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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: rdarby on Tuesday 06 August 19 13:53 BST (UK)
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I am researching Agnes McKenzie, born 1831 in St John's New Brunswick, arrived in Australia in 1841 and Sydney NSW in 1842. She was the only daughter of Kenneth McKenzie and Catherine Burgess, but had 6 brothers.
Kenneth McKenzie was a grocer, merchant, ship owner and also described as a 'ship's captain'. He died or disappeared about 1844. His wife Catherine later remarried, to John Weston in Sydeney in 1853.
I have found a couple of newspaper reports suggesting that Agnes may have fallen in to bad company and was brought before the courts for bad conduct, but the charges were dismissed.
I thought I found her marriage, children & death, paid for certificates but now think they disprove my theories.
I have the details from NSW transcriptions for a marriage in 1853 between Agnes McKenzie and John Davis, and a death in 1908 for Agnes Davis. The problem is that the death records say she was born in Dumfries, Scotland, and also, newspaper reports for her funeral mention a 'Mrs S.E. McKenzie', 'sister' and aunt to that family, wheras 'my' Agnes did not have a brother with those initials.
So, the point of this message is; if anyone is connected to Agnes & John Davis I am happy to pass on these details!
Of course, there remains the slim possibility that there is a connection; Agnes McKenzie's mother Catherine Burgess was born in Dumfries, and maybe there is another explanation for 'Mrs S.E.McKenzie'. (Agnes & John Davis had a daughter with these initials)
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NSW BDM marriage
1036/1853 V18531036 39 MCKENZIE Agnes / DAVIS John @ CJ
15816/1908 DAVIS Agnes parents names MCKENZIE / @ Waterloo
SMH 16 Oct 1908 p12
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/28149145?
.......funeral notice for Agnes DAVIS....
Rookwood Cemetery from 51 Mitchell Road Alexandria....
NSW BDM birth
2646/1883 MCKENZIE Gertrude H parents Samuel E F / Matilda @ Sydney
death
21615/1927 MCKENZIE Samuel E F parents George / Helen @ Newtown
Do you have a death certificate for Catherine WESTON, formerly McKENZIE nee BURGESS?
It would name her children.
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Thank you very much for your reply (Wivenhoe). I have the transcripts for the NSW BDM records you mentioned if anyone else out there can use them!
Thank you also for redirecting my focus back to Catherine Weston's death certificate (Victoria 1882), which I have. It states her children; Agnes 'deceased', Hugh, 44yrs, Edward, 42yrs, Kennith,40yrs, William, 33yrs, Cuthbert, 34 yrs and John, deceased.
So 'my' Agnes was deceased prior to 1882; rules out the Agnes Davis (m.s. McKenzie) that died in 1908.
I'll have to keep on digging!
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You are researching the family of Catherine WESTON, formerly McKENZIE nee BURGESS...died 1882 Victoria?
Death certificate has daughter Agnes...deceased at 1882. The McKENZIE -DAVIS marriage, a possibility, is no longer relevant.....but of use to another researcher?
You are looking for Agnes....suggested by mother's death certificate.
Who is the informant for the death certificate.
Can you list all the information on this death certificate.
If husband Kenneth is not with family from ~1844...how did Catherine support her family for several years until 1853 marriage to John WESTON?
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Thanks again!
The informant is Kenneth, her son. He got his father's name wrong, which is surprising! He put 'Hugh', but it was Kenneth.
How Catherine supported her family before 1853 is a mystery, although she may have had help from her brother in law, Edward McKenzie who was a master mariner and probably reasonably well off.
The rest of the information:
Name of father: Burgess, Licenced victualler (nothing else) Informant; Kenneth McKenzie, son
Place of death; Garvoc Where & when buried, Terang July 8th 1882 Names of minister & witness, Where born; Dumfries How long in Australian colonies, 36 yrs Where and what age and to whom married; 1)Scotland 2) unknown 3) Hugh McKenzie; second marriage to John Weston in Sydney NSW 43 yrs Names of issue ( as stated in last message)
Note: the name of her first husband was kenneth, not Hugh! All the children's baptisms show Kenneth & Catherine and I have their marriage banns from Scotland (Kirkcudbright 1929)
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Hi rdarby,
You have Agnes as born in Scotland and arriving in NSW in 1841, but there is a baptism on 20 Jan 1831 at St Andrews Scots Church, Cumberland, NSW for an Agnes McKenzie, d/o Kenneth McKenzie & Catherine Burgess (FHL Film Number 993971).
Jo :)
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There is a burial also registered at St Andrews Scots Church for an Agnes McKenzie, age 23, in 1856.
Volume reference V18563084 102
I'm not sure if you have ruled these out yet?
Jo :)
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Empire 9 Apr 1852 p2
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/60129304?
....Agnes McKENZIE and brother Kenneth McKENZIE.....
Can you give the source of your family story please........Nova Scotia.........arrival...where?....1841....1846.....
Father Kenneth's job descriptions....where are you seeing this?
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rdarby,
About Catherine. If her husband Kenneth McKENZIE whose death you have not located, was not around by 1844, then who was the father of William born 1849 , Cuthbert 1850 and John?
I have taken these birth dates from the ages given on the DC you have given.
(Unreliable documents ;D)
Kenneth junior the informant would however, know his own birth date and probably those of his closest siblings.
Can you give the birth dates you have sighted please.
