14 November 2010

On This Day - HUDSON, PORTER and HARLEY

14 Nov 1831 (179 years ago) - John HUDSON was born at Barton-le-Willows, North Yorkshire, England. He was a son of William HUDSON and Christiana MATTHEW, and the husband of Hannah WRIGHTSON. [Great-granduncle]

18 Nov 1766 (244 years ago) - James PORTER and Catherine HARLEY were married at Battersea, Surrey, England. James was a son of George PORTER, shoemaker of Douglas in Scotland. I do not know his mother's name. [Great-great-great-great-great-grandparents, Webster line]

If you are researching these families, I will gladly provide full details of my sources, which include parish registers and private family papers. My thanks to Joe Hudson and Michael Flynn for their help.

17 October 2010

On This Day - RIENECKER and MERCER

22 Oct 1891 (119 years ago) - William Albert RIENECKER was born at Ropeley, Queensland, Australia. He was a son of Carl Ludwig RIENECKER and Emilie Auguste Albertine HAHN, and the husband of Margaret Wilson RITCHIE. [Mother's uncle]

23 Oct 1823 (187 years ago) - Ralph MERCER was baptised (as MARCER) at Kirbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England. His parents were William MERCER and Ruth AGAR. The baptism register names both sets of grandparents. [1st cousin 4 times removed, Peacock line]

If you are researching these families, I will gladly provide full details of my sources, which include parish registers.

10 October 2010

On This Day - CAMPBELL and HUDSON

15 Oct 1791 (219 years ago) - Helena CAMPBELL, daughter of Archibald CAMPBELL in Scarinish, was baptised on the Isle of Tiree, Argyllshire, Scotland. Her mother was probably Anne McCALL. Helena (elsewhere referred to as Helen or Ellen) married Duncan CAMPBELL in 1810. [Great-great-great-grandmother]

15 Oct 1838 (172 years ago) - Matthew HUDSON was baptised at Crambe, North Yorkshire, England. He was a son of William HUDSON and Christiana MATTHEW of Barton-le-Willows, and husband of Sarah (maiden surname unknown). Matthew was a joiner/builder in Leeds and Middlesbrough. [Great-granduncle]

If you are researching these families, I will gladly provide full details of my sources, which include parish registers, directories and census records.

3 October 2010

On This Day - HUDSON, WEBSTER and SHERRING

4 Oct 1881 (129 years ago) - Florence HUDSON was born at Fairfield, Durham, England, the youngest child of George HUDSON and Mary PEACOCK. The family previously lived at Stockton-on-Tees. Florence spent her sixth birthday on board the ship Merkara bound for Queensland. She married William Donald WEBSTER and died at the age of 99. [Grandmother]

6 Oct 1890 (120 years ago) - Jessie Anne WEBSTER married George William SHERRING at Guildford NSW Australia. [Great-grandaunt]

If you are researching these families, I will gladly provide full details of my sources. My thanks to Warwick Sherring for his help.

21 September 2010

Unregistered deaths: look for inquests (Tuesday's Tip)

If you cannot find a death registration, look for an inquest. You will often find an inquest file (Justice Department or similar) and/or a newspaper report for a death that was not registered. This definitely happened in Queensland and Victoria. Have you seen the same thing elsewhere?

For advice on Queensland's inquest files see the 'Queensland tips' page on my Web site, or use the latest edition of my book Tips for Queensland Research.

('Tuesday's Tip' is a theme used by 'Geneabloggers'.)

19 September 2010

On This Day - WEBSTER and GIBLETT

23 Sep 1829 (181 years ago) - George WEBSTER and Sarah GIBLETT were married at Finsbury St Luke, Middlesex, England. George's brother (James WEBSTER) had previously married Sarah's sister (Mary GIBLETT). [James and Mary were my great-great-great-grandparents]

25 Sep 1889 (121 years ago) - Thomas WEBSTER died at Petersham NSW Australia. He was a son of James WEBSTER and Mary GIBLETT, and the husband of Julia CAMPBELL. [Great-great-grandfather]

If you are researching these families, I will gladly provide full details of my sources, which include parish registers and a death certificate.

17 September 2010

London 1886-1903: Charles Booth Enquiry

This week my recommendation is the Charles Booth Online Archive, a searchable resource giving access to maps and original notebooks created during an in-depth study of poverty, industry and religion in London, England, 1886-1903.

