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Messages - saphsmax

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Family History Beginners Board / Re: John Hill (c1810-1860), born London, arrived NSW c.1834
« on: Saturday 27 April 13 10:12 BST (UK)  »
Thanks JM - unlikely to be him. This John Hill was never 'in trade' - before he went broke in his 40s, in his wealthy 20s and 30s he mixed with the likes of pastoralists, colonial 'gentry', bankers, state governors, investors, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if he was distantly connected to Sir John Hill of Hawkestone Park, Shropshire. One tidbit that may help sort him out from the others named 'John Hill' re his time in NSW (c1833-1837) was that he was much involved in the turf, both in NSW and SA, and in 1837 brought with him from NSW to SA a thoroughbred Arabian stallion racehorse, named Rainbow.  He was descended from a pure Arabian stallion of the same name imported in 1828 from India to Sydney by Captain H.J. Rous, R.N., on HMS Rainbow, the frigate that was his command at the time. John Hill may have been also connected with Young Rainbow, a mare that had previously been the property of Henry Baily of Parramatta, an avid racehorse owner.

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Family History Beginners Board / Re: John Hill (c1810-1860), born London, arrived NSW c.1834
« on: Saturday 27 April 13 04:13 BST (UK)  »
Correct assumption re Adelaide Hospital records - they usually do record other useful information, but not in his case.  There are columns for address - 'Adelaide' (not helpful), occupation - 'labourer', birthplace - 'London', age - '50', ship of arrival 'blank'.  Amazingly every other entry of that page, for every other patient admitted a few weeks either side of him, has the ship name entered, but his column is blank. In any event, I happen to know the ship name and date of arrival from Sydney in Sep 1837, but it is where he came from before arrival - his arrival at NSW and activities in NSW and in UK that are even more enigmatic.  As I said - a hard case.

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Family History Beginners Board / Re: John Hill (c1810-1860), born London, arrived NSW c.1834
« on: Friday 26 April 13 08:29 BST (UK)  »
I have contacted the cemetery authority (most helpful), which was the source of the info that his grave was unmarked, plot unknown. The short story is that he was originally wealthy but later went broke and ended up in debtors prison for a month before being released when declared an insolvent pauper.  SRSA Gaol Registers, etc, were no help - the columns where the usual useful details appear (birthplace, religion, occupation, etc) are struck through with a line and the cryptic comment 'DEBTOR' appears. The Insolvency Court records (SRSA) are no help either - plenty of detail re his debts, but nothing of his personal origins. The Adelaide Hospital records also provide nothing either, except his cause of death was 'ulcus' (ulcer), so perhaps he was an alcoholic by then.

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Family History Beginners Board / Re: John Hill (c1810-1860), born London, arrived NSW c.1834
« on: Friday 26 April 13 07:45 BST (UK)  »
Thank you all sincerely for your responses and input thus far.  I already had the newspaper notice of his death, and had also presumed he was buried a pauper, but thanks anyway.  All ideas appreciated as he is a really, really difficult case, hence my cry for help. 
Max

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Australia / Re: SPURLING Family South Australia
« on: Friday 26 April 13 07:38 BST (UK)  »
Hi Dee
Many thanks for your quick response.  Only problem is I don't yet know how to access the personal message system. I will try and work that out. Still learning (big time!).
Max

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Family History Beginners Board / John Hill (c1810-1860), born London, arrived NSW c.1834
« on: Thursday 25 April 13 06:40 BST (UK)  »
John Hill was born c.1810 at London (hospital register at death) and arrived New South Wales in mid-1830s as a single man in his mid-20s, relatively wealthy and quite well educated. He there became a stockholder/grazier, being an associate of the Imlay brothers of Twofold Bay, and of explorer Edward John Eyre, among others.  In September 1837 he settled in Adelaide, South Australia, where his subsequent life story is well known and where he died, a bachelor, in 1860 - buried WTC - plot unrecorded.  Apart from what is above, nothing at all is known of him before 1837, including his origins, parentage (not even names), emigration, activities in N.S.W., etc.  His family evidently held high social status but he is not directly related to Rowland Hill (1795-1879), famed for introducing the Penny Post, and Secty of the SA Colonization Commission in London.
This is a difficult one - with a difficult name to boot - any help appreciated re this man's obscure origins.
Max     

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Lincolnshire / Re: James William Inman 1851 census
« on: Thursday 25 April 13 05:39 BST (UK)  »
Hi Karen
James William Inman was a son of Revd Dr James Inman (1776-1859) and an elder brother of Henry Inman (1816-1895).  Both have biographical entries on Wikipedia.
regards
Max

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Australia / Re: Spurling Family South Australia
« on: Thursday 25 April 13 05:26 BST (UK)  »
Hi Dee
This is our family.... I have the whole family tree and knew a few of these people - all gone now. Don't know how the postcards were sold off.  Many thanks for your interest in chasing this up. Love to hear from you because some in the family would really treasure them.
Max

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