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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: iforani on Monday 23 July 12 07:02 BST (UK)
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:) Hello again.
I am hoping that someone may be able to help locate the birthplace (and father) of my g grandfather, Edward Imlay AIKEN...yet another tricky one.. ::) ::) ::) ::)
He was supposedly born 26.04.1851 in Geelong, Victoria. No registration of birth in this name can be found. He died on 24.06.1938 at "Melrose", 2 Brooklyn St Burwood, NSW (NSW BDM 12030/1938).
He was the son of Sophia Eliza Atkins who left Northamptonshire (employed at Althorp) on the Boadicea in 1836 (aged 19 supposedly but really only 17, as born 1819). Sophia was the daughter of William and Sophia (nee WISH) ATKINS. When Sophia arrived in Hobart she was employed by the Reverend Bedford. On 26.11. 1837 she gave birth to a daughter who went by many names (Agnes Eliza, Eliza Tela, Eliza Zelia, Lena Eliza, Eliza Zella). This daughter married Francis Lewis SMITH in Tasmania. She gave her maiden name as IMLAY. ABDonline reports in the IMLAY biography that Sophia ATKINS was married to Alexander IMLAY), doctor who emigrated to NSW (Eden) one of (at least) 3 Scottish doctor brothers (who all came out to Australia). Alexander Imlay was to become a whaler, pastoralist etc etc..well known in Eden. He travelled frequently between NSW, VICT & TAS. I have found no registration of marriage between Alexander Imlay & Sophia Atkins. Alexander IMLAY died in 1847. At the time of his death, Sophia had 4 children. I won't go into the details of these, but 3 of these people went by the name of Imlay (and one dropped off the radar...a J J Atkins; I tried to trace him and believed that I'd found him living in Eden with different parents...strange as he called a daughter Eliza Sophia...same names as Sophia Eliza Atkins??). Anyway..after Alexander IMLAY died, Sophia Atkins had 2 more children, a daughter, Caroline Edith AIKEN and a son, Edward Imlay AIKEN.
According to Edward Imlay AIKEN, he was the son of a French ship's captain and he was born in 1851 in Geelong. No father is given on either of his marriage certificates. On his death certificate (completed by his wife) it states simply Randolph. Anecdotal evidence offers that the father of Edward was a D'Aiken. In an ad in Trove, I read that one of Edward's daughters from his first marriage stated that she was the grandaughter of a Capt Daiken. When Edward's sister Caroline married, she quotes the name Adolphus William AIKEN of Hobart Town as father. Adolphus is a German name, not French. ???
Edward's mother, Sophia Eliza Atkins went by the name, Atkins, Imlay and Atkinson. I have found Census references to her as both Atkins & Atkinson in Hobart Town. She moved from Hobart to Victoria. She died on 22.03.1890 in Northcote, at the home of her son in law F L SMITH (her eldest daughter's husband) according to a TROVE source.
Any pointers greatly appreciated.
Thank you, Deb
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He was supposedly born 26.04.1851 in Geelong, Victoria.
Civil registration did not commence in Victoria until July 1853 so that is probably the reason you can't find a birth registration. Perhaps he wasn't baptised in 1851 but if so, not all churches complied with the Government's request to hand all parish records to the Registry.
Cando
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Sophia Eliza Atkins went by the name, Atkins, Imlay and Atkinson
And AIKEN.
Death
AIKEN Sophia Eliza
Parents unknown
At Northcote 72 years 1890 reg#3830
Cando
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:) Thank you, Cando. This is useful information. I didn't know this re the pre 1853 registrations. This most likely pimpoints the birth and place date as accurate then as Sophia registered all of her other births. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Re Sophia Eliza, thank you for info on her death certificate, info most likley not passed on for whatever reason to the person who filled out her death cert, would have been her son in law or daughter. I've traced her ancestry to East Haddon, Northampton and have a list of her (younger) siblings from the later Census's (post when she came out when she is not listed). Her father was a blacksmith. I've located details of her parents'marriage (by BANNS) in East Haddon also. Sophia named one of her children James John Wish Atkins (Wish after her mother's maiden name). Sophia was a Bounty woman & there is some information about her which I've found re character references etc from the Tasmanaian State Records.
