McCullum's Creek baptisms

[big g]

I am trying to find baptisms for three of my grandmother's siblings c 1866 to 1870. During this time they were living Sebastopol, Ballarat and Four Mile Flat, Maryborough. I have a copy of a family register where it states my gt.grandparents first three children were baptised McCullum's Creek. I have been told there wasn't a church a McCullum's Creek at that time, so they were possibly baptised somewhere else in this vicinity or by a travelling minister.
Details of children:-
1. Ellis Williams born 27th April 1866  Sebastopol - died 24th April 1867 Cobblers - I have his death and grave details.

2. Ellis William Williams born 29th June 1867  Sebastopol Hill- I have all his history to his death.

3. Catherine Williams born 19th February 1869 Four Mile Flat - Again I have all her history.

My grandmother was born 1870 Alma, Maryborough - she was baptised in Caernarvonshire, North Wales, on the family's return to Wales - they travelled on the "Great Britain" in June 1870.

They were in all probability Welsh Calvanistic Methodists, however my gt.grandparents married in 1865 at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Carlton, Bourke, Victoria.

Hoping against hope, with fingers crossed.

[judb]

This is just an indication of where you might find information if the Williams family did attend the Welsh Calvinistic Church, apparently there was a congregation at Sebastopol at the relevant time.

From https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/evans-william-meirion-12906
Biographical details of William Merion Evans,
At first a miner and part-time preacher in the Ballarat area, he gave up mining in 1864 on being appointed minister of the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist churches at Ballarat, Sebastopol and Cambrian Hill. His wife died in 1869. On 7 November 1870 at his Ballarat residence he married Ellen Jones, née Roberts, a widow. In April 1871 the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist General Association of Victoria transferred Evans to take charge of the Welsh Church in Melbourne.

There is still a Welsh church in Sebastopol - perhaps they have records?
https://carmelwelshpresbyterianchurch.com/

Judith

[big g]

Judith,
Thank you for those links and information, very much appreciated.   First thing tomorrow I will contact the Welsh church in Sebastopol.

  G.

[NZfamily]

I am trying to find baptisms for three of my grandmother's siblings c 1866 to 1870. During this time they were living Sebastopol, Ballarat and Four Mile Flat, Maryborough. I have a copy of a family register where it states my gt.grandparents first three children were baptised McCullum's Creek. I have been told there wasn't a church a McCullum's Creek at that time, so they were possibly baptised somewhere else in this vicinity or by a travelling minister.
Details of children:-
1. Ellis Williams born 27th April 1866  Sebastopol - died 24th April 1867 Cobblers - I have his death and grave details.

2. Ellis William Williams born 29th June 1867  Sebastopol Hill- I have all his history to his death.

3. Catherine Williams born 19th February 1869 Four Mile Flat - Again I have all her history.

My grandmother was born 1870 Alma, Maryborough - she was baptised in Caernarvonshire, North Wales, on the family's return to Wales - they travelled on the "Great Britain" in June 1870.

They were in all probability Welsh Calvanistic Methodists, however my gt.grandparents married in 1865 at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Carlton, Bourke, Victoria.

Hoping against hope, with fingers crossed.

Hi Big G

I had a look at Trove with the search terms "Ellis Williams"~0 and a number of results came up that may relate to your family:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/search?keyword=%22ellis%20williams%22~0

There are a couple of convicts of that name listed that predate the baptisms that "might" be your ancestors (
Ellis Williams, one of 230 convicts transported on the Isabella, April 1818 - arrived Sep 1818, New South Wales https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/williams/ellis/33191) & (Ellis Williams, one of 199 convicts transported on the Maitland, 26 August 1843 - arrived Feb 1844, New South Wales & Norfolk Island https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/williams/ellis/59576), if the same name carried down through the family (however you'll have to apply to the relevant institutions to see these, State Library of Queensland & Australian National University - ANU).
There are also a few articles about an 'Ellis Williams' after the baptisms, which may relate to your family - that is of course if the tradition of keeping the same name in the family applied.

regards
B

[majm]

Hi all,

Victoria was hived off from New South Wales in 1851, so that is about ten or so years after the ceasation of transportation of convicts to NSW in 1840.  Convictism had ceased to VDL in the early 1850s, leadng to a formal name change - Tasmania.  South Australia was established under the policy of not receiving ships transporting convicts.  Convictism concluded in 1868 to Western Australia, and of course Queensland was not hived off NSW until late 1859. 

So I doubt there would need to be a detailed search of Convict records in any of those six colonies.

Baptisms would be recorded in church registers, according to each denominations own rules and regulations of that era, and those records are not civil registrations that become available for access to members of the general public.  So Judith's suggestion to contact the current Chapel is very sensible.  It is likely the Chapel won't have a fulltime archivist, but perhaps a volunteer member of the congregation may know where the extant registers are located and how fragile they may be or if they can be accessed and perhaps digitised.

JM.  Edited for spelling mistakes.  Predictative texting on e reader.   

[big g]

R. Wilks,
Many thanks for your suggestion, however neither of my gt. grandparents were convicts; my gt.grandfather sailed to Australia 1855 on the 'Blue Jacket', unassisted. My gt. grandmother 1865 on the 'Oceanic', assisted.  He was a slate quarrier back in Wales, met my gt. grandmother in a Victoria hospital where she was working and attended to him when he sustained an injury.  Back in Caernarvonshire, Wales they had lived in villages only a few miles apart,  but had never met.

majm,

I have made contact with the Welsh church in Sebastopol as suggested by Judith, and have received an acknowledgement.

G

[bitzar]

big g

A bit off topic, BUT.... if you didn't already know, St. Andrew's Carlton has quite an interesting history.  My grandparents were married in St. Andrew's Gardiner along with many other family member's and old time family friend's of the day.

https://heretoday.blog/2021/03/15/st-andrews-gardiner/

When you refer to McCullum's Creek, I take it as McCallum's Creek near Carisbrook.  There was a Wesleyan Methodist Church in Maryborough by at least 1866 although a minister was officiating in a Tent during the early 1850's. 

bitzar.

EDITED

[big g]

bitzar,

Wow, very interesting article, thank you very much.

To think that a minister would be officiating in a tent...............sounds incredulous to those of us in U.K., but we have to remember that at the time areas like this were just being inhabited.

Thanks again,
Glenys

[majm]

Re Ellis WILLIAMS per the Isabella.  From  the NSW State Archives website and their Convict Index,  for the original entry in Convict Death Register - image at reel 690, page 221.

 Ellis died 5 March 1830, at age 32, in the Moreton Bay district, (Captain Logan).

NSW State Archives has current partnerships with several commercial family history websites.

 https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/convicts/guides
and
https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/guides-and-indexes/convicts-index includes the following information about the Convict Death Register :
_{Convict Death Register, 1828-1879
6,649 entries
NRS 12213 (Reels 690). Each entry in the register is a one-line entry only.
P-Z of the index was compiled by Mrs K* V* and Mrs B* J*. We wish to acknowledge their contribution to this joint initiative.}   

I note, on behalf of some of my ancient living relatives  that both those volunteers have contributed to bringing various Archives from that era of NSW adminstration to prominence.   (my ancient living rellies include retired Archivists, originally Librarians, and part of the team that moved these archives from the basements at NSW State Library back decades ago to Kingswood and stayed with the archives as well as retired C of E clergy and also retired NSW BDM and NSW Land Titles senior officers - a reliable brains trust  for NSW centricities)

JM