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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: hensher on Tuesday 03 December 19 15:41 GMT (UK)

Title: History of mining companies
Post by: hensher on Tuesday 03 December 19 15:41 GMT (UK)
Is there any chance of being able to find information on a mining company in the 1880s? In the Bendigo Advertiser in 1881 under an article about the Aurora Company is a mention of Hensher and co  re sinking a shaft deeper. The company may have been short-lived but I think it may well have been my great-grandfather William Edmond Hensher.
Title: Re: History of mining companies
Post by: philipsearching on Tuesday 03 December 19 18:32 GMT (UK)
related thread:
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=821881

TROVE has nothing except the two articles found on the other thread.

NAA has nothing helpful
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx

THE GAZETTE only has a notice published 21 Feb 1902 about winding up Henshaw & Chadwick (Mashonaland):
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27409/page/1127

I tried a googlesearch for "Hensher & co" and "Hensher and co" but didn't find anything relevant.
Title: Re: History of mining companies
Post by: Beth42 on Tuesday 03 December 19 19:57 GMT (UK)
Perhaps the Bendigo Library or Historical Society could be of help.
Title: Re: History of mining companies
Post by: majm on Tuesday 03 December 19 22:25 GMT (UK)
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=369963.0

That is the live link to RChat's excellent Resources for Victoria.   Likely there will be a live link there for the Government Gazette for Victoria.  It is important to recognise that until 1901, 'Australia' was just a continent.  In 1901 the six British colonies were federated into one British colony, 'Australia'.  Each of the parliaments that were created in each of those six colonies in the 1800s still exist and function to this day.   The federal parliament is separate from those parliaments.  So, in respect of Victoria, there is a state based Archives, live links should be on that live link above too.  PROV  :)

JM
Title: Re: History of mining companies
Post by: LoganH on Thursday 05 December 19 10:51 GMT (UK)
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/88633110?searchTerm=Hensher%20and%20co.%20of%20elysian%20flat&searchLimits= (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/88633110?searchTerm=Hensher%20and%20co.%20of%20elysian%20flat&searchLimits=)

If you read the above article you will see that the Aurora Company "failed to get off the ground" so to speak.
Hensher and Co. did discover payable gold.
However, the ground had already been 'claimed' and held by two other companies (the New Union Jack Company and the New Wellington). Therefore the ground could not be 'pegged' and the Aurora Company could not establish a claim and begin mining.
With speculation in the Company and the discovery shares were offered and 'snapped up' however not within the laws of mining of the day. Investors demanded their money to be refunded.

There is no Aurora Company registered in the year of 1881 in the Victorian Government Gazette.

Location (Neilborough, north of Bendigo, Victoria.)
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/88632700?searchTerm=%22neilborough%22%20AND%20%22Hensher%22&searchLimits=dateFrom=1881-01-01|||dateTo=1881-12-31 (https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/88632700?searchTerm=%22neilborough%22%20AND%20%22Hensher%22&searchLimits=dateFrom=1881-01-01|||dateTo=1881-12-31)
Bendigo Advertiser, Thursday 14th April 1881, Page 3, Raywood.
A party at Elysian Flat, who are prospecting for Hensher and Co., have come on quartz with gold in it, which, should it prove payable, will open out quite a new field. The claim is situate about a quarter of a mile north of the Shamrock Hotel, the depth from which the prospect was obtained was 46 feet, and just below the old alluvial.

Title: Re: History of mining companies
Post by: hensher on Thursday 05 December 19 20:59 GMT (UK)
Thank you so much for that information. My great grandfather Hensher certainly got about a bit!