I've found that she had at least one hotel licence as did her son in law in Tasmania. I would say that she followed the gold rushes to Victoria to make some money.
My g grandfather was a very well educated man. At one stage he was a publican as well (but also a hatter, a travelling insurance salesman, worked for a refrigeration co..Wildridge & Sinclair, an engineering consultant, a dairy manager....went bankrupt several times).
If any one can locate a lead to his father, this would be great.
Thank you. :D
Deb
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:) Sophia Atkins, Edward's mother, lived in Argyle St Hobart Town in 1841. A Dakin was married in Hobart several years after Edward Imlay was born & his descendants lived in the same street, so it is quite possible that this Mr Dakin was his father. An Ella Dakin lived in Argyle St, Hobart in the early 1900's. She had a son called Eric Tasman Dakin. I'm wondering if there is any connection to this family. There is a living descendant of this line living in Tauranga, New Zealand, if anyone knows any link to this family.
:) Cheers, Deb
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For interest..adding photo of Edward Imlay AIKEN, taken in Geelong 1913.
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Hi Deb
I have been looking and looking but have found nothing re the father of Edward. :-\
He did seem to have some kind of thing for Geelong, indicating he was born there, then his daughter was born there, then sending his daughter to school there all the way from Sydney.
Do you have any idea where he was educated?
Also out of interest, are the first 4 children of Sophia all registered in 1847 at Hobart Tassie under the name ATKINSON?
Cheers Leonie
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:) Hello Leone. Firstly, thank you for looking. Yes, they are...all the birth dates and names are there, under Atkinson, even though her name was definitely Atkins. Some of the names have been changed since that time, eg the oldest girl called herself Eliza Zella after this (and other names). When the girls married, they called themselves IMLAY. All were born while Imlay was still alive and Alexander & Sophia were ostensibly still in a relationship when he died (have heard this from someone connected with the Imlay family). I have a list of names of the family members (Eliza Zella, Georgina Emma, Alexander & James John Wish...all Atkinson).
He was married to second wife (love of his life...see other thread under Muriel Annie). His mother lived in VIC as did some other relatives (eldest sister in Melbourne area). Am not sure where he was educated (but educated he was, he was very eloquent) & assumed in Geelong, but I've contacted geelong schools & noone by that exact name was educated there. I will order the baptism transcript which may shed some more light on this (found thanks to rootschatters). I note with interest that it is a Sophia ATKINS (NOT Aiken, which is the name she had when she died).
I won't be able to answer as going away for 2 days. :)
Thanks Heaps, Deb
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Hi Deb
I have read all the other threads related to this family.
You say that no father's name is given on either of his marriage certificates which is not quite correct.
In 1895 on his second marriage cert he records his father as Unknown AIKEN, rank or profession Naval Officer.
And below is the marriage of Edwards daughter where the name D'AIKEN and French Navy are mentioned.
The Sydney Morning Herald Thursday 3 February 1898
Marriages.
PALMER-D'AIKEN.-January 19. at St Mark's, Darling point, by the Rev. Archdeacon Flower, Joseph Smith, eldest son of Joseph Palmer, of Amalfi, Longueville , to Mabel Louise, third daughter of Edward Imlay D'Aiken, of Feildlands Annandale, and grand- daughter of the late Captain D' Aiken, of the French Navy
I suppose its a matter of working out fact from fiction.
Have a great time away.
Cheers Leonie
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D'Aiken/"French Navy Captain" sounds like family fancy to me, I would take anything where the prefix "D'" suddenly appears on a family name with a very large pinch of salt.
Looking at the names "Adolphus William", there was a Adolphus Wililam/William Adolphus Bodill, a convict who arrived to Tasmania in 1846. He had a wife and kids at home. His conduct record in the remarks section mentions Sophia Atkins of 37 Brisbane St in 1849, although it's not clear to me in what context (he worked for her?). He absconded in 1851 and I can't find any trace of what happened to him afterwards.
