James Frederick HORSFALL / Queensland

[yelkcub]

I’m just starting to research an ancestor JAMES FREDERICK HORSFALL (b. 1908, Darlington, UK). He arrived in Queensland in 1926 (and again in 1931 and 1933). The last sighting I have of him is Nov 1939 – (Trove) three newspaper reports of him in Long Pocket, Indooroopilly, the victim of a theft. At that time he was a 31-yr-old labourer on a cattle farm. I’m keen to find out if James married & whether there are any descendants. Very grateful for any help or advice on how to proceed.

Anyone reading this with interest in Lancashire (Rochdale) Horsfalls, I’m more than happy to share what I have discovered. I’m grateful to the RootsChat member who was kind enough to alert me to James’s emigration.

[whiteout7]

I think he might be in the Australian Electoral roles 1903 - 1980, you would need an a*cestry sub to see the record.

James Frederick Horsfall, 1980, Queensland, Capricornia

(He is not really a historical record because of privacy laws in Australia, so nothing appears on the Queensland bdm free searches, unless someone can prove me wrong)
https://www.qld.gov.au/law/births-deaths-marriages-and-divorces/family-history-research/

[ciderdrinker]

Hi
Electoral roll 1943
James Frederick Horsfall dairy worker Long Pocket road Indooroopilly

1949 Westwood Sanitarium welfare officer Capriconia Duaringa and he's there to 1963.
Seems to have no family with him.

Ciderdrinker

 

[yelkcub]

Many thanks indeed for these replies, which should give me a head start in tracing James Frederick Horsfall's life in Queensland. I have let my A* membership lapse (I had a long break from family history research), but will be able to access the records from my local library.  I looked on the A* site this morning and already retrieved the following mentions - all places in Queensland

1930   Darling Downs
1937   Brisbane
1943   Brisbane
1949   Capricornia
1954   Capricornia
1958   Dawson
1963   Dawson
1968   Dawson
1972   Capricornia
1977   Capricornia
1980   Capricornia

Whether there has been more than one person called JFH I can't be sure, but on the face of it these electoral dates sound as if they refer to just one person. The only possible difficulty: you have JFH in Capricornia from 1949 to 1963, whereas the mention I found this morning has him in Dawson 1958-68.

Another image that I shall want to find refers to a Clara Horsfall as a passenger from England to Australia. Clara was James's mother's name: perhaps she sailed out to visit her son sometime before her death and burial in Darlington in 1931.

Plenty to get on with, thanks to the information you kindly supplied - for which many thanks indeed.

[cupoflife]

Could this be your man?
www.naa.gov.au (can request service record for a fee)
HORSFALL JAMES FREDERICK : Service Number - Q126357 : Date of birth - 10 Mar 1908 : Place of birth - DARLINGTON ENGLAND : Place of enlistment - KELVIN GROVE QLD : Next of Kin - BROWN ROWENA

[yelkcub]

Blimey - this comes as a bolt from the blue. This is undoubtedly the right person. A few years ago, when I began my Horsfall research I made a tentative note:

FreeBMD records the birth in Darlington, June Q 1911 of a Rowena M Horsfall. A Rowena M Horsfall married in Ilford, Essex Sep Q 1940, Frank H Brown.

At the time I could find nothing to prove that Rowena belonged to 'my' Horsfall family. Horsfall is not exactly an uncommon name in northern England - and, as for her married name - I think I gave up before I started on that one. Time to make a more determined effort.

I'm most grateful for this - more proof that RootsChatters are great, generous people!

So, James enlisted in one of the Australian services - presumably during WW2. If he gave his sister as next of kin, then in all probability he was unmarried

[Dundee]

There is a little bit more info on his nominal roll entry - his service number (Q instead of QX) indicates that he enlisted for home service, not overseas.

http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=A&veteranId=82576

Debra 

[yelkcub]

Many thanks Debra -
Much appreciated. Actually there are several good bits of information on the document you were kind enough to send - it all helps track his movements since his migration, and it confirms that he had a sister Rowena. Since I last logged on I've been following leads on Rowena's children - as far as I can tell Rowena had two daughters (so, James's nieces). On had the exotic name Diannysia, the other the more prosaic Patricia. So far I am nowhere with Patricia, but found Diannysia quite quickly - died in her early fifties, unmarried. Looking increasingly likely that James, too, was a lifelong bachelor.
Again, many thanks and best wishes with your own researches IAN

[Aussie1947]

Hi,

The State Library of Queensland hold the Commonwealth Electoral Rolls beyond 1980 and it is very likely I will be visiting the Library next week and I can check the rolls for James in Rockhampton.

Gerry