What happened to Elijah Teague?

[Brentor boy]

In 1851 Elijah Teague, aged 17, was found not guilty of the murder of his step-father, William Kendall, in Cornwall. After that he disappears from the record.

He was the son of William and Mary Teague but there is no record of his baptism on the Cornwall OPC site. His father had, in the past, used the alias Tyack. In 1841 Elijah was living with his mother and siblings and in 1851 he was living as a lodger with neighbours.

I can find no record of his marriage or death on Free BMD. The death of Elijah Teague in 1859 refers, according to the Cornwall OPC site, to a 9months old infant.

Did he emigrate?, change his name? what? Any help in solving this mystery will be much appreciated.

[Milliepede]

In 1851 he is down as Elisha but as you say no obvious marriages or deaths.

Do you know what happened to his mother?  Is she alive in 1861?

[Milliepede]

In 1861 there's an Elijah Pooley in St Agnes - right age and birthplace married 1853 to Mary Jane Cocking but how to know if he is your man - if this person is about in 1851/1841 as EP then can rule him out *

Yours was a school master, this one is an inn keeper.  I wonder if yours could have kept the same profession if he had been accused of a crime.

* he's about in 1851 so can rule him out 

[Brentor boy]

Elijah's mother, Mary Kendall,  was buried at Chacewater on 6 March 1861. Just missed the census!

I don't think the title "school master", at 18, should be taken to imply any formal qualification or professionalism. He probably just helped out. The court report states he also worked on his father-in-law's farm.

[Brentor boy]

 I have just discovered on one of the major subscription sites ( not Anc*), reference to an Elijah Heague,  born 1834, event 1853 on the British Merchant Seaman 1835-1857 records.

Is anyone able to expand on what that record contains, please?

[rosie99]

Just two entries Out journey no place given in 1853,  return in 1855 sorry I can't make sense of what it says. He was born Truro 

[Brentor boy]

Thanks, Rosie, that looks encouraging. Elijah Teague was from Kenwyn, which is now part of modern Truro.

I wonder where he went after 1855.

[jorose]

There seem to be some references to him in the Australian papers suggesting he may have been to Queensland, or at least the family thought he was there:

In 1873 - Elijah Teague, formerly of Chacewater, Cornwall, wanted to communicate with his nephew, Joseph Watters, then ill in Brisbane:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/27276701?searchTerm=%22Elijah%20Teague%22
(A Joseph Watters, son of James and Mary Ellen Teague, died in 1934 in Queensland. )

And then nothing to 1950, when US-based relatives were looking for descendants of Elijah, who they thought died in Queensland around 1880:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/211952048?searchTerm=%22Elijah%20Teague%22

I can find no trace of an Elijah Teague or Tyack on www.bdm.qld.gov.au but an Albert Edward Teague, aged 44, from England, did die in Queensland in 1880. An alias, perhaps?

[Brentor boy]

Many thanks, Jorose, most intriguing.

At his trial, Elijah's mother declared that she had had eight children. I have identified seven of them. Perhaps Mary Ellen is the missing one. Another avenue to be explored.