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Messages - 999WOODBURN

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1
Australia / Re: Thomas HOWELL and Margaret WALLACE, Pt. Sorell, Tasmania
« on: Thursday 18 May 17 06:42 BST (UK)  »
Thank you so much for all this interesting information Cris.

I haven't been researching the family tree that much lately, but not too long ago the interest flared up again, mainly with respect to another branch quite unrelated to the Tasmanian connection.

I have a fair bit of information about the Howell / Wallace branch hidden away in a file somewhere, so I will take the time to check through and compare with what you have reported - you obviously have been very busy digging out all those details!

Thanks again, Brendan


2
Suffolk Lookup Requests / Re: Birth Lookup - Robert BANKS 1811 Suffolk near Bury St Edmonds
« on: Thursday 13 April 17 11:09 BST (UK)  »
Hello People,

Back on this after a little break.

Referring to the researcher's report on Robert Banks military service, the information I have is exactly as follows:

"The muster volume WO12/9620 was likely to contain Robert's discharge from the army and it was checked for his name. This had been crossed through in red ink and annotated "Discharged 28th Feby" and Gra(tui)ty 6mo. ch(arge)d in G(eneral) S(tate)." A special page for men leaving said:

930 Private Robert Banks: Born Gt. Layham, Norfolk: Laborer: Date of Enlistment - 16 Octr 1833: Ditto (= Discharged) Launceston V.D. Land 1846.

The General State (= Paymaster's summary of payments) had: "Vo(ucher) 139 : 9-2-6 (Private) R. Banks".

This all means that Robert went on leave and arranged for a backdated discharge, sacrificing the possibility of an eventual pension for an immediate cash gratuity of 6 months pay amounting to 9 pounds 2 shillings and 6 pence.....

......There is no Great Layham in Norfolk and I suspect that he was born at the one in the adjoining county -  Suffolk. Army clerks were overworked and minor errors were frequent........ A Description Book would have confirmed the facts, but this has not survived.

Can anyone help me understand a little better what all this means and also advise if it possible to view any of the originals records the researcher would have consulted. Where would they be held? I am coming to the UK later this year and will have a few spare days to hunt around.

Many Thanks,
     Brendan

3
Suffolk Lookup Requests / Re: Birth Lookup - Robert BANKS 1811 Suffolk near Bury St Edmonds
« on: Tuesday 04 April 17 17:54 BST (UK)  »
Hello Annette,

Thank you so much.

Whilst it is likely that we will never know for sure, your reasoning makes a good deal of sense.

I spent many, many hours researching my wife's side of our family tree before turning my attention to mine and found that there were times when the balance of probability was all you could go on. We will never know for certain, but it is quite likely you are correct. Did Ester (Esther)raise Robert? He would have been 5 years old by the time she married John Frost. Quite possibly she did given her son John (b.1816) named one of his own children Robert presumably after his older half-brother. Interesting though he kept his mother's surname.

No, I only have the military researcher's report. The work was commissioned around 1992 or 1993 by Alan Banks, a cousin of my father. Alan is an old man now (91), but still quite sharp. Unfortunately he lives over the other side of the country from me, but I will make a point of visiting him again soon to see what he remembers and whether he has further details.

Thanks also for the information about what you are likely to find on the early military records. This sort of detail is invaluable to us amateurs - no point in going to  a lot of trouble chasing down records if they reveal nothing new.

Thanks again,
     Brendan

 

4
Suffolk Lookup Requests / Re: Birth Lookup - Robert BANKS 1811 Suffolk near Bury St Edmonds
« on: Tuesday 04 April 17 05:41 BST (UK)  »
Hello Solidrock,

Yes, you may well be correct. We simply don't know anything earlier than he enlisted in Bury St Edmonds in October or November 1833. This is really the only reason we have tended to think he came from around that area.

Interesting information about the Robert Banks from Whepstead - that probably rules him out of the picture.

Our Robert's military records were professionally searched some 20 years ago, so I am assuming if there had been reference anywhere to his parentage, it would have been picked up.

The evidence seems to indicate he was a bit of a rogue, most probably illiterate, although he may have signed his marriage certificate. For all his 13 years in the army, he never rose above the rank of private and it appears he was often in trouble losing his good conduct pay and other privileges from time to time. As I said in my opening post, it looks like he abandoned his family (or was pushed out) around 1865 or so with nothing more heard of him until the circumstances of his death were finally unearthed around 10 years ago. The notation in the Victorian Government Death records lists both mother and father unknown. Dying as he did in a mental institution, it could well be that he wound up there with no-one knowing anything about it and him not capable of providing any details about himself.