It is fascinating to learn about the streets where your ancestors lived and worked. Colours on maps indicate the income and social class of the inhabitants of each street. The maps cover a section of London from Hammersmith in the west to Greenwich in the east, and from Hampstead in the north to Clapham in the south.

Before you search the maps or notebooks, read the explanation of how to use the site.

14 September 2010

Casino NSW: genealogy seminar, Nov 2010

Casino Family History Group is hosting a seminar on Sat. 20th Nov 2010, commencing 9:30am and ending about 2:30pm. I am giving a talk on 'Black Sheep and Vanishing Relatives'. The other speaker is Brad Argent from Ancestry.com. More details (venue, cost and how to book) are on my Web site.

12 September 2010

On This Day - BARBER, BIRKS, CAMPBELL and PORTER

13 Sep 1764 (246 years ago) - Edward BARBER and Mary BIRKS were married at Bolton upon Dearne, Yorkshire, England. Was the Elizabeth BARBER who married William HUDSON their daughter? [Maybe my great-great-great-grandparents?]

13 Sep 1810 (100 years ago) - Duncan CAMPBELL and Helen CAMPBELL were married on the Isle of Tiree, Argyllshire, Scotland. After Duncan died, his wife Helen (or Ellen) and her children emigrated to Sydney, NSW, Australia on the British King. Her sons were pioneers of Gippsland (Victoria). [Great-great-great-grandparents]

18 Sep 1768 (242 years ago) - Elizabeth Harley PORTER was baptised at Stockwell Chapel, Lambeth, Surrey, England. Elizabeth was a daughter of James PORTER and Catherine HARLEY, and the wife of William WEBSTER. I am still looking for a record of Elizabeth WEBSTER's death (maybe about 1851). [Great-great-great-great-grandmother]

If you are researching these families, I will gladly provide full details of my sources, which include parish registers. My thanks to Michael Flynn for his help.

6 September 2010

Freedom certificate, James Webster (Treasure Chest Thursday)


One of my family treasures is the original Certificate of Freedom issued to my great-great-great-grandfather, James WEBSTER, on 1 July 1823. James had been apprenticed to John PORTER, a stationer of Pall Mall, London, whom we believe was his uncle. (Thanks to Michael FLYNN for his help with the PORTER research.)

This certificate was entrusted to me by Rodney CARR. It was handed down through his branch of the family (descendants of James WEBSTER's eldest daughter, Sarah HAZLEWOOD nee WEBSTER). The authenticity of this large document, only a portion of which is shown above, was confirmed by the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers.

For information about this family (including James's parents, William WEBSTER and Elizabeth Harley PORTER), see the Webster family tree on my Web site.

('Treasure Chest Thursday' is a theme used by 'Geneabloggers'.)

5 September 2010

On This Day - WEBSTER, TEAGUE, GIBLETT and SHEPPARD

6 Sep 1884 (126 years ago) - Ernest Edward WEBSTER married Alice TEAGUE at Camberwell, Surrey, England. [1st cousin 3 times removed]

11 Sep 1783 (227 years ago) - Richard GIBLETT and Sarah SHEPPARD were married at St Johns Church, Frome, Somerset, England. Richard was a tanner and currier. [Great-great-great-great-grandparents, Webster line]

If you are researching these families, I will gladly provide full details of my sources. My thanks to Anne Reece and Karen Cooper for their help.

3 September 2010

England and Wales probate index 1858-1941

Ancestry.co.uk has put part of the National Probate Calendar for England and Wales online as Index of Wills and Administrations 1861-1941, but it has some gaps.

The Society of Australian Genealogists and some other large libraries have the full National Probate Calendar 1858-1941 on microfiche. It includes all the years that are missing from Ancestry's database (1858-1860, 1863, 1868, 1873, 1876, 1877, 1883, 1888, 1899-1903, 1910-1911). Most index entries include the deceased's full name, date and place of death, probate date and registry where issued. Some give other details (deceased's address and occupation, executor's name and occupation, etc.)

Some post-1941 indexes are at LDS Family History Centres.

