I would love some help finding John PERNELL (aka PERNALL also PARNELL), born 1855 in Warwickshire, near Birmingham. The son of Christopher Pernell and Harriett née WALTON.
John emigrated to New Zealand in late 1872, and in 1873 was in Invercargill, South Island where he had his first of many run-ins with the local constabulary. In 1879 he was working as a labourer for a railway contractor in Otago. He formed a relationship with Emma LUCAS and they married in April 1885. They lived in Dunedin, Otago where both lived a life of alcohol abuse and petty crime. Both did time for larceny. See this older topic for more background information:
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=661845.0John’s last appearance in New Zealand records was in October 1885, fined 10s for breach of the peace in Dunedin.
I have recently found two records relating to him held by Archives, New Zealand, dating to 1879 and 1892, both being ‘Missing Friends’ requests from his mother, Harriett PERNELL.
The latter document dated 22 July 1892 reveals that Otago Constabulary inquiries showed that John,
‘left Dunedin for Melbourne on 7th of January 1886, and has not since returned here - I am informed that he was seen in Sydney about twelve months ago.’I have found only one vessel sailing from Port Chalmers, Dunedin to Melbourne on 7 January 1886, the SS WAIHORA. She carried seventy-five unnamed steerage passengers and John PERNELL must have been one of them.
The police reply also noted that John was seen in Sydney a year earlier, therefore about July 1891.
Emma later remarried, stating that she was widowed in 1894, but I am very doubtful that this is accurate. She wasn’t known for telling the truth.
Can anyone find any information about John PERNELL in either Victoria or in New South Wales?
Even a likely burial would be fantastic.
Thank you in hopeful anticipation,
Spades
