Author Topic: George James Kent, born Plymouth, Devon abt. 1830. died New Zealand, May, 1909.  (Read 2034 times)

Offline Otakou73

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My great grandfather, George James Kent is believed to have spent time at sea from a young age before arriving in New Zealand in the 1860s, probably as crew on a ship as his name doesn’t seem to be on any passenger lists.
He was working as a fisherman here when, in 1876,  he married Harriet Heath, who came to  Dunedin  on the immigrant ship Allahabad in 1873.
Death records give his age as 79 when he drowned at Otakou (near Dunedin), in May, 1909.
Other details  were :
Place of birth -  Plymouth, England.
Parents - George James Kent and Helen Kent, formerly Mitchell.
His father’s occupation is given as seaman.
I have not been able to find anything to verify his parent’s names or that they
married or lived in Plymouth.
The closest to those names in Plymouth I can find are James and Ellen Kant in the 1841 census whose children include James, age 14, George, 12, Frederick and Elizabeth, and  in 1851, James and Elenor Kent, who have several of the same names among their children. In both entries the senior James is described as a fisherman.
The name Helen Mitchell has me stumped, I would be grateful if anyone could shed any light on her connection with the Kent family, or indeed anything that might help me to sort out who might be who among my great grandfather’s English family.

Offline QueenoftheWest

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Welcome to RootsChat!

I also found James and Ellen/Eleanor Kent and thought they were good candidates, but Ellen's maiden name was Craig. They appear to have married on 1829 in Stonehouse, Devon, yet their first child, James, was baptised in 1827.

The problem with parents listed on death certificates is that the information provided is only as accurate as the knowledge of the informant, which makes it rather difficult.

DNA testing may provide clues, but there is no guarantee.

Sorry I could not be of more help.

Queenie  :)

Offline Otakou73

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Thank you, Queenie.

Offline garstonite

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Hi Otakou and a warm welcome to Rootschat

just a little heads up for you - I live in Liverpool - THE BUSIEST SEA PORT in the world mid 1800's

So - the amount of ships at sea was phenomenal..so imagine if you were the Captain and you had a violent crew member - or always drunk and didn't do his job - what would you do ?...
the answer was to BEACH them ...the captain would get as close to a beach as he could - then send him on the life boat to the beach with other crew members - and leave him there stranded ...
.......................
Just a possibility why you can't find him on any Passenger Lists - he may have been beached at New Zealand as punishment .
I am in my 73rd year of life - and as a youngster I knew a few men nicknamed Beach - because they had been Beached years ago
just a bit of Merchant Seamen knowledge for you
 :)
oakes,liverpool..neston..backford..poulton cum spittal(bebington)middlewich,cheshire......   sacht,helgoland  .......merrick,herefordshire adams,shropshire...tipping..ellis..  jones,garston,liverpool..hartley.dunham massey..barker. salford


Offline Otakou73

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Thank you, Garstonite. That’s an interesting possibility, although if it were the case, his behaviour must have improved as there are no reports of him getting into trouble on land.

Offline rosie99

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There is a George Kent (occ Sailor) married to a Jesse in Plymouth in 1851, There are two daughters Jesse (c1848) & Mary (1851). In 1861 Jesse states she is married but he is away from home.

KENT, MARY  FRANCES     mmn GARLAND 
GRO Reference: 1851  M Quarter in PLYMOUTH  Volume 09  Page 462

Marriage Mar qtr 1847 
GARLAND    Harriet Jessie Waldron       
KENT    George       
Plymouth    9   441

in 1861 Jesse states she is married but George is away from home.   In 1871 she states she is a widow  ::). Last child born c1864 - Ellen
...

There are another Kent family in Plymouth in 1871 - James bn c1828 with wife Elizabeth who is naming his children with similar names  :-\.  Could this be a brother of George
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Offline jonwarrn

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There was a fire in Plymouth in September 1867 that is in the newspapers. I don't have full access, and the free text is not perfect.
But one of those who seems to have been made homeless was Jessie Kent, a widow with five children. Her husband had (recently) been drowned off the coast of France.
Possibly, Wages & Effects of Deceased Seamen, 1866
Geo Kent, 37, AB seaman on the Tamar, Boulogne

Offline rosie99

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Thank you Jon

Western Morning News 20 September 1867 - It is a lengthy article, It was a fire in Looe Street Plymouth. It confirms that her husband was drowned on the Tamar on the coast of France.

Well that eliminates that George from leaving home and setting up a new family elsewhere  ;D
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Offline jonwarrn

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Hi Rosie
I guess it does. It doesn't help that if he was 37 when he died, then it makes him about the same age as the George we are looking for.
I don't see a baptism for George, son of James and Ellen/Eleanor, though there are plenty of other baptisms in Plymouth that look like they may be siblings (going on 1841 census)