His wife, nee Elizabeth Holland Walthew stayed in England and remarried to Edward Lysaght in 1857 although he's not with her on the 1861 census and she's 'widowed' by 1871.
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:D
Back again. Wow, that's great detective work guys! This DOES look promising. :D
Firstly, Leone. :) Thanks for printing that ad...that the ad I referred to in my 1st post in this thread. The bride was a daughter of Edward's first marriage; she was marrying into a family of high social status. A D' added to the Aiken would give some credibility to the family name. I think that this is fictional, "family fancy" as Jorose states. Edward was a man who wanted to have social status, added "esq"after his name, always wore a large diamond ring etc. I'm starting to wonder just his real name actually was when he was born & whether he changed this himself in his life time.
:) This has been what I've been trying to discover, Leone; in this branch of the family tree, there seems to be a lot more fiction than fact & some things just DO NOT gel. The marriage certificate is what roused my curiosity initially. There's more to that story too which I hope to unravel one day (with some help & more transcripts which I will have to order)..
Jorose, :) I've searched high and low to find a possible father for Edward (checked out all the Atkins/Aikens/Dakens..etc). I think that you have most likely found Edward's father. It's circumstantial but the fact that Bodill absconded in the very year that Edward was born together with the fact that Sophia Atkins was mentioned in his record & that the name Adolphus William was given by Caroline Edith as her father, points to the likelihood that convict Bodill probably absconded to Victoria with Sophia and her young family close to the time that Edward was born. If he was a convict who didn't want to be found, he could have changed his name, ie to Aiken & given this name to the baby born in 1851. In my searches I remember reading in a ship's register of an Atkins ?Aiken family that travelled from Hobart to Vic. This seemed to match this family however the adult male was younger than the adult female.
Jorose, is an age given for this convict, Bodill? Also how did you access his record, specifically the part about Sophia Atkins? I would love to read this, as well as any other information about Bodill. I assume that Brisbane St is in Hobart?? :D
I am sure that you are onto something here. This is exciting for me to read this as it gives me a lead to work on. When Edward's sister was married she stated that her father was living in Hobart Town; again this could have given her some respectability (if her father was indeed an absconded convict whose identity she would maybe wish to protect/hide). i'm not sure whether Caroline Edith & Edward were twins; I am still trying to verify this as I have seen 2 different birth years for Caroline.
Thanks again, so much. :) :) :) Deb
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http://portal.archives.tas.gov.au/menu.aspx?search=11
- if you search for him here you can view the record online (he's indexed as "William Adolphus" but the records seem to have the names around the other way). It's the "conduct record" that mentions Sophia. (He is on image 31). There is a Brisbane Street in Hobart which I presume was her address.
On the description list (image 12) he's just listed as Bodil, Adolphus.
He was aged 33 when he arrived in 1846. He had a wife and five children and his place of origin was Newark on Trent. At familysearch.org you can see his baptism, marriage and some records of his children in England.
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:) :) :) :) :)
Hello
Am still on a high after reading these posts last night. This is so exciting for me.
Thank you Jorose. I did find him, ta, also followed a link from Dundee in another thread. :) :) Some very interesting information about him. I have a question though. I noticed that he was also assigned to various people including, yes, Sophia, but also a Henry Luckman & couldn't decipher what was after this but it looks suspiciously like Atkins. It could be a street name similar to this or it could be Henry Luckman, Atkins (meaning both Luckman & Atkins. Any help here from someone with a high res programme would be appreciated. I googled the name Henry Luckman & in the 1867/68 register of people living in Hobart, there was a Henry Luckman living in Brisbane Street, Hobart (which indicates that the other man was Luckman NOT Atkins).
