Corfu - baptism lookup

[JenClark]

Hello All,

I am trying to chase a lead that I am hoping will help me to sort out a rather annoying brick wall 

I have found a reference to a Thomas Ralph Mensforth born in Corfu who died in South Australia in the Wreck of a ship named the Admella in 1859.

"Thomas Ralph Mensforth lost his life on the Admella wreck. He was born in Corfu from where his father John continued to correspond while the rest of the family was in Australia. Thomas married in 1857 Maria Bailey and a daughter Frances Mary was born to the couple the following year. Besides his wife and child, he left... behind a widowed mother and three sisters, two of whom were Amelia Jane and Charlotte. Maria remarried in 1863, Robert Knowles."

What I was hoping to find out is anything relating to the mysterious John Mensforth of Corfu...baptisms of his children, name of his wife etc...anything to go on 



I found a tantalizing snippet mentioning:

Mensforth, J. Letters to his family, written from Corfu, Sydney and Launceston, 10 Aug. 1822-18 Mar. 1844. 7 letters.

From: Australian Historical Studies, Volume 7, Issue 26 May 1956 , pages 225 - 234 in an article called 'Accessions of Manuscripts' but I can't figure out where for??

But I can't figure out how to view it 



I also found reference to the Ionian Island's Chaplain's Returns on familyrelatives.com and they mention a "Thomas Ralph Mansforth" but there are no dates?? I am a bit confused....

Any help sorting through Corfu records would be great, as I really don't know where to start with this area, where records are kept etc.

Thanks so much 

Jenny

[avm228]

I also found reference to the Ionian Island's Chaplain's Returns on familyrelatives.com and they mention a "Thomas Ralph Mansforth" but there are no dates?? I am a bit confused....

This is just an index - in order to find out any more you need to order the certificate from the GRO as an Overseas Event: http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/


The reference information you will need to quote for Thomas' birth is as follows:

GRO IONIAN CHAPLAINS RETURNS BIRTHS (1818-1864)

MANSFORTH Thomas Ralph

Corfu 11 219

[avm228]

There is also this one:

GRO IONIAN CHAPLAINS RETURNS BIRTHS (1818-1864)

MENSFORTH Anne

Corfu 11 208

[JenClark]

Hi avm228,

I had a bit more of a dig on the index website and the following come up:

GRO Ionian Islands Chaplains Returns - Births
Thomas Ralph Mansforth - no date - Corfu - 11, 219
Anne Mensforth - no date - Corfu - 11, 208

GRO Ionian Islands Chaplains Returns - Marriages:
John Mensforth - no date - Zante - 11,39

GRO Ionian Islands Military Reg - births:
Anne Mensforth - no date - Corfu - 2, 66
Thomas Ralph Mensforth - no date - Corfu - 2, 61

What I would love to know before I order anything is what dates these relate to? Is there anyway of finding this out without forking out for the cert?

Jenny

[avm228]

What I would love to know before I order anything is what dates these relate to? Is there anyway of finding this out without forking out for the cert?

There is unfortunately no way of knowing (other than that it will be within the broad span of dates covered by the relevant volumes) without ordering the relevant certificate(s).

[JenClark]

Bugger....that is a pain 

Problem is I don't know if this is my family or not.... I have a 'known' relative Edward Mensforth who emigrated from England to Adelaide, Australia in 1875 with his wife and kids.

I was thinking that he perhaps came to Adelaide as family was already there. Thomas Ralph Mensforth married a Maria Bailey, and my Edward married Esther Bailey.

I was kinda hoping that they would tie in further back somehow......I don't want to spend too much cash on it though as I may be chasing the wrong family 

My Mensforth's have run into a brick wall it seems.....

I did find mention of a John Mensforth in Launceston Tasmania as below:

Births of Children: Father John Mensforth, Mother Isabella Marova Launceston, TAS
John Mensforth 1840 died 1840
Amelia Jane Mensforth 1841
Agnes Mensforth 1844
John Mansforth 1846 (possible parents John Mansforth & Amelia Morris)

As the references below mention both Launceston and Amelia Jane Mensforth.....perhaps this is also him??

He is starting to confuse me with his hopping around the countryside! I wonder if he went to Launceston as part of the military?

Jenny

[jorose]

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/ shows a John Mensforth who was in the 51st Foot from 1818 to 1841, when he was discharged, at 41.  He was born Kirkheaton, Yorkshire, if that place rings any bells.

Army men were often involved as guards on convict ships.  The 51st foot definitely were:
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~garter1/51stfoot.htm

http://www.lightinfantry.org.uk/regiments/koyli/kingyork_51sttl.htm
 - and they were also stationed in Corfu and Zante.

It's possible that John Mensforth, after his discharge in 1841, stayed with his family in Launceston for a while and then went back to Corfu (work/business?)

[JenClark]

Hello Jorose,

Thank you soooo much for the military info on John Mensforth 

Unfortunately Kirkheaton, Yorkshire doesn't ring any bells....my Mensforth's as far as I can tell are from Northamptonshire then Staffordshire.....but I will squirrel it away in case it ends up tying in somewhere.

From that info it looks like the families are not related...It is not a very common name though so perhaps they all tie in together somehow further back!

Thanks again everyone 

Jenny

[avm228]

Unfortunately Kirkheaton, Yorkshire doesn't ring any bells....my Mensforth's as far as I can tell are from Northamptonshire then Staffordshire.....but I will squirrel it away in case it ends up tying in somewhere.

The Edward Mensforth who married Esther Bailey (mar West Bromwich, 1867) seems to have been born in Liverpool in Dec qtr 1847, and his father Edward in North Shields, Northumberland (according to the 1851, 1861 and 1871 censuses)

1851: HO107/2192/590/50
1861: RG9/2036/58/17
1871: RG10/2990/15/24