2 September 2010

On This Day - BUTLER and MUSTELL

30 Aug 1910 (100 years ago) - Mary Jane BUTLER (nee NICHOLSON) was buried at Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney NSW Australia. Mary Jane is something of a mystery. She was allegedly born at Enniskillen, Fermanagh, Ireland, c1828-1830, a daughter of Richard NICHOLSON, a soldier. I think she is probably the Sarah Jane NICHOLSON who married Robert BUTLER in NSW in 1856. [Great-great-grandmother, James Campbell Webster line]

31 Aug 1822 (188 years ago) - Anne MUSTELL was born in London, Middlesex, England. She was the daughter of Thomas MUSTELL and Anne VAUGHAN, and the wife of William James WEBSTER. Anne was buried in the Old Cemetery, Camberwell, Surrey, England, on 2 Sep 1891 (119 years ago this week). [Wife of my great-great-granduncle]

If you are researching these families, I will gladly provide full details of my sources, which include a family bible, a letter from Camberwell New Cemetery, and marriage and death certificates. My thanks to Anne Reece and Rhonda Newell for their help.

31 August 2010

LostCousins is free this week

Until Sunday 5th September 2010, the LostCousins site is completely free. You can contact any relatives you are matched with even if you only have free standard membership. Ask your fellow family historians to spread the word, because the more people who use the site, the more likely you are to find someone who is researching your family.

LostCousins is probably the only web site that identifies (with virtually 100% accuracy) people who share the same ancestors. You do not waste time corresponding with people who are not related to you.

To use LostCousins you need to find your relatives in the census for England & Wales 1841, 1881 or (a recent addition) 1911, Scotland 1881, United States 1880, Canada 1881 or Ireland 1911. Then you enter the source/page details at LostCousins. Read their instructions (see 'Information - Read this first') before gathering and entering data, as requirements for each census are different. If you prepare well, entering the data is a lot quicker. Be sure to include brothers and sisters of your direct ancestors, because it is their descendants who are the 'cousins' you want to contact.

After entering some relatives, click 'Search', and the system checks whether someone else has entered identical data. Remember to log in periodically, go to your 'My Ancestors' page and click 'Search' again.

24 July 2010

MUSTELL (Surname Saturday)

I don't know how accurate this is, but http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Muzzall says that MUSTELL is derived from a name of Old French origin, introduced into England after 1066. MUSTELL seems to be rather uncommon in the UK. I am researching Anne MUSTELL who married William James WEBSTER in 1845 at St. Peter's Church, Walworth, in the parish of St. Mary Newington, Surrey, England. Anne's parents were Thomas MUSTELL (gentleman, deceased by 1845) and Anne VAUGHAN. I would like to know whether Anne had any siblings, or whether there is any truth in the family legend that says 'Anne MUSTELL was a grand-daughter of Mrs FRY (celebrated Quakeress)'.

('Surname Saturday' is a theme used by 'Geneabloggers'.)

NSW certificate transcriptions are cheaper

Until 5pm AEST 26 July 2010 you can order transcriptions of NSW certificates via Marilyn Rowan for just $15 each. I have used Marilyn's service many times and I highly recommend it. If you want a certificate for family history purposes, a transcription is your best option - much cheaper than buying it from the Registry! (Unfortunately there are no transcription agents in Queensland yet.)

13 July 2010

Patents and Trademarks (52 Weeks to Better Genealogy, no.28)

Better Genealogy Challenge no.28 was essentially 'Visit your national Patent and Trademark Office web site, and also try Google Patent Search.'

The Australian Government site https://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/ lets you select whether you want to search patents or trademarks. An unusual feature is the ability (in 'Customise columns/data') to drag and drop data labels to change their order in your results. You can also add or remove a label by dragging it into or out of the list of unused labels. I recommend including the label 'Agent Name', because in my search it revealed the inventor's address.

On the IPAustralia site I searched for 'Cunnamulla' (my home town) and found that in 1981 Stuart Charles BARKLA applied for a patent for a folding stock feeder.

In the Trademarks section I searched for two surnames from my mother's family, and the counts were RIENECKER=46, STEINKE=146.

In last week's challenge - using Google Scholar - I found a United States patent issued to William Stewart BENTLEY, Mooning, Cunnamulla, Queensland, Australia, for inventing an ornamental design for a bread bun.

('52 Weeks to Better Genealogy' is a series of tasks devised by Amy Coffin.)

10 July 2010

Cunnamulla in Google Scholar (52 Weeks to Better Genealogy, no.27)

Challenge no.27 was 'Explore Google Scholar, https://scholar.google.com/. It's difficult to browse the features of this tool, so bring some surnames to use in your test searches.'

