Author Topic: Immigrants to Melbourne  (Read 16097 times)

Offline Ferryman

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Re: Immigrants to Melbourne
« Reply #45 on: Wednesday 04 March 09 13:09 GMT (UK) »
Hello Sue and Jenn
So much to learn not least perils of making assumptions! Sorry we misread Caroline's birth cert entry, the 5 looks like a 6 in the year column, there is a much more distinct 1857 at the top of the page. So Christina was 33 at time of the birth.
We thought Caroline was only child because we could not find other matches, obviously we were not looking in the right places.
Christina may have died alone without family. Cause dysentery and exhaustion 3 months. Informant (??hard to read) T H Parsons, authorised agent. Parents not known. Married particulars not known. Witnesses to burial S A S Clowes and E H Weekes. Birthplace Queensferry Ireland (perhaps they were thinking of Queenstown in Ireland, a major emigrant port at that time).
Melbourne general cemetery very helpful, says she was buried in the Presbyterian section compartment K grave 706. This grave is a public unmarked grave and the section with a mixture of unmarked graves and headstones is clearly visible on Google Earth.
The three children were a good find, as is the Wm Geo Stephens in Bathurst. We too wondered about the gold rush. We're trying to find him in London before he left but birth regn did not begin until 1837, he might be in 1841 first national census as are the two sisters in Queensferry.

Offline tropicalj

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Re: Immigrants to Melbourne
« Reply #46 on: Wednesday 04 March 09 19:48 GMT (UK) »
Hello  there Ferryman

Does  the death show many children she  had .  They normally  do  ie 2 living three dead


Jenn
When you search for ancestors, you find great friends!
I live in Townsville researching
TOWNSEND,PINNEGAR, STRANGE, PULLEN, GRIFFIN from Wiltshire,,
SHOEBRIDGE, VINALL, BRINDLE, Kent
BAYLEY, Dorset,Yorkshire,
HAIR, Durham,
CUMMINS, BROWNLESS from Yorkshire,
EDSALL,  Cornwall,
MORGAN, HENNESSY, BAKER,  Ireland.
VAN REYK Sri Lanka
All Census Look Ups Are Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.au

Offline Ferryman

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Re: Immigrants to Melbourne
« Reply #47 on: Thursday 05 March 09 08:26 GMT (UK) »
No luck there I'm afraid. Col 13 on the Cert is headed Children but Married particulars not known is written across both 12 & 13

Offline sparrett

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Re: Immigrants to Melbourne
« Reply #48 on: Thursday 05 March 09 08:59 GMT (UK) »
Hi Ferryman,
It is rather sad isn't it.
It is a bit silly to get emotionally invovled with the ancestors, but I cannot help thinking that the girl of the wonderful letter to her father got lost along the way.

The place she died was for the destitute while none of her family, as we know of them, in Geelong and Sydney, seemed to do be aware of her plight.  No-one at the Home knew what we know about her marriage and children and early life.

Ah well, that's family history ::)

I wonder whether we can locate William George's origins in South Australia.

Sue

Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Offline tropicalj

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Re: Immigrants to Melbourne
« Reply #49 on: Thursday 05 March 09 09:30 GMT (UK) »
Quote
We also got Caroline's birth cert, she was born Swanston St Melbourne, and Christina was 43 at the time of her birth. Caroline appears to be the only child.
I wonder what happened to Christina's husband William George Stephens, born London England and a draper at the time of their marriage at Margaret's house in Adelaide? Have tried Victoria bmd and there is no match. Perhaps he died before her and in a different State?

re this quote by Ferryman

We will have to look  at England for a bit more on him

Jenn
When you search for ancestors, you find great friends!
I live in Townsville researching
TOWNSEND,PINNEGAR, STRANGE, PULLEN, GRIFFIN from Wiltshire,,
SHOEBRIDGE, VINALL, BRINDLE, Kent
BAYLEY, Dorset,Yorkshire,
HAIR, Durham,
CUMMINS, BROWNLESS from Yorkshire,
EDSALL,  Cornwall,
MORGAN, HENNESSY, BAKER,  Ireland.
VAN REYK Sri Lanka
All Census Look Ups Are Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.au

Offline Ferryman

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Re: Immigrants to Melbourne
« Reply #50 on: Thursday 05 March 09 11:13 GMT (UK) »
Yes Sp I found it unexpectedly moving at times, the two sisters fared very differently. Maybe they fell out, no problem to a McRitchie ::)
Christina's age in her daughter's birth cert is very hard to decipher, we thought it might be 24 and so it was age at which parent arrived in Australia. This added to earlier confusion over her age (Tuesday postings)
The informant of the birth was the father Wm George Stephens.
Enlarged/cleaned up in Photoshop and we conclude Christina's age is 28 on the cert, certainly the 2 is clear, when in fact she was 33 ...

Offline Ferryman

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Re: Immigrants to Melbourne
« Reply #51 on: Saturday 07 March 09 14:57 GMT (UK) »
Spent ages searching for Wm Geo Stephens around London but bmd registration did not start until 1837 and fm the 1856 marriage record he was born 1825. Nothing in 1841 census, very little in 1851 census.
I have ordered copy of the 1900 Bathurst death cert, as Sue says a long shot but hopefully it will have name of spouse. This will take 2 wks, will post again when we hear result

Offline Ferryman

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Re: Immigrants to Melbourne
« Reply #52 on: Friday 27 March 09 14:29 GMT (UK) »
We heard from the transcriptor and this is the wrong Stephens. Wm Geo the husband of Christina seems to have disappeared.
However we also heard from the kind folks at Geelong Cemetery who sent us pictures of Margaret's headstone. It's been a wonderful story and many, many thanks to you for discovering it for us.

Offline sparrett

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Re: Immigrants to Melbourne
« Reply #53 on: Saturday 28 March 09 01:31 GMT (UK) »
Hi ferryman,

How disappointing :(

However, I suppose it was really the girls you were pursuing and we have not done badly there.

It is good to hear that the contacts you have made regarding transcrptions and burials heave been helpful in attending to your requests.

It is an interesting story.

Sue
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk