Best - Stephens

[oldjoe68]

Looking for info on family BEST:
F - John BEST
M - Ann Stephens (maybe Nancy Stephens)
Child - Thomas b 1835
Location - Cornwall
Thomas emigrated to South Australia but unsure of when and whether with the family.
Religion - Bible Christian.
oldjoe48

[lizdb]

Hi and a warm welcome to Rootschat

This looks like it might be him on 1841 census. Relationships are not given on the 1841 census, and ages are often rounded.

St Dennis, Cornwall
John Best 55 Ag lab
Nancy 41
John 16
James 12
Jennifer 8
Thomas 6    all bn in county

[lizdb]

And 1851

St Dennis
John Best 67 farmer bn St Dennis
Nancy 50 bn Rache
John 27 stone mason bn St Dennis
James 21 clay labourer bn St D
Thomas 16 farm labourer bn St D
Richard 9 bn St D

[lizdb]

1861
Lower Hamlet, Wollaston, Gloucestershire
John Parry 45 paper maker
Eleanor Parry 45 wife
James Parry 14 son
Thomas Best 25 unm Visitor Bible Christian Minister bn St Dennis Cornwall

I think he must have emigrated by 1871

[oldjoe68]

Many thanks for that. I am confused however???
Not sure of his mothers name as I didn't really have any hard info. The listing for John Parry and Eleanor Parry with Thomas 25 unm - what does this mean?  Why listed with the Parry family? Visitor?

Earliest hard detail I have for Thomas as a Bible Christian minister in Australia is 1862 which makes him 27 at that time. Gives me a bit more info to find him on a ship. Any info related to:
* Parry's
* Gloucestershire
* Bible Christian's
* unm
much appreciated

[rosball]

Hi oldjoe,
   unm   means unmarried.

   He was possibly visiting the Parry's as part of his ministerial duties on the night the census was taken  ...

   There are quite a few mentions of him on trove as a Bible Christian minister in South Australia.  I was trying to find an obit - do you know when he died?  I did find an obit for his wife if you don't have it.

regards,
   Ros

adding : I think I calculated that he died around 1876 as he predeceased his wife by 46 years and she died in 1922

[rosball]

And here is a link to history of Bible Christian Church
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Christian_Church

regards
   Ros

[oldjoe68]

Thanks for the explanation. I think I have read every Trove mention of Thomas. This is a copy of the text and ref. paper. If you want the exact extract I can get it for you, no problem.
Adelaide Observer 25 July, 1874
Deaths
Best – On 20th July at the Sturt Post Office, Thomas Best aged 39 years.

The last mention of him as a practising Minister was 7/9/1868 so there is a 6 yr gap before he died. His wife Ellen Jane nee Hawke was the Post Mistress at the PO so where he fitted into the PO is a bit of a mystery but seems they were living there. Ellen remarried 2 yrs later and married her assistant/employee in the PO and they had 3 children.

Update: Apologies, dumb response. Can't find an obituary either. The death notice is very terse, no mention of loving wife and family and no church notice. Very mystifying. Need Miss Marples on this one.

[lizdb]

Sorry if I didn't explain the 1861 clearly. He was just visiting the Parrys on census night - we have no idea if it was just that night or a longer visit, or if they were friends, relations, or to do with his training.  And, as has been explained, unm is just short for unmarried.

If the earliest record you have for him is in 1862, then that gives a small window for when he emigrated. 1861 census was taken the night of 7th/8th April 1851, so it will be after that and before the first date in 1862 that you have a record of him in Australia.