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Hi Anna
What you have told me is very interesting. My mother's cousin, Joan Spraggs, is the one who did all the research which she originally gave freely and in good faith to other Spraggs' family members in Australia. She spent many years of her life travelling all over the UK to collect information which is now on various people's trees, as she never had a computer and had to do all her research in person. I know she was very angry when the people she informed made it generally available on the web because it was her life's work and she had intended to write a book on the subject. They really had no right to make it general knowledge.
As she never married and had children and her only brother's children did not really have much interest in her research at the time, she passed me a copy of all her notes and research to keep safe with the proviso it was not to be given to anyone without her permission. I had not even shared it with my own brothers. However, that has now all gone by the board because of the sharing of info. by the people she originally gave the information to and the launch of the web sites such as ancestry. She is now a very frail old lady and somewhat confused, but I am still in contact with her. So much of the info. is thanks to her dedication.

Would it be possible for me to have a copy of her diary also? I could then show Joan and this may go someway towards compensating her. I would be happy to pay postage etc.  She did get as far as knowing she emigrated to Australia, but beyond that, research became impossible as she could not visit Australia and the research sites did not then exist.

I can also help you with where the English side of the family are now.
I mentioned convicts because, of course, some of the fellow passengers would have been prisoners being deported to serve their sentences in Australian prisons set up by the British Government.








 

John's death certificate gives mother as Isobel (Isabel) Black ms Lowson or Lawson, which gives he impression they did marry! However, it could have been she just took his name for convenience and appearances I suppose especially as the info. was given by the son.

Thaks for your help. Don't think either of these is the one as John Black was definitely a weaver.  Am having real problems with this lady. Think she may have sometimes used the name Crawford and not Lowson. Would it be possible to look under that surname for me too please? Sometimes spelt Crauford or Crawfurd. Thanks.

Can anyone do a lookup please for birth of Jane Stratford born about 1845 in Lambourn (given as Sambourn on 51 census)? I am trying to find out her parentage. In 1851 she is shown living in West Shefford as 'daughter-in-law' of James Cleverly. On the 1861 census she is shown as Jane Cleverly and living in West Shefford. Presumably she took her stepfather's name. However, I can find no record of her birth which fits the dates.