RootsChat.Com
Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: yt2 on Sunday 08 March 15 23:25 GMT (UK)
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I hope I'm not 'pushing the envelope' too far, but I would really like to resurrect an unsolved mystery from my family research.
About 5-6 years back, with a lot of Rootschatters' generous help, I spent some considerable time researching the background of my G-G-grandparents Margaret Walsh and Samuel White, but with no certain outcome. Margaret (b. c1831) married Samuel White (b. c1829) in Holy Trinity Church Adelaide on 25 Aug 1851. Margaret died in Adelaide 25Nov1870 as a widow - I have no certain record of Samuel's death. Beyond those facts, the pair of them remain a mystery.
I believe Margaret Walsh arrived in Adelaide from Ireland via Plymouth on the barque Inconstant on 7 June 1849 as part of the Earl Grey Scheme. The Inconstant was one of the more notorious ships carrying Irish Orphan girls to Australia and their reception in Adelaide was characterised by hostile press reports about the character of the young women and alleged improprieties between the matron and the ship's officers during the voyage. The story has been researched by Mark Staniforth of Flinders University and is published at http://www.academia.edu/1266659/The_Inconstant_Girls - it is well worth reading.
Samuel White was dead before Margaret, but I have no date of his death. I believe they had 3 children, but I can locate records for 2 only, Mary Ann Elizabeth b. 1853 and Joel b. 1854. Mary Ann's life is well researched, but there is no record of Joel beyond his birth entry.
The 3rd child was my G-Grandfather Joseph Frederick White, b. c1856 and d. 1927 - Joseph's marriage and death are well recorded, but there is no record of his birth. His obituary records that "He was the son of the late Mr Samuel White and was born at the Bay Rd, Plympton." (Samuel was a butcher at Bay Rd Plympton).
I really appreciate all the work that has been done for me previously - eternally optimistic, I am just hoping that something new might have entered the record books since that time. My family tree has grown considerably over the years and it is a great frustration that the branch about which I know the least, is my father's line - and ergo the history of the folk that passed me down my surname.
The previous threads are at
(2009) ..... http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,409343.10.html
(2012) ..... and at http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=574939.msg4272330#msg4272330
Please tell me to bugger off if you think I'm asking too much. As well as being eternally optimistic, I'm also quite thick-skinned. ;D ;D ;D
Thanks all .... and a belated happy new year too!!
Whitey
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I've had a quick read through the old thread. Did you ever get the info from the birth certificate of Joel?
Bit confused by your references to the two old threads. They seem to bring up the same one...or am I looking in the wrong place.
Spike
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Hi Whitey :)
For the record the 1869 death of a Samuel WHITE is not your man. He died in Adelaide Gaol and his age was estimated by the informant/registrar. This man was in Western Australia prior to his death and was known to a fellow prisoner.
Was Margaret named a widow on her death certificate simply because her husband was not around. Information on death certs is unreliable. I haven't time to read the other threads today.
Have you searched on TROVE for info about Samuel. He isn't the man at Aldinga who was in the insolvency court.
Cando :)
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Hi Whitey,
Wondering if you had you seen this:
Samuel WHITE buried at West Terrace Cemetery on 5 Feb 1855 aged 29 years.
http://www.aca.sa.gov.au/RecordsSearch.aspx
Chris
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From TROVE:
There is a funeral notice for Samuel White in the South Australian Register on 5th Feb 1855.
Chris.
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Cristobel this death was posted on the linked thread
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=409343.msg2768938#msg2768938
Cando
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Thanks all ... I have now fixed the link to the 2012 thread. Must have been too early in the morning for me.
The funeral announcement for the Foresters is interesting too and opens up another line of inquiry for me. Thanks Cristobel.
Spike - re the birth certificate for Joel ... I spoke to a Librarian at the Unley SA repository who had access to the birth certificate and informed me that it was rudimentary and difficult to read, but appeared to corroborate the Joel name rather than the possibility of a Jos (shortened version of Joseph).
Whitey ;D
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Pointless purchasing birth certs in that era as there is little more info than on the CD's.
1842-1907
Date of Birth
Name
Sex
Mother's and Father's Names
Father's Occupation
Informant
Cando