Johanna Stanley / Jane Ada Gray / John William Gray - Dubbo area NSW

[wdlocky]

Hi

Trying to trace my husband's great grandmother - Ada Jane Gray.  We have a father for her of John William Gray (labourer) and a mother of Johanna Stanley, but that is all the details that I have.  I can't find a birth certificate nor a death certificate - just a marriage in Qld.

It is believed that there is Aboriginal heritage in this line, but not sure where, but believed that Ada was Aboriginal.  My husband's grandfather had very Aboriginal traits and his father immigrated from London.

The information I have is:
Ada Jane Gray, born in Dubbo around 1887 (22 at age of marriage in 1909)
Married in Qld 1909 (day after son was born) (marriage dissolved 1929 at Rockhampton - 2 children from marriage both in orphanage)
She was a domestic servant
Father of her child was a Labourer (roustabout) at Longreach - Henry (Harry) Thomas Lockyer
Her mother and father were Johanna Stanley and John William Gray (Labourer) according to the marriage extract.

I have found some chats about a Gray family that lived at Obley that has some similar names (maybe a coincidence) and an Aboriginal background.

There was also a Stanley family that lived in an Aborigine camp according to 1903 poll.

Any leads gratefully accepted.

Deb

[wivenhoe]

Using QLD BDM Index online, finds -

deaths
1932/B/18194  Agnes GRAY  died 17/08/1932
Parents Johanna Stanley / John

1937/C/357  Edward Gray  died 14/01/1937
Parents Johanna Stanley / Edward John

Brisbane Cemetery      Toowong    location   7A-48-21
GRAY Agnes   buried 18 Aug 1932   age 45
CONWAY   James Patrick  buried   13 Mar 1898

Burials in the one plot are often for related people.

1898/C/1376    Johanna Gray  died 24/06/1898
Parents Mary Raymond / John Stanley

That death record will be useful for your research.
Johanna has not died in Brisbane  (  C for country, B for Brisbane)

[majm]

There's some relevant info on the following thread
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=679562.0

The original poster was last online back in December last year (17 December 2019).

I will read back over that earlier thread as I had posted some info on it from my offline resources.

JM

[majm]

NSW Electoral Roll 1902-1903  (this is not the same roll as the 1903-04 Roll)
Electorate of ROBERTSON,  polling Wellington.
Emma STANLEY, Aborigines' camp, domestic duties
John STANLEY, Aborigines' camp, labourer
Sophia STANLEY, Aborigines' camp, domestic duties

JM.

[majm]

WARNING,  this post contains words from a newspaper article of 1908.  some of the words may, in this 21st century, cause the reader to consider these words as discriminating based on ethnicity.   

Thursday 4 June 1908.  Wellington Times. page 4.
Wedding at the Hospital

A wedding took place at the Wellington hospital on Monday afternoon, the contracting parties being John Stanley and Sophia Jane Ryan, half-castes residing at the Macuarie Blacks' Camp.  The woman is in such a serious state of health that she is not expected to recover, and it was the desire of the parties to be married before the end came.  The ceremony was performed at the bedside by the Rev F J Dunkley, the witnesses being Matron Suttor and Miss Hetherington, the lady missionary at the blacks' camp.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/141599301

JM

[Dundee]

Possible deaths of siblings to Ada:

GRAY, JAMES
7375/1886
Parents: JOHN & JOHANNA
DUBBO

GRAY, JOHN
5689/1891
Parents: JOHN & JOHANNA
DUBBO

https://familyhistory.bdm.nsw.gov.au/lifelink/familyhistory/search/

Debra 

[majm]

NSW ER 1913 MACQUARIE, polling at Wellington
Emma STANLEY, Mission camp, domestic duties
James STANLEY, Mission camp, labourer
John STANLEY, Mission camp, labourer

JM

[Dundee]

Ada had another child before she was married, Alfred Easter GRAY/LOCKYER in 1906.  It appears that the man she left her husband for was named Thomas HEALEY, and she took Alfred with her.

Son Francis John Thomas HEALEY died in 1931 aged 10.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/48721476
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/149895853

Francis HEALY
Death date:  27/08/1931
Mother's name:  Ada GRAY
Father/parent's name: Thomas
1931/C/2570

There is mention of the father in the article, but not Ada.  She is still on the electoral roll with Thomas in 1930.

I am not entirely sure that Eric was their son, it looks to be a bit complicated.

Debra 

[wdlocky]

Ada had another child before she was married, Alfred Easter GRAY/LOCKYER in 1906.  It appears that the man she left her husband for was named Thomas HEALEY, and she took Alfred with her.

Son Francis John Thomas HEALEY died in 1931 aged 10.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/48721476
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/149895853

Francis HEALY
Death date:  27/08/1931
Mother's name:  Ada GRAY
Father/parent's name: Thomas
1931/C/2570

There is mention of the father in the article, but not Ada.  She is still on the electoral roll with Thomas in 1930.

I am not entirely sure that Eric was their son, it looks to be a bit complicated.

Debra 

Wow, this is a complicated one indeed! So I need to look into the in between times by the looks of it.  If Ada Gray had a child in 1906 Alfred Easter Gray/Lockyer, it was probably to Henry Thomas Lockyer (who she married in 1909), then perhaps she left him after Eric was born and took Alfred with her as well - as only Leslie and Gordon were with their father and placed in the orphanage and their children (my husband's father) only thought there was the two of them.

If she had left him with the two kids and Thomas Healy and then had another child (who tragically died) there is a gap between that and her re-marrying William Cummings in 1935 (where it appears she has lied about her age (10 years younger) and ethnicity (from Mexico) on that marriage certificate).  Her death extract only states the three boys as her sons - Leslie, Gordon and Eric.

Is she on the electoral roll with Thomas Healy or with Alfred Easter?