In regard to not replying to previous posts, I always make a point of responding to each one. I know I have received posts and at a later date when looking for them to clarify a point(in my own mind) I have been unable to find them. At present I have 28 messages sitting in my in box, I'm sure there should be more. So there is a reasonable possibility that some may never arrive to begin with.
In regard to having the 'right' Daniel Kelly, who knows I may have the wrong one it happens.
a; But in defense, by 1845 all the Daniel Kelly's to be in the Colonies were convicts except for one (arrived 1841) The ages/locations of all but one seriously put them out of the equation, except for the 1841 arrival.
b; There were 2 Mary Bastables' in Victoria at that time, the other had married another gentleman and was registering her children at that time. The second MB arrived in Port Phillip and transferred to Portland early in 1849, she was app 19 at that time.
c; I have purchased the marriage certificate (such as it is) for the marriage of Mary BASTABLE to Daniel KELLY at Hotspur on the 4 Nov 1849.
d; I also have a copy of the Register page for William KELLEY, it list his parents as Daniel and Mary Kelley. After searching for possible arrivals, marriages, other children, and deaths for all 3 names nothing more has been found. So there is the chance that Kelly was spelt incorrectly, as Mr & Mrs Kelley ceased to be.
e; It may be a leap of assumption, but given the perpencity of the time of the registration clerk to spell names how he believed it should be, that many people were still illiterate and the possible heavy accents I am reasonably certain I have the birth registration for my GGF.
f; Given the social stigma of being an ex convict let alone a de facto relationship I can understand why it was never mentioned. Mary may have been deserted, or left on her own accord and later met her de facto after he gained his ticket of freedom in May 1852 and left Tasmania for Victoria. Given the history of the goldfields in the early days where fraudsters performed marriages etc for financial gain anything is possible.
g; How do I know I have the 'right' people? Mary was settled in the Ballarat area by 1858, her eldest son lived and died there, her grandson (my GF) was born and raised there and didn't leave the area until 1933, and other family members are still there.
h; Mary didn't die until after WW1 and her daughter in law after WW2 so the history that Mary was my GGF's mother is positive plus the belief that her de facto was his father was never bought into question. He carried the mans surname and it has passed on through to the sixth generation, when is fact it should be Kelly.
i; On all BDM documentation post 1849 Kelly in never mentioned, for all intents and purposes Mary Bastable was Mary Firth dutiful wife of the respectable hard working Abraham Firth. The myth of their pasts survived for over 50 years after their deaths.
I have searched through shipping departure records, BDM for other starts, intra state shipping to come to the conclusion that Daniel Kelly was either murdered and his body successfully disposed of or he had another 'life' and his other family took care of his death. The closest to this is the 1854 death in Victoria where the inquest lists a Patrick as his informant and son, thus making him a bigamist and Mary in a seriously compromised postion socially.
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Topic: Has anyone seen Daniel KELLY? (Read 6579 times)