HELP!! me find great-grandfather John Robert Davis-emigrated to Australia 1800s

[kroberts236]

Re Ernest: There are numerous mentions of the Geraldton rifle club in the newspapers, but as you don’t mention any specific dates, I did not delve further.
The Innisfail local history society would probably be able to assist you further, with information about the club.

Re John R Davis: As you appear to have so little information, and wish to research him in isolation (without considering family connections that might provide leads), the best place to start would be the Beechworth Burke Museum  - Family History Research Service.

The death records mentioned earlier in this thread are available from here.
https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history
There was an inquest for the 1903 death - available on FamilySearch.


Also note there was an inquest held in Beechworth on 25 Feb 1871 regarding the death of a John Davis. He died on 23 Feb from “dysentery and brain disease”. See FamilySearch for this record.

Thank you so much for your guidance.

I didn't wish to search for him in isolation; I don't have a lot of family to connect with but if you have any suggestions that would be great.  We do have some DNA testing from my brother but Ernest's sons are all deceased. We had one paternal haplogroup match from that which we are
trying to establish contact with. I wish I had more family connections but many of the Chinese families who came to America were very secretive about their origins due to The Chinese Exclusion Act; they were not open to discussing it very much; we got bits and pieces about Australia and there are some photographs and a few medals but not much more than that.  Ernest's wife died in The Spanish Flu Epidemic in 1918; we have one photo of her and a few of Ernest.  So it isn't an easy task to put any of this together.

I really appreciate your assistance.  When you say FamilySearch are you referring to FamilySearch.org?

[wivenhoe]

I can see that you have a reliable source for Australia as birthplace for Ernest DAVIS.

Where do you see Victoria....... and Beechworth, Victoria, as his birthplace?

[mckha489]

Here from reply #6

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9YS-LSJ1-J?cc=3477655&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AD13B-5G6Z

[mckha489]

I can’t see any birth in Victoria BMD that looks right

[wivenhoe]

Thank you for the direction to the Beechworth reference.

If Ernest DAVIS is an interpreter he must have spent a good amount of time in....Hong Kong?...China?

He marries the day after arriving in Hawaii, (aged 38 years at 1912), similar arrival for wife, Mary T MAY (age 24 years at 1912).

There is quite an age difference between them. It might be worth considering that Ernest has taken a few years off his age, and is older that 38 years?

Where did they arrive from?

They have a family of sons, but name Ernest after father, is only used as second given name for two sons.  And John or Robert after paternal grandfather?.

I think it is likely that Ernest has an earlier marriage/family........somewhere?

Witnesses were sometimes strangers, available to suit the purpose eg. clerk at the Town Hall. I do not think this would be the case with witnesses Mrs Cornelia S PIERCE....Dr W F M McALLISTER, available at short notice to be at the wedding.

Who are they?. You might suspect that they are known to Ernest and May.

Census USA  Ancestry 1920
at 682 29th St Alameda Oakland California
DAVIS Ernest   male 47y widower arrived 1906  naturalised 1911
father born England   mother born Ireland  court interpreter   County

DAVIS Archie       6y     
DAVIS Bernie       5y
DAVIS Aaron       3y 11m   all born California, father born Australia, mother born China

BANKSON Carl F   69y  arr.  1866   nat. 1872  born Sweden, mother/father born Sweden
BANKSON Anna    37y  arr. 1903    nat. 1911  born Sweden, mother/father born Sweden
BANKSON Carl F     8y  son                            born California, mother/father born Sweden

Ernest would not be raising the boys by himself. Who are the BANKSONs?

[mckha489]

I thought the marriage in Hawaii was carried out on the boat, “Korea”  by the Captain,  witnesses likely to be other passengers, (I haven’t checked). 

OP says they were already married - but formalising it for America?

I agree about likely to have had an earlier marriage (although if wife is a relation of Tam…..  he would probably be widowed rather than just having run off).

Has anyone identified the contact in Australia. Mr HILL

H.L.Hill of A.H. smith co, Melbourne

[Maiden Stone]

Thank you for the direction to the Beechworth reference.

If Ernest DAVIS is an interpreter he must have spent a good amount of time in....Hong Kong?...China?

He marries the day after arriving in Hawaii, (aged 38 years at 1912), similar arrival for wife, Mary T MAY (age 24 years at 1912).

There is quite an age difference between them. It might be worth considering that Ernest has taken a few years off his age, and is older that 38 years?


I think it is likely that Ernest has an earlier marriage/family........somewhere?


Census USA  Ancestry 1920
at 682 29th St Alameda Oakland California
DAVIS Ernest   male 47y widower arrived 1906  naturalised 1911
father born England   mother born Ireland 

Year of birth on the ship/immigration document (reply #6) was 1870.

Ernest's mother's birthplace Ireland is new information.
He put England for his father's country of birth on this record. Ernest may have been unsure where his father was born, especially if John Davis died when Ernest was young.

Avenues to explore:
Birth and baptism for Ernest.
Ditto for his half-brother/step-brother + any other siblings.
Death for John Robert Davis & his wife/wives.
Marriage/s of John Robert Davis.
Wills, probate.


Was there a local newspaper in 19th century which reported events in the Beechworth area?

 

[Ruskie]

Was there a local newspaper in 19th century which reported events in the Beechworth area?

https://trove.nla.gov.au/

[Maiden Stone]

Also note there was an inquest held in Beechworth on 25 Feb 1871 regarding the death of a John Davis. He died on 23 Feb from “dysentery and brain disease”. See FamilySearch for this record.

Evidence of John Riggs:
  "I believe deceased has a family at ......" (I can't read name of place.)

Evidence of William Mathias? or Mathews?
  "Deceased John Davis was admitted from the Beechworth Hospital November 17th(?) 1870 suffering from
   mania."
  "Deceased was aged about 50 years, native of Ireland. I believe he came from B......."
  (I can't read place.)