I will be in the UK later this year and will have a couple of spare days, so wondered if there was anywhere I could go to search records looking for further clues.

Brendan

5
Suffolk Lookup Requests / Re: Birth Lookup - Robert BANKS 1811 Suffolk near Bury St Edmonds
« on: Tuesday 04 April 17 03:53 BST (UK)  »
Thank you for this response solidrock.

We are quite certain our Robert Banks arrived in Australia as a guard on the prison ship Asia on 31st August 1841, so it is difficult to know if the information you have provided relates to our man or not.

We have fairly solid information about his time in the 96th Foot Regiment and it appears his regiment was in Chatham around 1840, probably assisting guarding of convicts awaiting deportation to Australia. The Asia departed Chatham on 12th April 1841 with 200 male convicts bound for Van Diemen's Land.

What we are really trying to determine is whether either of the two Robert Banks from the 1811 Suffolk Baptism records described by Suffolk*sue is our man. Not sure if we can do that!

Brendan

6
Suffolk Lookup Requests / Re: Birth Lookup - Robert BANKS 1811 Suffolk near Bury St Edmonds
« on: Tuesday 04 April 17 02:18 BST (UK)  »
Thank you for the response Suffolk*sue. This is interesting information!

I see on "google" a Robert Banks, born 1811, died 1841 in Whepstead. Can it be confirmed whether he was one of the two you have mentioned?

Also, do you know if there is any avenue we might be able to follow to determine the parentage of the Robert Banks who enlisted for military service in Bury St Edmonds in 1833?

Brendan

7
Suffolk Lookup Requests / Birth Lookup - Robert BANKS 1811 Suffolk near Bury St Edmonds
« on: Monday 03 April 17 18:57 BST (UK)  »
Hello,

I am trying to find a bit more information about our ancestor, Robert BANKS, who came to Australia in 1841 as a soldier in the 96th Foot Regiment. There is evidence he enlisted in 1833 in Bury St Edmonds, Suffolk. Military records state he was born in Great Layham, Norfolk, but there is no Great Layham in Norfolk. There is however a Great Saxham, Suffolk quite close to Bury St Edmonds.

The evidence he was born in 1811 is less certain. There was a note in a family bible that he was born in 1811 and died in 1870 - no more information than this. Until recently, it was not known exactly what had happened to him after around 1865 or so. All trace seemed to have vanished. His youngest child was born in 1864, so he was certainly around then, but nothing after that. Finally, it was discovered that he had indeed died much later in 1898 aged 88 in the Bendigo Benevolent Asylum. So a birth around 1811, as noted in the bible, may be close to the mark.

We have no record of his parentage, any siblings or anything really. It appears there were 2 or 3 Robert Banks born in 1811 in Suffolk not too far from Bury St Edmonds, but I have not sighted these records in any detail.

I am wondering if anyone has access to any records which might show who his parents were, and whether this can be cross checked with any next of kin nominations in military records. Any other ideas on where to look further would also be appreciated.

Brendan

8
Australia / Re: Abigail COURTENAY (Courtney) - Emigrated on Isabella Watson 1846
« on: Friday 11 September 15 07:28 BST (UK)  »
A further snippet.

Another of the passengers on the "Isabella Watson" was a Mary Collins.

Mary Collins, presumably the same one, was one of the witnesses at Abbey's (Abigail) marriage. She too was illiterate signing with "her mark". It is not known if they knew each other before the voyage, or became friends along the way - much speculation!

The other witness was a J. Colyer. Nothing is known about him/her.

Brendan

9
Australia / Re: Abigail COURTENAY (Courtney) - Emigrated on Isabella Watson 1846
« on: Friday 11 September 15 07:10 BST (UK)  »
Thanks for the hint about posting on the Ireland board.

Unfortunately, Abigail's marriage certificate shows no detail about her parentage, occupation or even her age. She was probably illiterate, certainly couldn't write as her signature on the marriage certificate is recorded as "her mark"

The death certificate information is comprehensively complete, so I am inclined to believe it. Unlike herself, it appears all her children went on to be well educated - engineer, journalist, school teachers etc. One of her sons (Edward) at the time was a very well respected editor of the Bendigo Independent.

Brendan

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