Sarah Smith

[majm]

Hi,

I will go back over  the thread later and consider your excellent questions.   I can answer one straight away ....

Illegitimacy .... no,  a person's denomination had no effect ...clergy marry according to their denomination's 'rites'.

In fact,  in NSW,  there was never any  formal 'Established'  church....  there are various baptisms, burials, marriages recorded in several C of E parish registers in the penal era  of NSW that are transmitted records for ceremonies that were not conducted by CofE clergy. 



JM

[majm]

And second answer

Divorce ...

Divorce laws did not come to NSW  until 1873....

JM

[sasarina]

Thanking you, 2 down.
Just thought of something, would the minister know they were illegitimate?

[majm]

Clergy were and are trained to have open minds.  They hear and see many things.

  If for example they learn that the baby brought to be baptised was born outside of marriage,  that does not stop the baby from being baptised,  baptism has no effect on making the relationship between the parents legitimate or otherwise.... same with marriage .... The marital status of the parents of either the bride or the groom has no effect on the eligibillity of the bride or groom to be married to each other....  Burials ... same.... whether the deceased's parents were married to each other ... nope not a concern

JM

[sasarina]

Thanks so much, I will leave you to it.
Have to go now

[sasarina]

Just wanted to wish everyone happy International Women's Day

[majm]

Well, sadly,   I  continue to have concerns as to joining dots for Joseph's ancestors.  I still cannot see how to confirm that it was his dad on that inquest .... and I cannot find his mum's death either. 

I can speculate that your guesses may be on track ... but I also know that SMITH as a surname in Sydney in that era can be difficult to validate with any official document ...

Perhaps go to Charles LEWIS death and look for the informant as a possible first cousin to Joseph .... why did Joseph not get mentioned on that ... perhaps not known by informant... where buried,  burial order,  who paid for plot,  who were they etc ... so seek to positively confirm a connection from the info in that set of records with your 100% confirmed known ancestor Joseph...

JM

[majm]

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18694459 Maitland Mercury 24 March 186 

DEATH OF AN OLD MAN.-The City Coroner held an Inquest at the Observer Tavern, George-street North, on the body of a man named Charles Lewis, aged sixty-six years. The deceased man resided near Lake Macquarie, and being very unwell, suffering from a rupture, his nephew, who was captain of a small Schooner called the Maid of the Lake, determined to bring him to Sydney to get him into the Infirmary. On Tuesday last the schooner sailed for Sydney, and while crossing the bar Lewis went down below, fell to the floor, and died. Upon the arrival of the schooner in Sydney the body was removed to the dead house, Circular Quay, where it was seen by Dr. Hamilton. That gentleman was of opinion, from the appearance of the body and history of the case, that serious apoplexy was the Immediate cause of death. Verdict- “Died suddenly from natural causes."-Herald, March 20

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/115427312 Freeman’s Journal 21 March 1863
…… Another inquest was also held at same place on the body of a man named Charles Lewis, aged 66 years.  On the 16th instant he exhibited signs of illness, and on the following day his nephew, who is in command of the schooner Maid of the Lake determined to bring him to Sydney and have him admitted into the Infirmary.  Whilst the vessel was crossing the bar the deceased suddenly expired.  Mr Hamilton examined the body and stated that in his opinion death was caused by serious apoplexy …. 

I leave it to sararina to search for the name of the commander of the Maid of the Lake.

JM

[majm]

I am probably duplicating info already given, but I have noticed that there are a number of submitted trees available online, and there is the d.c. for Sarah WEAVERS …. So here is my  interpretation of that NSW BDM death cert for Sarah WEAVERS, ref 1876/004820

273
21st July 1876, at Brilliant Street BATHURST
Sarah WEAVERS, Widow, Female, aged 92 years(1876 – 92 = 1784ish)
Cause of death: Old Age,  Body buried under Coroner’s Order  - so was there an Inquest?
NO details re her parents, including no NEE NAME for her mother.
Informant was James SMITH who made his mark.  He was a Farmer and Grazier of Reedy Creek, BLAYNEY, and his mark was witnessed by Arthur POUND (hard to decipher that surname, I may be wrong).

Death registered 22 July, 1876, at Bathurst.

Sarah was buried Bathurst 24th July 1876.

The informant (her son James) knew that Sarah was from Herefordshire, England, and had been in NSW for 61 years.  (92 minus 61 = arrived at age 31;  1876 minus 61 = arrived in 1815; )

He also knew that she had been twice married in NSW, but no mention of any previous marriage/s before her arrival at age 31 in 1815:

NSW marriages
Firstly to John SMITH at Prospect NSW at an unknown age and the children of that marriage were:  William, aged about 56;  Mary about 54,  Susan about 52,  James about 51 with 10 deceased of unknown sexes.   

Secondly to Thomas WEAVERS, at Sydney NSW at age 33, and the children of that marriage were: Thomas, aged 42 with 2 males deceased.

The tree owner has this Sarah as born SARAH LAKE 11 April 1791, daughter of a John LAKE and as arriving NSW in 1808 per the Admiral Gambier.    I cannot see that the tree owner has considered and/or reconciled the d.c. info with any other info official records.

If Joseph LEWIS was my ancestor, I would be seeking the descendants of his children with the view to finding if any are holding Joseph's family Bible (assuming one exists) to see if he had recorded any information about himself, his infant brother who had died prior to his own birth, his own parents ....


JM