I'm not sure WHERE to make this post, so here goes!
I have a couple in my family, William and Charlotte Yates, who migrated from England to Australia in 1875 aboard the Great Britain on its last voyage to Melbourne departing August 26, and arriving in Melbourne on 20, October 1875. William had married Charlotte Lakin on 14 August 1875 in Leicester.
William was born on late 1851 or early 1852 and Charlotte in 1856 in Leicester, England according to Census and other records. So at the time of their marriage, William was 24 and Charlotte 19 years of age. William's occupation was boot and shoe riveter, a profession shared with his grandfather. Charlotte was a worsted spinner. Both thus filled roles in two common occupations in Leicester at the period and there was nothing in the family histories to suggest either had significant financial resources, though they apparently paid their own passage to Australia. For several generations their families had been in similar employment.
When they embarked for Australia on board the Great Britain William and Charlotte gave their ages as 35 and 32 respectively (i.e. 11 and 13 years older than they actually were) and William's occupation as grocer.
My questions are two:
why this couple might have given these exaggerated ages and
why William might have claimed to be a grocer. (It appears that in later years the family knew how old William was – certainly they did before he died in 1898, but it was only on her death in 1939 that family came to realise that Charlotte was 13 years younger than she claimed!)
Within 2-4 years of arriving in Australia William had been in partnership in at least two Boot and Shoe manufacturing businesses and shortly thereafter built a large factory for his own business in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. (The factory still exists, is National Trust Listed and is apparently the only remaining factory of its type in Melbourne.) The boot and shoe industry in Melbourne was growing very rapidly at the time and the positions advertised available were numerous. One might have thought it would be of advantage to claim a trade useful in the industry in Australia.
I'd be interested in any comments on my questions.
Thanks folks!