Also if anyone cold enlighten me as to what Bodill may have been recommended for in the records (?? ticket of leave??)...It states 12.06.50 To be recom'd for a JC (LC??) 12 months before becoming eligible to hold one. It also states 10.12.51 Absconded Gazette 18.02.51. How can I acccess these Gazette records, any idea please?
I really appreciate what has been done here. This has been a long search for me & it does look like you have discovered my g grandfather's father. Thanks you so much. :) :) I have been given lots of leads here to follow through.
Cheers, Deb :-*
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:) Have accessed the familysearch.org website, and recorded the names of his 5 children. Thank you.
have also accessed the transcription of the court proceedings, which have been transcribed word for word, as well as an old article that lists his former business partner (oil& paint merchant). Interesting stuff.
Thanks again, Deb
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This may help:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~austashs/convicts/conabbrev.html
I see it as Henry Luckman, Collins St. (near Brisbane St, and it looks like he was running the Lamb Inn, Brisbane Street by 1856).
I think it says he was recommended to be eligible for a Ticket of Leave (TL) a year early - since his sentence was 14 years this would normally be 6 years into his sentence. Presumably this means that he behaving himself around 1850 I don't think one was awarded - he absconded instead!
"Gazetted" would be probably be in the Hobart Town Gazette. I'm not sure if this can be found online (it doesn't seem to be on Trove for 1852).
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:) Thank you, Jorose. I can make this out now. And thank you for the added info on the Lamb Inn & Ticket of Leave (TL). It was hard to make out with their swirly writing.
Poor guy. I'd say he was lucky to abscond.
:) Thank you also for the info on the Hobart Gazette. I googled it & came up with a founders and survivors website which was unfortunately offline due to regular maintenance on SUNDAYS.
Appreciate your help.
Am almost there..just waiting on confirmation of baptism by Sophia Atkins in 1858.
Cheers, Deb
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Hi Deb
I don't mean to dash your hopes but when you go through the ATKINS name on the zades website and check the entries for 1858 and cross check parents with child bapt and then check the births for VIC I think that you will find that the baptism in 1858 in Geelong was for a Betsy Ann ATKINS, Birth Place Chilwell Victoria, mother Sophia FLOWERS, father William ATKINS, Registration Number 7276
But I could be wrong.
Cheers Leonie
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Hello Leonie
:) That won't worry me at all. I had hoped to order the baptism today (still waiting to hear back from the Geelong Family Historical Group) but no word as yet. Susie (Zades) passed on my message & I emailed again but maybe they only work one day a week, as all volunteers.
If I don't hear back from them soon, is it possible to order from a VIC transcript agent??
I talked to my Mum again & she remembers now that her grandfather said that he came to Australia when he was 2 or 3 (she thought he was born in France). Her memory is not the best now. Mum was only 14 when her grandfather died so this is probably where the confusion comes in. Even though Edward stated on his documents that he was born in Geelong, the most likely secenario is that he was actually born in Tasmania. The fact that Adolphus absconded in February 1851 means that he would have wanted to get as far away as he could. The pair may have gone to Launceston, (or anywhere) which gives me other options to look for. Sophia may have had a home birth. It's a shame though as it will be hard to find the actual birth name of Edward. :( As Sophia had the other names registered, it is most likely though that she did register his name somewhere. I will check my records again as there was a ship register for a Mrs Imlay travelling with family in 1853 (Hobart to VIC).
Thanks, Deb
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:) It appears that yes, the :(1858 baptism in Geelong is that of William and Sophia (nee Flowers) AIKEN, not our Sophia (as she is nee ATKINS), daughter Betsy Ann, not Edward. Leonie was right.
I will attach a transcript of the marriage referred to in this thread, of Edward's sister, Caroline, to Alexander Johnston. If anyone can make out the names of the witnesses, this would be great. Caroline names her father as Adolphus William Aiken, profession, doctor. This is in line with Edward's story that his father was a naval doctor/captain. ??? Guess that if their father was an exconvict they wouldn't want to write this up as such.
