inquest record but I am not sure I am looking in the right places.
Liscillier later has four more children by Benjamin Blossom. She doesn't marry him which I am presuming means she couldn't marry again for a number of years if her husband wasn't officially recorded as dead. She later does marry a third partner - Charles Wilson - in Sydney in 1887.
So I need help to find out where he was born and when, how and when he came to Oz and how I might find proof of the circumstances and date of his death. Any helpful suggestions will be greatly appreciated.Kath
