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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Australia Lookups completed => Topic started by: joppo1968 on Tuesday 19 February 13 02:54 GMT (UK)
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I have discovered a relative that appears on the 1911 England Census, George Ernest Aldridge, born abt 1904, Melbourne, to Mother, Mildred Mary ALDRIDGE & unknown. He also has a sister on the same census, Muriel Mary Aldridge, b. abt 1906, Adelaide, SA. Mildred has married to a George Edwin SWAIN, b. 1866, Luton, Bedfordshire, England & these children are listed as his step children. Interestingly, there is another daughter, Gwendoline May Aldridge, b. 1902 Battle, Sussex, England.
Anyone shed any light on these Aussie kids?
Regards,
Mike.
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Just some background info. Their mother, Mildred Mary ALDRIDGE, married George Swain in 1909, Norwich, Norfolk & prior to that, no other marriage for her. She appears on the 1901 England census at Worthing, Sussex as an unmarried Artist's Assistant.
I have found a George Ernest Aldridge, b. Jun 1905 - Norwich, Norfolk, which is where they lived in 1911. No joy with a Muriel Mary Aldridge birth in England. I can't see how between the birth of the eldest child in 1902, sussex, she had time to travel to Australia & back. Could she be covering her tracks because they may have been illegitimate?
Mike.
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Their mother, Mildred Mary ALDRIDGE, married George Swain in 1909, Norwich, Norfolk
Birth in South Australia
SWAIN Muriel Mary
19 May 1905
Father George Edwin SWAIN Mother Mildred Mary ALDRIDGE
At Hyde Park Ade 748/144
Cando
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George Ernest Aldridge, born abt 1904, Melbourne, to Mother, Mildred Mary ALDRIDGE & unknown.
No births with Mildred Mary ALDRIDGE as mother in this period in Victoria.
Cando
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Ia this the birth of her first child?
Births Sep 1902
ALDRIDGE Gwendoline May Battle 2b/50
Cando
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George Edwin SWAIN, photographic operator of Hyde Park appeared in court in Feb 1905
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0syr/
Cando
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Thanks Cando :D
Yeah, I couldn't find the George Ernest in victoria either!
Mike.
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I wonder if this could be his birth as he is noted as one year younger than Gwendoline May on the census :-\. I can't see either of them arriving in Victoria. He is obviously Muriel Mary's father as his address in Feb 1905 at the court hearings is the same as Muriel's place of birth in May 1905. Wonder if George was married previously.
Could this be George Edward's birth
Births Sep 1903
ALDRIDGE George Edward Hitchin 3a/754
Cando
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Oops...wrong name. :-[ Confusing myself now ::) ::)
Cando
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I think Mildred is of the family of Frederick J ALDRIDGE and Elizabeth, in census records, children at Worthing
Elsie M (Sep Q 1876), Winifred L (Mar Q 1879)
Mildred M (Mar Q 1879 Bath 5c/625), Frederick Dec Q 1886), Marjorie J Dec Q 1882)
Olive B (Sep Q 1884), Rutherford (Dec Q 1885)
Gwendoline (Mar Q 1887), and Archibald (Jun Q1890).
Found FreeBDM 2b E Preston, and census.
Frederick is an artist.
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Arriving in Sydney in 1903 from the UK
SWAIN Female born 1879
SWAIN Child born 1902
SWAIN George born 1867
George Ernest may have been born Melbourne 1903/4 however his birth was not registered.
Cando
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Possibly contracted to land in Melbourne - I've seen destinations many times on indexes and when you view the manifest it shows the passengers embarked elsewhere.
In Victoria when you register a birth questions are asked that they could not give honest answers eg date and place of marriage and previous issue of marriage.
Unassisted Immigrants arriving Melbourne 1903
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0sys/
Cando
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Good pick up on their immigration :) I agree re: George's birth not registered. I'm gathering that George Edwin SWAIN is probably the father of all three children, well there's a doubt over the 1st one, Gwendoline May Aldridge, b. 1902, Battle, Sussex. If Muriel was born "out of wedlock" in Adelaide, then I wonder why on the 1911 england census the children are all listed as Aldridge & as George's stepkids? Intriguing.
Yep, that's Mildred family you listed below. good pick up on Trove re: George's camera getting damaged :)
Mike.
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Their arrival in Victoria in 1903 with a one year old child, proves that all 3 kids are George's :)
Thanks a lot!
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Let's hope so ;) He filled out the 1911 census form himself so why didn't he name the children as his own. Victorian standards >:(
Advertiser 9 Jan 1907
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0syt/
SWAIN & CO.,
ART PHOTOGRAPHERS, FRAME MAKERS, AND PICTURE DEALERS,
Corner of Arcade, Rundle-street, beg to notify that the Partnership hitherto existing between Thomas Tulloch and George Swain was Dissolved on January 30, 1907. The business will now be carried on by George Swain, under the style of Swain and Co. Mr. Swain has had 25 years in the leading London and Provincial Studios as operator and artist. He has had the pleasure of taking Royalty and many of the nobility. A photo of his Majesty, taken by G. Swain, will be placed in his window this week. We have much pleasure in thanking our numerous customers for their late patronage, and can assure every attention and promptness to future orders.
Cando
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Advertiser 20 Dec 1904 -
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0syu/
Cando
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Just a quick update: they have all married in Norwich, Norfolk with the surname SWAIN!
Cheers
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Woah, nice pick up on Trove re: George getting knocked off his bike by a horse :)
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Pleased to see they used his surname in later life. ;D
Many SA photographers listed here even if they only advertised once in the newspapers of the day. No further info on George SWAIN.
http://www.artgallery.sa.gov.au/noye/Photogs/Phot_set.htm
SWAIN & CO.
