Was MAY GRAY actually EMILY MAY (MAY EMILY) DOWSE?

[sparrett]

The index to the register of dependent children NSW State Archives gives 2 others with "same parental details"
They are Edna and Gwen.

Sue

 

[GeoffTurner]

Ethel May Gray’s father might have been Mary Gray’s brother, perhaps. And most of the Dowse Jamberoo children were registered at Kiama, but at least one was registered at Berrima. I have passed on the info thanks.

[GeoffTurner]

Sue, I have passed that on, but if the first girl was from the wrong family, I guess these would be, too.

[GeoffTurner]

Ethel May’s father was George Gray but I can’t find any evidence that Mary Gray (Dowse) had a brother George. Hmmmmm.

[GeoffTurner]

New theory: May Gray was Emily May Gray (b 1877 at Jamberoo, birth registered at Berrima). The father of the illegitimate children was one of the Dowse sons, such as John Thomas Dowse (b 1875 at Jamberoo, birth registered at Kiama). That would explain the Dowse DNA connection in later generations. And it would get us around the problem of Emily May Dowse twice having two babies in the same year. She could happily be having her family at Muswellbrook, unconnected with these dramas.

[GeoffTurner]

That should be Ethel May Gray, of course.

[Jennaya]

That should be Ethel May Gray, of course.

This is a good theory. 
Has the person with the DNA match looked at other DNA matched  names for ancestors who could have been around the Jamberoo area at the time?

[sparrett]

 
Among them was Emily May Dowse (1878-1960), who appears on later family documents as May Emily Dowse, and perhaps preferred the name May. She married Englishman George Stephenson Coupland (1876-1950) in Sydney in 1900 and they had nine children. The first seven were born (or registered anyway) between 1901 and 1911 at Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley.

May's sister Florence was married at Muswellbrook in 1898. Did May travel to Muswellbrook to have the children at the home of her sister? Or was her husband living up there? We know he arrived in Australia as a child in 1883 and was on the roll with her in Botany in 1930, but not a lot about him in between. And the last two Coupland children were born in 1913 and 1917 in Mascot and Redfern.

Or did May live at Muswellbrook as well? 

Geoff Turner   

Hi,
Were you aware that George Stephenson COUPLAND's family lived at Muswellbrook?
Charles, his father with wife Lavinia were at Morton Station,Muswellbrook where he was overseer. Charles died there in 1893.  His parents were John and Charlotte.

Their daughter Charlotte Stephenson COUPLAND married twice and died there in 1926
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107580781

William COUPLAND was also most likely there too.

So it seems not out of the question that Charles was there also at some time. So not surprising that his wife would have cildren there.

The sister of Emily May DOWSE whom you mention was Florence L DOWSE. She married Albert ADAMS (#3698) at Muswellbrook

Sue

[Dorothycourt63]

Hi all,
I am the one looking for May Gray.
We have looked at all DNA matches. All matches ward, dowse, and other names connected to the dowse family. I have removed some of my information on the tree. The thur lines still coming back to ggg grandparents being Thomas Dowse and Mary Gray.
So far all matches have been coming up 4th , 5th cousins.
Awhile ago I looked at Ethel May gray. Have also rang benevolent to get a letter to look at her records. Which I have. Bridget was born benevolent hospital Paddington. I have been told by her daughter that Bridget stayed in a children’s home. Until the day she was old enough to leave.
I am also not a 100 percent sure that the boys born belong to May Gray.
So I have removed them until I have more proof. So Bridget is my main one I am working on.