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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: doric on Sunday 11 June 23 20:19 BST (UK)
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I am really needing some help, my mind is addled and I have hit a big brick wall. I agreed to help my daughter-in-law to do some research on her father's family of which she has only limited knowledge.
I am currently trying to find information on her father's sister ELLEN FINLAY born Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, England in 1911. The only information my daughter-in-law has that in 1934 ELLEN married EDWARD SMURTHWAITE born in 1912 (birthplace unknown) at Newcastle-upon-Tyne and in 1935 they had a son JOHN EDWIN SMURTHWAITE. In 1939 the family appear on the Census in Newcastle. My daughter-in-law is certain she remembers her Aunt emigrating to Australia when she was a child, she was born 1965. I have checked passenger lists but the only thing I have come up with is a record for JOHN EDWIN SMURTHWAITE going to America and then ending up in Australia. No evidence of a death in England for Ellen, but there is info available for an ELLEN
SMURTHWAITE who is buried in Hindmarsh Cemetery in South Australia. Furthermore I have checked for EDWARD SMURTHWAITE in Australia but drawn a blank there also. On checking deaths for him in England find that his death is registered in 1991 and took place at Tynemouth, Northumberland. This has got me going around in circles now and hope other eyes might get me on the right track again.
Would be most appreciative of any help I can get.
Many thanks,
Doric
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A search at the National Archives of Australia will show you John's family immigrating to Australia in 1968. Names of living people cannot be mentioned here.
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/SearchScreens/BasicSearch.aspx
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Thanks Neale1961, I live in England, can I access that on-line?
I understand we can't name living people, but the family in question are all deceased.
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Thanks Neale1961, I live in England, can I access that on-line?
I understand we can't name living people, but the family in question are all deceased.
Yes you can use the link above.
SMURTHWAITE Ellen - Departed United Kingdom per QF531 (Quantas flight) 29 December 1971
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=21519636&isAv=N
Cemetery record
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/215283433/ellen-smurthwaite
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Wow, Thanks a million Neale for that piece of information. I was completely at a loss how to move forward with this. I had looked at the passenger lists from England, but got nowhere. Not being familiar with Australian records I felt deflated and defeated. Thanks to you I now have a renewed incentive to go forward. Again many thanks
Doric
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Hi have you noticed entries for a fellow who could be your John on the Ryerson Index
who died in South Australia May 2002 aged 67yrs.
https://ryersonindex.org/search.php
Also you could contact the SA State Library regarding a copy of notices.
https://guides.slsa.sa.gov.au/bdm/SAdeaths
have a look at the section on the Library page regarding the Saville Index
Cass
Ps also this site may help
https://genealogysa.org.au/resources/online-database-search
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Hi CassT,
Thankyou so much for taking the time and trouble in helping me withmy request and supplying me with links to follow through. I am not familiar with the Ryerson Index or indeed with research in Australia, so I am presuming I can access these from the UK. I am so very grateful for all the help.
Again many many thanks.
Doric
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Hello doric,
There's free newspaper searches in TROVE in Australia. I found this, not happy news but perhaps fills in blanks:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/240819989?searchTerm=%22john%20smurthwaite%22
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And this link has a bit more information:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/240732053?searchTerm=%22john%20smurthwaite%22
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The only information my daughter-in-law has that in 1934 ELLEN married EDWARD SMURTHWAITE born in 1912 (birthplace unknown) at Newcastle-upon-Tyne and in 1935 they had a son JOHN EDWIN SMURTHWAITE.
Can't help with the Australian end of things, but you may want to check the name of Ellen's husband.
All the records that I can see in the UK that match what you have said have him as Edwin Cummings Smurthwaite, not Edward.
That's birth registration, 1921 census, marriage registration, 1939 National Identity Register and death registration all of which have him as either Edwin Cummings Smurthwaite or Edwin C Smurthwaite.
The difference in forename could skew search results unless you use wild cards
Boo
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Thankyou so much Annbee for those finds. So grateful to you.
Doric
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Thankyou Tickettyboo for pointing that out to me, I don't know how I didn't realise that. I am going through the information I have again and see where I have gone wrong on the name descrepancy.
Many thanks
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IF you have confirmed that the 1934 marriage is correct then the death registration for Edward Cummings Smurthwaite was in Q1 1991, Newcastle and gives a year of birth of 1912.
Newcastle Evening Chronicle
14 Mar 1991, page 2 col 3
Deaths
SMURTHWAITE
(Gosforth) In hospital on March 10th aged 78 years
Edwin Cummings . Funeral service at West Road
Crematorium on Monday 18th March at 12.30pm
Family Search have an index to cremations at West Road, which gives the register entry number.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-P3VC-29SQ-W?
Crematorium registers after 1986 are still with the council cemeteries dept, but its worth asking them if they given the register entry no, name and date of cremation will tell you who arranged the funeral which may help?
Someone certainly paid for an entry in the Book of Remembrance which is online
https://www.remembrance-books.com/Newcastle/book-of-remembrance.html
and this is the page with Edwin's entry
https://www.remembrance-books.com/Newcastle/pages/031002r.jpg
Boo
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Thankyou so much Boo, that find is fantastic and I am so grateful, with the help of yourself and members of this forum, I have been successful in tracing a relation of Edwin Smurthwaite. We are in the very early stages of communication and both looking for answers. Hopefully there will be progress.
Thank you to each and everyone who have helped and offered advice. This forum is invaluable.
Doric