Sue
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Using BDM NSW parents Kenneth and Catherine
Agnes 1831...Hugh 1833...Edward 1835...Kenneth 1837...William 1839...John 1842...Cuthbert 1844
Where is Edward McKENZIE, brother of Kenneth?. Is he also in Sydney....married, died in Sydney.
How have you identified him to be a brother to Kenneth?
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Using BDM NSW parents Kenneth and Catherine
Agnes 1831...Hugh 1833...Edward 1835...Kenneth 1837...William 1839...John 1842...Cuthbert 1844
Where is Edward McKENZIE, brother of Kenneth?. Is he also in Sydney....married, died in Sydney.
How have you identified him to be a brother to Kenneth?
Well the informant was confused in 1882 ;D.
Even his own birth date is wrong.
1841 was obviously not the date of arrival in Australia.
Sue
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There is a burial also registered at St Andrews Scots Church for an Agnes McKenzie, age 23, in 1856.
Volume reference V18563084 102
I'm not sure if you have ruled these out yet?
Jo :)
Thanks, Jo. No, I hadn't seen the burial record yet, thank you very much.
I have purchased Agne's baptism record which states she was born in St John's New Brunswick in 1831, but the 'solemnization' ceremony was in Sydney in 1842.
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Using BDM NSW parents Kenneth and Catherine
Agnes 1831...Hugh 1833...Edward 1835...Kenneth 1837...William 1839...John 1842...Cuthbert 1844
Where is Edward McKENZIE, brother of Kenneth?. Is he also in Sydney....married, died in Sydney.
How have you identified him to be a brother to Kenneth?
Thanks, Sue.
It’s a long story, but to summarise; Kenneth & Edward plus 2 other brothers(Hugh & John) and their father (Hugh snr) , wives, children etc sailed from New Brunswick in 1840 and arrived in Albany where Hugh snr died and is buried there. Their boat was called the ‘Brothers’ and it was re-registered in Hobart, Edward & Kenneth equal shareholders. They took it to Sydney and there are records of it’s arrival there.
There are various records of Kenneth as a ’grocer’ or ‘merchant’ and he was the owner of another vessel called the ‘Rose’. Edward sailed the ‘Brother’ for awhile before it was sold, then he was the master of the ‘Tenasserim’ and there are many newspaper records as well as shipping arrivals and departures to confirm. In 1849 he sailed to California, returned to Launceston in 1850 and left again as master of the ‘Xylon’.
He married in San Francisco and died there in 1854. There are obituaries in the Sydney newspapers after this time, and in 1855 the Launceston papers were advertising the sale of the ‘Rory O’More’ and its equipment as winding up Edward’s estate.
The confusion with the birthdates of Kenneth & Catherine’s children stems from the fact that they were all baptised in NSW in 1842 & 1844, but the first 5 children were born in New Brunswick. I have obtained the transcriptions which attests to this.
Thank you for your interest.
ps if you have any suggestions as to help me find out exactly what happened to Kenneth...
Well the informant was confused in 1882 ;D.
Even his own birth date is wrong.
1841 was obviously not the date of arrival in Australia.
Sue
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Jo,
re your earlier information:
'There is a burial also registered at St Andrews Scots Church for an Agnes McKenzie, age 23, in 1856.
Volume reference V18563084 102'
just wondering where you came across this, I can't find it !!
thanks, Roger
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Hi Roger, the burial was on Find My Past, Jo :)
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ps if you have any suggestions as to help me find out exactly what happened to Kenneth...
Dead by 1859.
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63594623
Sue
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Jo,
re your earlier information:
'There is a burial also registered at St Andrews Scots Church for an Agnes McKenzie, age 23, in 1856.
Volume reference V18563084 102'
just wondering where you came across this, I can't find it !!
thanks, Roger
NSW BDM online index has this as (watch the spacing between MC and KENZIE) :
MC KENZIE AGNES, aged 23, 3084/1856 V18563084 102.
So, NSW BDM's Early Church Records, Volume 102, line 3084 in 1856.
JM
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The 1853 marriage which you have eliminated :) would it be the following (a number of years ago I was given several transcriptions of marriages by Rev Rogers) ?
Marriage According to Church of England rites, at St James Church, (Sydney CBD) by Reverend Edward ROGERS,
NSW BDM Volume 39C Line 1036, 1853.
My transcription:
26 September 1853
Entry 98
John DAVIS, bachelor, of St Lawrence Parish, married Agnes McKENZIE, single of St James Parish, with the consent of her parents.
John Davis made his mark
Agnes McKenzie made her mark.
Witnesses : John CRIPPS of George Street (signature)
Mary Ann BROWNING of Market Street (signature).
JM
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Thanks for that information!
I'm just wondering if it's worth paying for a transcription of the death/burial record, will it give any more details?
And yes, that's the marriage I was looking at. I paid $13 for that! Also paid $20 for the death of Agnes Davis in 1908, now I know it's not my relative!
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Burial record 1856 .... scant on family history info as it is not a NSW death certificate.
JM
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Hugh McKenzie is in my family tree, Hugh left St Johns when he was 71 and sailed to Albany on the Brig that they built she was 121 tons Reg. No. J840006 he was married to Bridget Erskine her birth 1802 when he died the ship went to his son Hugh McKenzie and latter he gave to Keith that went to New Zealand I have more on this regards Lester