Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - Peter L. Mitchell

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 ... 41
1
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Septimus Thompson 1857 - 1897
« on: Saturday 27 September 25 23:46 BST (UK)  »
Update:

Septimus arrived in Australia on 2 February1886. He had stowed away on Lavinia from Mauritius to Albany, Western Australia. When discovered, the captain allowed him to work his passage. Septimus was arrested on arrival but not charged. The magistrate at a subsequent court hearing criticised the captain for not keeping Thompson locked up for the journey and for not handing him over to the authorities upon arrival. How and why he got to Mauritius is unclear.

Thompson next turns up in Melbourne in 1889 when he married Rosa Marie Grimsley on 16 January 1889. By the end of that year he had deserted Rosa and their baby, Hilda. I have no information regarding Septimus's movements up to his death on 21 June 1887. He was buried at Melbourne General Cemetery on 23 June.

Rosa subsequently married William Henry Wraith (a widow) in 1902. She had to sign a declaration stating that she hadn't seen Septimus for 12 years before the wedding went ahead.

If I find out any more I will post it.

Peter

2
Australia / Re: Waupaca, Melbourne Road, Frankston (Victoria, Australia)
« on: Saturday 27 September 25 23:29 BST (UK)  »
An update about Waupaca (in Frankston).

All of the evidence points to Waupaca having initially been a private home about a mile north of Frankston town on the Melbourne Road. At some time - probably during the early 1890s - it probably became a boarding house. I must acknowledge that there is some disagreement about it being a boarding house from members of my family.

Trove has several examples of advertisements that give Waupaca's address as 494 Melbourne Road. This is incorrect. That address was where the first Frankston Post Office was. The best explanation I can give is that letters were not delivered to homes in those days, and people would give the address of the post office where they could pick up their mail.

Thanks for everyone's jelp on this. If I find out any more I will post it.

Peter

3
Europe / Mussolini’s Blackshirts: records of soldiers.
« on: Wednesday 19 February 25 09:35 GMT (UK)  »
Hi everyone.

I am trying to help a friend to find out more about his grandfather, who was born and died in Italy. According to my friend, his grandfather served in Mussolini's Blackshirts and was briefly at Gallipoli and fought in Africa during World War Two. I have no other information and no name to work on, but I'm looking for any guidance in finding records. Any help gratefully received.

Thanks,
            Peter

4
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Defining BIGAMY in 1920 Australia re Lunatic asylum resident spouse
« on: Saturday 21 December 24 22:23 GMT (UK)  »
You might find more information if you search the Public Records Office records for your state. The PROV (Victoria) has a large collection of documents, and you can go in and see and photograph them. I'd imagine that access to other states' records would be the same. Worth a try. Good luck with your search.

5
Family History Beginners Board / Re: How far back is realistic?
« on: Saturday 03 August 24 10:14 BST (UK)  »
I guess it depends upon what you are looking for.

Many of the queries in this site come from people who are looking for missing ancestors, unexplained anomalies in their family history, or information that will explain why things happened in their families. For many of us, it's just totally absorbing to find out more about the past.

6
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Depositions to the Japan War Crimes Tribunal
« on: Saturday 03 August 24 00:45 BST (UK)  »
I would imagine that a 100 year embargo was probably implemented because of the deals that both the Americans and Russians did with certain accused Japanese scientists, especially those who worked at Unit 731 in Harbin during the war. Immunity from prosecution was given to some in exchange for their records.

7
Family History Beginners Board / Re: How far back is realistic?
« on: Saturday 03 August 24 00:37 BST (UK)  »
I believe that the Jewish community has fairly extensive records going back many decades, if not centuries, before the 1600s. There was an article I read many years ago that claimed that there was a woman who was living in Israel who could trace her family back 2,300 years because the rabbinical records were so good.

It's known that the people in many European Jewish communities were almost 100% literate (women included) throughout the Middle Ages, so this is possible. Perhaps if you have Jewish ancestry you might contact the local synagogue or Jewish Museum for some guidance.

8
Family History Beginners Board / Re: Help needed for beginner please
« on: Tuesday 09 July 24 02:38 BST (UK)  »
Hi Wendy.

Welcome to RootsChat. In order to give yourself the best chance of getting help, you need to provide more details: family name, where they lived; occupations; births, marriage and deaths you know about; any migration you know about; years covered; etc. There are many brilliant people who can help on this site and it makes it so much easier if you can provide this kind of information.

Good luck with your search.

Peter

9
Family History Beginners Board / Re: howarth family orange nsw australia
« on: Sunday 16 June 24 11:51 BST (UK)  »
Hi Gregory.

Have you tried Trove? Here's a link that shows several reports about members of the Howarth family in N.S.W. The site is searchable, and it allows access to scanned copies of newspaper reports.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/search/category/newspapers?keyword=Reginald%20Howarth&l-state=New%20South%20Wales

I imagine that you might find some answers here?

Good luck with your search.

Peter

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 ... 41