Surname searches did not reveal anything very interesting, so I selected 'Articles' and ticked 'Include Patents' and 'Include citations' and looked for 'Cunnamulla' (my home town). Results ranged from 'The Role of the Church in the Rural Communities of South West Queensland' (a downloadable document) to a study guide (teacher's notes) for the film 'Cunnamulla'. The book 'Cunnamulla, a brief history of the Paroo Shire' (T.W. Blake; Paroo Shire Council, Cunnamulla, Queensland, 1979) has been cited in several articles including 'Paroo tracks: water and stock routes in arid Australia'. Other titles cited include 'The Geology of the Quilpie, Charleville, Toompine, Wyandra, Eulo and Cunnamulla'.

Using Advanced Scholar Search to add the exact phrase 'patent number', I found a United States patent issued to inventor William Stewart BENTLEY, Mooning, Cunnamulla, in 2000, for an ornamental design for a bread bun.

(52 Weeks to Better Genealogy is a series of tasks devised by Amy Coffin.)

6 July 2010

Hudson children, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, England

Hudson children's headstone, Oxbridge Lane cemetery, Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, England (© Judy Webster, 2005)

In just two weeks (22 Jan - 3 Feb 1881) George and Mary HUDSON lost three young sons: Joseph Ernest (age 6), Bertie (2) and Charles Edwin (8). Joseph's death certificate says he died from 'measles and laryngitis'.

George, Mary and all but one of their surviving children emigrated to the Helidon area in Queensland, Australia, in search of a healthier climate. Their doctor doubted whether my grandmother Florence (aged five at the time) would survive the voyage. She delighted in telling this story, because she lived to be 99!

('Tombstone Tuesday' is a theme used by genealogy bloggers. See also my other posts about HUDSON.)

5 July 2010

Immigration index: cards filed incorrectly

Today I found three cards filed incorrectly in the Card Index to Immigrants compiled by Queensland State Archives:

(1) 'PECKS William' is filed among cards for PECK without an 's'.

(2) 'PICKUP William' is filed after PICKVANCE.

(3) 'PIERCE William and family' is filed among cards for PICKUP.

I have asked the Archives to fix this.

These cards (in the Public Search Room at Qld State Archives) index various 19th and 20th century immigration records that are NOT covered by the Archives' on-line indexes. See the advice on my Web site.

3 July 2010

GIBLETT (Surname Saturday)

Family stories allege that our GIBLETT family originated in France with the surname 'DE GIBLETT'. My ancestor was Richard GIBLETT (born c1751 Frome, Somerset, England). He married Sarah SHEPPARD (sometimes spelled SHEPHERD) in 1783. Children of Richard and Sarah GIBLETT were Ann (d.1787); John (woollen cloth manufacturer of Frome); Samuel; Thomas (married Isabella HOOPER); Mary (married James WEBSTER); Sarah (married George WEBSTER); Elizabeth.

Some members of this family were buried in Nunhead/Camberwell cemeteries, London. Private family letters indicate that there a connection between Richard GIBLETT of Frome and John GIBLETT who married Sarah WHITFIELD at St. Marylebone in London in 1793. Some of that family emigrated to Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.

See also 'How I Found Sarah Sheppard's Parents'.

('Surname Saturday' is a theme used by 'Geneabloggers'.)

2 July 2010

28 June 2010

Reasons for admission to a Mental Asylum

In family history research, we often find that someone 'vanished'. If a death certificate cannot be found around that time, or if children were raised by someone other than a parent, it is a good idea to check mental asylum records. Reasons for admission included epilepsy, depression (especially post-natal depression), alcoholism, head injury, syphilis, and congenital defects.

For more examples, see 'Children in Mental Asylums'.

Many people spent only a short time in an asylum, and descendants may be unaware of that; so I recommend checking the indexes even if you have no reason to suspect that a person may have been in an asylum.

Names of thousands of patients in Queensland mental asylums (including many people who had previously been in asylums interstate or in the United Kingdom) are on my Web site. Most names are from insanity files or asylum case books. To order copies of those original records, follow the instructions at the bottom of each page.

27 June 2010

UK emigrants at Croydon QLD

A study of hospital admission registers for Croydon (Queensland, Australia) in the late 1880s (during the local gold rush) showed that about two-thirds of the hospital patients were born in the UK or Ireland. Significant numbers also came from the Victorian goldfields and other mining areas. The hospital registers are very useful for family history. See the list of patients' names (about 5,000 of them).