SWAIN G.E.
Cando
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Woah, nice pick up on Trove re: George getting knocked off his bike by a horse :)
First is the court case and second the incident itself. His injuries appear to be much worse in the court case than reported at the time. Ah well the press get it wrong all the time don't they :-X :-X
I can't see them arriving back in the UK before the 1911 census.
Cando
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I'm pretty sure I've got the same family on the 1911 census. Tell you what, they didn't like to leave Norfolk once they married, had kids & often died in Norfolk ;) Sounds like Tasmanians (I can say that....am one!)
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I'm sure you have the right family on the 1911 census... I found the same one as you and it all matches with what we have found ;D
Yes noticed you were in Tasmania :) Living near a state border many of my life events have occurred in two states although not many miles apart :)
Interesting search :)
Cheers
Cando
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Hello Cando, I am trying to find George Edwin Swains parents names. He was my great grandfathers brother Percy John Swain. Did you happen to look into him further?
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Hi kswain :)
Welcome to rootschat :)
A little more digging with George's baptism helping considerably.
Marriages 1863
SWAIN Charles Luton 3b/988
SALE Susanna Luton 3b/988
Baptism
SWAIN George Edwin
4 Aug 1867 Christ Church, Luton, Bedford, England
Father Charles SWAIN Mother Susanna
Oooh was George married previously….and if so that is possibly the reason that the children are named as step-children on the 1911 census.
Marriages Dec 1886
SWAIN George Edwin Luton 3b/864
Three marriages and only five of the six people have been transcribed as no Clara mentioned.
Trawling the images ....Could this be his wife?
WARD Clara Ann Luton 3b/864 The 6 is not clear and could be read as a 5.
1891 Living at 26 St Annes Road, Luton next door to Charles, Susanna, Mary Jane, Annie Amelia, Herbert Stanley and Percy John who were at 24.
SWAIN George Head M 24 Photographer Born Luton
SWAIN Clara Wife 24 Finisher Born Luton
SWAIN Minnie Dau 3 Born Luton
SWAIN Lily C Dau 1 Born Luton
In 1901 George was a visitor, married and born Luton so what happened to Clara and chn Minnie and Lily C?
Cheers
Cando
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Civil Divorce Records
SWAIN George Edward [sic]
SWAIN Clara Ann
Petition year 1907
Petitioner wife Divorce Court File #8028
Petition filed 289 Oct 1907
Decree nisi 28 Jul 1908
Final decree 8 Feb 1909
Named George Edwin in the file…….Adultery coupled with desertion of the Petitioner for two years and upwards without reasonable excuse.
Cando
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:D wow, you are good I am searching randomly through the web so it is difficult at times. I am new at this game. Thank you thank you thank you! What do you use to access records? Here is a comment/source about Clara.
My gr grandfather and George E Swain had quite an interesting past. With Percy John Swain actually using an alias of John Percy for a few years until his brother helped him out financially.
SWAIN, George Edwin
2a Davey Place, Norwich
KN1908, KN1912, AN1916
1867-1933. He was a photographer by 1891, when, at the age of 24, with his wife, Clara, and two small children, he was in Luton, Bedfordshire. He was still in Luton in 1901. By 1905 he was working as a photographer in Adelaide, Australia, where (Paul Godfrey has discovered) he was knocked off his bicycle by a negligently-driven horse and trap. He was back in England in 1907, for he took on the Davey Place studio in Norwich when his younger brother Percy (see below) ran into debt at the end of the year. The Davey Place studio was augmented and then succeeded by one in St Giles Street (see entries for Mrs Swain, below). After the First World War Swain was active in the moving picture industry, recording current events for showing in local cinemas. His son, also George, followed in his footsteps. (Stephen Peart: 'The Picture House in East Anglia', [Terence Dalton, 1980]).
SWAIN, Mrs G
25 St Giles Street, Norwich
AN1916
See, also, Mrs M Swain, below.
SWAIN, Mrs M
27 St Giles Street, Norwich
KN1912, JN1914, KN1916
This is Mildred Mary Swain, 1879-1962, wife of George (above). From the opening of the Davey Place studio onward, the Swain photography business seems to have involved both George and Mildred, and for a time they appear to have been running two studios. Their son, also George, joined the family business towards the end of the First World War, at the age of sixteen. (Everitt).
SWAIN, Percy John
Born c1883, Percy was the much younger brother of George Edwin Swain, above. In 1901 he was working in London as a boot-shop assistant. Other details, including his period as a photographer in Norwich, can be pieced together from a report found by Paul Godfrey in the 'Norfolk Chronicle', 29th Feb 1908, together with a follow-up piece on 28th March:
Before going to London, he had, in 1899, become a chemist's assistant in Luton. In 1902 he set up as a photographer in Hastings, Sussex, but was in financial difficulties after two years. Leaving Hastings with debts unpaid, he took a variety of jobs in different places, working under the alias of 'John Percy'. In March 1907 he arrived in Norwich and joined Louis Smith (q.v.), whom he had known in London. They acquired a former studio at 2a Davey Place and set up as photographers. In September 1907 the partners hired further premises at Orford Place, which they ran as the Lightning Speed Photography Gallery. Smith managed the new studio, while Swain (still generally known as John Percy) stayed at Davey Place. In December, Smith wanted to dissolve the partnership and carry on alone. This led to the drawiinng-up of documents that referred to Swain by his real name (under which his earlier debts had been incurred), and Swain decided to file a petition for bankruptcy. In due course his brother George took on the Davey Place business.
Percy Swain moved on, and in 1911 he was working as a photographer in Loughborough.
http://www.early-photographers.org.uk/Nor%20S.html