Seeking a family who lived in Geraldton in Western Australia.

[getovait]

Hi everyone,
I'm John Edward and Ellen Helena Olsen g/daughter. My father was Arthur George 24.3.1913 died and  Uncle John Edward 17.1.1908 took over the farm at OAKAGEE that their parents left to all the kids after paying them out.
MY G/father jumped ship over east when he came out from Sweden and changed his name from Johanne Edwarde Olssen or Olsson or something similar to Olsen
I have lost touch with all my cousins from this side of the family.
Actually seeing my G/mothers sisters names is surreal as my father n uncles n aunts never talked about them. They all hid the fact that they had aboriginal in them

[Cjazee]

Hi

I am looking for the missing link in my Grandfathers story.  His name was James Pearce/Pearse he was born Yalgoo 1890 to William Pearse/Pearce and Anni.  Annie was aboriginal and her mother Jane Thungarra/Dhungarra/Dongarra/Governor was aboriginal. 

Jane married Henry Aubrey (1830-1907), there was embarrasment of the times to to have aboriginal blood.  I understand that Jane and Henry had Julia, Thomas, Ellen, Rudolph, Margaret, Mary ann, Bridget and Milli Aubrey.

Annie is my grandfathers mother and i a sourcing more information on this ladys missing link.  I believe they may have been take to moore river native settlement.

Annies mum Jane had a brother called Willie Governor who was born in Champion Bay (Geraldton Region). Any help or information you may have will be gladly appreciated. 

My name is Carmel Jones, my mother was Lorraine Pearse/Pearce, her mother was Gladys Kennedy, she married James Pearse/Pearce, his mother was Annie.  What records i have record that she was known as Anni (aboriginal). 

cheers

Carmel

[CallyJ]

Hi Carmel

I'm sorry I am unable to help you with your missing link to your grandfather's story, but you have answered a query I had regarding my own family connection to William Pearce and Annie.

My great grandparents were Henry and Jane. Their daughter Elllen was my grandmother. If Annie was Jane's daughter this makes her my grandmother's sister/half sister and my mother your grandfather's 1st cousin. On Ancestry DNA I have links to descendants of William Pearce and Annie so of course this explains the connection.

Moore River Native Settlement was established in 1917 and the first residents arrived in 1918. I wonder if the State Records Office in Perth have any records on the early residents of the settlement. Might be worth checking out.

I have a book named 'Yalgoo' written by Alex Palmer and published in 1985 which tells the story on pages 4 and 5 of William Pearce and his involvement in the discovery of gold in Yalgoo in 1892.

 

[getovait]

Hi CallyJ,
if Ellen was your grandmother and she is mine as well, that means we're cousins. I have not met any relatives from my grandmothers side. May I ask who your parents are?

[Cjazee]

Hi Callyj,

thank you for this.  I have a family tree on ancestry.com i am happy to share if you wish. aboriginal births deaths etc were not recorded so early in WA's history.  also aboriginal names was only singular, so annie, janie etc were all they were referred to as.  i plan to head to the state records to do some further checking. also early pioneers often had aboriginal wives per se.  thank you for the Yalgoo reference will do further digging.

cheers

[thomo7]

Hi all,
I was about to have a shot as some research on your topic but looks like much of the Aussie history is done! I lived in the Kimberley for about 15 years and though on the east coast now, can really relate to the distances and lack of records that you've mentioned. A friend of ours (who is now deceased) applied to receive the aged pension about 10 years ago and found that he didn't have a birth certificate, he requested a search and was told that he didn't have one, so to prove his age he had to find a contact from the community near where he was born, (he was born in the far eastern part of WA, in a cave, literally, and he hadn't been living in the area of his birth for about 45 years). He located a fellow who completed a stat dec to say that when he was about 12 years old, our friend had been born! Fortunately, our friend was able to receive his pension and retire!
All the best on your quest.
Cheers, JT

[Lisa S]

Hi All
My great g/grand parents are Jane and Henry Aubrey. Millie is my dad's grandmother. I've recently been up to Broome and Roebourne. There are so many Aubrey families in that area. My thinking is that Henry may have had other children before he married Jane.  Not much to go on thou. It’s been amazing reading the posts from all of the descendent

[CallyJ]

Hi Lisa

Thank you for your post.

My brother spent time in the north-west of Western Australia many years ago. He said the same thing about the number of Aubrey families in the area. All we need is one of these Aubreys' to do an Ancestry DNA test and be matched to some of us who have done the test!!

Your father's grandmother Millie. Would that have been Millicent Aubrey? My grandmother Ellen Aubrey had a sister Millicent and also a daughter who we all called Aunty Millie (my mother's sister).

I'm having a break from family history at the moment. I have come to a dead-end with finding any more information about Henry Aubrey and Jane.

Kindest regards.

[Mark Lavelle]

I am Ellen Helena Olsen's Great Grandson Her Daughter was Edith Mavis Olsen/Dunstan/Nankervis, who was my Grandmother, that I spent many years with as a young boy
My mother was Mavis Joan Dunstan/ Lavelle, her brother Frank Dunstan is currently collaborating with myself to fill in lots of missing pieces to our genealogy, from Oakagee and far beyond
I have recently been to visit my Great Great Grandfather Henry/Harry Aubrey/Aubery's grave in Yalgoo after tracking him down, through visiting every cemetery from Geraldton to Meekatharra