My gggg grandfather, William Henry Downer died in 1891 in Australia, but his death certificate states his place of birth as "Barbados, West Indies". He married Maria Matilda Penman in 1846 at St. Anne's Limehouse, London.
Only his father's name is known, as his wedding certificate mentions his father Henry as deceased.
He is known to have worked as a steward or cook on several passenger ships which travelled between Tasmania and the Australian mainland, with records of his arrival stating his place of origin variously as Barbados, "West Indies", British, or sometimes Tobago.
Searches online have so far been fruitless.
I understand that often people name their children after relatives, so his eight known children were as follows:
- William Henry Downer, named after himself presumably
- Maria Matilda Downer, named after his wife
- Gabriel Downer, possibly named after wife's brother Gabriel Penman
- Alfred Robert Downer
- George William Downer
- Lewis Downer
- Frederick Downer
- Lily Elizabeth Downer
The two eldest children, William and Maria, were born in Stepney, London, while the others were all born in Tasmania.
If anyone has any pointers or information, that would be greatly appreciated!