Adolphus's father was a Lieutenant, an officer in the British army in Nottinghamshire...but it's stretch to state that the father was a doctor. Unless there is still an undiscovered Dr Adolphus William Aiken out there, highly unlikely!!! :(
On Adolphus's record it states that he couldn't read or write which is odd given that he was a partner in a business (colour & varnish) that went into receivership in 1840. One would think that he would have needed some literary skills in business.
The place given as birth place is simply Tasmania, which implies that Caroline may not have known where she was born. The age is given as 24 which implies she was born in 1848 (or after 2 Oct 1847), which means she was not Edward's twin sister.
Cheers, Deb :)
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witness names
Antonio WARLUS (maybe)
Ellen BROWNE
that's what they look like to me :)
Lou
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:) Thanks, Lou. I think the Ellen Browne is right & I think the Antonio is right but I think the last 3 letters are ier as there is a dot over these (so an i) ...could also be Antoine, but more likely Antonio.
Ta, :) Deb
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:) I think the witness is Antonio Woolier. There was such a person at that time in Melbourne, must have been a friend.
Thanks, Deb :)
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I've just found this thread whilst looking up Antonio Woolier who married a relative of mine. Perhaps this discussion has concluded. However, Antonio was in Melbourne from approx. 1870. His wife gave birth to a child whilst they were living in Gore Street Fitzroy. They were still there in 1872 at No. 124, and Antonio had a tobacconist business in Bourke St Melbourne in 1872, on the south side about half-way between Swanston & Elizabeth Streets (approx opposite what is now Myer).
From research on Woolier and his wife and her family, I believe he wasn't related to either of the people who married. He may have lived near them.
He has a claim to fame as the person who rescued the only survivor of the Dunbar wrecked near the entrance to Sydney Harbour in 1857.
Kathleen
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Thank you for replying. Well, Antonio sounds like a nice person. I am pleased that some ancestors of mine had the pleasure of knowing him.
Deb
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Hi Deb
re Adolphus Bodill
He is my great grandfather and I lost track of him when he was transported to Australia.
I have some old papers which I must go through again.
If you are still searching I will look again.
Regards from Michael Bodill
Preston UK
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Michael, that would be amazing, thank you!! I would appreciate this very much. I do believe that Adolphus William was my great grandfather's father even though the supporting evidence is circumstantial. In summary, he did work for Sophia prior to the birth of my great grandfather; an Adolphus William Aiken was named as the father of Caroline Aiken on her marriage certificate (way too coincidental) & death certificate; my great grandfather also claimed that his father was an A.W. Aiken during a newspaper interview, even though he said he was a doctor/ship's captain (& French!).
This means we are related!
I have no idea what happened to him (as you may have gathered by reading my posts on this site?) but I believe that he may have moved to Victoria with Sophia Atkins/Aiken & most likely changed his name to Randolph Aiken as Aiken was the name that Sophia took on. It was interesting reading the Old Bailey records of the trial, have you found these online..just google, easy enough. He was literate & I guess you've also read that he had his own business, in partnership (in Glasgow) that went bankrupt, as many did back then, very hard times.
I know that his wife, Elizabeth (who was a school teacher) remarried in 1857 & I have speculated that maybe Adolphus made his way back to England & married her with the alias of the guy she married (Lysaght); some of my reasons for thinking this was that Adolphus just falls off the radar over here (which you would I guess if you were an escaped convict) but also the fact that Elizabeth's second husband didn't live for long & this was the case with many of the unfortunate convicts who were put to work, hard labour. In saying this he was commissioned out to people, rather than working on the road gangs which would have been harder. I think the fact that he was literate would have helped him.
I have photos of my great grandfather who I am pretty sure was the son of Adolphus William Bodill. Any paperwork would be great.
It would be interesting to compare photos of him to Adolphus' other children if you have them, ore even of you or your parent who is descended from Adolphus. My great grandfather was a very good looking man with blue eyes. I am happy to share photos. I'll pm you my email address.
Thank you so much. This is just great. :)
It's interesting that you come from Preston as this is where my mother's family (Aldreds) also come from.
Deb