Henry Davy/Davey death circa 1852 Australia? (possibly SA, VIC or NSW)

[Geoff Pye]

Hello

My Great Grandmother was Mary Ann Davey, the daughter of Henry Davey and Mary Ann (nee Smith)

Like yourself I have been unable to find any record of the death of Henry Davey or the birth of Martha, the youngest daughter, I will be returning to Australia in June to continue the search revisiting Kapunda and trying Burra for any records, I'm hoping a Sextons or burial record my exist even if the death wasn't registered.

I do have  information on the rest of the family and have located the grave of Mary Ann (Smith/Davey/Luke) in NZ.

If there is any way I can assist further please let me know

[juliaanna1701]

Hi Geoff,

Lovely to meet a long lost very distant cousin! Please do keep me updated if you happen to come across any new research for the HENRY + MARY ANN DAVEY saga - I am guessing you are in NZ if you are the descendant of Mary Ann the daughter? Do you have an ancestry account at all because it would be brilliant to be able to share any more info on the family.

Regards

[Geoff Pye]

Hi, nice to meet you as well and yes I am in NZ after living for some time in Aus. My Grandfathers mother was Mary Ann Davey who married Alexander Cormack in Lawrence (Tuapeka) which is in Otago NZ. Elizabeth Edwards, who married in Castlemaine, Christiana, Mary Ann and Martha all came to Lawrence with William Henry and Mary Ann Luke. Christiana Bloxham, Mary Ann Cormack  and Martha  Uren were their married names. William Henry and Mary Ann Luke were well respected in the district, both Wesleyan's as mentioned, William was head of the Temperance Union and Mary Ann a midwife. I have recently found (what I think) is their grave, unfortunately the rather elaborate headstone has fallen over face down but I am planning to have it restored in the near future. I have also found the grave of Christiana Williams (a daughter of Emma Mary) in Moonta SA and traced Emma Mary Williams to Broken Hill where I believe she is buried. I do believe Henry Davey passed away around the same time Martha was born mainly because his name has been carried on down through the family, one of my Grandfathers brothers was named Henry Davy Cormack for example, which would be unusual if there was another reason for his disappearance. I don't spend much time on Internet Genealogical sites but am on Facebook if you wanted to drop a line it would be great to hear from you. 

[juliaanna1701]

Will do Geoff Elizabeth Davey (married Richard Henry Edwards) came back to australia and then back to NZ where they settled - they ended up having fourteen children that survived! First son was Henry Davy Edwards who came back to australia and is my direct ancestor, so I think you are correct on the account that Henry Snr must have died around the time of Martha's birth given MARY ANN remarried so soon afterwards. I'll send you a bell on facebook so if you find anything else in your travels I'd love to here it! 

[sarah]

I don't spend much time on Internet Genealogical sites

We only notify you when you have a new reply Geoff

Sarah

[Geoff Pye]

Hello again !

 I have finally found some time to check a few Davey records and the Cert posted recording the Marriage of William Henry Luke to Mary Ann Davey.
 I see there has been some discussion in regard to the number of children (3) recorded but I also note Mary Ann's age has been recorded as 30 where as my research shows she would have been 37,  10 yrs older than William Henry.

My theory is that the incorrect age was given as such a wide gap in ages wasn't ''socially acceptable " in those times.To support this theory, if she was 30 this would have meant that her first two daughters, Emma and Elizabeth, would have been born when Mary Ann was aged 13 and 14 so to support the age given these two daughters, one who was married and the other very soon to be, were not "mentioned"

It is important to note that B.D.M Certificates are only as good as the information provided at the time.

 Often the informant was illiterate and the ability of the clerk, especially in the case of births and deaths, was questionable so a certificate must be viewed as part of the puzzle, not the key piece. This is certainly the case with Martha Davey who's existence was "written off" through the lack of a birth certificate. 

I will be back in S.A in two weeks to continue the search for the elusive Henry Davey and will keep you posted.

[juliaanna1701]

Thanks Geoff please do keep us posted on your finds!

[Geoff Pye]

Hello again.

Well I'm back from Australia but still without any clues to the fate of Henry Davey although I was fortunate to find and visit Reedy Creek where I believe Mary Ann Davey, my Grt/Grandmother was born and also where Emma Mary Davey married John Henry Williams in 1852. Based on the dates the first mine at Reedy Creek operated, 1847/1852 I have come up with a theory as to the family's movements following this date but I will now start looking for some further proof to back this. It was quite something to walk into the mine that I believe Henry worked in over 160 years ago and to explore the town site where the family may have lived, I plan to return next March to look for further evidence that I am on the right track !     

[juliaanna1701]

Thanks Geoff that must have been a memorable trip