Victoria Australia marriage documents for Hugh Hastings SHANKS

[Bottie]

Hugh Hastings SHANKS left San Francisco to go to Australia in 1852 to find gold. He met and married Mary Ann PERKINS He was in harbour of Peru in November of 1854 where his first son was born and so the marriage happened before this. I am not entirely certain they were married in Victoria but if my thoughts are right her father James Perkins died in Richmond 26 Feb 1862 I am assuming this is her family as they went to Australia from Whiltshire England. However I have nothing to prove this is my family and need the marriage certificate to hopefully gleen information to prove this.
A lady here did tell me that they were married in St James Old Cathedral in Melbourne but the volunteers there found nothing.
Any help would be much appreciated!   

[warncoort]

Victorian BDM now free to search.https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm/indexsearch.doj
More unwanted certificates here..http://ausbdm.ucoz.org/

[Bottie]

LOL been there done that! I am at my whits end with this man. I can not find a birth or marriage record for him and I have nothing to prove his wife is really his wife. All I have is his death record and family letters to prove he is real. We are beginning to think maybe he changed his identity when he moved west in early 1800's from New Brunswick. LOL
Thanks for the input.

[cando]

A lady here did tell me that they were married in St James Old Cathedral in Melbourne but the volunteers there found nothing.

Do you mean on rootschat when you say 'here'?  Perhaps you were registered with another user name as I can only see two posts for you to date.

Civil registration in Victoria commenced in Jul 1853 and if they married prior to that date and the parish records were not forwarded to the Melbourne BDM Registry as required by legislation, then you will not find a marriage record for your couple.  Be aware that this was the period for the gold rush in Victoria and if they married in a rural area there is more likelihood of parish records not reaching Melbourne.

The first marriage registration in Victoria for a Mary/Mary Ann PERKINS in Victoria was in 1855.

I cannot see a marriage for them in Australia.

her father James Perkins died in Richmond 26 Feb 1862

The only James PERKINS death in 1862 Victoria is for a 10 month old child who was born Richmond.   In 1860 the same couple registered the birth of a daughter Mary Elizabeth PERKINS at Richmond.

Births
PERKINS Mary Ann Elizabeth
Father James Peplor  Mother Elizabeth WHEELER
At Richmond  1860  Reg#1468

PERKINS James Peplor
Father James Peplor  Mothe: Elizabeth Nixon WHEELER
At Richmond  1861  Reg#12608

Death
PERKINS James Peplor
Father James Peplor  Mother Elizabeth Nixon WHEELER
1862  Born Richmond  10 Months  Reg#7404

What is the source of your information that Mary's father was James PERKINS and he died 26 Feb 1862?

Cando

[cando]

You may have made an error with the year of death for James PERKINS.  Died 1872 not 1862.

From Public Records of Victoria, Wills and Admon Index.
http://prov.vic.gov.au/index_search?searchid=54
PERKINS James    Baker    Richmond    26 Feb 1872    9/613    VPRS 28/P0, unit 107;
VPRS 28/P2, unit 6;
VPRS 7591/P2, unit 5

Probate file is digitised and this is definitely the James PERKINS, baker, from Wiltshire, with wife Charlotte who emigrated to Victoria in 1849 on the JAMES T FORDE with family including a daughter Mary Ann.
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01gq8/

His wife appears to be Elizabeth so I am assuming that James re-married after the death of Charlotte in 1858. Charlotte his dau is the only child mentioned in the Will.

PERKINS James
SHEA Elizabeth
1859  Reg#1486

Cando

[Bottie]

Sorry, I say here meaning North America. I am in Canada and the lady I am talking about is in California USA. I don't know where she got her information. But she has talked about the relationship between this family PERKINS in Australia and our SHANKS.
I did make a mistake on the date, sorry. The James PERKINS you mention is the one I think is mine. I have family letters and photographs talking about the PERKINS family from Australia. Also one of Hughs sons was named James Perkins SHANKS. On Mary Ann Perkins death certificate it states she was from Wiltshire also on Census records. So I know the family name is PERKINS and I am thinking this is the right one but just have not proved it yet. I am reluctant to say it is fact when I am not 100% certain.
Yes, Charlotte his wife died and he remarried Elizabeth but this was only information I picked up doing the search here and at Ancestry.

[cando]

This may be your man

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60127039
16 Jan 1852  EAGLE arrival from San Francisco, Captain Samuel SHANKS with Hugh SHANKS passenger

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4785140
25 May 1852 to Launceston

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4786915
26 Aug 1852 leaving Melbourne for Sydney

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article61325443
24 Jun 1853  Hugh SHANKS passenger for Melbourne.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article61325930
11 Jul 1853 Cargo for Melbourne

James PERKIN's son James Peplor married Elizabeth Nixon WHEELER in 1858 but I have traced them to his death.  Elizabeth placed a paid notice in the newspaper of the day stating she had paid for his funeral!!

My thoughts at this stage - if Mary Ann and Hugh married in Victoria then it was possibly prior to July 1853.  Not all churches co-operated with the government request to forward registers to the Victorian Registry for transcription.  I have searched the indexes and there is no marriage in Victoria.

James and Elizabeth SHEA had a child..but there is no mention of a son in his Will.

PERKINS Alfred Joseph
Father James  Mother Elizabeth SHEA
At Melbourne  1862  Reg#9742


Cando

[cando]

Both Charlotte's and James' death certificate should list all issue to their marriage.  You can purchase an image online [AUD$24] and download immediately.

https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm/indexsearch.doj

Addresses for the PERKINS family in Richmond would also help confirm this is the correct family.  I can type up addresses from the Richmond Rate Books and Sands and McDougall directories if you wish....but not today.  What years were the families corresponding?

Cando

[Bottie]

Yes I think this is my man. Samuel SHANKS was his brother who was lost sight of in 1860 when he joined the civil war. Both men were seafarers and Hugh was a carpenter and I believe both boat builders. I do have the record of their arrival in Australia. I also have information that Hugh went to the gold fields on the Ovens River in 1852 but other than that I don't know what he did there. I don't think he got rich as none of the gold made its way down to me!
It looks like I might have to go to Australia to find this information. Too bad I wasn't doing this when I lived there in the 80's. LOL
All the death records I have here with this family indicate mother born Wiltshire England and her death record shows her birth date. They had six children and I have records on all of them. I am pretty certain this is my family but as you say, It is only speculation until verified!!!!
 Thank you so much for your help I really appreciate your trying.
Annie