Miner with Two Wives

[Ebch]

I came across this article whilst searching old newspapers in the Royal Cornwall Gazette. Dated July 1864 and headed Miner with Two Wives it reads:
"St Austell - Some few years ago, a miner left St Austell for Australia, leaving a wife and young daughter at home. He succeeded very well at the diggings and for some time sent regular supplies to his wife and child; at length he stopped doing so and the poor woman suffered in consequence. At last she was obliged to apply to the St Austell Board of Guardians for assistance to support her child.  The Board thinking her story doubtful, offered her the workhouse; but subsequently one of the Guardians told the Board he had reason to believe that she had really been badly served by her husband and then she was granted relief for the child.  She then learned on undoubted authority that her husband had married another woman in Australia and when she ascertained that the board could not pay her passage thither she was in sad trouble.  At length fortune came to her aid. She heard that some miles off resided a person who wanted to send two children to Melbourne with a respectable woman, and on making application she was approved for the purpose. Her passage thus being secured she still had to procure a passage for her daughter and being known at St Austell as a well conducted person, the gentry and shopkeepers subscribed the required amount and the Board gave her some clothes. She and her child started on their long voyage in September last. (1863)
A letter has just been received from her.  She found her husband had turned farmer and was located in the bush about 50 miles from Ballarat. After some trouble she reached the spot.  He was in the harvest field and on being asked if he knew her he seemed much surprised and said he believed he did and confessed, on the question being put to him, that he was married to a woman there.  Ultimately the Australian 'wife' accepted 200 pounds and repaired to her parents." 
Now then Rootschatters - who was he?  The above is as written in the article - no names were mentioned.

[mum mum]

Hi,
After a search of our Newspapers site, Bigamy does not appear to be uncommon.
Nothing seems to match the details given in your storey though. There are plenty of cases listed where one party has been charged with bigamy in the 1860's but I can't find one that mentions a wife coming from overseas to find him.

mmum mum

[Ebch]

Thanks for looking Mummum - One day some Rootschatter whose ancestor came from St Austell in 1863 may see the posting and think it may be one of theirs 
Meanwhile I'll see if I can find a woman with three children (one hers and the other two she was supervising) in the outgoing ships in September 1863.
Just curious 

[Redroger]

I have something of the reverse (geographically) situation in my tree. My great grandfather's brother was transported in 1832 for life for highway robbery. He had married 2days after the robbery to the sister of an accomplice with another accomplice as witness. He died in 1841 in NSW having received a ticket of leave some 2 months earlier. His wife in England had two children with another man she never married him, and kept her husband's surname until 1891 as did her children, though though acknowledged the other man was their father.

[jorose]

http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/13103864?searchTerm=%22St.+Austell%22
 - also mentioned here, with pretty much the same info - apparently via the Ballarat Times.

It seems likely that everyone was copying from the same article which didn't list names.

St. Austell 1861 census has several women listed as "husband abroad".
I did find a possible connection:
Selina Bray, husband abroad, two daughters - Gertrude (4) and Jedida (3). Familysearch shows her husband as John. Can't find them in later censuses, did find this:
http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/8475210?searchTerm=%22Selina+Bray%22

Assisted immigration indexes show Gertrude and Jedida(h) headed to Victoria on the GRESHAM, arriving Dec 1863, but their mother doesn't seem to be listed. Newspaper indexes show the Gresham left Liverpool Sep 1863.

Interestingly enough Gertrude and Jedidah are also listed or appear to be so under the name Job, along with Mary (30 or 33) and Elizabeth (9 or 10).  I presume there are two sheets, one showing G. and J. as "Bray", one showing them as Job and travelling with Mary and Elizabeth.

Mary Job, 30, married, supported by husband "in America", and daughter Elizabeth, 7, are living in St. Austell in 1861.

[Ebch]

Nice one Jorose   

[alison2763]

Further to Jerose' posting

Jedidiah BRAY { b Cornwall} married John PHILLIPS { b Ballarat}  1877 # 2346
Their children:
William John b 1877 Kingston # 23246
Thomas b 1878 Kingston # 23868 d 1955 warragul # 23757
William John b 1881 Ballarat # 377
Ethel Louisa May b 1882 Ballarat # 6736 d 1921 Ballarat # 160 married name  BARKER
Hercules Theodore b 1883 Ballarat # 21179 d 1933 Melb # 5460
Albert Ernest b 1885 ALLE d 1965 Footscray # 2906
Ruby Mabel Pearl b 1891 Ballarat East # 19341 d 1961 BUND # 8155 ( Married  name  BRENNAN)
Jedidiah Hilda b 1893 Ballarat # 695 d 1976 Ballarat # 19904
Ivy Myrtle Burness b 1894 Ballarat # 8831 d 1896 Ballarat # 25243
George Eric b 1895 Ballarat # 17983
Ivey Myrtle d 1895 aged 10 months Ballarat # 360
Selina b 1897 Ballarat # 25456 d 1898 Ballarat # 282
Ivy Myrtle b ? d 1967 Melb # 25728 { Married Name FOSTER }

Jedidah PHILLIPS d 1943 aged 86 Caulfield -unknown parents # 7214


Gertrude BRAY { b Cornwall} married  William  NINNES { b Cornwall}  1878 # 1667
Their children:
William b 1878 PLEA # 24724 d 1939 Williamstown # 2850
Wilmot b 1880  Warragul # 5609 married  Willaim PREISIG 1914 # 10111 d 1960 Mildura # 35444
Ethel May b 1881 Warragul # 20258 married  Jos Walker MOORE 1903 # 2473R
Gertrude b  1883 Morwell # 11086 married James Alex Lamond NOCHOL 1913 # 13012 d 1932 Cheltenham # 1071
Kenneth Thomas b 1892 Thorpedale # 18033 d 1930 Melbourne East # 2387

Gertrude NINNES d 1925 aged 70 Williamstown - John BRAY and Selina HORE # 12014


If John Bray and Selina were the couple they must have made up !
Joseph Hoare b 1864 Ballarat # 19796 d 1871 Bendigo # 5540
Marion b 1866 Ballarat # 12715
James b 1867 Ballarat # 20024
Selina b 1869 Ballarat # 13092
Woodman b 1871 BUNG # 7581 d 1923 Bungaree # 4602
Silas b 1872 Bendigo # 14477 d 1959 Warragul # 26667
Eliza b 1873 Bungaree #  22410 d 1951 Kew # 7333 { married name  SELLS}

There is also
Miriam  UPTON d 1958 aged 91 Fitzroy- John BRAY and Selina HORE # 1139 { probably Marion )

I hope this information helps someone.
Regards
Alison

[mum mum]

Hi,
Why didn't I think to check the census?

John Bray in Victoria doesn't appear to have married the other woman, if it was him. There are 4 John Bray marriages 1859-64 and all have had large families.

So it looks more likely that Mary Job has travelled out with her daughter Elizabeth and escorted Selina's two daughters Gertrude and Jedidah.

No marriage for John Job either, the only marriage produced 4 children.

mum mum

[jorose]

I'm not sure if Mary Job's husband was a John; I'm having trouble working out which marriage is the right one.

Potentially Annaniah Job m. Mary Jelbert in  May 1851, St. Austell  (I think he was "Ananias" on the census etc this is probably the right spelling).  He may be the 21 year old miner in 1851 with his mother before the marriage.

I think (although I don't have full access to the Victorian records) that there is an Ananiah Job marriage in 1860 in Victoria (possibly to Mary Bouchier), but there also appear to be births to him and Mary Jelbert there.